{"id":77921,"date":"2020-10-25T13:55:56","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T17:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=77921"},"modified":"2023-04-20T18:07:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T22:07:32","slug":"brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-world-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/10\/25\/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-world-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock Lesnar: Beast in the World (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Brock Lesnar<\/strong> is a phenomenon.\u00a0 The man nicknamed \u201cThe Beast Incarnate\u201d has lived up to the billing over the past two decades. Though he appears to be done with <strong>WWE<\/strong> and pro wrestling for the foreseeable future, he remains one of the hottest acts in the business.\u00a0 Over the course of this two-part series, we are going to take a look at the career of the Beast.\u00a0 It is a career of two halves; one of a freakishly gifted, young rookie and one of an internationally recognized MMA titan boxed into a wrestling ring.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/10\/17\/brock-lesnar-beast-in-the-world-part-1\/\" target=\"_self\">Part one<\/a> took a look at the initial Brock WWE run.\u00a0 Part two shall be diving into Lesnar\u2019s WWE career since his 2012 return.\u00a0 Let us begin by taking a look at Lesnar\u2019s shocking return to the WWE in 2012.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Brock Lesnar Returns to the WWE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brock Lesnar returns to WWE: Raw, April 2, 2012\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LCzBf-jo84o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>April 2, 2012.\u00a0 <em><strong>WrestleMania XXVIII<\/strong><\/em> was less than 24-hours removed.\u00a0<strong> John Cena<\/strong>, the undisputed face of the WWE, had just been defeated by <strong>The Rock<\/strong> &#8212; in his first singles match in almost ten years.\u00a0 If you read part one last week, you would know that John Cena was never intended to be the face of the company.\u00a0 Indeed, one other man was groomed for that role: Brock Lesnar.\u00a0 You might recall that Lesnar left WWE in 2004, pursuing a career in the NFL.\u00a0 When that didn&#8217;t come to fruition, Brock left for Japan &#8212; embarking on a semi-successful tenure in <strong>New Japan Pro Wrestling<\/strong> that saw him capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 Then Brock, always relishing a challenge, left for the world of mixed martial arts.\u00a0 He joined the <strong>UFC<\/strong> wherein 2008, he defeated <strong>Randy Couture<\/strong>, capturing the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the process.\u00a0 For pro wrestling, this was a victory over the stigma that wrestlers are pretend tough guys.\u00a0 For Brock, it was just another title conquered, though this time in a different field.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-77925\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/10\/Brock-Lesnar-as-UFC-Heavyweight-Champion.jpg\" alt=\"Brock Lesnar as UFC Heavyweight Champion\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/10\/Brock-Lesnar-as-UFC-Heavyweight-Champion.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/10\/Brock-Lesnar-as-UFC-Heavyweight-Champion-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Typically, when Brock conquers something, he moves onto a new target.\u00a0 It happened in amateur wrestling, with the crown jewel being the <strong>NCAA<\/strong> Championship.\u00a0 We saw it in his initial run in the WWE, where he became the top dog in the industry.\u00a0 We saw it again in Japan, where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 UFC was different &#8212; Brock liked being there.\u00a0 He loves to fight and whereas he is notorious for his lack of respect for the professional wrestling business, he is clearly a fight fan.\u00a0 Instead, Brock&#8217;s MMA career was brought to an end by a nasty bought of diverticulitis &#8211; leading to life-saving surgery to remove a significant portion of the large intestine.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I have a high threshold for pain, higher than most guys, and I couldn&#8217;t deal with it. It felt like I had taken a shotgun blast to the stomach, and then someone poured in some salt and Tabasco and stirred it all up with a nasty pitchfork.&#8221; &#8211; Brock Lesnar (<em>Death Clutch<\/em>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This negatively impacted his career, eventually culminating in a harsh defeat against now UFC veteran, <strong>Alistair Overeem<\/strong> on December 30, 2011.\u00a0 Just a few short months later, we are back at April 20, 2012.\u00a0 Indeed, the return of &#8220;The Beast&#8221;.\u00a0 He would hit the F-5 on Brock Lesnar to a raucous ovation.