WWE Raw results, recap, grades: The Rock brutalizes Cody Rhodes, leaves him bloodied to close the show

Rhodes was left beaten and bloodied by 'The Final Boss' as Raw went off the air

Cody Rhodes had done all the right things and seemingly hit all the right notes ahead of his two main event matches at WrestleMania 40. That changed on Monday night when Rhodes was the victim of a brutal attack at the hands of The Rock.

Rhodes and Rock came face-to-face at the start of the show, with Rock making a surprise appearance and whispering a message to "The American Nightmare." What was said in that whisper became clear at the end of the night as The Rock manhandled Rhodes before drawing literal blood as Raw went off the air.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Allstate Arena in Chicago.

The Rock brutalizes Cody Rhodes and leaves him bloody

Cody Rhodes opened the show with an in-ring promo. Rhodes discussed his two WrestleMania main events and took shots at both Roman Reigns and The Rock. Rhodes then asked the fans to point to the WrestleMania sign along with him. Moments later, Rhodes was cut off by The Rock's music, with the legend making his way to the ring. Uncharacteristically, Rock did not speak to the crowd, instead, he whispered something to Rhodes before leaving the ring. Later in the show, Rhodes was asked backstage what The Rock had whispered but would only say it was a promise "The Final Boss" would not be able to deliver on.

Jey Uso def. Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall with a spear in the main event. When Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa attempted to interfere in the match, they were chased away by Rhodes and Seth Rollins. Drew McIntrye saw an opening for revenge (see below) and intervened, delivering a Future Shock DDT to Rollins outside the ring. After the match, cameras cut to backstage where Rhodes continued to brawl with Jimmy Uso and Sikoa, getting the better of The Bloodline until he was attacked by The Rock. Rock continued to toss Rhodes around the backstage area, throwing him into trash cans and guardrails before taking him outside. The assault continued in the Chicago rain until Rock slammed Rhodes into the side of Rhodes' tour bus, drawing blood from Rhodes' forehead. Rock then produced a weight belt that read "Mama Rose" and smeared Rhodes' blood on the belt while addressing Rhodes' mother as the show went off the air.

The finish of the show was stunning. It truly felt like something from another era of WWE programming. The Rock was letting loose verbally and the audio had to be dropped multiple times thanks to some language that was not fit for broadcast while also getting a blade job on TV, which is something WWE has long pushed against bringing back to the promotion. WrestleMania feels hotter than ever after Monday night. Grade: A+

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• Ricochet def. JD McDonagh via pinfall with a shooting star press onto a standing McDonagh. Judgment Day told McDonagh to handle the "Ricochet problem" only for Ricochet to win his third straight match against Judgment Day.
• As promised, CM Punk was in attendance in his hometown, and as expected, it didn't take long after he entered the ring for Punk to be joined by Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. After some back-and0forth by the three men, Punk briefly teased a special guest referee spot for when McIntyre challenges Rollins for the world heavyweight championship at WrestleMania, but ultimately said he would be on commentary where he'd do something neither man had been able to do themselves -- make both men interesting. An irate McIntyre entered the ring after Punk left only to be met by a Rollins superkick and stomp.
• Candice LeRae def. Ivy Nile via pinfall after faking a knee injury and using the ropes to help her score the pin.
• The New Day vs. #DIY ended in a no contest after Judgment Day ran in and attacked both teams. R-Truth and Miz were on commentary and though Truth tried to fight off the entire Judgment Day, he was eventually taken down as well.
• Andrade def. Giovanni Vinci via pinfall with The Message.
• Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley brawled after Lynch interrupted a Ripley promo. Lynch dropped Dominik Mysterio with a punch before the brawl, only for Ripley to send her shoulder-first into the ring post.
• Bronson Reed def. Sami Zayn via pinfall with a Tsunami. Zayn was distracted after Gunther came out from backstage to watch the match from the entrance ramp.