Brock Lesnar

4.1.1. Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)

In 2000, Lesnar signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), based in Louisville, Kentucky. It was there that he first met his future friend and long-time manager, Paul Heyman. In October 2000, OVW booker Jim Cornette paired Lesnar with his former college roommate, Shelton Benjamin. They formed a tag team known as "The Minnesota Stretching Crew," a name inspired by the legendary tag team "The Minnesota Wrecking Crew." Together, they achieved significant success in OVW, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions. Lesnar also participated in several dark matches in 2001 and 2002, preparing for his eventual call-up to the WWF's main roster.

4.1.2. WWF/WWE Debut and First WWE Championship

Lesnar made his highly anticipated debut on WWF television on the March 18, 2002, episode of Raw. He immediately established himself as a dominant and aggressive heel by attacking Al Snow, Maven, and Spike Dudley during their WWF Hardcore Championship match. He was accompanied by Paul Heyman, who was seen giving him instructions, solidifying Heyman's role as Lesnar's agent and mouthpiece. When the brand extension was introduced, Lesnar was drafted to the Raw brand, with Heyman coining his famous nickname, "The Next Big Thing."

Lesnar's first major feud was against The Hardy Boyz. He defeated Jeff Hardy by knockout at Backlash on April 21, marking his first official televised match. The following night on Raw, he defeated Jeff's brother, Matt Hardy, in the same manner. Lesnar and Shawn Stasiak lost to The Hardy Boyz at the UK-based Insurrextion on May 4, but Lesnar brutally attacked all participants after the match. At Judgment Day on May 19, Lesnar and Heyman defeated The Hardy Boyz. This event was also notable as the first pay-per-view held after the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

In June 2002, Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Bubba Ray Dudley, Booker T, Test, and Rob Van Dam in the finals. This victory earned him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam. At Vengeance on July 21, Lesnar lost to Van Dam in a WWE Intercontinental Championship match by disqualification. On July 22, Lesnar was moved to the SmackDown! brand. After a brief feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in August, Lesnar defeated The Rock at SummerSlam on August 25 to become the new WWE Undisputed Champion. At 25 years old, he set the record for the youngest performer to win the championship, a record he held for many years. He also became the second-fastest professional wrestler to win the WWE Championship since his debut (126 days), trailing only Ric Flair (113 days). With the WWE Undisputed Championship initially defended on both brands, Lesnar's move to SmackDown! led to the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship for the Raw brand, and the WWE Undisputed Championship was subsequently renamed the WWE Championship.

4.1.3. WWE Championship Reigns, Various Feuds, and Departure

Lesnar's rapid ascent in WWE continued with a high-profile feud against The Undertaker in late 2002. Their first match at Unforgiven on September 22 ended in a double disqualification, allowing Lesnar to retain the title. The rivalry intensified, leading to a Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy on October 20. In a storyline leading up to the match, Lesnar broke The Undertaker's hand with a propane tank. Despite Heyman's pleas to Vince McMahon to prevent The Undertaker from using his cast as a weapon, the match proceeded. Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in the brutal Hell in a Cell match to retain the title, effectively ending their feud. He also retained the WWE Championship in a handicap match with Heyman against Edge at Rebellion on October 26.

Lesnar's next major challenge came against Big Show. Paul Heyman, seemingly convinced Lesnar could not win, tried to persuade him not to defend the title. Lesnar refused and faced Big Show at Survivor Series on November 17. In a shocking turn, Heyman betrayed Lesnar, allowing Big Show to hit a chokeslam onto a steel chair and pin him, marking Lesnar's first pinfall loss in WWE and costing him the WWE Championship. This betrayal led to Lesnar's first face turn. Following Survivor Series, Heyman, now aligned with Big Show, invoked a special clause in Lesnar's contract to prevent a rematch. Seeking revenge, Lesnar interfered in Big Show's first title defense against Kurt Angle at Armageddon on December 15, hitting an F-5 on Big Show, which enabled Angle to win the WWE Championship. On the following SmackDown! episode, Angle introduced Heyman as his new manager, and despite an earlier promise, declared that Lesnar would still not receive a title shot.

Lesnar's rivalry with Heyman and Big Show reignited, culminating in a match at the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003. The winner of this match would earn a spot in the Royal Rumble match later that night. Lesnar defeated Big Show and entered the Royal Rumble match as the 29th entrant. He eliminated Matt Hardy, Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin), and finally The Undertaker to win the Royal Rumble match, guaranteeing him a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XIX. After the Royal Rumble, Lesnar and Chris Benoit defeated Angle, Haas, and Benjamin in a three-on-two handicap match at No Way Out on February 23. At WrestleMania XIX on March 30, Lesnar defeated Angle to win his second WWE Championship. During the match, Lesnar famously botched a shooting star press (a move he had frequently used in OVW), landing on his head and neck, resulting in a concussion. This forced Angle (who entered the match with a broken neck) and Lesnar to improvise the finish.

After WrestleMania, Lesnar turned his attention to John Cena, who had recently returned from an injury (storylined to be an F-5 into a ringpost by Lesnar in February 2003). Cena even named his new finishing move the "F.U." as a jab at the new champion. Lesnar defeated Cena at Backlash on April 27 to retain the WWE Championship. On the subsequent SmackDown! episode, Lesnar resumed his rivalry with Big Show after Big Show storyline-injured Rey Mysterio. This led to a stretcher match for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day on May 18, which Lesnar won. During a rematch on the June 12 SmackDown! episode, Lesnar delivered a superplex to Big Show from the top rope, causing the ring to collapse upon impact, a memorable moment in WWE history.