\u00a0 Though he would lose to Cena in his return match at<em><strong> Extreme Rules<\/strong><\/em>, he would dominate in such convincing fashion that it didn&#8217;t hurt him.\u00a0 Brock had changed his style to bring some MMA legitimacy to his arsenal.\u00a0 The defeat would later be blamed on some complications on the recovery from diverticulitis.\u00a0 He would eventually embark on such a dominating run that the blame would be accepted as truth (within storyline).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Reunion with Paul Heyman and Feud with Triple H<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The man most responsible for Brock Lesnar&#8217;s initial successful run is&#8230; Brock Lesnar.\u00a0 However, if there was to be a second man credited, it would be <strong>Paul Heyman<\/strong>.\u00a0 Heyman is, after all, the reason Lesnar was fast-tracked out of <strong>Ohio Valley Wrestling<\/strong> and straight into uniquely dominant WWE rookie success.\u00a0 Therefore, it was no surprise (though highly welcomed) that Heyman would reunite with Brock after his return.\u00a0 Heyman was doing something of &#8220;double duty&#8221; 2012, given he was soon to be the advocate of WWE Champion,<strong> CM Punk<\/strong>.\u00a0 He joined up with Lesnar once more, to serve as his &#8220;legal advisor&#8221; in his case against WWE.\u00a0 Lesnar argued with Triple H, the on-screen &#8220;COO&#8221;, for better contractual demands; including his own personal jet&#8230; and for RAW to be renamed &#8220;Monday Night RAW Starring Brock Lesnar&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brock Lesnar attacks Triple H: Raw, April 30, 2012\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-Pf8K-aqrKs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The back-and-forth feud with Triple H and <strong>Stephanie McMahon<\/strong> would include a successful victory for Brock over Triple H at <em><strong>SummerSlam <\/strong><\/em>2012.\u00a0 Lesnar &#8220;broke&#8221; the COO&#8217;s arm with the kimura lock, for the second time.\u00a0 Brock &#8220;left&#8221; the company that August, declaring himself the new &#8220;King of Kings&#8221;.\u00a0 Of course, we would soon come to realize that Brock was to take large gaps between matches &#8211; the benefit of being part-time.\u00a0 He would return the following January, to F-5 <strong>Vince McMahon<\/strong>, who was about to fire Paul Heyman.\u00a0 This would lead to a match at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXIX<\/strong><\/em>, where Triple H would defeat Lesnar.\u00a0 It had become an issue with some fans that Lesnar had already lost twice since returning.\u00a0 However, he would defeat Triple H at <em><strong>Extreme Rules<\/strong><\/em>, to successfully conclude the feud.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Feud with CM Punk<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brock Lesnar talks about the showdown between himself and CM Punk: SmackDown, Aug. 9, 2013\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YaZzbwmF0fk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The corporate idiots are calling this match &#8216;The Best versus The Beast&#8217;.\u00a0 You listen to me.\u00a0 The Beast <em>is<\/em> the Best.&#8221; &#8211; Brock Lesnar (2013)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The feud with CM Punk was highly welcomed.\u00a0 It had always been known that Brock worked best with smaller talents.\u00a0 After all, his best career matches to date had been against the likes of <strong>Eddie Guerrero<\/strong>, <strong>Rey Mysterio,<\/strong> and <strong>Kurt Angle<\/strong>.\u00a0 For the past year, Punk had been aligned with Heyman &#8211; a friendship notoriously built on Heyman fighting for Punk to keep his name when he came to the WWE from <strong>Ring of Honor<\/strong>.\u00a0 When Punk was almost fired for his attitude in the early days of his time in WWE development, it was Heyman who fought his corner.\u00a0 Therefore, when Heyman turned on Punk and took Lesnar&#8217;s side, it was clear that Heyman was doing this not out of a betrayal of friendship, but out of a belief that Punk just could not defeat Brock Lesnar.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CM Punk challenges Brock Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam: Raw, July 22, 2013\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SpTHCaL5j74?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Lesnar &#8211; through Heyman &#8211; would accept Punk&#8217;s challenge to Brock for a match at<em><strong> SummerSlam 2013<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Though it would be a valiant effort by Punk &#8211; perhaps more so than any challenger that would come later &#8211; Punk would, of course, fall victim to the Beast.\u00a0 Punk, at this point, was one of the most popular babyfaces in the company.\u00a0 Beating Punk &#8211; with Heyman in his corner &#8211; solidified Brock&#8217;s role as the WWE&#8217;s top heel.