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 celebrated for his achievements across various combat sports. He stands as the sole individual to have clinched primary heavyweight championships in WWE, UFC, NJPW, IGF, and NCAA. Currently under contract with WWE but on hiatus as of 2023, Lesnar's career highlights his dominance and versatility in both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, solidifying his place as a prominent figure in the world of sports entertainment and combat sports.
1988: Longest title reign since 1988
As of 2018, Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship reign was the sixth-longest world championship reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988.
1998: NJCAA Heavyweight Champion
In 1998, Brock Lesnar was the NJCAA Heavyweight Champion.
2000: Signs 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: 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 during 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 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: Main Roster Call-Up
In early 2002, Brock Lesnar was called up to the main roster of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
2002: WWE Championship Win
In mid-2002, Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship at the age of 25, becoming the youngest performer to win the championship.
January 2003: Royal Rumble Victory
In January 2003, at Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar defeated Big Show 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: WWE Home Video released Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain DVD
In 2003, WWE Home Video released a DVD chronicling Lesnar's career entitled Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain.
2003: Feud with Goldberg and Title Loss
In late 2003, Brock Lesnar began a cross-brand feud with Goldberg, and later lost his WWE Championship to Eddie Guerrero after interference from Goldberg at No Way Out.
March 2004: Lesnar leaves WWE to pursue NFL career
Following his match at WrestleMania XX in March 2004, Brock Lesnar left WWE to pursue a career in professional football.
2004: Joins Minnesota Vikings
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.
2004: Lesnar featured on Flex and Muscle & Fitness magazine covers
In 2004, Brock Lesnar was featured on the covers of Flex and Muscle & Fitness magazine.
2004: Feud with Goldberg
In 2004, Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX, marking a blemish on Lesnar's WWE career according to Paul Heyman.
July 2005: WWE and Lesnar drop claims and negotiate renewal
In July 2005, WWE and Brock Lesnar dropped their claims against each other and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. WWE offered Lesnar a contract, but he later withdrew from any involvement with the company.
2005: Signs with NJPW and Wins IWGP Heavyweight Championship
In 2005, Brock Lesnar returned to wrestling and signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
2005: NJPW Debut and IWGP Heavyweight Championship Win
In 2005, after leaving professional football, Brock Lesnar returned to wrestling by debuting in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). On October 8, he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first bout.
January 4, 2006: IWGP Title Defense
On January 4, 2006, Brock Lesnar defended the IWGP title against Shinsuke Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome event.
January 14, 2006: Judge favors Lesnar in lawsuit against WWE
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney stated that unless WWE gave him a good argument, he would rule in favor of Lesnar, giving him a summary judgment.
April 29, 2006: Lesnar announces intent to join K-1
On April 29, 2006, Brock Lesnar stated his intent 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 that prevented him from returning to defend it, although he retained physical possession of the belt.
June 2, 2007: First MMA Match
On June 2, 2007, Brock Lesnar won his first official MMA match by submitting Min-soo Kim with strikes in 1:09 of the first round.
June 29, 2007: Loss of IWGP Title
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 Debut
In 2007, Brock Lesnar began his mixed martial arts (MMA) career for Hero's.
February 2, 2008: UFC Debut at UFC 81
On February 2, 2008, Brock Lesnar made his debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at UFC 81 against Frank Mir. He lost via submission.
2008: UFC Signing
In 2008, Brock Lesnar signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
2008: Lesnar featured on Minneapolis' City Pages cover
In 2008, Brock Lesnar was featured on the cover of Minneapolis' City Pages.
July 11, 2009: Lesnar defeats Mir at UFC 100
On July 11, 2009, at UFC 100, Brock Lesnar fought Frank Mir, Lesnar won via technical knockout after landing heavy ground and pound. During the post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd and made a disparaging comment about Bud Light, and endorsed Coors Light instead. Lesnar later apologized for his remarks at the post-fight press conference.
2009: Lesnar signs 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 2, 2010: Lesnar's fight with Carwin rescheduled due to illness
On January 2, 2010, Lesnar's fight with Shane Carwin was rescheduled for UFC 108 due to an illness. Lesnar initially sought treatment in Canada, but criticized the care he received and claimed that seeking better treatment in the United States saved his life.
January 2010: Lesnar announces UFC return
In January 2010, Brock Lesnar announced on ESPN's SportsCenter that he was scheduled to make a return to the UFC in the summer.
June 2010: Lesnar's non-compete clause with WWE expires
In June 2010, Brock Lesnar's non-compete clause with WWE expired, which had 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: Lesnar is the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 2010
In 2010, Brock Lesnar was the cover athlete for the UFC Undisputed 2010 video game.
2011: Lesnar co-writes autobiography Death Clutch
In 2011, Brock Lesnar co-wrote an autobiography with Paul Heyman, titled Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, which was published by William Morrow and Company.
2011: First MMA Retirement
In 2011, Brock Lesnar retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) after struggles with diverticulitis and a couple of losses.
