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 is widely considered one of the most accomplished combat sports athletes globally, holding heavyweight championships in WWE, UFC, NJPW, IGF, and NCAA. Currently signed with WWE but on hiatus (as of 2023), Lesnar's career showcases a rare level of success across multiple combat sports disciplines.
1997: 5th Place at NJCAA
In 1997, Brock Lesnar, during his freshman year at Bismarck State College, 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.
1998: NJCAA Championship Win
In 1998, Brock Lesnar, during his sophomore year at Bismarck State College, won the 275 lb championship at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
2000: Signs with WWF and Assigned to OVW
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: 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
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 took part in numerous dark matches in OVW before being called up to the main roster.
March 2002: WWE Televised Debut
In March 2002, Brock Lesnar made his televised WWE debut, immediately portrayed as a dominant force under the guidance of Paul Heyman.
2002: Call-up to Main Roster
In early 2002, Brock Lesnar was called up to the main roster from OVW.
2002: WWE Championship Win
In mid-2002, Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship at the age of 25, becoming the youngest performer to ever win the championship.
January 2003: Royal Rumble Victory
In January 2003, Brock Lesnar defeated Big Show at Royal Rumble to enter the Rumble match, which he won by last eliminating The Undertaker, earning a title shot at WrestleMania XIX.
2003: Royal Rumble Win
In 2003, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match, earning a title shot at WrestleMania XIX.
2003: Feud with Goldberg
In late 2003, Brock Lesnar began a cross-brand feud with Goldberg after an interrupted interview at Survivor Series.
2004: Departure from WWE and Joins NFL
In 2004, Brock Lesnar departed WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), but was cut from the team during pre-season.
July 2005: Settlement Talks with WWE
In July 2005, Brock Lesnar and WWE dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. WWE offered Lesnar a contract, but he withdrew from any involvement with the company on August 2.
2005: Signs with NJPW
In 2005, Brock Lesnar returned to wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
January 4, 2006: IWGP Title Defense
On January 4, 2006, Brock Lesnar defended the IWGP title against Shinsuke Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome event.
April 29, 2006: Lesnar Announces Intent to Join K-1 Mixed Martial Arts League
On April 29, 2006, following the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas, Brock Lesnar declared his intention to join K-1's mixed martial arts league, Hero's.
July 2006: Stripped of IWGP Championship
In July 2006, NJPW stripped Brock Lesnar of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship due to visa issues preventing his return to defend the title.
June 2, 2007: Lesnar Wins First MMA Match
On June 2, 2007, Brock Lesnar won his first official MMA match at the Dynamite!! USA show by submitting Min-soo Kim with strikes in the first round.
June 29, 2007: Loss of IWGP Title to Kurt Angle
On June 29, 2007, Brock Lesnar lost the IWGP title to TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle at the debut event of the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF).
2007: MMA Career Begins
In 2007, Brock Lesnar began his mixed martial arts (MMA) career for Hero's.
2007: Undertaker wins from #30 spot
In 2007, The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble from the #30 spot.
February 2, 2008: Lesnar Makes UFC Debut at UFC 81
On February 2, 2008, Brock Lesnar made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at UFC 81 against Frank Mir. Lesnar wore 4XL gloves due to his large hands. Despite an early takedown and punches, Lesnar lost to Mir via submission.
2008: Signs with UFC
In 2008, Brock Lesnar signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
2008: John Cena wins from #30 spot
In 2008, John Cena won the Royal Rumble from the #30 spot.
July 11, 2009: Lesnar defeats Mir at UFC 100 to become Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion
On July 11, 2009, at UFC 100, Brock Lesnar fought Frank Mir, winning via technical knockout after landing heavy ground and pound in the second round. Lesnar's victory made him the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. During the post-match celebration, he flipped off the crowd and disparaged Bud Light before apologizing later and endorsing the product.
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: Lesnar announces UFC return and Mir vs. Carwin fight to determine next opponent
In January 2010, Brock Lesnar announced on ESPN's SportsCenter his return to UFC. A match between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin was scheduled to determine Lesnar's next opponent.
June 2010: Non-Compete Clause Expires
In June 2010, Brock Lesnar's non-compete clause with WWE expired, which had previously prohibited him from working for other professional wrestling companies.
2010: Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion
In 2010, Brock Lesnar defeated Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin to unify the heavyweight championships and become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
2010: Edge sets record for time spent in Rumble
In 2010, Edge set the record for the least amount of time spent in the Royal Rumble before winning it.