\u00a0 &#8220;The Best&#8221; had been conquered by &#8220;The Beast&#8221; and Lesnar made true of his word that &#8220;The Beast is The Best.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>&#8220;My Client, Brock Lesnar, Conquered the Streak&#8221;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Heyman: &#8220;Knock knock.&#8221;\u00a0 Crowd: &#8220;Who&#8217;s there?&#8221; Heyman: &#8220;Mike&#8221;. Crowd: &#8220;Mike who?&#8221; Heyman: &#8220;Mike&#8230;lient conquered the streak!&#8221; &#8211; Paul Heyman (2014)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Lesnar returned to the WWE in January of 2014.\u00a0 He originally returned to challenge the winner of <strong>Randy Orton<\/strong> and John Cena&#8217;s <em><strong>Royal Rumble 2014<\/strong><\/em> WWE title match.\u00a0 Instead, Lesnar would be attacked by The Undertaker.\u00a0 Undertaker was, of course, one of Lesnar&#8217;s first rivals in the WWE.\u00a0 Lesnar had defeated who was then &#8220;Big Evil&#8221; on multiple occasions.\u00a0 However, what no one in WWE history had been able to do was defeat The Undertaker at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0 The streak, at this point, was stood at an unprecedented, healthy 21-<\/p>\n<p>At the previous <em>WrestleMania<\/em>, Undertaker had defeated Lesnar&#8217;s recent opponent, CM Punk.\u00a0 Lesnar had been defeated by Triple H, who had been defeated by Undertaker at WrestleMania on three separate occasions.\u00a0 The odds were firmly stacked against the man who was about to be dubbed &#8220;The Conqueror&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Director&#039;s cut of The Undertaker&#039;s Streak ending\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0pb3NfeykSg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In a match not remembered for solid work from either man but etched into pro wrestling folklore for its uniquely surprising outcome, Lesnar would become the one in twenty-one-and-one.\u00a0 If you have ever wanted to be in a building full of 80,000 silent people, this would have been the night to do it.\u00a0 Silence took over the Superdome in New Orleans at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXX<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 If not for the tremendously popular Daniel Bryan winning the main event, this would have been arguably the most tragic <em>WrestleMania<\/em> in history.\u00a0 It still is, to an extent &#8211; the streak was simply an untouchable phenomenon that no one believed would ever be ended.\u00a0 Then, of course, it did.\u00a0 What had become a yearly tradition, a core component of <em>WrestleMania<\/em> was no more.\u00a0 WWE would never be the same; The Undertaker would never be the same.\u00a0 Brock Lesnar, now &#8220;The Conqueror,&#8221; had truly arrived.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Surprising SummerSlam, Roman Reigns and Heinous Heists\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE Title Match: SummerSlam 2014\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7tVUA3DzhF4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The most shocking WWE result in history is <em>probably<\/em> Lesnar conquering the streak.\u00a0 The only other obvious contender is, of course, the infamous <em>Montreal Screwjob<\/em>.\u00a0 However, one more match belongs in the debate: John Cena vs Brock Lesnar at<em><strong> SummerSlam 2014<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 John Cena had been the, as aforementioned, undisputed Face of the WWE for the past decade.\u00a0 The night Lesnar walked out of the WWE at <em><strong>WrestleMania XX<\/strong><\/em> in 2004, John Cena was just getting started &#8211; building a warpath to the WWE Championship at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXI<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 In the years following, he was <em>the<\/em> guy.\u00a0 He was more media-friendly than Brock; more family-friendly than Brock and, ultimately, loved the business more than Brock ever could.\u00a0 He was the complete, polar opposite of Lesnar.\u00a0 Cena during this time was known as &#8220;Super Cena&#8221; for a reason &#8211; he was the WWE&#8217;s &#8220;Superman.&#8221;\u00a0 He didn&#8217;t back down, he didn&#8217;t quit and he overcame all hate.\u00a0 If he lost one match, you could be sure he&#8217;d win the feud.\u00a0<em> SummerSlam 2014<\/em> was different.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Seth Rollins relives moment he cashed his Money in the Bank contract at WWE WrestleMania 31 | ESPN\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YzjPZX26I2U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>No one ever expected to witness John Cena get decimated to that extent.\u00a0 This is exactly what happened that night in 2014.\u00a0 Sixteen suplexes, two F-5s, and a barely competitive Cena was finished.