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, mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and former professional football player. He's the only individual to have held primary heavyweight championships in WWE, UFC, NJPW, IGF, and NCAA. He has been signed to WWE since 2021, and also had two previous runs with the company from 2000-2004 and 2012-2020.
11 hours ago : Mike Goldberg details Brock Lesnar's transformative impact and influence on the UFC.
Mike Goldberg discussed Brock Lesnar's significant impact on the UFC, highlighting his transformative influence and lasting legacy within the sport. Lesnar brought unique athleticism and attention.
1988: Context of Universal Championship Reign
As of 2018, the reign was the sixth-longest world championship reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988.
1997: Placement in NJCAA Championship
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 became the NJCAA Heavyweight Champion.
1998: NJCAA Championship Win
In 1998, during his sophomore year, Brock Lesnar won the 275 lb championship at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
2000: Signing with WWF
In 2000, Brock Lesnar signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was assigned to its Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) territory.
2000: First WWE tenure
In 2000, Brock Lesnar started his first tenure with WWE.
2000: NCAA Division I National Championship
In 2000, Brock Lesnar won the NCAA Division I national championship while wrestling for the University of Minnesota.
2000: NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Championship
In 2000, Brock Lesnar won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I heavyweight wrestling championship his senior year.
2001: Dark Matches
In 2001, Brock Lesnar took part in numerous dark matches before being called up to the main roster.
March 18, 2002: Television Debut on Raw
On March 18, 2002, Brock Lesnar, accompanied by Paul Heyman, made his television debut on Raw, interfering in a Hardcore Championship match.
2002: WWE Championship win
In 2002, Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship at age 25, becoming the youngest performer to win the title.
2002: Main Roster Call-Up
In early 2002, Brock Lesnar was called up to the main roster of WWF.
January 19, 2003: Royal Rumble
On January 19, 2003, at the Royal Rumble, Lesnar defeated Big Show to enter the Royal Rumble match, which he won by last eliminating The Undertaker.
2003: Royal Rumble Win
In 2003, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match for the first time.
2003: Feud with Goldberg begins
In late 2003, Lesnar began a cross-brand feud with Goldberg, who interrupted a backstage interview at Survivor Series.
January 25, 2004: WWE Championship retention
On January 25, 2004, Lesnar retained the WWE Championship against Hardcore Holly at the Royal Rumble.
March 2004: Lesnar Leaves WWE to Pursue NFL Career
In March 2004, Brock Lesnar departed from WWE after his match at WrestleMania XX to explore a career in professional football, despite his limited experience in the sport since high school. WWE publicly acknowledged his departure, stating that Lesnar decided to pause his wrestling career to attempt a tryout for the National Football League (NFL), and wished him success.
2004: Departure from WWE and joining the NFL
In 2004, Brock Lesnar left WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), but he was cut from the team during pre-season.
2004: First WWE tenure ends
In 2004, Brock Lesnar's first tenure with WWE ended.
July 2005: Settlement Negotiations with WWE
In July 2005, Brock Lesnar and WWE dropped their lawsuits against each other and entered negotiations to potentially renew their relationship.
2005: NJPW debut and IWGP Heavyweight Championship win
In 2005, Brock Lesnar debuted in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
2005: Signing with NJPW
In 2005, Brock Lesnar signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
January 4, 2006: IWGP Title Defense
On January 4, 2006, Lesnar defended the IWGP title against Shinsuke Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome event.
January 14, 2006: Favorable Ruling Expected in Lesnar's Favor
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney stated he would rule in favor of Lesnar unless WWE gave him a good argument by January 25th, granting Lesnar a summary judgment.
April 29, 2006: Lesnar Announces Intent to Join K-1 Hero's MMA League
On April 29, 2006, Brock Lesnar announced his intent to join K-1's mixed martial arts league, Hero's, after the final match of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas. He began training with Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson and Minnesota assistant head wrestling coach Marty Morgan.
July 2006: Stripped of IWGP Championship
In July 2006, NJPW stripped Lesnar of the IWGP Championship due to visa issues.
June 2, 2007: First Official MMA Match
On June 2, 2007, Brock Lesnar had his first official MMA match at the Dynamite!! USA show against Min-soo Kim, who replaced Hong-man Choi. Lesnar won by submitting Kim with strikes in 1:09 of the first round.
June 29, 2007: Loss of IWGP Title to Kurt Angle
On June 29, 2007, Lesnar lost the IWGP title to TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle at the debut event of the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF).
2007: Beginning of MMA Career
In 2007, Brock Lesnar began his mixed martial arts (MMA) career with Hero's.
February 2, 2008: UFC Debut
On February 2, 2008, Brock Lesnar debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at UFC 81 against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. He wore 4XL gloves due to his large hands and lost the fight by submission in the first round.
2008: Signing with UFC
In 2008, Brock Lesnar signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
July 11, 2009: UFC 100 Win and Controversial Celebration
On July 11, 2009, Brock Lesnar fought Frank Mir at UFC 100. Lesnar won the fight via technical knockout in the second round and became the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. During his post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd and made a disparaging comment about Bud Light before endorsing Coors Light.
2009: Endorsement Deal with Dymatize Nutrition
In 2009, Brock Lesnar signed an endorsement deal with Dymatize Nutrition. A CD containing footage of Lesnar training was included with Dymatize's "Xpand" product.
January 2010: Return to UFC Announced
In January 2010, Brock Lesnar announced on ESPN's SportsCenter that he was scheduled to return to the UFC in the summer.
June 2010: End of WWE Non-Compete Clause
In June 2010, Brock Lesnar's non-compete clause with WWE, which had prohibited him from working for other wrestling companies, expired.
