Which Win Made Brock Lesnar Look Like THE MAN ?

[Mitch Henessey]

Brock Lesnar was a superstar during his time in WWE. He went over a lot of WWE's top names, and was made out to look like an unstoppable monster. Let's review his biggest wins:

Wrestlemania 19- In the main event at Wrestlemania 19, Lesnar defeated another former amateur wrestler in Kurt Angle. There was a scary moment in this match, when Brock botched a shotting star press, but he was able to continue the match. This was a big win because it was over Angle, and it was in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Summerslam 2002- Brock Lesnar defeated the Rock in awesome match to become the final WWE Undisputed champion. Brock went over yet another big name in WWE, and this win began to solidify his status as a main eventer.

No Mercy 2002- In a very brutal Hell In A Cell match, Brock defeated one of WWE's top veterans, The Undertaker. Anytime you go over the Deadman, it's a big deal.

My pick would have to be the Summerslam match he had with The Rock. Not only was it an awesome match, but this was Brock's first step to becoming a top guy in the company. Plus, this was right before he was feuding with Hogan. Feuding with two big names like that back to back when you're not even champion is a big deal. Also, the undisputed title was a championship which had tons of prestige back then.

Which win do you think made Brock look like THE MAN?

If you have another pick for Brock's biggest win then please list it and explain why you feel that way?

Thoughts?

 

[klunderbunker]

The Rock.

Rock put Lesnar over like few people have ever been put over. Rock got pinned clean when very few thought Lesnar had a damn chance. Just a sweet win for Lesnar as he picks apart one of the biggest names ever with the F5 after getting out of both of Rock's finishers. Just damn dominance that made you say whoa.

 

[johnbragg]

Two moments, two images.

One: Lesnar wiping Hogan's blood across his chest after destroying him on Smackdown.

Two: Lesnar posing with the belt atop the cage on all four sides after beating the Undertaker.

I'm giving the vote to Lesnar vs Hogan, partially because Hogan losses are even rarer than Undertaker losses, and partially because the Hogan loss was on free TV and retired Hogan (for a couple of years) while the Undertaker loss was the end of a 2 PPV program.

 

[AttitudeEra12]

I would have to agree with both of you and say the Rock. He was the person that put over Brock and really evolved him from "the next big thing" to "the big thing". Its a damn shame that so many people put him over at this time when two years later he spit in their face and left.

 

[quis82788]

I have to say other and choose: Hulk Hogan.

I say Hulk because of the way Brock beat him. I think it was more impressive than when he defeated The Rock as I feel The Rock puts people over really well and Hogan is not known to put people over unless they are clearly going to be the future. Just like when Hogan put over Goldberg it was awesome. And when Brock made Hogan pass out to that super bearhug that made me feel like Brock would be the future. Especially since it made hogan bleed from his mouth. Thats when I knew Brock would be the man

 

[Tougie]

As much as I want to pick his match vs. Rock or Angle I just cant. The Rock match to me was a bit lackluster cause I could tell Brock was going over, although he was on one hell of a streak destroying people like Hogan and The Hardy's. Which kinda made it more obvious.

The Angle match at Mania, completely overshadowed by the botched shooting star. Otherwise I would have to pick that match. But his match against Taker made him a true badass. Everyone I knew, including myself, were sure Brock was gonna win, but Taker made him look better than anyone else ever did until his fued with Angle. But thats still not my pick.

Angle vs. Lesnar...Iron Man Match. Easily on of WWE's best matches in the past 2 decades. The fact it was on Smackdown kinda took away from it but still this match was just awesome, and after Brock survived the ankle lock at the end everyone knew Brock was the man and was going to hold the belt for a long time. Brock "arrived" at Summerslam, became a badass at No Mercy, but became "The Badass" after that match.

 

[wushady]

Beating The Rock cleanly at SummerSlam was definitely what solidified him as a maineventer. The Rock was winding down his wrestling career at that point, but he was definitely still one of the top guys in the WWE. Beating The Rock was huge, and helped make him a star.

However beating the Undertaker in a hell in a cell match was a bigger deal imo. He was already the champion, and been in the main event for a few months. To me when he beat Undertaker in dominate fashion was what made him the man.

Like I said The Rock was about done wrestling full time at the time. So his losing to Lesnar wasn't a total surprise. It still served it's purpose in making him a star. Beating Undertaker was huge and surprising back then. When someone beat Undertaker like that you knew he was the new man so to speak.

 

[Miki]

I have to with The Rock too because that was the first time he won WWE Championship I remember watching it and i was sure that The Great One is going to retain his belt but after the match when Lesnar was posing with the belt i was like daaaamn this guy really is The Next Big Thing.

 

[Checkmate]

The Hogan moment made Lesnar big, but not THE MAN.

Of the three moments listed, it has to be his win over The Rock at Summerslam 02. This is for several reasons, but is mainly due to the facts that this was Lesnar's first big championship match, his first big championship win, and he went over one of the biggest names ever, clean. Add to this that he had a good reign as champion and this really made Lesnar THE guy on Smackdown in 02.