As Lesnar and Big Show continued their rivalry, Kurt Angle returned from neck surgery, and a friendly rivalry began to form between Angle and Lesnar, who were allies but also contenders for the title. At the first-ever SmackDown! brand-exclusive pay-per-view, Vengeance, on July 27, Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Angle in a triple threat match also involving Big Show, after being pinned by Angle.

Lesnar continued to aggressively pursue the WWE Championship despite his friendship with Angle. Mr. McMahon became involved in the storyline, initially berating Lesnar for losing to Angle, particularly after Lesnar involved himself in McMahon's rivalry with Zach Gowen. This all proved to be a swerve on the August 7 SmackDown! episode. That night, Lesnar and McMahon were scheduled to face each other in a steel cage match with Angle as the special guest referee. During the match, Lesnar faked passing out due to a staged backstage incident, and McMahon was set to pin him, but Angle refused. As they argued, Lesnar attacked Angle with an F-5 and continued the assault while McMahon watched and celebrated, marking Lesnar's heel turn once again. At SummerSlam on August 24, Lesnar lost to Angle after submitting to the ankle lock. On the September 18 SmackDown! episode, Lesnar defeated Angle in an Iron Man match by a score of five to four to win his third WWE Championship, ending their long-standing feud.

Lesnar successfully defended his title against the debuting Paul London on the October 9 SmackDown! episode. He then resumed his feud with The Undertaker, as Lesnar had previously cost The Undertaker the title in a match against then-champion Kurt Angle on September 4, earning The Undertaker a shot at Lesnar's title. At No Mercy on October 19, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Biker Chain match after interference from The Full Blooded Italians and Mr. McMahon. After Paul Heyman returned to WWE as SmackDown! General Manager, Lesnar aligned himself with Heyman. Leading up to Survivor Series, Lesnar challenged Angle to a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match. Lesnar's team included Big Show, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan, and later A-Train. Angle's team consisted of Chris Benoit, The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq), John Cena, and Hardcore Holly. Lesnar's team lost the match after Benoit forced him to tap out to the Crippler Crossface. On the December 4 SmackDown! episode, he defended the WWE Championship against Benoit, who passed out to Lesnar's newly debuted submission hold, the Brock Lock.

Survivor Series in November 2003 also marked the first encounter between Lesnar and Goldberg from the Raw brand, setting the stage for a future rivalry. Lesnar then feuded with Hardcore Holly, who sought revenge for Lesnar legitimately injuring his neck in a previous match in 2002, which required surgery and kept Holly out of action for a year. At the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, Lesnar defeated Holly to retain the WWE Championship. Later in the Royal Rumble match, Lesnar attacked Goldberg with an F-5, enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him.

Lesnar defended the WWE Championship against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out on February 15. During the match, Goldberg attacked Lesnar with a spear while the referee was unconscious, allowing Guerrero to get a near-fall. Lesnar then attempted an F-5 on Guerrero, but Guerrero reversed it into a DDT onto the title belt and executed a frog splash to win the WWE Championship. An angry Lesnar then blamed Goldberg for his loss, leading to a match between the two at WrestleMania XX on March 14. During this feud, Lesnar was also at odds with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had suggested Goldberg attack Lesnar at No Way Out. After Lesnar attacked Austin on the February 23 Raw episode and stole his four-wheeler, Austin was inserted as the special guest referee for the WrestleMania match. On the March 4 SmackDown! episode, Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly in his last match on a weekly WWE televised show until 2019. Behind the scenes, it was widely known that the match was Goldberg's last in WWE. Just a week before WrestleMania, rumors surfaced that Lesnar was also leaving WWE to pursue an NFL career. As a result, the match at Madison Square Garden became a fiasco, with fans vociferously jeering and heckling both men. Goldberg defeated Lesnar after a Jackhammer, and both men subsequently received Stone Cold Stunners from Austin. After WrestleMania XX, Lesnar departed WWE, citing burnout, injuries, poor creative decisions, an addiction to alcohol and painkillers, and the rigorous travel schedule as his reasons.

4.2.1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)

On October 8, 2005, Brock Lesnar made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at a show in the Tokyo Dome. In his very first match, he competed in a three-way match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono. Lesnar won the match by pinning Chono after an F-5, which he had renamed the Verdict since WWE owned the trademark on the F-5 name. With this victory, Lesnar became one of the few American wrestlers to have held the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Following the match, Lesnar stated that the name "Verdict" referred to his ongoing lawsuit against WWE. On December 6, WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW, but the court did not grant it.

Lesnar went on to secure two non-title victories against Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. He successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on January 4, 2006, against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura. On January 13, WWE again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but this was also not enforced. He retained his championship against former Sumo Grand Champion Akebono on March 19 at the Sumo Hall, and had another successful title defense against Giant Bernard on May 3. This latter match was the first American vs. American title match in NJPW since Vader vs. Stan Hansen in 1990. On July 15, NJPW stripped Lesnar of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, citing his failure to return and defend it due to visa issues. A tournament was held the following day to determine the new champion, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi. Despite being stripped of the title, Lesnar continued to possess the physical IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt until late June 2007.

4.2.2. Inoki Genome Federation (IGF)

Approximately one year after being stripped of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship by NJPW, Brock Lesnar continued to claim the title in the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), a promotion founded by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki. IGF promoter Inoki had publicly stated that Lesnar was the "proper" IWGP Heavyweight Champion, arguing that he had not been defeated for the title.

