With the Mayor of Suplex City now acting as a free agent within the world of pro wrestling, who knows where Brock Lesnar could next take his services. Whether the former UFC fighter returns to the Octagon for another round of dominance, or happens upon a certain brand of Elite indie performers, it’s bound to shake up the entire industry. Either way, Lesnar has officially parted ways with WWE, or at least not signed a new contract as of writing.
This is a pretty huge hit for WWE, during a time where things are pretty rocky and uncertain due to the lasting effects of COVID. Lesnar was a massive draw for WWE, whether fans respected him or not, he managed to make any given pay-per-view seem like a huge event worthy of your attention. His matches stuck to a tried and tested routine that sometimes managed to produce absolute belters, depending on who he was in the ring with and who could give Brock as much of a fight as he wanted out of his opponents.
In this article, we’re going to run down the best 5 matches from Brock Lesnar’s WWE career, yes that includes some of his stellar work pre-Suplex City. Hopefully we’ll see ‘The Beast Incarnate’ make a return to the squared circle again someday down the line, but for now, let’s celebrate a true era of dominance.
5. Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk – SummerSlam 2013
Coming in at fifth is the instant classic between Brock Lesnar and CM Punk at the 2013 edition of SummerSlam. This was one of two matches that stole the show that night, prior to Lesnar’s mammoth run at the top of the card, Brock had to deal with fellow Paul Heyman guy, CM Punk. Punk gave Brock a good run for his money in this match, launching chairs and all sorts of stiff shots at the former cage fighter, who revelled in the hard-hitting competition.
These two had a great chemistry together, producing a solid 20 minutes of wrestling that kept fans on the edge of their seats. This was a huge testament to the star power of CM Punk at the time, and a nice foundation for Brock going forward as he embarked on his journey to become the streak beating, german suplexing beast we all know and kind of love.
Give this one a watch if you weren’t around for this classic mid-card bout.
4. Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero – No Way Out 2004
Everyone remembers where they were when Eddie Guererro won the WWE Championship in 2004, I specifically remember struggling to stay awake for the main event during the February half-term, my drooping eyes barely managing to get through the previous contest but forcing myself to get through just one last match before crashing. I’ve never been more grateful to myself for being awake at 4am.
The match between Brock and Eddie was an absolute clinic on both sides. We all respect Eddie for being a genius between the ropes, but Brock really shined here as a master psychologist. He played the role of the brutish big man to perfection here, bouncing off of Eddie’s underdog character and bumping like crazy for him when he had to.
If you get a big hung up on Brock being this one dimensional suplex monster, then go back and check this match out. He shows that he can be more than just a monster, he can be a monster with an evil plan, one that picks his smaller opponent apart and is overjoyed in doing so. Of course, this was a losing effort for ‘The Beast’ but I don’t think any other performer could have pulled off that loss better than he.
3. Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins vs John Cena – Royal Rumble 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmmF-KvNlB4
Brock had a lot of support in this match from two incredible athletes, but he himself but in one heck of a shift here. The triple threat title match at the 2015 Royal Rumble was an instant classic, being rated highly by notable critics and surprising a lot of people at the time. It’s a shame this event had to conclude the way it did, even though I’m sure people would’ve complained about the Rumble not closing the show but this match could have easily pulled the crowd back from the sting of Roman winning.
The match itself had plenty of spots to highlight all three performers, making Brock look like the beast he is while also showing his weaknesses, Cena looking like the veteran he is and Rollins having his first of many star performances. It was a satisfying conclusion to the Brock/Cena saga and gave credence to Seth as a future world champion, which would of course come to fruition at that year’s WrestleMania.
This match was a lot of fun and should be a go-to if you’re ever wanting to show a new fan some great wrestling. Brock seems to shine in multi-man matches these days, going on to have successful four way matches with the likes of Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe in years to come.
2. Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan – Survivor Series 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbQvnORYOdM
An echo of the old Brock Lesnar in modern times at Survivor Series 2019. The champion vs champion match had a last minute change when AJ Styles dropped the title to Daniel Bryan on an episode of SmackDown Live, giving way to this dream match between David and Goliath. As we mentioned earlier in the Brock/Eddie match, he seems to excel at being the big guy against the dynamic technicians of the WWE roster, Bryan suited that criteria to a tee.
This was another case of Brock giving a damn because he happened to be in the ring with someone that could give as good as they got. Bryan was a great opponent for Brock, bumping like mad for his suplexes and then kicking the tar out of him when he managed to turn the match on its head. Lesnar ultimately walked away with the win here, but Bryan managed to rally the crowd behind him, despite being the newly-turned heel.
Storytelling at its best with this modern classic which I’m sure both men look back on proudly.
1. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle – Iron Man Match
A five star classic in every sense of the word. Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle were made to do this forever, which is exactly what they did on a 2003 episode of SmackDown when they battled in a 60 minute Iron Man match. A rare occurrence these days, the Iron man match is a true test for two men who required a conclusive end to their bitter rivalry. The two hot-shotted the WWE Championship back and forth between them, having several instant classics at both WrestleMania and SummerSlam before creshendoing with this fantastic bout.
It’s almost strange to go back and see Lesnar being lifted up for german suplexes as much as he was in the matches with Kurt Angle, but believe me, it happened. The match was down to the wire and both performers were at the top of their game throughout.
It’s hard to find more words to put this match over, all I can say is check out the highlights and enjoy Brock Lesnar in his prime. There’s no doubt this man was destined for greatness in his career inside and outside of the ring, this match was perhaps his magnum opus.
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