April 2nd 2012 – John Cena marched out to the ring for his concession speech following his defeat to The Rock the night before at WrestleMania XVIII in a dream match years in the making. Considering The Rock made an appearance earlier on in the evening it wasn’t likely for Rock to come out and answer John Cena’s challenge. The entire WWE audience were awaiting the arrival of a different man. The rumour mill was rampant in the run up to Raw that a former WWE Champion would make his return to the squared circle. However not just a former WWE Champion but a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. To a booming ovation Brock Lesnar made his way down to the ring to seemingly to shake Cena’s hand only to flatten WWE’s poster boy with an F-5 right in the centre before contemptuously kicking his green baseball cap. In just a matter of moments the landscape of WWE really had changed in ways it hadn’t for years.
Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut in 2002 on Monday Night Raw. Accompanied by Paul Heyman Lesnar dismantled the likes of Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley who were battling over the WWE Hardcore championship. What immediately set Lesnar apart was not just his size but the power moves that Lesnar demonstrated on the aforementioned superstars. You’d seen big man power moves in WWE before but not quite like this. Power-bombing Spike Dudley with ease and showcasing the ultra cool F-5 manoeuvre you immediately sat up and took notice of this beast. It was a debut you would not forget and Brock Lesnar moved up the ranks of WWE quicker than any other superstar in WWE history. Over the coming months Lesnar tangled with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, and The Hardy Boyz before turning his attention to The Rock at Summerslam. Summerslam 2002 is arguably the whole Brock Lesnar story as after an incredibly dominant performance against a who’s who of WWE superstars Lesnar took on The Rock in what was presented as a legitimate sporting contest between two serious athletes. There was no fun and games in this one. The issue was clear. Brock Lesnar was a force to be reckoned with and wanted to lay claim to the WWE Championship and The Rock as the resident top dog refused to relinquish the coveted gold without a fight. Brock captured the WWE Championship in a great match with The Rock at the summer spectacle for the very first time then becoming the youngest WWE Champion ever. Crowned champion quicker than anyone ever had been in WWE Lesnar moved on to dominating WWE as their figurehead champion. The next few years would see Brock contest classics with the likes of The Undertaker, The Big Show, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero and more. Deciding that chasing a dream in the NFL meant more to him than the grinding road schedule of WWE, Brock Lesnar left the WWE after a memorable match for all the wrong reasons with Goldberg at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004.
With all due respect to Eddie Guerrero but when Lesnar left the company in 2004 Smackdown was a much poorer brand for it. Lesnar was the top heel on the blue brand and had been carrying the show since 2002 and whilst Guerrero was a fresh face as WWE Champion and had more than earned the right to be given a chance, there was no one for Guerrero to go up against once Brock had disappeared. So desperate were WWE for a new headliner than long-time mid carder JBL was given a shot at being the top heel on Smackdown and whilst he proved entertaining he certainly was no Brock Lesnar. Away from WWE Brock contested matches in Japan and even became the IWGP Heavyweight Champion adding another impressive accolade to his ever growing list. However Lesnar made it clear he wanted to play in the NFL and whilst he showed a certain amount of promise, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the big leagues of the NFL and after being cut an offer for playing NFL Europe was on the table which Lesnar turned down due to wanting to remain closer to his family at home. Still the competitive fire of ‘The Beast’ burned deep inside so Brock decided to try his hand at MMA. Just starting to make a name for itself as the up and coming sport in 2007, Lesnar recognised that MMA was the place to be and not only could he be competitive there and even thrive but it was the opportunity to make money and in any athletes career there is only going to be a certain window for you to make money. Fighting for K-1 Brock Lesnar took on and defeated Min Soo Kim by submission due to strikes in the first round to soundly win his first MMA fight. Taking notice UFC head honcho Dana White realised that Lesnar may be for real and would have something to offer the UFC. Signing Lesnar to a deal proved to be one of the best decisions that Dana White ever made. Scaling the ranks almost as scarily as he did WWE Brock took on all comers in UFC and dominated Frank Mir before losing via submission due to a rookie mistake, then destroying veteran Heath Herring before stopping Randy Couture via hammer fists to become UFC Heavyweight Champion.
