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Former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar - when on television, anyway - comes across as an uncaring monster (a... "beast", if you will), only out for himself and someone who takes delight in the pain and misery of others. Then, you see him doing promos like this one for ESPN...
Outside of the ring, Brock Lesnar is often lauded by his peers for his attention to detail and his generosity. Yes, he's famously anti-social, but that doesn't mean he actually hates people. If you have a subscription to the WWE Network, look up the episode of the Steve Austin Show where Brock Lesnar was the guest - you'll see an entirely different side to the guy.
And, when Brock Lesnar decides to get goofy - like when he would pretend the Money In The Bank briefcase was a boombox or when he danced to MVP's theme music at the 2020 Rumble - it's gloriously goofy.
Don't just take our word for it, though *cue Reading Rainbow theme song*. Many of Lesnar's colleagues have sung his praises over the years. They've called him such horrible, mean names like "brilliant", "generous", and "sweetheart." Clearly, this is a man all his fellow performers hate.
So, let's look at five times this has happened.
#5. Kofi Kingston praises Brock Lesnar's "brilliant mind" for the business
You would think if anybody would have a grudge against Brock Lesnar, it would be the man who lost the WWE Championship to him in eight seconds, Kofi Kingston. However, if you thought that, you would be wrong (and might owe somebody money possibly, if you're the kind of person who makes weird bets like that). In fact, you wouldn't be further from the truth.
During an interview with talkSPORT writer (and occasional Sportskeeda contributor) Alex McCarthy, Kingston discussed how his loss at the debut episode of SmackDown on FOX built up to the great moment at the Rumble where he confronted Brock along with his New Day teammate Big E and recent Brock Lesnar adversary Rey Mysterio.
"It was a lot of great storytelling coming together. Everything is important as minuscule as it may be. It's definitely a big part of the Rumble seeing me, Rey and E, all of us on the outside banding together and going in there doing what we did."
While the trio of Superstars wasn't enough to get Lesnar eliminated, they certainly gave him a tough battle. And, as Kingston points out, it made Brock Lesnar's elimination at the hands of eventual Rumble winner Drew McIntyre all the sweeter.
Speaking of the newly crowned WWE Champion.
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#4. Drew McIntyre calls Brock Lesnar a "genius"
Brock Lesnar may have a reputation for destroying his opponents, but take a look at his work when he's the one getting the short end of the stick. In fact, look at his "match" with Goldberg at Survivor Series in 2016. No, actually, take a look, it's right here. All 63 seconds of it.
Take a gander at the way Brock Lesnar is selling the damage those spears from Goldberg are causing him - you'd think Brock Lesnar had just been shot.
This was just the beginning of their feud which ultimately culminated with their battle at WrestleMania 33, which may not have been an instant classic but, a) was still way better than their match 13 years earlier at WrestleMania XX, and b) still drew a ton of eyeballs to the show.
Keeping the bigger picture in mind, as far as storytelling goes, is something Brock Lesnar does well and it was something that Drew McIntyre noticed in dealing with The Beast in the lead-up to the Royal Rumble this year.
[I]f it wasn’t for that story that went in there to build Brock up as the monster he truly is, which in turn made Drew McIntyre when I put him out, that’s the reason the reaction was so big. He made sure that story was told correctly. Watching him put that together, watching him at work, that was the first time I went ‘wow, this guy is really a genius’. How had I never noticed this?! I should have just been watching him operate. He’s all about the bigger picture and not the reaction in the moment.
McIntyre also once recalled an interaction he had with Brock Lesnar in 2013, while he was still a member in 3MB.
I remember it well. Brock was not long back at that point from UFC. He pulled me aside, and he straight-up asked me, ‘Why are you involved in this?’ He was so confused, but he saw something in me and believed in me. It’s pretty crazy, all these years later, I was the guy to take the title from him at WrestleMania.
Clearly, McIntyre has a lot of respect for his WrestleMania 36 opponent.
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#3. Corey Graves recalls Brock Lesnar's generosity towards his fellow Superstars
OK, so... technically, Graves isn't a former rival of Lesnar, but we're sure there were a few guys who were at that hotel that night. Anyway...
It seems like WWE just can't catch a break following the Royal Rumble sometimes.
