4 WWE Superstars that Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle and 2 who refused to wrestle him

Brock Lesnar is the reigning WWE Champion and could be set to main event WrestleMania 38 alongside Roman Reigns.

Whilst it's clear that Lesnar has no issue with facing off against The Tribal Chief since the duo have done battle several times in recent years, there are a select few stars that Lesnar has preferred to avoid.

There are also a small number of WWE Superstars who don't want to face Brock Lesnar in one-on-one competition since they have openly admitted that they refused to wrestle The Beast.

The following list looks at just four WWE Superstars who Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle and two who refused to wrestle The Beast. You can also watch our video on the same topic.

---

#6. Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle Hardcore Holly

WWE toured South Africa back in 2004 off the back of Brock Lesnar's victory over Hardcore Holly at The Royal Rumble. Lesnar and Holly had already shared the ring in front of the WWE Universe and he wasn't impressed that he had to fly out to South Africa to wrestle the veteran once again.

Lesnar explained the situation in his book entitled Death Clutch, where he made it clear that he didn't believe anyone would pay to see the match.

"Now I have to travel all the way to South Africa to work with Bob Holly? Could anyone please tell me why? I knew no one would pay to see that match. Since I'm not really needed, give me some time off. I really needed the break by this time, but John Laurinaitis told me how much I'm needed on the card. AGAINST BOB HOLLY? Are you sh***ing me?"

---

#5. Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle Shane McMahon

Brock Lesnar and Shane McMahon have stood across the ring from one another several times but have never faced off one-on-one, which is odd since The Beast even delivered an F5 to The Boss's son following SummerSlam 2016.

This encounter didn't lead to a match between the two men, since Lesnar himself refused a match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33. According to a report by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Brock "certainly didn't want to do" the match and instead went on to face Goldberg.

The two men first clashed at Survivor Series in 2016 before their rematch at WrestleMania 33 saw Lesnar defeat Goldberg for the Universal Championship.

#4. Mark Henry refused to wrestle Brock Lesnar

Mark Henry is still considered to be the world's strongest man in WWE, but interestingly he has never had a decent feud with Brock Lesnar.

The Beast and the now WWE Hall of Famer have brawled several times, but it appears the company has never wanted the two men to really test their mettle against one another.

When asked about which WWE star he wouldn't want to face as part of an appearance at the ESPYs, Henry revealed that it was the man who was known as The Beast in WWE.

"One that I've actually fought, Brock Lesnar! He's big, he's strong, he's enduring and he's a little big deranged. You gotta be crazy to train like he trains and to accept getting hit in the face. He just embodies what a WWE Champion is."

Henry has since left WWE and made the move over to AEW, so it appears that the former WWE Champion will never have the chance to share a ring with Lesnar in the future.

#3. Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle Riddle

Riddle is currently one half of the RAW Tag Team Champions but is still living with the reality that he may never share a ring with Brock Lesnar.

The former NXT Superstar was seen as quite the vocal star on social media following his move from developmental and managed to rub a number of stars the wrong way.

The likes of Goldberg, Seth Rollins, and even Brock Lesnar have noted that they refused to wrestle the star in the past and it's something that Riddle has had to make peace with.

After making it clear that he would wish to retire Lesnar, The Beast was forced to confront Riddle and note that this was never going to happen.

"Let's just say he came up to me with a security guard, not that he needed the security guard. He came up to me, put his arm around me and told me we were never going to work. So, I shouldn't mention his name or talk about him or anything like that. And I should not call him out on social media. And I said, 'Whatever you want, Bro.'"

Riddle and Lesnar now appear on the same brand since Lesnar became WWE Champion but there still doesn't appear to be any hope of a showdown.

#2. Cesaro refused to wrestle Brock Lesnar

Cesaro and Brock Lesnar have never had a match in a WWE ring, which is surprising since it could be a fantastic showdown.

Cesaro is still considered to be one of WWE's most consistent performers, despite never being given the chance to be the face of the company.

The former Tag Team Champion is someone who can have a show-stealing match with anyone in WWE, but it appears that Brock Lesnar isn't someone on his list.

Whilst speaking to National back in 2016, The Swiss Superman made it clear that he didn't have the ambition to face Brock Lesnar because of his part-time WWE status.

“I have not done a singles with Brock. It is definitely not my [ambition to face him] as I’d rather stand in the ring against someone who is with WWE the whole time.”

Brock Lesnar and Cesaro have been part of the SmackDown brand together in recent months and still, the two men are yet to cross paths. Of course, there is always the chance that both men could be part of the upcoming Royal Rumble match if Lesnar loses his championship to Bobby Lashley ahead of the annual match.

#1. Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal was WWE Champion heading into Survivor Series in 2017, where he was originally scheduled to face Brock Lesnar.

Just days before the show, Mahal dropped the championship to AJ Styles, and instead, it was The Phenomenal One who went on to wrestle Lesnar at the event.

According to a recent report by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, this was because Brock Lesnar refused to wrestle Jinder Mahal as part of the show so the company was forced to make a late change.

"You know why they did that? Because Brock did not want to work with him [Jinder Mahal]."

Mahal was in the middle of a huge push in the company at the time, something that he hasn't been able to replicate in the five years since his defeat to Styles.

Brock Lesnar on the other hand, was able to defeat AJ Styles at Survivor Series and has since remained one of WWE's biggest stars, including being the reigning WWE Champion heading into this year's Royal Rumble.