2010: Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion
In 2010, Brock Lesnar defeated Shane Carwin to become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
2011: MMA Retirement
In 2011, Brock Lesnar announced his return to action, scheduling a match at UFC 141 on December 30 against Alistair Overeem. After losing the fight, Lesnar retired from MMA, citing his struggles with diverticulitis.
2011: Retirement from MMA
In 2011, Brock Lesnar retired from mixed martial arts (MMA).
2012: Focused on MMA-oriented Gimmick
After his return to WWE in 2012, Brock Lesnar focused on an MMA-oriented gimmick, sporting MMA gloves during his matches and adding the Kimura lock as a submission hold.
2012: Return to WWE
Brock Lesnar's final professional wrestling match until his return to WWE in 2012.
2012: Second WWE tenure
In 2012, Brock Lesnar started his second tenure with WWE.
January 28, 2013: Attack on Vince McMahon
On January 28, 2013, Brock Lesnar returned on Raw, attacking WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
2013: Feud with CM Punk
In mid-2013, Brock Lesnar began a feud with CM Punk after attacking him on Raw.
January 26, 2014: Dominant win at Royal Rumble
On January 26, 2014, Brock Lesnar had a dominant win against Big Show at the Royal Rumble.
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 retention
On January 25, 2015, at the Royal Rumble, Lesnar retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a match against John Cena and Seth Rollins.
March 2015: Closing the Door on MMA
In March 2015, Brock Lesnar stated he was "closing the door on MMA" after re-signing with WWE.
March 24, 2015: Re-Signing with WWE
On March 24, 2015, Brock Lesnar announced that he had re-signed with WWE and officially closed the door on a return to MMA, despite being offered a deal "ten times more" than what he had previously made in his MMA career.
2015: Hell in a Cell Victory Against The Undertaker
In 2015, at Hell in a Cell, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, ending their feud. The match was later voted "Match of the Year".
January 11, 2016: Lesnar Attacks The New Day, The League of Nations and Kevin Owens
On January 11, 2016, Brock Lesnar made his return on Raw, launching an attack on The New Day, The League of Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio), and Kevin Owens. He concluded the assault by delivering an F-5 to Roman Reigns.
June 4, 2016: Return to UFC
On June 4, 2016, UFC announced that Brock Lesnar would return at UFC 200 on July 9. WWE confirmed it had granted Lesnar "a one-off opportunity" to compete at UFC 200 before returning to the company for SummerSlam on August 21.
2016: Return to UFC 200 and overturned victory
In 2016, Brock Lesnar returned to MMA at UFC 200 and defeated Mark Hunt, but the victory was overturned due to a positive test for a banned substance.
February 14, 2017: Retirement 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: Eligible to Return to Competition
Brock Lesnar was scheduled to be eligible to return to competition in July 2017, following a suspension by the NSAC.
2017: Second Retirement from MMA
In 2017, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA for the second time.
July 7, 2018: Challenges Daniel Cormier
On July 7, 2018, Brock Lesnar stormed the cage after the main event fight at UFC 226 and challenged the new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier.
2018: Lesnar Retains Universal Championship
In 2018, after being absent from WWE television for nearly three months. Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship at SummerSlam, where Reigns became the number one contender later that same night. At the end of the show, after Angle had fired him, Lesnar appeared to attack Angle and choke Heyman. 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.
2019: Lesnar wins WWE Championship; Cain Velasquez Debuts
In 2019, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman returned to challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, which Lesnar won quickly on SmackDown's 20th Anniversary. Former UFC opponent Cain Velasquez then debuted, attacking Lesnar. Later, Lesnar was drafted to SmackDown, and he defeated Velasquez at Crown Jewel. He quit SmackDown to pursue Rey Mysterio, ultimately transferring to Raw with the WWE Championship.
January 6, 2020: Lesnar Enters Royal Rumble as #1
On January 6, 2020, Brock Lesnar declared that he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one, claiming no one else deserved an opportunity at the WWE Championship.
September 2020: Potential Fight with Jon Jones
In September 2020, Dana White said he could organize a fight between Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones if both men wanted it.
2020: Second WWE tenure ends
In 2020, Brock Lesnar's second tenure with WWE ended.
2021: Lesnar's Absence from WWE
After losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 Part 2, Brock Lesnar did not appear on WWE television again until 2021. It was reported that Lesnar was not under contract with WWE after the match.
March 2022: Lesnar Confirms Initial Retirement
In March 2022, Brock Lesnar confirmed that he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, before deciding to return in 2021.
March 2022: Confirms Retirement
In March 2022, Brock Lesnar confirmed that he would stay retired.
October 2022: Lesnar feuds with Bobby Lashley
In October 2022, Brock Lesnar returned and feuded with Bobby Lashley. Lesnar defeated Lashley at Crown Jewel, causing Lashley to lose his United States Championship on Raw Is XXX. At Elimination Chamber, Lesnar lost to Lashley by disqualification, ending their feud. Lesnar defeated Omos at WrestleMania 39. Subsequently, Lesnar turned heel and feuded with Cody Rhodes, leading to a series of matches.
2022: Royal Rumble Win
In 2022, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match for the second time.
August 3, 2025: Lesnar Returns to WWE, Attacks John Cena
After a two-year absence, Brock Lesnar made a surprise return to WWE on August 3, 2025, at SummerSlam, attacking John Cena after Cena's loss to Cody Rhodes.
January 31, 2026: Lesnar Enters Royal Rumble Match
On January 31, 2026, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar entered the match at #22, eliminating multiple competitors before being eliminated by Rhodes and LA Knight.
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