Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Brock Lesnar
How Brock Lesnar built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Brock Lesnar is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional football player. He is primarily known for his accomplishments in professional wrestling with WWE, but has achieved heavyweight championships in WWE, UFC, NJPW, IGF, and NCAA. Often considered one of the most accomplished combat sport athletes, Lesnar is currently signed to WWE but is not actively competing as of 2023.
1990: First American vs. American title match in NJPW
This was the first American vs. American title match in NJPW since Vader vs. Stan Hansen in 1990.
1997: Placed 5th in NJCAA
In 1997, during his freshman year at Bismarck State College, Brock Lesnar placed 5th in the 275 lb. division of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
1998: NJCAA Heavyweight Champion
In 1998, Brock Lesnar was the NJCAA Heavyweight Champion.
October 2000: Paired with Shelton Benjamin in OVW
In October 2000, Jim Cornette paired Brock Lesnar with his former college roommate Shelton Benjamin in OVW, forming The Minnesota Stretching Crew.
2000: NCAA Division I National Championship
In 2000, Brock Lesnar won the NCAA Division I national championship while competing in collegiate wrestling for the University of Minnesota.
2000: NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Championship Win
In 2000, Brock Lesnar won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I heavyweight wrestling championship during his senior year.
2001: OVW Dark Matches
In 2001, Brock Lesnar wrestled several dark matches in OVW before being called up to the WWF's main roster.
March 18, 2002: WWF Television Debut
On March 18, 2002, Brock Lesnar debuted on WWF television as a heel, attacking Al Snow, Maven, and Spike Dudley and being accompanied by Paul Heyman.
June 2002: King of the Ring Victory
In June 2002, Brock Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament, earning a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam.
2002: OVW Dark Matches and Main Roster Call Up
In 2002, Brock Lesnar wrestled several dark matches in OVW before being called up to the WWF's main roster.
2002: WWE Championship Win
In mid-2002, at the age of 25, Brock Lesnar rose to prominence in WWE (formerly WWF) by winning the WWE Championship, becoming the youngest performer to win the championship.
November 2003: First Meeting with Goldberg
In November 2003, at Survivor Series, Brock Lesnar first met Goldberg from the Raw brand during a backstage interview.
2003: First Royal Rumble win
In 2003, Brock Lesnar had his first Royal Rumble win.
2003: WWE Home Video releases Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain DVD
In 2003, WWE Home Video released a DVD called Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain, chronicling Lesnar's career.
January 25, 2004: WWE Championship Retained Against Hardcore Holly and Royal Rumble Interference
On January 25, 2004, Brock Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Later in the Royal Rumble match, Lesnar attacked Goldberg, enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him.
2004: Wrestlemania XX loss
Heyman stated that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004.
2004: Joins Minnesota Vikings
In 2004, Lesnar left WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL but was cut from the team during pre-season.
July 2005: Negotiations with WWE to renew relationship
In July 2005, WWE and Lesnar dropped their claims against each other and began negotiations to renew their relationship. WWE offered Lesnar a contract.
2005: Signs with NJPW and Wins IWGP Heavyweight Championship
In 2005, Brock Lesnar returned to wrestling, signing with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
January 4, 2006: IWGP Heavyweight Championship Defense
On January 4, 2006, Brock Lesnar successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
January 14, 2006: Judge's potential ruling in favor of Lesnar
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney indicated he would rule in Lesnar's favor, granting him a summary judgment and allowing him to work anywhere immediately, unless WWE provided a strong argument by January 25.
April 29, 2006: Lesnar announces intention to join K-1
On April 29, 2006, Brock Lesnar announced his intent to join K-1's mixed martial arts league, Hero's, after the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 final match in Las Vegas.
June 2007: Possession of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship Belt
Brock Lesnar continued to possess the physical IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt until late June 2007, even after being stripped of the title by NJPW.
June 29, 2007: IWGP Heavyweight Championship Loss to Kurt Angle
On June 29, 2007, Brock Lesnar defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a champion vs. champion match at the debut event of the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). Angle won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
2007: MMA Career Begins
In 2007, Brock Lesnar began his mixed martial arts (MMA) career for Hero's.
2007: The Undertaker's Royal Rumble Win
In 2007, The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble match from the #30 spot.
February 2, 2008: Lesnar Debuts in UFC at UFC 81
On February 2, 2008, Brock Lesnar debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at UFC 81 against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Lesnar lost the fight via submission.
2008: Signs with UFC
In 2008, Brock Lesnar signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
2008: John Cena's Royal Rumble Win
In 2008, John Cena won the Royal Rumble match from the #30 spot.
July 11, 2009: Lesnar Defeats Mir at UFC 100
On July 11, 2009, at UFC 100, Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir via technical knockout in the second round. After the fight, Lesnar made disparaging comments about Bud Light, a sponsor of UFC.
2009: Endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition
In 2009, Lesnar signed an endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition, with a CD of his training footage included with Dymatize's "Xpand" product.
January 2010: Lesnar Announces UFC Return
In January 2010, Brock Lesnar announced his return to the UFC on ESPN's SportsCenter.