On June 29, 2007, Lesnar defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship (as recognized by IGF) against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a champion vs. champion match at IGF's debut event. Angle made Lesnar tap out to the ankle lock to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which was then recognized by both IGF and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match marked Lesnar's last professional wrestling appearance until his return to WWE in 2012.

4.3.1. Return and Ending The Streak (2012-2014)

Brock Lesnar made a highly anticipated return to WWE on April 2, 2012, on Raw SuperShow, immediately establishing himself as a dominant heel by confronting and delivering an F-5 to John Cena. The following week, General Manager John Laurinaitis revealed he had signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" back to WWE and make him the "new face of the WWE." Laurinaitis scheduled Lesnar to face Cena at Extreme Rules in an Extreme Rules match. At Extreme Rules on April 29, Lesnar lost to Cena despite dominating the majority of the match.

The following night on Raw SuperShow, WWE's Chief Operating Officer Triple H refused to concede to Lesnar's increasingly unreasonable contract demands, which reportedly included a personal jet and renaming Raw SuperShow to Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar. This led to Lesnar attacking Triple H and storyline-breaking his arm with a kimura lock. The next week, Paul Heyman returned as Lesnar's legal representative, claiming Lesnar was quitting WWE and suing the company for breach of contract. At No Way Out on June 17, Triple H challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam, which Lesnar initially refused. Stephanie McMahon later goaded Heyman into accepting the match on Lesnar's behalf on July 23 at Raw 1000. At SummerSlam on August 19, Lesnar defeated Triple H by submission, again storyline-breaking his arm. The following night on Raw, Lesnar declared himself the new "King of Kings" and stated he would depart from WWE, having "conquered everything."

Lesnar returned on the January 28, 2013, episode of Raw, confronting Mr. McMahon who was about to fire Heyman. Despite Heyman's pleas, Lesnar attacked McMahon with an F-5, storyline-breaking McMahon's pelvis. The following week, Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero revealed she had signed Lesnar to a new contract. On the February 25 Raw episode, Lesnar again attempted to attack McMahon but was interrupted by the returning Triple H, leading to a brawl where Lesnar legitimately suffered a head injury requiring eighteen stitches. The following week, Triple H challenged Lesnar to a rematch at WrestleMania 29. Lesnar accepted, but only after Triple H signed a contract and Lesnar named the stipulation: a No Holds Barred match with Triple H's career on the line. At WrestleMania on April 7, Lesnar lost to Triple H after a Pedigree onto the steel steps. On the April 15 Raw episode, Lesnar attacked 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal), leading Heyman to challenge Triple H to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, which Triple H accepted. At Extreme Rules on May 19, after interference from Heyman, Lesnar defeated Triple H to end their feud.

Lesnar returned on the June 17 Raw episode, attacking Heyman's client CM Punk with an F-5. Despite Punk's accusations, Heyman denied involvement. Heyman later turned on Punk in July, claiming Punk couldn't beat Lesnar, which led to Lesnar's return and attack on Punk on the July 15 Raw episode. Punk challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Lesnar defeated Punk in a no disqualification match.

On the December 30 Raw episode, Lesnar returned with Heyman to challenge the winner of the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy Orton and John Cena at the Royal Rumble. Lesnar dared any dissenting wrestler to challenge him, which was answered by Mark Henry. The ensuing brawl ended with Lesnar delivering an F-5 to Henry. The following week, Henry challenged Lesnar again, only for Lesnar to storyline-dislocate his elbow with the Kimura lock, prompting Big Show to confront Lesnar. This initiated a feud that culminated at the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, where Lesnar defeated Big Show after attacking him with a steel chair before the match. On the February 24 Raw episode, Heyman stated Lesnar had requested a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXX, but instead received an open contract to face anyone of his choosing. The Undertaker then returned and attacked Lesnar with a chokeslam through a table, setting up their historic match at WrestleMania XXX. At WrestleMania on April 6, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker after executing three F-5s, ending his undefeated WrestleMania streak at 21-1. This feat was described by Sports Illustrated as "the most shocking result since the Montreal Screwjob."

4.3.2. WWE World Heavyweight Champion (2014-2015)

At SummerSlam on August 17, Lesnar defeated John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. During the match, he delivered sixteen suplexes (mostly German suplexes) and two F-5s to Cena, who barely mounted any offense. In a rematch at Night of Champions on September 21, Lesnar was disqualified due to Seth Rollins' interference, but he retained his championship. Later in the year, Rollins reunited with The Authority and was added to Lesnar and Cena's championship match at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2015, making it a triple threat match. Lesnar won despite storyline-breaking a rib during the match.

Lesnar's next challenger was Roman Reigns, who had won the Royal Rumble match to earn a title shot at WrestleMania 31 on March 29. During his main event match against Reigns, Lesnar delivered multiple suplexes and famously exclaimed, "Suplex City, bitch!" which subsequently became one of his signature catchphrases and merchandise motifs. After Lesnar and Reigns traded several false finishes, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while the match was in progress, turning it into a triple threat. Rollins then pinned Reigns to win the title after delivering a Curb Stomp. The following night on Raw, Lesnar attempted to invoke his rematch clause but was refused by Rollins. In frustration, Lesnar attacked commentators Booker T, John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), and Michael Cole, as well as a cameraman, leading to Stephanie McMahon storyline-suspending Lesnar indefinitely.