The interesting thing about Brock’s UFC run was that he was still learning in each and every fight. What Brock had going for him was his years as an NCAA athlete and his freakish size and strength. Brock was a huge box office attraction for the UFC before a bout with diverticulitis ended his career and Lesnar gracefully retired from MMA after defeat via stoppage to Alistair Overeem. This brought back Brock to WWE and without a doubt it was a different Brock Lesnar to the one that previously graced WWE television. With the growing popularity of MMA and the UFC in particular, the WWE audience was well aware of how physically tough Lesnar was and still is. In an entertainment environment where suspension of disbelief is paramount to your enjoyment Brock made it easy. You didn’t really have to suspend your disbelief with him; you really could believe Brock was this tough beast because he really was.
Portraying Lesnar as not a wrestler or entertainer but a pure fighter since his return was an extremely smart move by WWE. Differing from every other member of the roster Brock Lesnar is more unique than arguably every other wrestler WWE has under contract. Wearing his UFC gear as his ring attire even more adds to this illusion that he is not a wrestler he is a fighter in a WWE ring. Lesnar has also only made a handful of appearances since he has returned to WWE and the best thing about that is that almost every one of those appearances has been more memorable than almost anything else on the entire show. Such an example is the brawl between John Cena and Brock Lesnar on Raw in the run up to their Extreme Rules match in 2012 which saw Cena’s mouth get busted open and bleed heavily. Since Lesnar left the WWE the PG rule has been in full effect. Seeing a ferocious Brock Lesnar bloody up John Cena put an emphatic statement on their programme. These two were not going to wrestle they were going to fight.
Brock will be making his first appearance in a WWE bout since his victory over The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30. Without a doubt this may be the most controversial decision in the history of WWE. The sight of Undertaker going down to an F-5 months afterwards has not lost any of its power. Regardless of whether or not the streak should have been ended there can be no doubt that Lesnar always should have been one of the best choices to do so. Given his realistic background and how much of a destructive force he had been portrayed on WWE television there weren’t many other people who could realistically be put in a position to beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Ever since the victory Lesnar’s manager/agent/advocate Paul Heyman has been able to retain the heat of this by harping on about it at every given opportunity. Labelling himself as “the one behind the one in 21-1” Heyman has been able to keep Lesnar’s name alive whilst not currently on television. Now that Brock is back the match has been set: a rematch of Extreme Rules 2012 in John Cena defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam. If you want to know what makes this feud one of the most interesting on WWE television right now you need to watch the promo from Brock Lesnar and John Cena from Raw August 4th. The contrast between these two was there for all to see and hear. Lesnar looked like an absolute destructive monster in promo. Mocking John Cena’s mantra of ‘Hustle, Loyalty and Respect’ Lesnar came up with his own for John of ‘Blood, Urine and Vomit.’ No one in WWE right now talks like Lesnar does. This is what makes him such an incredible attraction. You can easily believe that Lesnar wants to physically hurt John and that John will do all he can to remain WWE Champion.
Blood, Urine and Vomit is almost the perfect way to describe Brock Lesnar’s mindset of being a pro wrestler in WWE today. He has wrestled classic matches and contested matches which are marketed vastly different than almost any other in WWE history. Such 2 examples are vs. John Cena at Extreme Rules and vs. CM Punk at Summerslam 2013 with the latter bout as close to a worked MMA contest on a professional wrestling pay per view you will ever see. The fact that Brock is classed as a part time wrestler is the best thing that could happen for ‘The Beast.’ Only making a handful of appearances each year you know that if Brock Lesnar is on a show then it is one that is worth watching. It’s a special occasion. Make no mistake about it; Brock Lesnar is a ticket seller, a destructive force, a beast, an attraction. ‘The Beast’ will walk into Summerslam and will walk out WWE World Heavyweight Champion that is as close to a guarantee you will get on WWE television today.