The Undertaker moment may have continued this solidification process, but Lesnar was already THE MAN. Beating Taker in Hell in a Cell actually showed Lesnar's weakness, rather than his strength. He could bleed, wasn't always in control, and Taker himself was injured. His win put him even further over, but he needed to be a main event force already. The Rock allowed that to happen.

The Kurt Angle match at Wrestlemania was Lesnar's first and best Wrestlemania match, but at this point Lesnar was already THE MAN. He had already gone over Taker and The Rock, two bigger guys than Angle, and won the Royal Rumble too. This win was just another piece to the Lesnar Legacy, but did not make Lesnar THE MAN.

 

[DL23]

The match he had with Hulk Hogan, simply because it was a Smackdown, and he brutally slaughtered Hulk to the point Hulk's body give up on him, that was the match that made you think damn, maybe Lesnar is the next big thing, winning KOTR, beating RVD, Flair, The Hardys etc etc was good, but NO ONE ever beat Hogan in such away, I actually respect Hulk for doing the job, the only problem I have is that a year and half later Brock had left WWE so it was kind of surplus and tarnished Hogans career a little in my eyes.

 

[Madico_Fs]

Hell In a Cell with Undertaker made me think WOW THIS GUY IS FUKING BRUTAL, the match was just a massive draw

 

[XgringolocoX]

Paul E. Fuckin Heyman. Before any match, before the Rock, before Hogan, before Angle there was Paul E Heyman telling everyone who the MAN IS. "THE NEXT BIG THING!! BRROCK LESSSSNER!!!" Over and Over. Heyamn is probably the best at singling out one wrestler and hyping the shit outta the guy. He does to this day.
Yeah, it aint an opponent but it is what it is.

Oh, just so I don't get a spam whatever I'd go with the Rock. He's the guy that dropped the title to Brock. Main event PPV going over the Rock....who da man now bitches?!! I miss brock in WWE, but man do I love watchin him kick ass in the UFC.

 

[NaturallyPricele$$]

I'm gonna go with the match vs Hogan on Smackdown.

Yes, Hogan was nearing the end of his run with the company but it's not like he was jobbing to everyone. Several months before this match he had an Undisputed title run as well as a tag team title run with Edge. I remember Brock totally destroying Hogan then making him pass out to that intense bearhug. That says alot there, Brock beat Hogan and didnt even have to use his F5 finisher. At the end when Brock took Hogan's blood and wiped it across his chest was the icing on the cake. He was saying, "Look at what I just did to your hero, your legend." Hogan was a man who dominated wrestling for over 20 years yet here he lies.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

WM19 vs Angle.... that botched moonsault was crazy and I will always consider that as one of my fave mania moments...the guy is pretty much crap and that is the only thing that I will respect him for

 

[The King]

This is an easy question. Definitely him pinning The Rock at Summerslam. The Rock did what he does best, puts over younger talent..this was no exception. I think Rock was champ for like a month before Brock took the strap from him. Cementing himself as the future of the WWE.

 

[Brahma Bull]

Definately his win over the rock. The Rock was arguably the biggest name in wrestling at this time, or at least one of the biggest. Angle and undertaker were not at rock's level, and hogan was too old at the time to be considered the original hulkster. Not to mention the fact that hogan had passed the torch to the rock, the rock was THE guy of the company. And then a rookie goes over him clean at a ppv.

The rock did what he always did, he put talent over. he had always done that, and he did it for brock like no other.

 

[Greenlight13]

I am also going to go Hulk Hogan.

Since Hogan returned to WWE how many people got to beat him? Undertaker, The Rock, Kurt Angle... that's everybody I personally remember, besides Brock of course. Only Angle beat him clean, the other two used a distracted or outright crooked referee.

Think about how many fell to the broken down old Hogan. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Randy Orton and The Rock in his first try. Despite his age he was booked like he was the same man he was decades ago. He not only won, he dominated.

But here was Brock Lesnar in his first year as a pro wrestler taking on the most famous wrestler of all time. Surely a rook doesn't get to go over Hogan? Yes he does. And did he ever. Brock absolutely murdered Hogan in that match. He squashed him. He rubbed his blood over his chest.

I can't think of a better way to smash a guy over than that. The second that happened everybody knew he would beat The Rock. Months earlier and they were teasing him not being able to overcome the likes of Test and Rob Van Dam. He dominated the Hardyz but he was by no means a sure thing until he slaughtered Hulkamania and then took the title from The Rock, getting FACE HEAT against the People's Champion.

Winning the title took him to The Undertaker who gave the final stamp of approval on his career, and leaving the Deadman in a pool of his own blood, throwing him into the air and F-5ing him and then standing atop the Hell holding the belt was the official image that defined Brock's short era. By the time he got to face Kurt Angle he had already been made, regardless of how impressive it was that he defeated him.