\u00a0 Brock Lesnar had captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in spectacularly dominant fashion and had put an end to any comparison between him and Cena.\u00a0 Lesnar would then move from the last Face of the Company to the new:<strong> Roman Reigns<\/strong>.\u00a0 At this time in 2014\/2015, Roman Reigns was just getting started as the face of WWE.\u00a0 Lesnar existed as the Bane to Roman&#8217;s Batman &#8211; he was there to act as a competitive, freakish rival who would ultimately make Reigns look good.\u00a0 Their <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXI<\/strong> <\/em>match-up for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, however, was cut short by<strong> Seth Rollins<\/strong> initiating the &#8220;Heist of the Century&#8221; &#8211; where he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to capture the title from the defending Lesnar.\u00a0 Lesnar&#8217;s title was stolen; Reigns&#8217; <em>WrestleMania<\/em> moment was, for now, missing.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Brock Lesnar&#8217;s Babyface Turn<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michael Cole speaks on his lawsuit against Brock Lesnar: Raw Fallout, June 15, 2015\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1_V2B-FKrIU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Following on from the &#8220;Heist of the Century&#8221;, Lesnar would be suspended from the WWE.\u00a0 On the post-<em>WrestleMania<\/em> edition of RAW, a furious\u00a0Brock Lesnar would take out the WWE announce team (<strong>Booker T<\/strong>, <strong>JBL,<\/strong> and<strong> Michael Cole<\/strong>) before attacking the camera crew.\u00a0 Lawsuits would be filed against Lesnar and he would be suspended indefinitely.\u00a0 He would return in June, now something of a babyface, to challenge Rollins for the title he was robbed of.\u00a0 At <em><strong>Battleground 2015<\/strong><\/em>, Lesnar would dominate Rollins in convincing fashion.\u00a0 However, he would lose the match following interference from The Undertaker &#8211; who was furious about the streak ending.\u00a0 What would follow was a series of two matches: a losing (though under precarious circumstances) effort at<strong><em> SummerSlam 2015<\/em><\/strong> and a winning performance to blow-off the feud at <em><strong>Hell in a Cell 2015<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brock Lesnar confronts The Undertaker: Raw, July 20, 2015\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eivGJZGs2jo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At<em><strong> WrestleMania XXXII<\/strong> <\/em>in 2016, Brock Lesnar would face neither Roman Reigns nor Seth Rollins.\u00a0 Instead, he would have a (now infamous) hardcore match with former &#8220;Shield Brother&#8221;, <strong>Dean Ambrose<\/strong>.\u00a0 This was the match that led to Ambrose accusing Brock of being &#8220;lazy&#8221; and &#8220;difficult to work with&#8221;.\u00a0 Ambrose, the hardcore specialist, never really got the chance to do anything hardcore.\u00a0 Instead, Brock would win an otherwise unspectacular match and put an end to a feud which many were actually excited about.\u00a0 Lesnar would then go on to defeat <strong>Randy Orton<\/strong> at <em><strong>SummerSlam 2016<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; a match memorable for ending as a &#8220;technical knockout&#8221; after Orton was busted open the hard way.\u00a0 This was a fun and interesting feud, given both men were OVW guys of similar age that never crossed paths before.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Feud with Goldberg<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12402\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/01\/001_FAST_03052017jg_4556-d9c8bb8802a05bc7922d1a71b3fb73ec-e1516032025749.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2016\/11\/22\/mega-match-wwe\/\" target=\"_self\">Brock Lesnar then entered into a feud with the returning<strong> Goldberg<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 In part one, we looked at their <em><strong>WrestleMania XX<\/strong> <\/em>bout &#8211; which turned out to be a departing match for both men.\u00a0 It was one that ended in controversy, as the audience had learned of both men leaving after the event, therefore leading to the fans turning on the match and booing both superstars.\u00a0 In 2016, this was their chance to have a decent match that the fans would accept.\u00a0 So shockingly, at <em><strong>Survivor Series 2016<\/strong><\/em>, Goldberg beat Lesnar in one minute and twenty-six seconds.\u00a0 Lesnar had underestimated his former adversary and was therefore humiliated by his prejudice.\u00a0 Lesnar had become the master of surprising match-ups&#8230; and now he was on the other end of one.