Highlights
- Brock Lesnar's early WWE career showcased his dominance as an unstoppable force, with notable victories over Hulk Hogan and The Rock.
- Lesnar's match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 marked the end of a legendary era, as Lesnar shocked the world by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak.
- Lesnar's recent match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38 solidified his importance to WWE, even in the second decade of his career, as Reigns emerged victorious and became the Undisputed Champion.
Brock Lesnar has been a celebrated superstar in the world of sports entertainment for over 20 years. Since he debuted for the WWE in 2002, Lesnar was built from the very beginning as an unstoppable force and an absolute machine. Lesnar has toppled some of the biggest and best names that the WWE has had to offer and has left a truly irreplaceable mark on the mat, and when he finally hangs up his boots for good and retires, the WWE will never truly be the same.
The fast rise to superstardom of Lesnar back in 2002 was nothing short of historic and while his first stint with the WWE only lasted a few years, when he did return in 2012, he picked up exactly where he left off, and he continues to dominate the WWE to this day. As one of WWE's most marketable pure athletes in history, let's take some time to explore five incredible matches from Brock Lesnar's early WWE career, and five from his more recent WWE career, all of which showcase The Beast at his very best.
10 Brock Lesnar Vs. Hulk Hogan, WWE SmackDown, August 8th, 2002
In one of the biggest WWE comebacks of all time, "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan was white-hot in 2002 and had an incredible amount of crowd support behind him in what would turn out to be his final full-time run. The Ruthless Aggression era was just gaining traction, and one superstar who lived and breathed the very definition of the concept was the young and intense Brock Lesnar.
The Next Big Thing used his immense power to physically throw Hogan to his feet from a pinfall attempt after the legend hit his signature Leg Drop, and that was all she wrote for a visibly shocked Hogan. Lesnar proceeded to dismantle one of the biggest names in wrestling history, causing a bloodied Hogan to pass out in a big Bear Hug. Just like that, the stage was set for Lesnar to conquer the WWE.
9 Brock Lesnar Vs. The Rock, WWE SummerSlam, August 25th, 2002
Just five months after his WWE debut, Lesnar was set to headline one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year when he challenged The Rock for the Undisputed Championship. The crowd was electric, and the two superstars somehow possessed incredible chemistry in the ring. Originally stunned by Lesnar's incredible strength, the two famously 'kipped up' at the exact same time which shocked both men and the crowd erupted.
The Rock eventually managed to gain the upper hand and the crowd was given the first competitive Brock Lesnar match to date. The back and forth was immense, the match was filled with incredible moments. In the end, after an absolute masterpiece, Lesnar managed to overcome The Great One and win his first world championship.
8 Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker, WWE No Mercy, October 20th, 2002
The storied history between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker goes way back to 2002. When Brock Lesnar was on top of the world, the grizzled veteran, The Undertaker, saw a threat to his territory. Big Evil was hellbent on defending his yard and claiming the Undisputed Championship from Lesnar in the process. After weeks of build-up and The Undertaker vowing to make Brock Lesnar famous, the two behemoths finally met inside a Hell in a Cell match.
Regarded as one of the greatest Hell in a Cell matches of all time, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker absolutely destroyed each other. Blood was literally pouring from both men from brutal shots and the clashing of bodies against the steel, but in the end, it was Lesnar who emerged victorious, and with his body stained red, he climbed effortlessly to the top of the cell and held the Undisputed Championship high.
7 Brock Lesnar Vs. Kurt Angle, WWE WrestleMania 19, March 30th, 2003
By 2003, Lesnar was one of the biggest names in the WWE. He was a member of the SmackDown brand and won the 2003 Royal Rumble match, earning him a shot at the WWE Champion, Kurt Angle. The storylines between Angle and Lesnar are some of the best career work of both men. Here we had two legitimate athletes who were always trying to outwork each other, and every time these two men met in a segment, a promo, or a match, it was solid gold, and they knew it.
Lesnar and Angle put on an absolute clinic and gave the world one of the best pure wrestling matches that had ever been seen. Lesnar managed to walk away with the belt, but it was a miracle he was able to walk away at all after he famously botched a shooting star press and landed on his neck, something which would have paralyzed a normal man. Luckily, Lesnar was built like a tank and simply brushed it off and finished the match, proving he was a beast long before the WWE Universe gave him the nickname.
6 Brock Lesnar Vs. Eddie Guerrero, WWE No Way Out, February 15th, 2004
The feud between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle intensified after WrestleMania 19 and dominated most of the year and, as previously stated, gave the WWE Universe some of the best career work of both superstars. However, by 2004, a ring veteran was becoming one of the most popular acts on WWE television, none other than the late, great Eddie Guerrero.