Lesnar returned on the June 15 Raw episode, chosen by The Authority as the number one contender for Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground. On July 4, Lesnar made his first non-televised wrestling appearance for WWE since his 2012 return, defeating Kofi Kingston at The Beast in the East live event in Tokyo. He also delivered F-5s to Kingston's New Day stablemates Big E and Xavier Woods after the match. At Battleground on July 19, Lesnar dominated Rollins, delivering thirteen suplexes. However, mid-pinfall after performing an F-5, he was attacked by The Undertaker, who incapacitated Lesnar with a chokeslam and two Tombstone Piledrivers, ending the match with Lesnar winning by disqualification and Rollins retaining the championship.

4.3.3. "Suplex City" Era (2015-2017)

The following night on Raw, The Undertaker explained that he had attacked Lesnar not for ending his WrestleMania streak, but for Lesnar allowing Heyman to constantly taunt him about it. This led to a brawl and a WrestleMania rematch scheduled for SummerSlam on August 23. At SummerSlam, The Undertaker controversially defeated Lesnar. The timekeeper rang the bell as The Undertaker had supposedly submitted to Lesnar's Kimura lock, though the referee had not seen any submission. In the ensuing confusion, The Undertaker hit Lesnar with a low blow and applied his Hell's Gate submission hold, causing Lesnar to pass out. The following night on Raw, Lesnar and Heyman challenged The Undertaker to an immediate rematch, only to be confronted by Bo Dallas (who mocked Lesnar about his defeat); Lesnar responded with five German suplexes and an F-5.

At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match after a low blow and an F-5 onto the exposed ring floor, ending their feud. This match was later voted "Match of the Year" at the 2015 Slammy Awards.

On the January 11, 2016, episode of Raw, Lesnar returned, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev, and Alberto Del Rio), and Kevin Owens, before performing an F-5 on Roman Reigns. The following week, he brawled with Reigns until they were attacked by The Wyatt Family. At the Royal Rumble on January 24, Lesnar was the 23rd entrant, eliminating Jack Swagger and members of The Wyatt Family before being eliminated by the Wyatt Family themselves. He later defeated Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper in a two-on-one handicap match at the Roadblock pay-per-view event.

On the January 25 Raw episode, Stephanie McMahon scheduled a triple threat match between Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose for Fastlane to determine the challenger for Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32. In the following weeks, Lesnar was continuously provoked by Ambrose, with Reigns often saving him from Lesnar's attacks. At Fastlane on February 21, Lesnar dominated most of the match but was put through two broadcast tables by Ambrose and Reigns; he lost the match after Reigns pinned Ambrose. Because of this, Lesnar attacked Ambrose in the parking lot. Ambrose later challenged Lesnar to a No Holds Barred Street Fight match at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, where Lesnar defeated Ambrose after an F-5 onto a pile of chairs.

On the July 7 SmackDown episode, Lesnar was revealed as the returning Randy Orton's opponent for SummerSlam. Two days later, on July 9, WWE allowed Lesnar a one-off fight for UFC 200. Lesnar failed two drug tests for this fight but was not suspended by WWE because he is not a full-time performer. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Lesnar was the fifth draft pick for the Raw brand. Orton was drafted to SmackDown, making their match an interbrand contest, billed by WWE as a match fifteen years in the making. Lesnar returned to Raw on August 1, but was attacked by Orton with an RKO. Lesnar then attacked Orton during his match the following night on SmackDown Live, performing an F-5 on Orton. At SummerSlam on August 21, Lesnar defeated Orton by technical knockout, leaving Orton with a forehead wound requiring ten staples. He then hit SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon with an F-5. The severity of Orton's head wound led many to believe Lesnar had gone off script, though Vince McMahon later confirmed the ending was planned. Lesnar was storyline-fined 500 USD for delivering an F-5 to Shane McMahon and his assault on Orton. On September 24 at a house show in Chicago, Illinois, Lesnar defeated Orton in a no-disqualification rematch, billed as a "Suplex City death match."

On the October 10 Raw episode, Heyman, on Lesnar's behalf, challenged Goldberg to a fight after months of feuding through social media and promotional work for the WWE 2K17 video game. Heyman stated that Goldberg was the only blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, having defeated him at WrestleMania XX in 2004. On October 17, Goldberg returned to WWE after a twelve-year absence and accepted Lesnar's challenge, with their match later scheduled for Survivor Series. On the final Raw before Survivor Series, Lesnar and Goldberg had a confrontation that escalated into a brawl with security after Heyman insulted Goldberg's family. On November 20 at Survivor Series, Lesnar quickly lost to Goldberg in 1 minute and 26 seconds, marking the first time in three years that Lesnar was pinned. The next night on Raw, Goldberg declared himself the first entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match. The following week, Heyman addressed the Survivor Series match, stating they underestimated Goldberg and that the match was a humiliation for Lesnar, who would also enter the Royal Rumble to prove himself. Lesnar returned on the January 16 Raw episode to confront other Royal Rumble participants, attacking Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, Lesnar entered at number 26 and eliminated Enzo Amore, Dean Ambrose, and Dolph Ziggler before confronting Goldberg, who entered at number 28 and quickly eliminated Lesnar after a spear.

4.3.4. Year-long Universal Championship Reign (2017-2018)

The following night on Raw, Lesnar challenged Goldberg to a final match at WrestleMania 33. On the February 6 Raw episode, Goldberg accepted Lesnar's challenge and was named the number one contender for Kevin Owens' Universal Championship. Goldberg won the title on March 5 at Fastlane, thus turning his match with Lesnar into a title match.

