5 best WWE Brock Lesnar matches

#1 Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Extreme Rules 2012)

Brock Lesnar competed in his first WWE match in eight years by facing John Cena in an Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules 2012

Brock Lesnar's WWE return came in 2012 during the post-WrestleMania 28 edition of Monday Night RAW.

The stunning return saw Lesnar attack former WWE Champion John Cena after an eight-year absence from WWE. During his time away from the promotion, Brock Lesnar had transformed himself into one of the biggest box-office attractions in combat sports by competing in the UFC and becoming UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Now in post-MMA retirement, Lesnar signed a new deal with WWE to compete inside a professional wrestling ring for the first time since his brief run in New Japan Pro Wrestling several years earlier.

Brock Lesnar's first WWE match in eight years came at the Extreme Rules 2012 pay-per-view event as he faced off against John Cena in an Extreme Rules match.

The match was certainly atypical for WWE programming at the time. Early into the match, Brock Lesnar took down John Cena and hit him with a series of legitimate elbow strikes, busting open Cena hard-way. This caused John Cena to bleed profusely during the match.

Ultimately, though, John Cena was able to come out victorious, hitting Brock Lesnar with the Attitude Adjustment onto the steel ring steps inside the ring for the victory. Despite fans' shock at seeing Brock Lesnar lose his WWE return match to Cena, it was without a doubt an absolute classic.