4 Times Brock Lesnar Made WWE Feel Like A Real Fight
With Brock Lesnar officially announcing his retirement from WWE, a decade after ending his UFC career, combat sports bids farewell to a truly unique talent.
The mark he left inside the squared circle and the Octagon is unparalleled. He established himself as a dominant force in both sports. While fans look back fondly at his decorated career, let’s look at how he blended both worlds.
When Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012, he didn’t leave the Octagon behind. Fresh off a dominant run as UFC Heavyweight Champion, the Beast Incarnate traded the worked punches for stiff strikes and bone-crunching Kimura locks whenever he deemed it was necessary.
With that said, here are four times Brock Lesnar brought UFC’s brutal realism directly into the squared circle and made things look like a legitimate fight.
#1 Brock Lesnar Splits John Cena’s Lip On WWE Raw
John Cena was the first superstar Brock Lesnar targeted after he returned to WWE in 2012. Ahead of his return match at Extreme Rules that year, Lesnar had a massive brawl with Cena on the April 9, 2012, episode of RAW.
While it was a scripted brawl, Lesnar legitimately busted John Cena’s lip with a strike. WWE noted that it took more than two dozen wrestlers and officials to separate the two superstars. The Beast Incarnate brought the same momentum to the PPV but unfortunately lost his return match to Cena. However, he had his number in the years that followed and even squashed him during his retirement tour last year.
#2 The Beast Incarnate Busts Randy Orton Open For A TKO Victory
Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton competed in a singles match for the first time since 2002 at the 2016 SummerSlam event. WWE billed the match as “15 years in the making.” Orton went into the show with momentum after hitting the Beast Incarnate with an RKO, following Paul Heyman’s claim that he would never be able to do it.
However, the momentum wasn’t enough, as Brock Lesnar left Randy Orton bloodied in the match. He removed his gloves, attacked him bare-knuckled, and landed several legitimate elbow strikes to bust him open the hard way. His actions led to the referee announcing him the winner via TKO.
Chris Jericho confronted Brock Lesnar backstage after the match, thinking he had gone off script to bust Randy Orton open. Jericho later confirmed the incident and noted that he was ready to “bite Lesnar’s nose off” during the confrontation. However, Triple H and Vince McMahon intervened and told him that it was all part of the plan.
#3 Brock Lesnar Gives Braun Strowman An Immediate Receipt
Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship in a massive triple-threat match against Kane and Braun Strowman at WWE Royal Rumble 2018. During the match, Strowman caught Lesnar with a stiff knee to the side of his head.
The Beast Incarnate didn’t take too kindly to that and put Braun Strowman in his place immediately. Lesnar landed a legitimate punch to the side of his head, dropping him to his knees. He was also heard calling an audible, ordering Strowman to “Slow the f**k down.”
Braun Strowman later confirmed the exchange, saying that he and Lesnar simply laughed off the moment after going backstage.
#4 His stiff-style match with Roman Reigns at WM 31
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns squared off for the first time in singles competition in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 31. Reigns won that year’s Royal Rumble match and challenged Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the event.
The Beast Incarnate didn’t make things easy for Roman Reigns at the event, and battered him with stiff clotheslines and rolling German Suplexes. He also took off his gloves and landed hard slaps on Reigns, busting his lip open. Lesnar also took some punishment during the bout after he started bleeding when Reigns shoved him into the ring post.
However, the match ended with the “Heist of the Century” after Seth Rollins cashed in his MITB contract and walked away with the title.
Roman Reigns looked back at this match in his farewell message to Lesnar. He noted that it changed his life and expressed gratitude for the opportunity and for everything he learned from Lesnar. He wished the Beast Incarnate well on his well-deserved retirement, and the fans also followed suit to pay tribute to the one-of-a-kind athlete.
Read More: WWE Announces Tournament For Shot At Roman Reigns’ World Title
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