At WrestleMania on April 2, Lesnar defeated Goldberg to win his fifth world title in WWE and became the first man to have won both the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship. Lesnar also became the second person to kick out from Goldberg's Jackhammer and gave him the first clean singles loss of his professional wrestling career. After several weeks of feuding, Lesnar's first title defense came at the inaugural Great Balls of Fire event on July 9, 2017, where he successfully retained against Samoa Joe, before defeating him a second time for the title at a house show.

On the July 31 Raw episode, Lesnar was scheduled to defend his title in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam against Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman. Lesnar and Heyman stated that both would leave WWE should Lesnar lose the championship in the match. At SummerSlam on August 20, Lesnar retained the title by pinning Reigns. The next night on Raw, Lesnar was attacked by Strowman. The subsequent title match at No Mercy on September 24 was won by Lesnar. Lesnar then defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles in an interbrand champion vs. champion non-title match at Survivor Series on November 19. His next title defense was scheduled for the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, where he successfully defended the title in a triple threat match against Strowman and Kane. Lesnar then re-ignited his feud with Roman Reigns, who won the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber on February 25 to become the number one contender to Lesnar's title at WrestleMania 34. At WrestleMania on April 8, Lesnar pinned Reigns to retain the title in the main event. Rumors arose that Lesnar would leave WWE and rejoin the UFC. On April 9, Lesnar re-signed with WWE. At the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view on April 27, he again defeated Reigns in a steel cage when Reigns speared Lesnar through the cage wall. As Lesnar escaped the cage first, he was declared the winner.

After the Greatest Royal Rumble, Lesnar was absent from WWE television for nearly three months. At Extreme Rules on July 15, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle threatened to strip Lesnar of the Universal Championship if he did not show up to Raw the following night. The next night on Raw, Heyman agreed that Lesnar would defend his title at SummerSlam; Reigns became the number one contender later that same night. On the July 30 Raw episode, Lesnar was at the arena but refused to appear in the ring. Angle threatened to fire Heyman if he could not persuade Lesnar to come to the ring. Throughout the broadcast, Heyman's attempts were unsuccessful. At the end of the show, after Angle had fired him, Lesnar appeared to attack Angle and choke Heyman. Two weeks later, the dissension between Lesnar and Heyman was revealed to be just a ruse when Lesnar returned on the August 13 Raw episode to attack Reigns. At SummerSlam on August 19, Strowman was at ringside ready to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. Lesnar incapacitated Strowman, allowing Reigns to capitalize on the distracted Lesnar and win the Universal Championship, ending Lesnar's title reign at 504 days. As of 2018, the reign was the sixth-longest world championship reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988.

4.3.5. World Championship Reigns and First Retirement (2018-2020)

Lesnar returned at Hell in a Cell on September 16, interrupting the Hell in a Cell match between defending Universal Champion Reigns and Braun Strowman, kicking in the door and attacking both men, thus rendering the match a no-contest and costing Strowman his Money in the Bank cash-in match. The next night on Raw, Acting General Manager Baron Corbin scheduled Reigns to defend the Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Lesnar and Strowman at Crown Jewel on November 2. After Reigns legitimately relinquished the title due to a leukemia relapse, the match was changed to a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the vacant title. At Crown Jewel, Lesnar defeated Strowman in three minutes to become the first two-time Universal Champion, thanks to a pre-match attack from Corbin.

After his title win, Lesnar was scheduled to face WWE Champion AJ Styles at Survivor Series in another champion vs. champion non-title match. Five days prior, Styles lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown. At Survivor Series on November 18, Lesnar overcame a late rally from Bryan to defeat him. Lesnar then successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019. The next night on Raw, Lesnar attacked 2019 Royal Rumble match winner Seth Rollins with six F-5s, setting up a title match for WrestleMania 35. At WrestleMania on April 7, Lesnar attacked Rollins before the match. Rollins then attacked Lesnar with a low blow while the referee was down and pinned Lesnar, ending his second reign as Universal Champion at 156 days.

At Money in the Bank on May 19, 2019, Lesnar surprisingly replaced Sami Zayn in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Before the match, Zayn had been attacked backstage. Later, the match began with only seven of the scheduled eight participants. At the climax of the match, Lesnar ran in, took out Ali, who was on top of a ladder, and won the Money in the Bank contract, granting him either a Universal Championship or WWE Championship match at any time of his choosing within the next year. After teasing cashing in on Universal Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and failing an attempt to cash-in on Rollins at Super ShowDown on June 7, Lesnar successfully cashed in his contract to win the Universal Championship from Rollins at Extreme Rules on July 14, right after Rollins and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch had retained their respective titles against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules mixed tag team match. At SummerSlam on August 11, Lesnar lost the title back to Rollins, ending his third title reign at 28 days.

Lesnar and Heyman returned on the September 17 SmackDown episode to challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. Kingston accepted, and Lesnar proceeded to F-5 him. On SmackDown-s 20th Anniversary on October 4, Lesnar quickly defeated Kingston in about eight seconds to win his fifth WWE Championship; this was Lesnar's first match on SmackDown in 15 years. After his victory, Lesnar was attacked by former UFC opponent Cain Velasquez, making his WWE debut. Lesnar was then scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Velasquez at Crown Jewel on October 31. During the 2019 draft, Lesnar was drafted to SmackDown. At the Crown Jewel event, Lesnar defeated Velasquez in under five minutes via submission with the Kimura Lock. After the match, Rey Mysterio attacked Lesnar with a chair. On the November 1 SmackDown episode, Lesnar and Heyman quit the brand to go after Mysterio, who had been drafted to Raw, thus transferring to Raw with the WWE Championship. This led to Mysterio challenging Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series on November 24, which was made official as a No Holds Barred match, where Lesnar retained, despite Mysterio's son, Dominik's attempt to aid Mysterio during the match.