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar: Survivor Series 2016\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PLLTVHfHV8g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Goldberg would capture the Universal Championship from <strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong> at <em><strong>Fastlane 2017<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Therefore, when Goldberg accepted a rematch between the two at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXIII<\/strong><\/em>, it was to be a title match.\u00a0 Goldberg was 2-0 against Lesnar &#8211; perhaps the only man in the history of the WWE to have such a record against The Beast.\u00a0 However, though a much smaller streak than previously conquered, Lesnar made good on his Conqueror moniker and defeated Goldberg &#8211; capturing the WWE Universal Championship and embarking on a year-long title reign that would see him defeat the likes of <strong>Samoa Joe<\/strong> (<em><strong>Great Balls of Fire<\/strong><\/em>) in an epic feud; <strong>Braun Strowman<\/strong> (numerous occasions); Roman Reigns (numerous occasions, including <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXIV<\/strong><\/em>); <strong>AJ Styles<\/strong> in a champion-vs-champion bout (<em><strong>Survivor Series 2017<\/strong><\/em>) and more.\u00a0 The dominant, 504-day title reign would culminate with Reigns finally achieving a victory against Lesnar at <em><strong>SummerSlam 2018<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This was Lesnar&#8217;s longest title reign to date and is perhaps worthy of its own, separate article.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns - Universal Title Match: SummerSlam 2018\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nSNkwIvlWJU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Becoming Champion <em>Again<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Though Lesnar was finally defeated by Roman Reigns, this was not to be the end.\u00a0 Reigns would end up relinquishing the Universal Championship after his leukemia diagnosis &#8212; thus allowing Brock to recapture the gold at <em><strong>Crown Jewel<\/strong><\/em>, where Lesnar demolished Braun Strowman in record time.\u00a0 He would go on to have a second champion-vs-champion match at<em><strong> Survivor Series 2018<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This time, however, he was to face Daniel Bryan &#8211; who was days removed from capturing the WWE Championship from AJ Styles.\u00a0 Lesnar dominated most of the match, before Bryan &#8211; undergoing a heel turn &#8211; would turn up the pace and give Lesnar a number of scares.\u00a0 However, Lesnar would ultimately win the match a year to the month that he defeated Styles.\u00a0 At <em><strong>Royal Rumble <\/strong><\/em>in 2019, he would have a similar bout against<strong> Finn Balor<\/strong>, who very nearly defeated The Beast.\u00a0 Lesnar would then, of course, attack <em>Royal Rumbl<\/em>e winner Seth Rollins &#8212; prompting a match between the two at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXV<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Seth Rollins goes low against Brock Lesnar in brutal war: WrestleMania 35 (WWE Network Exclusive)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QHts6J7xa1o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Lesnar had not forgotten the humiliation experienced by Rollins at <em>WrestleMania XXXI<\/em>, just four years previously.\u00a0 The<em> Heist of the Century<\/em> had become etched in Lesnar&#8217;s mind and he wanted revenge.\u00a0 Rollins, now free of <strong>The Authority<\/strong> and a beloved babyface, was the resistance against the dominance of Lesnar.\u00a0 Lesnar would not achieve vindication, however, as &#8211; despite attacking Rollins prior to the match &#8211; he was to be defeated, with thanks to a lucky low blow by Rollins (something which had become Lesnar&#8217;s kryptonite).\u00a0 Lesnar had lost the Universal Championship once more, this time after 156 days as champion.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Boombox Brock, Final WWE Championship Reign and Second Depature<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kofi Kingston and Seth Rollins await Lesnar\u2019s decision: Raw, May 27, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dz0LsSCUtVg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brock would replace<strong> Sami Zayn<\/strong> as an entrant in the <em>Money in the Bank<\/em> ladder match at <em><strong>Money in the Bank 2019<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Perhaps unsurprisingly, given who Brock is, he won the match &#8211; thus capturing the briefcase and guaranteeing himself a future title shot.\u00a0 A sometimes underestimated aspect of Brock&#8217;s character is his ability to be genuinely funny when he wants to be.\u00a0 He&#8217;s a big, hulking, legitimate badass who, when acting goofy, is funny simply because he&#8217;s usually such a serious threat.\u00a0 When Brock Lesnar turned his <em>Money in the Bank<\/em> briefcase into a boombox; donned a hooded sweater and began break-dancing to some form of 90s hip hop, it was funny.