Brock Lesnar has a mean streak of dishing out punishment on his opponents. The Beast has made a career out of mowing through his opponents, winning world titles in the process. His matches with Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, The Undertaker, and The Rock are legendary.
Lesnar is probably the best worker to come out of the legendary four of OVW. He has mastered the art of in-ring psychology through years of experience inside the squared circle. Moreover, his selling, even at 46 years of age, is superior to some of the most agile men in the industry.
With that said, here are Brock Lesnar’s five best matches in WWE.
Lesnar vs. CM Punk (SummerSlam 2013)
Brock Lesnar versus CM Punk was a dream for many fans, then it became a reality. Punk had turned face in 2013 following a shocking betrayal at the hands of Paul Heyman at Money in the Bank. Lesnar got inserted into the feud because of his association with the ECW mastermind.
After weeks of build up, Lesnar and Punk finally met for a match at SummerSlam 2013. The collision led to one of the most memorable matches in both Punk and Lesnar’s storied careers. The “No Disqualification” stipulation seemed to favor Lesnar, but Punk showed he could hand and deliver the punishment.
Punk sold Lesnar’s offense and stiff move set to the best of his abilities. Lesnar, on the other hand, showed just why he was most comfortable in the ring with guys smaller than him. It was an excellent tale of David vs. Goliath. The outcome, however, favored the latter inside the ring.
Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (Royal Rumble 2015)
Brock Lesnar entered the triple threat match against John Cena and Seth Rollins as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The match took place in front of the wild Philadelphia crowd at Royal Rumble 2015. The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. Lesnar got a huge reaction when he double suplexed J&J Security in the early moments of the match.
The triple threat match allowed all three competitors to shine with their performances. Lesnar looked strong as the brutish champion. John Cena showed his wisdom by constantly trying to eliminate the mighty Lesnar. Rollins, who was initially thought of as the weakest link, emerged as arguably the best performer of the night.
Rollins used his strategic mindset to eliminate Lesnar with an elbow from the top rope through the announcer’s table. Seth thought he had the match won with a Phoenix Splash, but Lesnar with his cat-like reflexes re-entered the ring in the nick of time to change the fate of the match.
Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (No Mercy 2002)
The Undertaker was Brock Lesnar’s first major challenge on WWE SmackDown. Lesnar had won the Undisputed Championship from The Rock at SummerSlam 2002. Taker was signed to the blue brand by Stephanie McMahon and he immediately entered into a violent rivalry with the then-young champion.
After failing to beat Lesnar at Unforgiven 2002, Taker got a shot at the champion inside Hell in a Cell at No Mercy 2002. The action inside led to one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches in WWE history. Both men bled buckets. Even Paul Heyman got a little taste of red after he got hit with a big boot by Taker from inside the cell.
The closing moments of the match saw Lesnar effortlessly reverse Taker’s tombstone into the F5 for the win. The champion climbed to the top of the cell to celebrate his as a bloodied and battered Taker looked on in disbelief. It was truly an iconic ending to a WWE pay-per-view and established Lesnar’s “Here Comes the Pain” gimmick.
Lesnar Vs. The Rock (SummerSlam 2002)
Brock Lesnar earned the opportunity to challenge The Rock for his title by winning King of the Ring 2002. WWE hyped up the match with vignettes of both men involved in intense training sessions. Lesnar was billed as the ruthless newcomer who only knew how to dish out punishment on his opponent.
“Rock vs. Brock” took place in front of nearly 15,000 people at SummerSlam 2002. Lesnar wasted no time turning Rock’s signature punches into a belly-to-belly suplex in the opening moments of the match. Both men showcased their incredible agility throughout the match. Paul Heyman also got his share of spotlight when he was put through the table by The Great One.
It was a terrific display of entertainment and charisma at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Lesnar countered Rocky’s Rock Bottom into the F5 in a cool closing spot to win his first world title at just the age of 25.
Michael Cole said it best, “Brock Lesnar is on top of the world. Brock Lesnar is champion!”
Lesnar Vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania XIX)
Brock Lesnar has main evented many WrestleManias, but none managed to showcase his in-ring acumen and amateur background the way WrestleMania XIX did. A 26-year-old Lesnar squared off against Kurt Angle for the undisputed title in the main event of WrestleMania 19 in 2003.
Both men demonstrated their amateur wrestling background in the closing moments of the match. The bout featured Angle’s masterful precision of technical wrestling. It had Lesnar’s incredible display of power and athleticism and his insane selling. But it was the botched shooting-star press that took fans by surprise.
At 300 pounds, Lesnar wasn’t supposed to do the move. The reality was that he had done that countless times and with near perfection up to that point. However, both Lesnar and Angle failed to gauge the distance, causing the challenger to miss his target by a few inches. Lesnar got concussed immediately after he landed on his neck.
Remarkably, he still got up and finished the match; adding another world title win to his resume.
Honorable Mentions
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle vs. Big Show (Vengeance 2003)
Brock Lesnar has had his share of triple-threat matches. One of his most memorable matches came in the form of a triple-threat bout against Kurt Angle and The Big Show. The match headlined Vengeance 2003.
This triple-threat match is arguably the most underrated match in Lesnar’s illustrious career. All three men played their part to perfection. Lesnar and Angle teamed up to take out The Big Show, who absolutely looked like the monster in the match.
The match also featured Lesnar’s iconic running powerbomb on the 500-pound Show.
Lesnar Vs. John Cena (Extreme Rules 2012)
Brock Lesnar received one of the biggest pops in WWE history when he returned to WWE in 2012. Lesnar tricked John Cena into shaking his hand by giving him the F5. The angle led to a match between the duo at Extreme Rules 2012.
Lesnar brought his MMA background into the match and went straight for the finishing blow. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion busted open Cena with a series of brutal strikes. The “Extreme Rules” stipulation also favored Lesnar to a great extent.
However, a botched fall to the outside followed by a mistimed jump allowed Cena to hit Lesnar with the steel chain. Big Match John capitalized on his momentum to hit Lesnar with the Attitude Adjustment on the steel steps, giving Lesnar his comeback loss in the process.
Lesnar Vs. AJ Styles (Survivor Series 2017)
This match was billed under “Champion vs. Champion” stipulation. Jinder Mahal was Lesnar’s original opponent, but WWE ultimately changed the match into Lesnar vs. AJ Styles.
The Phenomenal One defeated the Modern Day Maharaja on the go-home SmackDown for Survivor Series 2017, replacing himself with Jinder as Lesnar’s opponent in the process. Few fans expected Lesnar versus Styles to exceed expectations.
The bout turned out to be the match of the night. Lesnar and Styles worked extremely well together. The Beast dominated most part of the match until Styles reversed the momentum. This match was an exciting display of athleticism, grit and power by the performers involved.