June 2010: Expiration of non-compete clause with WWE
By June 2010, Lesnar was prohibited from working for any other professional wrestling companies because of a non-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE.
2010: UFC Heavyweight Championship Unification
In 2010, Brock Lesnar defeated Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin to unify the heavyweight championships, becoming the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
2010: Edge's Royal Rumble Win
In 2010, Edge won the Royal Rumble match, spending 7 minutes and 37 seconds in the match.
2011: Retirement from MMA
In 2011, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA after losses and struggles with diverticulitis.
2011: Publication of autobiography Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
In 2011, Lesnar co-wrote his autobiography with Paul Heyman, titled Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, which was published by William Morrow and Company.
2012: Return to WWE
In 2012, Brock Lesnar re-signed with WWE, marking his return to professional wrestling after a hiatus.
2012: Re-release of "Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain" DVD and Blu-ray
In 2012, the DVD "Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain" was re-released as a three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray collector's edition with new matches and interviews to coincide with Lesnar's WWE return.
January 28, 2013: Attack on Mr. McMahon
On January 28, 2013, Brock Lesnar returned to Raw and attacked Mr. McMahon with an F-5, breaking McMahon's pelvis in storyline.
January 26, 2014: Victory Over Big Show at Royal Rumble
On January 26, 2014, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar defeated Big Show after attacking him with a steel chair before the match began.
2014: Ending The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak
In 2014, Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak.
January 25, 2015: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Win
On January 25, 2015, at the Royal Rumble event, Brock Lesnar won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against Seth Rollins and John Cena.
January 11, 2016: Raw Return and Attacks
On January 11, 2016, Brock Lesnar returned on Raw, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations, Kevin Owens, and Roman Reigns.
2016: Return at UFC 200 and Overturned Victory
In 2016, Brock Lesnar returned to MMA at UFC 200, defeating Mark Hunt, but his victory was overturned to a no-contest after testing positive for a banned substance.
2016: Triple H's Royal Rumble Win
In 2016, Triple H won the Royal Rumble match from the #30 spot.
2016: UFC 200 Fight and Drug Test Failures
In 2016, WWE allowed Lesnar to have a one-off fight for UFC 200. Lesnar failed two of his drug tests for this fight but was not suspended by WWE because he is not a full-time performer.
2016: Release of "Brock Lesnar: Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat." home video
In 2016, a new home video, "Brock Lesnar: Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat.", was released on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a collector's edition, highlighting his accomplishments from his second WWE run.
February 14, 2017: Lesnar Reportedly Retires From MMA
On February 14, 2017, it was reported that Brock Lesnar had notified UFC he was retiring from MMA for the second time.
July 2017: Lesnar Eligible to Return to Competition
After serving a one-year suspension, Brock Lesnar became eligible to return to competition in July 2017.
2017: Second Retirement from MMA
In 2017, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA for the second time.
2017: Goldberg declares himself for Royal Rumble 2017
On the Raw after Survivor Series, Goldberg declared himself the first entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match.
January 28, 2018: Title Defense at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane.
January 27, 2019: Title Defense Against Finn Bálor
On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his Universal Championship against Finn Bálor via submission.
2019: Last WWE Televised Match Until 2019
On the March 4 episode of SmackDown! in 2004, Brock Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly, marking his last match on a weekly WWE televised show until 2019.
January 6, 2020: Royal Rumble Announcement
On the January 6, 2020, episode of Raw, Brock Lesnar declared he would enter the Royal Rumble match as the number one entrant.
September 2020: Potential fight with Jon Jones and Fedor Emelianenko
In September 2020, Dana White mentioned organizing a fight between Lesnar and Jon Jones, while Bellator president Scott Coker expressed interest in booking Lesnar against Fedor Emelianenko. Lesnar did not respond to either offer.
August 2021: Return at SummerSlam
In August 2021, Brock Lesnar returned at SummerSlam, confronting Universal Champion Roman Reigns after his successful title defense.
2021: Return to WWE
In 2021, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE after initially retiring.
January 1, 2022: WWE Championship Win at Day 1
On January 1, 2022, at Day 1, Brock Lesnar won his sixth WWE Championship by defeating Big E, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins.
March 2022: Brock Lesnar Confirms Retirement
In March 2022, Brock Lesnar confirmed he would remain retired from fighting, despite earlier speculation about potential matches.
March 2022: Retirement Confirmation
In March 2022, Brock Lesnar confirmed that he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, before deciding to return in 2021.
2022: Second Royal Rumble Win
In 2022, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match for the second time.
January 23, 2023: Raw Is XXX Appearance
On January 23, 2023, at Raw Is XXX, Brock Lesnar caused Bobby Lashley to lose his United States Championship match.
April 3, 2023: Brock Lesnar Assaults Cody Rhodes on Raw
On April 3, 2023, Brock Lesnar attacked Cody Rhodes on Raw, preventing a tag team match with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, and turning heel for the first time since 2020. This attack stemmed from Lesnar's dissatisfaction with his WrestleMania 39 card placement.
2023: Lesnar's Hiatus from WWE
In 2023, Brock Lesnar is on hiatus from active competition in WWE, despite being signed to the company.
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