Lesnar returned on the January 6, 2020, episode of Raw to declare that no one deserved an opportunity at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, so instead he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one. At the Royal Rumble on January 26, Lesnar eliminated the first thirteen competitors he faced, tying the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match, before being eliminated by Drew McIntyre, who won the match. After retaining the championship against Ricochet at Super ShowDown on February 27, Lesnar ultimately lost the WWE Championship to McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36 Part 2 (which aired on April 5). This was his final appearance until 2021. It was later reported by several sources that Lesnar was not under contract with WWE after the match. Lesnar confirmed in March 2022 that he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, until deciding to return in 2021.

4.3.6. Second Return and Feud with Roman Reigns (2021-2022)

Lesnar, now sporting a cowboy/farmer look with a beard and ponytail, returned as a face at SummerSlam in August 2021 and confronted Universal Champion Roman Reigns after Reigns' successful title defense against John Cena. During the 2021 WWE Draft, it was revealed that Lesnar had become a free agent, allowing him to appear on any brand. He then primarily appeared on SmackDown, and he and Reigns faced each other for the title at Crown Jewel on October 21, which Lesnar lost after interference from The Usos. On the following episode of SmackDown, he started a locker room-clearing brawl with Reigns, resulting in an indefinite suspension by on-air authority figure Adam Pearce, whom Lesnar attacked. On the November 26 SmackDown episode, it was announced his suspension had been lifted. On the December 3 SmackDown episode, it was announced that Lesnar would once again face Reigns for the title, this time at the Day 1 event. The match was canceled after Reigns contracted COVID-19, and Lesnar was instead added to Raw's WWE Championship match at the event to make it a fatal five-way match. At Day 1 on January 1, 2022, Lesnar won his sixth WWE Championship, defeating Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and defending champion Big E, whom he pinned. On the following episode of Raw, Lesnar reunited with his advocate Paul Heyman.

At Royal Rumble on January 29, he lost the WWE Championship to Lashley due to Reigns' interference and Heyman's betrayal (who realigned with Reigns), ending his sixth reign at 29 days. However, later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match as the surprise 30th entrant and won the match by last eliminating Drew McIntyre, becoming the fourth person to win from the #30 spot (after The Undertaker in 2007, John Cena in 2008, and Triple H in 2016). This made Lesnar the ninth two-time Rumble winner, after his first win in 2003, while also making him the first person to lose their world championship and then win the Rumble in the same night. Among the other multi-time Rumble winners, Lesnar also set a record for the longest time between Rumble wins at 19 years. He also set the record for the least amount of time spent in the Rumble before winning it, being in the match for 2 minutes and 30 seconds and beating Edge's 2010 record by 5 minutes and 7 seconds. On the following episode of Raw, Lesnar revealed he would challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38, and was also scheduled to compete in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship on February 19 at Elimination Chamber. Lesnar won the match to win the title for a seventh time by single-handedly eliminating all other opponents (Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Riddle, AJ Styles, and Austin Theory), except Lashley, who was removed early in the match due to a concussion protocol. This also converted his Universal Championship match against Reigns at WrestleMania into a Winner Takes All match. The following night on Raw, their Winner Takes All match was then stipulated as a title unification match. Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Reigns in the unification match at the event on April 3. On the June 17 SmackDown episode, Lesnar once again returned to confront and attack Reigns after he successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Riddle, renewing their rivalry. This resulted in a Last Man Standing match being made for the title at SummerSlam, with WWE billing it as the ultimate finale to the feud. At the event on July 30, Lesnar failed to beat Reigns for the title after interference from The Usos and Heyman.

4.3.7. Various Feuds (2022-2023)

On the October 10 Raw episode, Lesnar made a surprise return, attacking United States Champion Bobby Lashley and injuring his shoulder before his scheduled title defense against Seth "Freakin" Rollins, resuming their feud. At Crown Jewel on November 5, Lesnar defeated Lashley despite Lashley dominating the majority of the match. Lesnar's next appearance occurred on Raw Is XXX on January 23, 2023, where he caused Lashley to lose his United States Championship match. At the Royal Rumble, Lesnar entered the Royal Rumble match at #12, eliminating Chad Gable, Santos Escobar, and Angelo Dawkins before being eliminated by Lashley. At Elimination Chamber on February 18, Lesnar lost to Lashley by disqualification after he hit Lashley with a low blow and attacked both the referee and Lashley, ending their feud.

On the February 20 Raw episode, Omos challenged Lesnar to a match at WrestleMania 39. The following week on Raw, Lesnar appeared on the "VIP Lounge" with Omos' manager MVP; Lesnar accepted the challenge, then proceeded to attack MVP with an F-5. At the event, Lesnar defeated Omos.

