It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s… Brock Lesnar. While he’s not Superman, “The Beast Incarnate” has been built up by the WWE’s creative brass to appear indestructible.
After all, how many other WWE superstars do you know of that are booked to kick out of multiple finishers from an upper card talent in a single match (Lesnar(c) vs. Cena vs. Rollins – Royal Rumble 2015)?
If you’re a regular watcher of WWE programming, you certainly know that Lesnar–fresh off inking an extremely lucrative part-time contract–has been intentionally used more sparingly than the finest of wines. What could be more rare, you ask? The even fewer occasions when the newly-coined “The Lord thy God hallowed be his name” was made to look weak.
With Battleground 2015 just days away, and Brock Lesnar looking to make up for his WrestleMania “loss” to Seth Rollins, here are the seven times The Beast Incarnate actually walked out of a WWE ring on the losing end.
Paul Heyman Turns On His Beast – Survivor Series 2002
He’s the current advocate of “the one behind the 21-1” and the LeBron James of cutting in-ring promos. But, nearly 13 years ago–well before making the long, drawn-out version of his client’s name cool–Paul Heyman told Brock Lesnar that he couldn’t beat The Big Show.
While the WWE undoubtedly wants you to forget it, it was the former ECW owner that prevented Brock–in screw job fashion–from retaining his World Heavyweight strap at the 2002 Survivor Series.
After the impressive execution of an F5 on the behemoth formerly known as Paul Wight, it was Heyman that cold-cocked the referee, which ultimately led to Lesnar losing both the title and his manager.
Angle Makes Lesnar Tap Out… Again! – Summerslam 2003
Oh it’s true, it’s true, it’s damn true that the now-37-year-old tapped out a second time to current IMPACT WRESTLING superstar Kurt Angle’s patented ankle lock.
In a Summerslam program that pitted two ex-NCAA collegiate wrestling standouts against one another, it was “The Most Celebrated Real Athlete In WWF History” that prevailed against a Vince McMahon-aligned Lesnar. To top that off, not even a Vinny Mac chair shot to Angle could alter the outcome.
Was Brock being packaged as an unstoppable force at the top of the roster? Sort of, but even the positive crowd reactions “The Beast” received then pale in comparison to the top-draw status he has today. I mean, what other WWE superstar gets product placement (Jack Links) embroidering on his trunks?
Goldberg Prevails In A Snooze Fest — Wrestlemania XX
If you were a wrestling mark around the millennium, you were most likely salivating at the inkling of a Lesnar-Goldberg feud, especially at the grandest stage of them all. And to think that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin would also be added to the mix as a special guest ref. WCW’s ultimate hero up against “The Next Big Thing” along with The Rattlesnake officiating–this had all the makings of a dream match, or so we initially thought.
Due to completely separate circumstances that had both Goldberg and Lesnar leaving the company, this squared-circle snoozefest wound up going down as one of the worst matches in WWE history.
Word through the grapevine is that Goldberg was supposed to do the job to Brock until McMahon found out with minimal notice that the latter was exiting after ‘Mania. To add insult to exit, Lesnar had recently signed a seven-year, $7 million-dollar deal.
Since then, the man they call Goldberg has yet to appear in a WWE ring again. Much like his highly entertaining in-ring entrance (and Paul Heyman’s ponytail), Goldberg’s career went up in smoke. This was not the case for Lesnar; we just didn’t know it then.
Brock Gets Cleanly Beat By “Latino Heat”… Well, Kind Of – “No Way Out 2004”
Despite the storyline fact that the late Eddie Guerrero had a penchant for lying, cheating and stealing, he clearly and cleanly prevailed against “The Beast” in the main event of 2004’s No Way Out pay-per-view.
Sure, it was the man they call Goldberg that interfered and delivered an unsuspecting spear to Lesnar. But, the latter still managed to regroup enough to hoist Eddie on his back for an attempt at an F5. Ultimately, Guerrero was able to use the spinning move’s momentum to reverse it into a DDT–leading to a frog splash off the top rope to capture his first WWE title from “The Beast.” Truly, a career-defining moment for Guerrero–not so much for the now seemingly indestructible Lesnar.
John Cena Beats Brock At His Own Game – Extreme Rules 2012
Although Brock Lesnar was no stranger to the baby face that a slew of fans still love to hate–John Cena–their 2012 Extreme Rules matchup was different for two obvious reasons:
1. Lesnar was making his long-awaited return following an eight-year absence
2. John Cena was now considered the WWE’s franchise player
In a WWE battle of the bleeding foreheads that may as well of made a mockery out of its PG rating, it was The Cenation Leader that edged out a Heyman-less “Beast” at his own roughhousing game. In a no-holds barred match that lasted nearly 30 minutes, it was Cena that slayed “The Beast” with an Attitude Adjustment on a set of steel steps for the win.
The Game Edges Lesnar At His Own Game — WrestleMania 29
To express that Lesnar’s prior Mania performance was lackluster (see “Wrestlemania XX” analysis above) would be considered generous, to say the least. However, on this storied squared circle night at MetLife Stadium, Heyman’s super-client undoubtedly put forth a physically dominant effort that was ions and ions above it against the likes of COO Triple H.
After a 26-minute “No Holds Barred” battle of the big men, it was “The Game” that stood victorious after delivering his signature finisher–the pedigree–to “The Beast” atop a set of steel steps for the 1-2-3–well before the inception of Supplex City.
The Authority Buys Back Into Seth Rollins’s Cause On Raw
Just off the heels of a clean win over “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose, Triple H felt it was “put up or shut up time” for his protégé and current titleholder Seth Rollins. Wanting to test his investment, The Game lifted Lesnar’s storyline suspension on June 15–granting him a rematch with Rollins at WWE Battleground.
One week later: With the odds considerably stacked against him, the former Shield member plead to J&J security and Kane to let bygones be bygones for the sake of The Authority.
What happened next was a shocker–considering the way the company has made Lesnar immune to pain–Rollins, Kane, and Joey Mercury ended up pouncing on him like a pack of rabid dogs; closing out Raw standing over the motionless monster. However, this wasn’t before Jamie Noble legitimately suffered a couple broken ribs when Brock tossed him into a barricade.