In 2015, the night after the Royal Rumble - itself a show that didn't particularly go the way WWE had hoped - Hartford, CT was hit with a massive snowstorm. Unfortunately, Hartford just so happened to be the location of that night's episode of RAW. By that point, most of the talent scheduled for the show had already arrived at their hotels.
The show itself would go on and feature interview segments broadcast from a TV studio rather than the arena. However, the only talents that were really on hand at those broadcasts were then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, his then-WrestleMania opponent Roman Reigns, and Roman's Shield cohort Dean Ambrose. The rest were pretty much stranded at their hotel.
According to a story told by WWE announcer Corey Graves, Brock Lesnar - who was staying at the same hotel as many of the other stars instead of a cave he dug himself with his bare hands like you would probably expect - apparently paid a "hefty sum" to keep the said hotel's bar open through the night.
The show was very interesting. They re-aired the Royal Rumble match from the night before [and aired] a few backstage interviews with Roman, Brock and many others, and allegedly, [the] now WWE Champion paid a significant amount of money to keep the bar wide open for everybody to make sure they made the best of a cra**y situation.
A pretty nice gesture from a guy who allegedly "doesn't care about the business" towards his colleagues.
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#2. CM Punk calls Brock Lesnar a "sweetheart"
CM Punk and Brock Lesnar actually have a lot in common. They're both multi-time World Champions. They've both competed in the UFC - albeit at different levels of success. And, they both have faced The Undertaker at WrestleMania - again, to different levels of success.
In 2013, the two men would compete against each other in an absolute barnburner of a match at SummerSlam that simply doesn't get the credit it deserves. In fact, I want to go watch it right now. OK, after I finish this...
It shouldn't be surprising to learn, however, that these two "Paul Heyman guys" get along great outside of the business. In fact, it was their mutual career aspirations outside of pro wrestling that reminded Punk of this story he told ESPN in a feature they did on 'The Beast."
“I don’t want to ruin his image [but], I think he’s a f—ckin’ sweetheart. This is a guy, when I got into MMA and I left wrestling, he was texting me, “Hey, if you need any help.” I’m always kind of a standoffish guy. It’s hard to open up and trust people in the pro-wrestling world. But he was never anything but a real sweetheart. It was a pleasure to work with him. He’s just a great guy, I think.”
“I think Brock has got a big heart, and that’s something a lot of people don’t talk about. They’ll talk about the freak strength and the crazy athletic things he’s done in his career, the accomplishments. But they don’t talk about the fact that he loves his wife, his kids, lives on a farm and just kind of wants to be left alone."
Punk, himself, is a performer whose backstage behavior has often been speculated on (usually by people who have no idea what they're talking about... like me, for instance). If he ever does come back to the ring in an Edge-like return, let's hope another match with Brock Lesnar is on the cards.
#1. John Cena (of all people) calls Brock Lesnar the "greatest of all time"
16-time World Champion and credit score improvement service pitchman John Cena has been in numerous wars against 'The Beast" Brock Lesnar over the years. In fact, at 2014's SummerSlam (it's always SummerSlam, isn't it?), it was less a war and more a massacre. But. that just makes Cena's opinion on his contemporary all the more valid.
So, when he calls Lesnar the "best in-ring performer of all time", it's worth paying attention to.
While speaking to Sports Illustrated regarding the 2020 Royal Rumble, and what it was like to miss the event, Cena offered this unsolicited opinion regarding "The Beast."
"I can say with the utmost sincerity that I believe Brock Lesnar is best in-ring performer that I've seen and I know it's an opinion, and if you want a cool quote, here it is: I think he's the best in-ring performer of all time."
Brock Lesnar's former rival also mentioned that he had no idea what the end result of the Rumble match was going to be and that The Beast's performance genuinely made him think Brock Lesnar was going to "run the table" and win.
"He believes so much in his presence, and he has such a definable presence you can't ignore him and he never wastes anyone's time and everything he does is special and everything he does meaningful and it's not all selfish. He's one of the most giving performers in the WWE and that is the mark of a true craftsman and a true professional. It was awesome to watch. My jaw dropped when I watched the Rumble."
When one candidate for "greatest of all time" bestows that title on someone else, it's worth considering,