To me you have to trace it back. The Hogan win fueled the Rock win, which led to the Undertaker win. There was no need to let him go over Hogan, he could have just beaten The Rock and still been over huge, but the fact they let him go out there with their precious Hulkster and commit the wrestling equivalent of rape spoke volumes of the regard they held him in. This wasn't just a rookie monster who would get a hotshot title reign and then mellow out, this was a man they wanted to push forever and put in the league of the absolute best. It's unfortunate he chose to kill his wrestling career, but hey it's worked out in the end.

My buddy put it nicely earlier today; Brock: "Is that the torch? I'll take that."

 

[bighomie]

I also will go with his match against the Rock where he was put over VERY STRONG. You guys gotta remember that match was booked as the MAIN EVENT on card that included the in ring return of HBK ...the promo leading up to the match gave it a huge main-event feel not to mention it was summerslam and you guys know Summerslam was the Rocks signature ppv the past few years b4 that 1..furthermore that was the most promoted summerslam main-event since "the highway to hell" match in '98...if you u need anymore proof of that check out the cover of the summerslam '02 dvd...Lesnar became THE MAN after that show...ppl took him seriously as a champ right away even tho he was a rookie....I'd also like to say Lesnars loss @ the survivor series in the garden also solidified his position because that f5 on the Big Show, followed by Heyman turning on him, and a face turn was a very memorable moment in his career.

Hey uhhh greenlight13.....the Rock has never lost to Hogan...he won clean the first time...n a crooked ref the 2nd time....just wanna point that out

 

[avi01]

The Rock. He really really put him over to a point that Brock really looked like the better guy, the man the Rock couldn`t beat. Rock did really look weak in comparison and add to that the fans were turning on him. And remember, it was vs. The Rock! Brock won the WWE title against one of the biggest star ever in the company and also became the youngest WWE champion in history, that made him a main eventer for a long time. Undertaker really solidify the status and by the hell in a cell win, it was clear Lesnar would a WWE legend...oh wait. But that was his choice.

 

[Ghost of Benoit]

I would have to agree with both of you and say the Rock. He was the person that put over Brock and really evolved him from "the next big thing" to "the big thing". Its a damn shame that so many people put him over at this time when two years later he spit in their face and left.

Just because a man decides to change careers a few years into his job doesnt make him a sellout or is it him "spitting in the face" of his co-workers. Whether someone makes $40,000 a year or $4 million a year, if someone isnt happy with their job, they have every God-given right to leave and pursue happiness wherever they see fit.

To answer the thread, when he beat Hogan clean and wiped the blood of Hulkamania on his chest, thats when alot of people took him more than seriously. Not too many have ever jobbed clean to Hogan.

 

[dionlyone18]

alot of people picked hogan or rock match..but as soon as i saw this thread..one match came to my mind....lesnar angle mania 19.easily in my mind made him the top player..besides the botch..he beat angle clean..like with rock at summerslam but at mania the crowd was into it...the commentary was there.angle was hitting at all cylinders and lesnar was at his best.people sometimes overlook this match because of the botch..i can watch that match all day and still be lik "oh crap..oh my god" angle was wrestling like it was his last match and even with injuries they wrestled like warriors.the arena was shaking i mean the finish was perfect..all those f-5s and angle slams made it memorable.i cant explain how intense this match is and how awsome it is.while the other ones were good i just think everyone knew he was going to beat rock hogan and taker..but mania alot of people bet on angle...if there was a hall of fame ofor matches i think this is first ballot no doubt.

 

[ImpactPlayer27]

Easily for me it was No Mercy vs Taker. That Hell in a Cell match was nuts. Taker chokeslammed him, hit him the Last Ride, and Lesnar reverses the Tombstone into the F-5. The Rock, not so much cause we knew he was leaving. But this was the Phenom we're talking about and Lesnar took everything Taker threw at him and still came out on top. In a close second was the Angle/Lesnar match because it lived up to the hype and was nothing short of an epic match

 

[mister_b1LL]

His win against the Rock for the title made him look like the man. Brock beat Rock cleanly and won his first WWE Championship. When I saw that, coupled with witnessing how the audience went from cheering for the Rock to cheering for Lesnar, the audience knew and I knew that big things were gonna happen for Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, we did not get to see all of those big things come to fruition in his WWE career.

 

[luis_is_king]

I would have to say No Mercy against the Undertaker because we are talking about the deadman here! when a wrestler gets to share the ring w/ the undertaker, specially for newcomers to the wwe, is a great opportunity for them and add to the fact that the Undertaker put him over makes it even more special is because the Undertaker is not used to put over wrestlers that are not in the long term plans of the wwe and obviously brock was and he beat the undertaker at his own playground. Not even randy orton was given that recognition. Also to the fans when we see someone get the best of the undertaker even in just one match we immediately think "WOAH! the phenom got his ass beat! this guy is for real!".