Eddie had become a fan favorite in the WWE since the brand extension and this was to be the defining moment of his career as he challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. The two battled for 30 minutes in an absolute classic, but in the end, Latino Heat managed to lie, cheat and steal his way to victory and to the hearts of the WWE Universe as he walked away with his first and sadly his only WWE Championship reign to an absolutely deafening ovation as he celebrated in the audience.
5 Brock Lesnar Vs. Triple H, WWE WrestleMania 29, April 7th, 2013
Brock Lesnar had been on a path of destruction since his shocking return to the WWE in 2012 after wrapping up a hugely successful run in the UFC. Lesnar was one of the biggest names in the world following his UFC stint, so his WWE return added some much-needed star power to the roster. Unsurprisingly, Lesnar became basically untouchable and was booked to the moon. His incredible feud with Triple H in 2013 was to be the first time that Lesnar looked beatable again, and these two tore the house down on several occasions.
The standout match however took place at WrestleMania 29. Lesnar channeled into the wrestling machine of old and combined it with the ruthless animal of the present, and The Game as always, bought his best. The result was not only Lesnar's best match since his return at the time, but also one of the best of his career, and Triple H managed to walk away with the victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
4 Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker, WWE WrestleMania 30, April 6th, 2014
In pro wrestling history, there have been instances of time standing still. This is one of them. Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker had rekindled their classic rivalry from the Ruthless Aggression days and the stage was set for one of the biggest matches in history at the most important WrestleMania anniversary at the time. The Undertaker was undefeated at WrestleMania with his iconic streak standing at 21 wins and zero losses until Brock Lesnar shocked the universe and pinned The Phenom to end the streak.
There was no music as Brock celebrated, and it wasn't needed as the audience spoke louder than a theme song ever could. Undertaker received a standing ovation from the audience as he sat up in the ring. The WWE Universe had just witnessed the end of an era in a moment that will inspire goosebumps for all time.
3 Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton, WWE SummerSlam, August 21st, 2016
If there are two veterans of the sport that always tell a good story in the ring, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton have to be up there with the best of them. Their clash at SummerSlam in 2016 was no exception. These two innovators of the Ruthless Aggression era had seen countless successes in their storied careers already up to this point, but this match stands out as one of the most brutal of the modern era of wrestling. The two, as always, told an incredible story.
The match was all Lesnar, but there was enough back and forth to make Orton stand out as a potential candidate to put an end to The Beast, who had been on yet another path of destruction. Lesnar looked poised to win clean until he removed his gloves and proceeded to beat Randy Orton into a bloody pulp, leaving The Viper in a pool of his own blood. Brock Lesnar clearly disagreed with the PG Era on this night.
2 Brock Lesnar Vs. Bill Goldberg, WWE Survivor Series, November 20th, 2016
Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg always had the potential to be a true clash of the titans, but their match at WrestleMania 20 in 2004 will forever live in infamy. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg were both leaving the WWE after the match, and the WWE Universe knew it and turned on both men. The result was an absolute disaster of a match. Luckily, the WWE Universe received multiple rematches between the two intense powerhouses, the first of which took place at Survivor Series in 2016.
Goldberg was making his highly anticipated return to the ring, and Brock Lesnar was on a white-hot streak, laying waste to everything in his path. The crowd was electric before these two men even got to the ring and what happened next was pure storytelling. Goldberg destroyed Lesnar, and it was the first time in what felt like forever that Brock Lesnar had been made to look human. This was just the beginning of a rekindled feud that was a generation in the making.
1 Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns, WWE WrestleMania 38, April 3rd, 2022
By 2022, Brock Lesnar was in the second decade of his career, and he was still one of the most important wrestlers in the world. His feud with Roman Reigns took the WWE Universe all the way back to the big match feel of Brock Lesnar matches of old. When "The Beast Incarnate" and "The Tribal Chief" clashed at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Lesnar proved to the world how important he was to the WWE. Reigns was the Universal Champion and Lesnar was the WWE Champion, and this was a battle of battles with all the gold on the line.
Reigns managed to overthrow The Beast and unify the titles in a short but emphatic and very important match, becoming the Undisputed Champion and embarking on one of the most successful championship reigns in history, holding the belt for well over 1,000 days. It was this match with Lesnar that made Reigns the unquestionable face of the WWE and this match proved that Brock Lesnar is still one of the most important superstars on the WWE roster.