On the April 3, 2023, episode of Raw, the day after Night 2 of WrestleMania 39, Triple H introduced Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, accompanied by Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. Cody Rhodes interrupted and challenged Reigns to a rematch, only for Reigns to decline. Rhodes then challenged Reigns and Sikoa to a tag team match later that night, and Reigns accepted under the condition that Rhodes' partner was someone who competed at WrestleMania 39 but also that person could not challenge Reigns for his title as long as Reigns was champion. Lesnar answered, with the latter stipulation not applying to him as he was already banned from challenging Reigns for the title following their match at SummerSlam in 2022. However, the match never occurred due to Lesnar suddenly assaulting Rhodes before the match could begin, thus turning heel for the first time since 2020. It was later reported that Lesnar was unhappy with his position on the WrestleMania card, as his match had opened Night 2 instead of being in a main event slot. Rhodes addressed the attack the following week and challenged Lesnar to a match at Backlash. On the April 17 episode, Rhodes appeared ready to fight despite not being medically cleared to compete. To keep Rhodes from fighting Lesnar that night, Adam Pearce made the match for Backlash official. Lesnar lost to Rhodes at Backlash, defeated Rhodes at Night of Champions by submission, and lost to Rhodes again at SummerSlam to end their feud. After the final match, Lesnar hugged Rhodes and shook his hand.

4.3.8. Vince McMahon Scandal and Hiatus (2024-Present)

In early 2024, Brock Lesnar's planned return to WWE was abruptly halted due to his alleged involvement in a lawsuit against Vince McMahon. According to several reports, Lesnar was scheduled to make his return to WWE at the 2024 Royal Rumble event as a participant in the Royal Rumble match. During the match, he was reportedly planned to be eliminated by Dominik Mysterio, as part of the build to a match against Mysterio at Elimination Chamber: Perth.

However, a lawsuit was filed a few days before the Royal Rumble by Janel Grant, a former employee at WWE global headquarters between 2019 and 2022. Grant alleged that WWE co-founder Vince McMahon had coerced her into a sexual relationship and, along with WWE executive John Laurinaitis and an unnamed WWE wrestler "who was also a former UFC fighter," sexually trafficked her and repeatedly sexually assaulted her in 2020 and 2021. The unnamed talent was later identified by The Wall Street Journal as Lesnar.

As a result of these serious allegations, Lesnar was removed from the Royal Rumble and replaced by Bron Breakker. It was subsequently reported that he was removed from WWE's creative plans ahead of their WrestleMania XL event, despite originally being planned to have a match against WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther at the event. In February 2024, Lesnar was removed from the WWE SuperCard video game. He was also removed from the cover of WWE 2K24-s "40 Years of WrestleMania" edition, as well as the playable roster, only being accessible through the game's Showcase Mode. Furthermore, he was removed from the introduction video of WWE's weekly programming, with LA Knight replacing him. Lesnar has been on hiatus from active competition since these allegations surfaced.

5.2.1. Debut and UFC Heavyweight Champion

During UFC 77 on October 20, 2007, Brock Lesnar announced he had signed a one-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). On February 2, 2008, Lesnar made his promotional debut at UFC 81 against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Due to his exceptionally large hands, Lesnar wore 4XL gloves for the fight, making him only the second fighter in Nevada's combat sports history to do so, after Hong-man Choi. Lesnar secured an early takedown and landed numerous punches, but was docked a point after a punch hit Mir on the back of the head. He scored another takedown and continued with ground and pound, before Mir secured a kneebar and forced a submission at 1 minute and 30 seconds of the first round.

Despite losing his debut, Lesnar was offered a new contract. At UFC 82 on March 1, it was announced that former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer Mark Coleman would fight Lesnar at UFC 87. Coleman later withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Heath Herring. At UFC 87 on August 9, Lesnar scored an early knockdown in the first round and went on to dominate the fight, winning via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring it 30-26 in his favor.

Lesnar then faced Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 91 on November 15. He successfully denied Couture's takedown attempts and outstruck him on the feet, eventually knocking him down and landing ground and pound until he was awarded the technical knockout and the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

On December 27 at UFC 92, Mir defeated Antônio Nogueira for the Interim Heavyweight Championship and was slated to face Lesnar for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 98. Immediately after winning the interim title, Mir famously shouted, "You've got my belt," to Lesnar in the crowd. Due to a knee injury to Mir, the title unification bout was postponed. Lesnar instead fought Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009. Mir attempted an early leg grab, but Lesnar denied it and maintained top position, landing punches for the remainder of the first round. In the second round, after trading blows, Mir hurt Lesnar with a knee and a punch, leading Lesnar to take Mir down and land heavy ground and pound, winning the fight via technical knockout. During his post-match celebration, Lesnar famously flipped off the crowd who had been booing him and made a disparaging comment about the pay-per-view's primary sponsor, Bud Light, promoting Coors Light instead. Lesnar later apologized for his remarks at the post-fight press conference.

On July 1, it was reported that the winner of the Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 104 would face Lesnar, but the match was scrapped. Lesnar was then scheduled to defend the title against Carwin at UFC 106 on November 21. On October 2, Lesnar pulled out of the Carwin bout due to an illness. UFC President Dana White stated Lesnar had been ill for three weeks and that it would take him a while to recover, rescheduling the fight for UFC 108 on January 2, 2010. Lesnar initially sought treatment in Canada but later criticized the Canadian healthcare system, calling it "Third World treatment" and stating that seeking better treatment in the United States saved his life. He further connected his experience to the debate on healthcare reform.

