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Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly the most decorated combat athlete of all time. His stature, looks, and athleticism inside the ring are unlike any other, making him a huge draw everywhere he goes.
With a career spanning over two decades, The Beast Incarnate has achieved almost every accolade in the combat sports world, with his dominance in the squared circle and the Octagon.
While Lesnar has done things his way and the right way, there have been moments when he has made mistakes, sometimes big mistakes. After all, he is only human!
Today, we dive deep to learn about the 15 biggest mistakes Brock Lesnar has made over the years.
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#15 Giving too much respect to Stephen Neal
Brock Lesnar's first major mistake came during his first year at the University of Minnesota, competing in the 1999 NCAA Finals against the returning heavyweight wrestling champion, Stephen Neal.
Lesnar lost to Neal 3-2 and admitted a significant mistake that cost him the match. In his autobiography, Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, The Beast noted:
"Never give an opponent too much respect. I believe to this day that if I had just come at Neal full throttle, I would have won the 1999 NCAA finals. But I did learn from my mistake."
#14 Embarrassing in-ring sequence on his first day at Ohio Valley Wrestling
Brock Lesnar joined OVW to train for WWE in 2000, but getting ahead of himself seemingly taught him a lesson. Danny Davis asked Lesnar if he could hit the ropes. The young star obliged, but little did he know that ropes differ in pro wrestling.
Being used to WCW-style cable ropes, he ran hard but fell straight to the concrete floor. In his Death Clutch book, Lesnar described the incident:
"I went straight through the ropes and crash-landed on the concrete floor with everyone watching. I nearly broke my a** in the process."
#13 Putting his relationship with Sable in jeopardy
After leaving WWE in 2004, things were turning south in every aspect for Brock Lesnar, including his love life with Sable. Once things went too far, the former WWE Women's Champion allegedly packed her bags and headed home to Orlando.
He tried everything to bring back Sable but to no avail. Finally, Lesnar realized his mistake, flew down to Orlando, and made amends with his now-wife, following which he proposed to her by the waterfall at the Orlando Airport.
#12 Pro wrestling fans are not the same everywhere
During his brief run in NJPW, Brock Lesnar went toe-to-toe against Big Chad, with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line. Earlier, Lesnar forced the Inokis to accept his finish for the bout, which included him smacking Big Chad with the title to retain.
However, Lesnar realized he had made a rookie mistake of not knowing the crowd's psyche. He mentioned in Death Clutch:
"I covered him, and the entire arena went quiet. Dead silence. Not a single sound from the crowd."
The former champion added that the spectators did not buy the finish to his match with Chad:
"The audience wasn’t buying it. They didn’t pay to see a “f**k finish,” and they’re too intelligent to buy into a cheap horsesh*t heel victory like that. What a dumb-a*s mistake I had just made!"
#11 Dropping A-Train (aka Matt Bloom) on his head
The 'Next Big Thing' Brock Lesnar went one-on-one against A-Train on an episode of SmackDown in January 2003. Although Lesnar made quick work of his opponent, the visuals of the finish still haunt WWE fans even today.
Lesnar picked A-Train on his shoulder to hit the F5. However, he added a few spins before hitting the finisher. These additional spins put Lesnar out of composure, causing him to botch the move and his opponent to land head-first on the mat, raising concerns among fans and wrestling personalities.
#10 Lesnar's neck-breaking power bomb botch
Brock Lesnar has always been a force to reckon with inside the squared circle. However, his early days in WWE included a fair share of in-ring mistakes. One of his major errors came against Hardcore Holly during a match between the two on SmackDown.
During the bout, the 2002 King of the Winner attempted to hit a powerbomb on Hardcore Holly. Unfortunately, Lesnar was sick that day and could not amass enough strength to get Holly on his shoulders. This led to him dropping the veteran on his neck, and injuring him in the process.
#9 John Cena's bloody mouth, courtesy of Brock Lesnar
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion stunned the world as he showed up and hit John Cena with an F5 on the RAW after WrestleMania XXVIII. The following week, Cena and Lesnar confronted each other again, but this time, things got ugly.