2011: Lesnar announces return to action and then retires from MMA
In the summer of 2011, Brock Lesnar announced his return to action. His return match was scheduled to be at UFC 141 on December 30. After being defeated by Alistair Overeem, Lesnar retired from MMA, citing his struggles with diverticulitis and said it was the last time he will be seen in the octagon.
2012: Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain re-released
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 to tie in with Lesnar's WWE return, expanding it to include new matches and interviews.
January 28, 2013: Attack on Vince McMahon
On January 28, 2013, Brock Lesnar returned on Raw, attacking 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, culminating in a no disqualification match at SummerSlam where Lesnar defeated Punk.
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, Brock Lesnar retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena and Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble.
March 2015: Lesnar closes door on MMA return
In March 2015, Lesnar revealed in an interview on SportsCenter that he had re-signed with WWE and officially closed the door on a return to MMA, even though he was offered a deal ten times more than what he had made previously in his MMA career.
March 24, 2015: Lesnar re-signs with WWE, closes door on MMA return
On March 24, 2015, Brock Lesnar revealed that he had re-signed with WWE and officially closed the door on a return to MMA, despite being offered a deal worth "ten times more" than his previous MMA earnings. He cited mental factors and a preference for part-time work with full-time pay as reasons for his decision.
2015: Hell in a Cell Victory
At Hell in a Cell on October 25, 2015, Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, ending their feud. The match was later voted "Match of the Year" during the 2015 Slammy Awards.
January 11, 2016: Raw Return and Attacks
On the January 11, 2016, episode of Raw, Brock Lesnar returned, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations, Kevin Owens, and Roman Reigns.
June 4, 2016: UFC announces Lesnar's return at UFC 200
On June 4, 2016, UFC announced that Brock Lesnar would return at UFC 200 on July 9.
2016: UFC 200 Return and Overturned Victory
In 2016, Brock Lesnar returned to MMA at UFC 200, initially defeating Mark Hunt. However, the victory was overturned to a no-contest after Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance, violating UFC's anti-doping policy.
2016: SummerSlam Match and UFC Fight
In 2016, Brock Lesnar was revealed as Randy Orton's opponent for SummerSlam and was allowed a one-off fight for UFC 200, where he failed two drug tests. Lesnar defeated Orton at SummerSlam by technical knockout and attacked Shane McMahon.
2016: Brock Lesnar: Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat. DVD released
In 2016, a new home video was released on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a collector's edition, called Brock Lesnar: Eat. Sleep. Conquer. Repeat. and includes accomplishments from his second run in WWE.
February 14, 2017: Lesnar notifies UFC of second retirement from MMA
On February 14, 2017, Brock Lesnar notified UFC that he was retiring from MMA for the second time.
July 2017: Lesnar eligible to return to competition
In July 2017, Brock Lesnar was eligible to return to competition after serving a one-year suspension by the NSAC.
2017: Second MMA Retirement
In 2017, Brock Lesnar retired from MMA for the second time.
2017: Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 33
In 2017, Brock Lesnar was quickly eliminated by Goldberg at the Royal Rumble. Subsequently, he challenged Goldberg to a match at WrestleMania 33, where he defeated Goldberg to win the Universal Championship on April 2, marking his fifth world title win in WWE.
January 28, 2018: Successful title defense at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, Brock Lesnar successfully defended his title in a triple threat match against Braun Strowman and Kane at the Royal Rumble.
July 7, 2018: Lesnar challenges Daniel Cormier at UFC 226
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: Universal Championship Reign Ends
In 2018, after being threatened to be stripped of his title, Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Roman Reigns capitalized on a distracted Lesnar and won the Universal Championship, ending Lesnar's title reign at 504 days.
January 27, 2019: Successful Title Defense at Royal Rumble 2019
On January 27, 2019, Brock Lesnar successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission at the Royal Rumble.
2019: WWE Championship Victory and Feud with Cain Velasquez
In 2019, Brock Lesnar returned to SmackDown and quickly defeated Kofi Kingston to win his fifth WWE Championship on October 4. He then feuded with Cain Velasquez, defeating him at Crown Jewel before quitting SmackDown to pursue Rey Mysterio on Raw.
January 6, 2020: Lesnar enters Royal Rumble
On January 6, 2020, Brock Lesnar returned to Raw to declare he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one.
September 2020: White considers Lesnar vs. Jones fight
In September 2020, UFC president Dana White said he could organize a fight between Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones if both men wanted it.
2021: Lesnar's hiatus from WWE
After losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36, Brock Lesnar was not under contract with WWE and did not appear until 2021.
March 2022: Lesnar confirms initial retirement
In March 2022, Brock Lesnar confirmed he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, until deciding to return in 2021.
October 2022: Feud with Bobby Lashley begins
In October 2022, Brock Lesnar returned and began feuding with Bobby Lashley, leading to a victory at Crown Jewel.
2022: Royal Rumble Win
In 2022, Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career.
2023: Lesnar's WWE Hiatus
As of 2023, Brock Lesnar is on hiatus from active competition in WWE.
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