On November 4, it was confirmed that Lesnar had mononucleosis, and his bout with Carwin was further delayed and eventually canceled. On November 14 at the UFC 105 post-fight conference, White stated, "[Lesnar]'s not well and he's not going to be getting well anytime soon," suggesting an interim title match might be necessary. In addition to mononucleosis, it was revealed that Lesnar had developed a serious case of diverticulitis, an intestinal disorder requiring surgery. Lesnar underwent surgery on November 16 to close a perforation in his intestine that had been leaking fecal matter into his abdomen, causing pain, abscesses, and overtaxing his immune system to the point of contracting mononucleosis. The surgeon estimated the intestinal condition had been ongoing for about a year.

In January 2010, Lesnar announced on ESPN's SportsCenter that he was scheduled to return to the UFC in the summer. A match between Mir and Carwin took place on March 27 at UFC 111 to determine the Interim Heavyweight Champion and Lesnar's next opponent. Carwin defeated Mir via knockout in the first round, becoming the new Interim Champion. After the fight, Lesnar entered the ring and declared, "It was a good fight but he's wearing a belt that's a make-believe belt. I've got the real championship belt." Lesnar faced Carwin at UFC 116 on July 3 to unify the heavyweight titles. Early in the first round, Carwin knocked Lesnar down with heavy punches and continued with ground and pound, opening a cut on Lesnar's eye. In the second round, Carwin was noticeably fatigued, and Lesnar scored a takedown, attained full mount, then moved into side-control and finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke. With this victory, Lesnar became the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, earning his first Submission of the Night and handing Carwin his first loss. The win also tied a UFC record for most consecutive successful UFC Heavyweight Championship defenses.

5.2.2. Title Loss and First Retirement

Lesnar's next defense was against undefeated top contender Cain Velasquez on October 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, at UFC 121. Dana White announced that the UFC would bring back UFC Primetime to promote the fight. In the first round, Lesnar scored a takedown and landed some heavy knees but eventually succumbed to Velasquez's superior striking and was finished by technical knockout late in the round, losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Lesnar was advertised as a coach for The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite Junior dos Santos, with the two expected to fight on June 11 at UFC 131. However, Lesnar was struck with another bout of diverticulitis and had to withdraw from the fight on May 12. He was replaced by Shane Carwin, who ultimately lost to dos Santos. Lesnar underwent surgery on May 27 to address his diverticulitis issues, with White stating that a 12-inch piece of his colon was removed.

In its May 2011 issue, ESPN magazine published a story listing the highest-paid athletes based on base salary and earnings. Lesnar topped the list for MMA at 5.30 M USD, which included his reported bout salaries and estimated pay-per-view bonuses.

In the summer of 2011, Lesnar announced his return to action, stating, "I feel like a new man. Healthy. Strong. I feel like I used to feel." His return match was scheduled for UFC 141 on December 30 in Las Vegas against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Lesnar attempted to take down Overeem but was unsuccessful and absorbed heavy body shots to his surgically repaired stomach, eventually being finished with a liver kick and punches. Lesnar then retired from MMA, citing his struggles with diverticulitis and declaring, "tonight was the last time you'll see me in the octagon."

Speculation about a return to MMA continued until March 24, 2015, when Lesnar revealed in an interview on SportsCenter that he had re-signed with WWE and officially closed the door on an MMA return, despite being offered a deal "ten times more" than his previous MMA earnings. He further elaborated that while he had been training for months for a UFC return, he felt "physically great but something was lacking mentally." Lesnar added that he was "an older caveman now, so [he] makes smarter caveman decisions" and chose to sign with WWE because he could "work part-time with full-time pay."

5.3.1. Fight against Mark Hunt

Despite Lesnar stating he was "closing the door on MMA" in March 2015, the UFC announced on June 4, 2016, that he would return at UFC 200 on July 9. WWE confirmed it had granted Lesnar "a one-off opportunity" to compete at UFC 200 before he returned to the company for SummerSlam on August 21. Lesnar dominated the first and third rounds of his fight against Mark Hunt, battering Hunt with ground and pound in the third to secure a unanimous decision win. He was also paid a UFC record 2.50 M USD purse for the fight, a record later broken by Conor McGregor at UFC 202.

5.3.2. Suspension and Second Retirement

On July 15, 2016, Lesnar was notified of a potential anti-doping policy violation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) stemming from an undisclosed banned substance in an out-of-competition sample collected on June 28. On July 19, a second test sample taken in-competition on July 9 was also revealed as positive for the same banned substance. On August 23, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) confirmed that Lesnar had twice tested positive for clomiphene and was suspended.

On December 15, it was confirmed that Lesnar was fined 250.00 K USD and suspended from competition for one year by the NSAC. He would have been eligible to return in July 2017. As a result of the suspension, the result of his fight with Mark Hunt was overturned to a no contest. As of January 2019, Lesnar had not yet paid the fine.

On February 14, 2017, it was reported that Lesnar had notified UFC he was retiring from MMA for the second time. On July 7, 2018, Lesnar stormed the cage after the main event fight at UFC 226 and challenged the new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier. On July 8, USADA confirmed that Lesnar had begun the process to re-enter their drug-testing pool. UFC officials were reportedly targeting a bout between Lesnar and Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, but Dana White later claimed Lesnar told him he was "done" with MMA, and the bout ultimately did not occur. In September 2020, White stated he could organize a fight between Lesnar and Jon Jones if both men wanted it. That same month, Bellator president Scott Coker expressed interest in booking Lesnar to fight Fedor Emelianenko. Lesnar did not respond to either man's comments, and once again confirmed in March 2022 that he would stay retired, stating he was "too old."