A brawl between the two was planned, but not Lesnar legitimately punching John Cena. Just as Lesnar was throwing rights and lefts on the 16-time world champion, one of his punches struck The Champ, leading him to bleed profusely on TV.
#8 First massive mistake upon WWE return
WWE quickly capitalized on Brock Lesnar's return by putting him in a program against the company's top babyface at the time, John Cena. During their match at Extreme Rules 2012, Lesnar went for a unique move, but one mistake caused him to fail miserably.
As Cena teetered on the ring apron, Lesnar came in full force, leveraging the steel steps inside the ring to launch himself to deliver a flying knee on Cena. Unfortunately, The Beast came in with so much force that it carried him over the top rope, causing a scary landing on the head.
#7 Brock Lesnar's honest mistake on a live broadcast of WWE RAW
Brock Lesnar stunned the entire WWE Universe when he cost Bobby Lashley the United States Championship on WWE RAW's 30th Anniversary. After laying waste to Lashley, Lesnar made an honest mistake that was caught by fans worldwide.
After decimating Lashley inside the ring, Brock walked back from the ramp to the backstage area. While returning, he asked one of the production members whether the show went off the air. Unfortunately, it wasn't off-air, and fans witnessed his question all over.
#6 Botching his own finisher
Brock Lesnar doesn't make many mistakes, but when he does, it becomes a major talking point, and rightly so. Something similar happened in July last year, when he single-handedly took out the Alpha Academy on WWE RAW.
Lesnar destroyed Chad Gable and then set his sights on Otis. He picked up the 330-pounder and put him through the table. The mistake? He couldn't turn him for the F5 and instead ended up hitting his version of the Attitude Adjustment.
#5 Ruining the finish of a massive dream match
Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar squared off in a dream match for the ages at Crown Jewel 2022. Both men looked to get the better of each other. However, it was Lashley who got the upper hand as he locked The Beast in the Hurt Lock.
Lesnar smartly used the turnbuckle to get leverage and pin Lashley. The only mistake was that he was originally supposed to get over Lashley, but since he couldn't get over his opponent, the referee went ahead for the count. With Lashley's shoulders clearly up in the sequence, this turned into a controversial finish.
#4 Risking his life after allegedly listening to John Laurinaitis
Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle's clash at WrestleMania XIX is still fresh in the memory of WWE fans, including Lesnar's botched landing after a scary Shooting Star Press attempt.
John Laurinaitis allegedly suggested the Shooting Star Press finish and sold it religiously to Brock. He eventually obliged, and that became arguably his biggest mistake, as the outcome was terrifying, and it could've taken a turn for the worse.
#3 Ignoring signs of health issues
When Brock Lesnar trained to defend his title against Shane Carwin in 2010, he realized he wasn't healthy. Early diagnosis revealed mononucleosis, which he believed was due to his grueling training camps.
Lesnar planned a family trip to Canada to get healthy and rest, but things turned out worse as he was diagnosed with diverticulitis. While he eventually recovered, he admitted his mistake and said he should have listened to his body.
#2 Succumbing to Frank Mir at UFC 81
Brock got the entire world talking when he made his UFC debut against Frank Mir in 2008. While Lesnar looked strong in the early stages of the fight, one stupid mistake cost him a win on his first outing inside the Octagon.
The Beast Incarnate admitted he was in a hurry to conclude the fight. In an attempt to finish Mir off, Lesnar stepped between his legs to get a better position. Sadly, Mir turned it around into a knee bar and forced the former WWE Champion to submit.
"I had the fight won, but then I made a stupid rookie mistake,"
noted Lesnar in his autobiography, Death Clutch.
#1 Biggest mistake of Brock Lesnar's life
Lesnar has made his fair share of mistakes during his storied career. But none is bigger than the error he made in desperation to leave WWE in 2004. He signed a release that included a non-compete clause even before his lawyer could get back to him.
Lesnar noted in his autobiography:
"Just to avoid the hassles of lawyers negotiating and everything that happens when you’re leaving, I signed a release that stated I couldn’t appear for any wrestling, ultimate fighting, or “sports entertainment” companies anywhere in the world, until mid-2010."
While he eventually fought the non-compete and got out, it was a mistake that could've turned grave for his career in the long run.
