'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What a decade for Brock Lesnar!
Between returning to WWE in 2012 and facing John Cena in his return match to holding the Universal Title for over 500 days, Brock Lesnar has accomplished it all in WWE. Since the moment of his return in April 2012, Lesnar immediately rose to become one of the company's most dominant stars and destroyed everyone in his way to do so.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that Vince McMahon wanted a legitimate fighter in the squared circle, or maybe it was just how much mainstream attention the company got for the move, but either way Brock has been a mainstay for the better part of the last 8 years. Beyond that, they have used him to build countless stars and are continuing to do so.
With that being said, we have a lot of Brock Lesnar matches behind us. Here are the top five Brock Lesnar matches of this decade. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and tell us what match you liked best!
#5 Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk (SummerSlam 2013)
This match had everything!
It was almost like a true underdog story. CM Punk had been on the receiving end of verbal attacks from Paul Heyman for months and desperately wanted to get his hands on him. The only thing standing in his way, however, was The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, who always stood between his advocate and anybody who had a grudge with him.
This resulted in a long-anticipated dream match at the 2013 edition of SummerSlam, which resulted in Lesnar ultimately winning. With that being said, that victory didn't come easy, as Lesnar had to F-5 Punk off a steel chair to get the job done and even that almost didn't work. It took everything in Lesnar's arsenal to put Punk away and the two took each other to their limits.
In the end, it was the added fun of Punk finally getting his hands on Paul Heyman that helped to make this one extra special, but all the other ingredients were definitely there to make it a full package.
#4 Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series 2018)
This match was strange from beginning to end.
It all started with a scheduled matchup at Survivor Series between AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, which would have been a rematch from the previous year's event. That didn't end up happening; instead, Daniel Bryan won the WWE Title from Styles only a few days before the fall classic pay-per-view (just as Styles had done to Jinder Mahal the year before), which set him on a collision course with The Beast Incarnate.
Interestingly enough, WWE turned Bryan heel in the process, which only made the upcoming match more of a wild card. In fact, it created a situation where Bryan braced himself and essentially rope-a-doped Brock, as he absorbed Lesnar's offensive onslaught while still managing to get a kick thrown here and there. No matter what Brock did, however, it seemed like there was nothing that he could do to put Bryan away.
When the time was right, Bryan started to mount a big offensive attack against Lesnar, featuring moves like his running knee and even the Yes Lock, which left his opponent reeling. In the end, Lesnar would start running on pure adrenaline, as he kicked out after Bryan threw one last running knee at him. One F-5 later, Lesnar's hand was raised in victory. The entire story that developed throughout the match was nothing short of amazing.
This match was originally rumored to take place at SummerSlam in 2014, the site of the now-legendary "Suplex City, b****!" line from Lesnar. John Cena took Bryan's place, and also 16 suplexes, which had Daniel Bryan's name written all over them until his untimely injury. Had Byan not been hurt, this classic match may have never taken place, and Suplex City may never have been built.
#3 Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 35)
It's no secret that a win against Brock Lesnar means something big, and that is exactly what happened at WrestleMania 35 when Seth Rollins took down The Beast. In fact, it was a classic story of the underdog versus the behemoth and it more than lived up to its billing in every possible way.
From the moment Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman barged through the curtain to demand that their championship match happen first, to Seth Rollins nailing Brock with a low blow and three curb stomps, it was unbelievable. More than that, it was a thrilling sequence of events given the fact that no one had dominated Lesnar like that in a long time.
Sure, Goldberg beat Brock in under 2 minutes in their match at Survivor Series in 2016, but it wasn't domination as much as it was a shocking sequence of events. In the case of WrestleMania 35, Rollins is a much smaller competitor than Goldberg and had suffered beatdown after beatdown from Lesnar in previous weeks. If nothing else, it was just this magic moment. A organic "OMG!" moment that took the fans by surprise and delivered something thrilling.
Brock Lesnar might have lost the match and he might have done so in under two minutes, but the performance he put on was amazing. He sold those three stomps by Rollins like his job depended on it while still trying to look like the imposing figure that he was. It was also that perfect mix of making him look venerable and strong at the same time, which worked to absolute perfection!
#2 Lesnar vs. Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Strowman (SummerSlam 2017)
What happens when you put Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in a match with Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title? The answer to that question is pure unadulterated carnage and the WWE Universe was able to witness it all at the 2017 edition of SummerSlam.
From Lesnar being speared through a barricade by Roman Reigns and being carted out on a stretcher to Braun Strowman dominating The Beast Incarnate on several occasions, this match offered something for everyone. It also made Lesnar seem the most vulnerable he has had been in a while and really helped get fans into it.
The match ended in predictable fashion when Lesnar hit Reigns with a timely F-5 to retain his title, but the journey that it took to get there was nothing short of amazing. In fact, every single Superstar got a chance to shine in this championship match, paving the way to countless false finishes, brutal spots and even Lesnar overcoming an injury to win the match.
It almost literally had everything!
#1 Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XXX)
While a lot of the WWE Universe might not think this match even deserves a spot on this list, it impact on the overall landscape of the company pretty much makes it mandatory. This was the match that ended The Undertaker's sacred undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
Keep in mind that this does not mean the match was a technical masterpiece or even one of Lesnar's best matches in a more traditional sense, but the impact and the setting are too much to ignore in this case. It was the one moment that caused shock and disbelief within the WWE Universe and made many people question if they had actually seen what just took place befoe their eyes.
Lesnar went toe to toe with The Undertaker, endured his offensive flurry and in the end he was able to lay out of one the most decorated Superstars in WWE history with a vicious F-5 into the canvas.
While many people have complained that a young, up-and-coming Superstar (such as Bray Wyatt) should have been the man to end The Streak, this may have been WWE's way of showing how much stock they were going to put into Lesnar going forward. The match told a very tragic story, with Undertaker suffering a legitimate concussion early in the match and still fighting valiantly to protect his yard. Sadly for him, The Beast became the owner of The Yard that night.
Like it or not, this match defined a decade.