\u00a0 <em>Boombox Brock<\/em>, as short-lived as it was, was golden.\u00a0 Lesnar cashed in on Rollins at<em><strong> Super ShowDown<\/strong><\/em>, reclaiming the Universal Championship for the third time.\u00a0 However, this would be his shortest reign &#8211; with Rollins regaining the title at <em><strong>SummerSlam 2019<\/strong><\/em>, just twenty-eight days later.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cain Velasquez brings the fight to Brock Lesnar: SmackDown, Oct. 4, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P4C6d2-KcN4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Brock would then be drafted to <strong>SmackDown<\/strong> and enter into a feud with the debuting <strong>Cain Velasquez<\/strong> &#8211; a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, who famously captured the title from none-other-than Lesnar.\u00a0 Cain had turned up to defend the <strong>Mysterio Family<\/strong> from Brock.\u00a0 Lesnar would defeat Velasquez in a surprisingly dominant fashion at <em>Crown Jewel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>It was an unspectacular feud which, if remembered, will only be so because of how short-lived it was.\u00a0 Lesnar would then defeat Rey Mysterio at<em><strong> Survivor Series 2019<\/strong><\/em>, retaining the WWE Championship.\u00a0 Brock Lesnar, believing no one was worthy of facing him, entered into the <em><strong>Royal Rumble 2020<\/strong> <\/em>match.\u00a0 He eliminated<em> thirteen<\/em> participants &#8211; including the likes of <strong>Keith Lee<\/strong> &#8211; during the match.\u00a0 Lesnar would be eliminated by the increasingly popular <strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong>, who would then go on to defeat Lesnar at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXVI<\/strong><\/em>; capturing his first WWE Championship and &#8211; at least for now &#8211; putting an end to Brock Lesnar&#8217;s dominance over the WWE.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Legacy of The Beast<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30024\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/11\/300_JEWEL_11022018rf_3014-ca31e190faec13b708c1eb6bc6502b29-e1541295689238.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Over the course of two<em> unprecedentedly successful<\/em> spells in the WWE, Brock Lesnar has done it all.\u00a0 His list of accomplishments include: WWE Championship (5x), Universal Championship (3x), <em><strong>King of the Ring<\/strong><\/em> Winner (2002), <em>Money in the Bank<\/em> Winner (2019), <em>Royal Rumble<\/em> Winner (2003), <em>Slammy Award<\/em> Winner (5x), and has topped the<em> PWI 500<\/em> (2002).\u00a0 He has been the number one box office attraction in pro wrestling now for a decade.\u00a0 Lesnar has been an IWGP Heavyweight Champion &#8211; no easy feat for a gaijin.\u00a0 He has been UFC Heavyweight Champion &#8211; no easy feat for someone crossing over from a different sport.\u00a0 Brock Lesnar is, quite simply, an athlete unlike any other.\u00a0 Though many grew tired of his dominance during his second WWE run, what can&#8217;t be disputed is its legitimacy.\u00a0 Only Brock Lesnar could be justified as being booked so dominantly, simply because he is Brock Lesnar.\u00a0 Though this might not yet be the end of Brock in the WWE, if it is, what a phenomenal run it was.\u00a0 From Here Comes the Pain to &#8220;The Conqueror,&#8221; Brock is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots and will be remembered as such.\u00a0 He is the Beast in the World.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE and Brock Lesnar fan? You can check out Brock\u2019s sit-down podcast with \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin, as well as all of your favorite matches on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Network.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brock Lesnar is a phenomenon.\u00a0 The man nicknamed \u201cThe Beast Incarnate\u201d has lived up to the billing over the past two decades. Though he appears to be done with WWE and pro wrestling for the foreseeable future, he remains one of the hottest acts in the business.\u00a0 Over the course of this two-part series, we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2482,"featured_media":30024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[255,57,140,686,267,165,73,256,51,77,76,52,550,75,241,396,47],"class_list":["post-77921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-braun-strowman","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-cm-punk","tag-drew-mcintyre","tag-goldberg","tag-john-cena","tag-kevin-owens","tag-paul-heyman","tag-raw","tag-roman-reigns","tag-seth-rollins","tag-smackdown","tag-the-rock","tag-triple-h","tag-vince-mcmahon","tag-wrestlemania","tag-wwe"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2482"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}