2011: Retirement from MMA
In 2011, after a couple of losses and further struggles with diverticulitis, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA.
January 28, 2013: Attack on Vince McMahon
On January 28, 2013, Brock Lesnar returned on Raw and attacked WWE chairman Vince McMahon, resulting in a scripted pelvic injury.
2013: Feud with CM Punk
In mid-2013, Brock Lesnar began a feud with CM Punk after attacking him on the June 17 episode of Raw.
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 Retained
On January 25, 2015, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins.
2015: Match of the Year Slammy Award
Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match on October 25, 2015 and this match was voted "Match of the Year" during the 2015 Slammy Awards.
January 11, 2016: Attacks on Raw
On January 11, 2016, Brock Lesnar returned on Raw, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations, and Kevin Owens, before performing an F-5 on Roman Reigns.
2016: SummerSlam Defeat of Randy Orton
At SummerSlam on August 21, 2016, Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton by technical knockout, leaving Orton with a forehead wound, and then hit SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon with an F-5.
2016: Return to UFC 200 and Overturned Victory
In 2016, Brock Lesnar returned to MMA at UFC 200 to defeat Mark Hunt, but the victory was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance.
2016: Triple H wins from #30 spot
In 2016, Triple H won the Royal Rumble from the #30 spot.
February 14, 2017: Lesnar Reportedly Retires from MMA
On February 14, 2017, reports surfaced that Brock Lesnar had notified UFC of his retirement from MMA for the second time in his career.
2017: Second Retirement from MMA
In 2017, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA for the second time.
2017: Feud with Goldberg and match at Survivor Series scheduled
Throughout 2017, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg had been feuding through social media and promotional work for the WWE 2K17 video game. This ultimately led to a match at Survivor Series.
January 28, 2018: Successful Title Defense at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his title in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane.
July 7, 2018: Lesnar Challenges Daniel Cormier at UFC 226
On July 7, 2018, at UFC 226, Brock Lesnar confronted the new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, in the cage, issuing a challenge.
2018: Reigns ends Lesnar's title reign
In 2018, Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship reign ended at SummerSlam after 504 days when Roman Reigns capitalized on a distracted Lesnar, who had incapacitated Strowman.
January 27, 2019: Lesnar defeats Finn Balor at Royal Rumble
On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission.
2019: Lesnar wins WWE Championship, feud with Velasquez
In 2019, Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to win his fifth WWE Championship on SmackDown's 20th Anniversary. He then feuded with Cain Velasquez, who debuted in WWE.
January 6, 2020: Lesnar declares himself entrant number one at Royal Rumble
On January 6, 2020, Brock Lesnar declared that he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one, believing no one deserved an opportunity at the WWE Championship.
September 2020: Speculation of Lesnar Fights with Jones and Emelianenko
In September 2020, Dana White mentioned organizing a fight between Lesnar and Jon Jones if both were interested, and Bellator president Scott Coker expressed interest in booking Lesnar to fight Fedor Emelianenko.
August 2021: Lesnar returns at SummerSlam
In August 2021, Brock Lesnar returned at SummerSlam, confronting Roman Reigns after Reigns' title defense against John Cena.
2021: Lesnar returns after hiatus
In 2021, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE after a hiatus, sporting a new look, and confronted Roman Reigns.
2021: Lesnar not under contract with WWE
In 2021, it was reported that Lesnar was not under contract with WWE after the WrestleMania 36 match.
January 1, 2022: Lesnar wins WWE Championship at Day 1
On January 1, 2022, at Day 1, Brock Lesnar won his sixth WWE Championship in a fatal five-way match.
March 2022: Lesnar confirms initial retirement after WrestleMania 36
In March 2022, Lesnar confirmed he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, until deciding to return in 2021.
March 2022: Lesnar Confirms Retirement
In March 2022, Lesnar confirmed that he would remain retired.
2022: Second Royal Rumble Win
In 2022, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match for the second time.
January 23, 2023: Lesnar causes Lashley to lose his United States Championship match
On January 23, 2023, Brock Lesnar appeared on Raw Is XXX and caused Bobby Lashley to lose his United States Championship match.
April 3, 2023: Lesnar attacks Rhodes, turning heel
On April 3, 2023, the episode of Raw following WrestleMania 39, Brock Lesnar answered Cody Rhodes's challenge to team up against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. However, Lesnar attacked Rhodes before the match, turning heel. It was later reported that Lesnar was unhappy with his WrestleMania card placement.
2023: Hiatus from WWE
As of 2023, Brock Lesnar is on hiatus from active competition in WWE.
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