5 rumored Brock Lesnar WWE matches that didn't happen

Brock Lesnar and Keith Lee had a momentary face-off in the 2020 Royal Rumble
Brock Lesnar and Keith Lee had a momentary face-off in the 2020 Royal Rumble

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar was WWE's center of attention from 2012 to 2020. Known for his brute force, Lesnar showed no mercy to his opponents and had a dominating run.

During his second tenure with WWE, Brock Lesnar was part of some compelling storylines. From ending The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak to becoming the first wrestler to beat Goldberg clean, Lesnar did it all.

Apart from that, Brock Lesnar also had some classic one-off matches against the likes of CM Punk and AJ Styles.

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While these storylines came to fruition, many plans surrounding the eight-time WWE World Champion remained on the drawing board. WWE's creative team never approved of them, leaving countless WWE fans dismayed.

On that note, here are five rumored Brock Lesnar WWE matches that did not happen.

#5 Brock Lesnar vs. Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre - WrestleMania 37

The ever-reliable WrestleVotes reported in early December that WWE was planning for three blockbuster encounters at WrestleMania 37. One of those three much-awaited fixtures involved Brock Lesnar taking on Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee in a triple threat match.

Many WWE fans clamored for a contest between Lesnar and Lee. While both have a similar size, Lee brings a good mix of agility to his arsenal of moves. A confrontation at the 2020 Royal Rumble led to many fans believing that they would witness the match in the future.

Drew McIntyre's inclusion would have added a whole new dimension to the match. The Scottish Warrior eliminated Lesnar from last year's Royal Rumble and beat him at the corresponding WrestleMania to win his first-ever WWE Championship.

McIntyre also beat Keith Lee in a later episode of RAW to retain his title. However, the plans backfired when Lesnar showed no intentions of signing a contract with WWE. Keith Lee suffered an injury just before the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and also missed WrestleMania 37.

Drew McIntyre was subsequently left to fend for himself and unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship.

#4 Brock Lesnar vs. Aleister Black - WrestleMania 36

Aleister Black was in contention to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 before being replaced by Drew McIntyre
Aleister Black was in contention to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 before being replaced by Drew McIntyre

Brock Lesnar's last WWE appearance came in a loss against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36. McIntyre's win propelled him to new heights as he became the leading babyface of the RAW brand.

Needless to say, a victory over Lesnar at the Grandest Stage of Them All does wonders to one's career. McIntyre benefitted immensely from it but wasn't the sole name in consideration.

As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Aleister Black's name also did the rounds. However, WWE's creative team shunned him.

"In fact, in early 2020, he (Aleister Black) was one of the two people considered to beat Lesnar and win the WWE title at WrestleMania. Black and McIntyre were both being groomed but the decision was made by McMahon that McIntyre was the most over of the two and he got the title. Black’s fortunes changed when Heyman was removed from power shortly after WrestleMania," Meltzer wrote in his column.

Aleister Black's mystique makes him a unique WWE wrestler and fans would have loved to see him face Brock Lesnar. But, with Lesnar no longer contracted with the company, the likelihood of the two wrestlers facing each other is highly improbable in the near future.

#3 Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan - SummerSlam 2014

Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan were supposed to face off against each other in 2014 Summerslam
Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan were supposed to face off against each other in 2014 Summerslam

After a long wait, WWE finally quenched fans' thirst in 2018 when Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan squared off against each other at the Survivor Series pay-per-view.

Lesnar came out on top after battling a resurgence from Bryan in a contest that lasted a little over 18 minutes. However, the dream match was originally supposed to take place at 2014 SummerSlam.

Bryan had beaten Randy Orton and Batista in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 30 to win the WWE Championship and was set to embark on a lengthy title run.

One of the reported plans for his championship reign was a match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. However, Bryan's deteriorating health forced him to retreat and drop the title before the storyline progressed.

At the Biggest Party of the Summer, Brock Lesnar beat John Cena to win his fourth WWE World Heavyweight Championship after delivering 16 suplexes and two F-5s.

#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Tyson Fury - Crown Jewel 2019

Boxing legend Tyson Fury was the original opponent for Brock Lesnar in the 2019 Crown Jewel pay-per-view
Boxing legend Tyson Fury was the original opponent for Brock Lesnar in the 2019 Crown Jewel pay-per-view

Tyson Fury signed a short WWE contract in 2019 that surprised the sporting world, and his original opponent at the Crown Jewel event was Brock Lesnar. Instead, Cain Velasquez faced Lesnar.

The Furious One subsequently feuded with Braun Strowman and beat him at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia via a count-out.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter explained:

"(Tyson) Fury said that the original idea talked with him about was a Crown Jewel match with Lesnar, but the idea changed when they were able to sign Velasquez," Meltzer said. "According to those internally, (Brock) Lesnar vs. Fury was discussed but never got past early discussions, likely due to (Cain) Velasquez having the storyline from the past and being the bigger star in the U.S. market, which is WWE’s primary market. And for Saudi Arabia, it wasn’t the matchups that were important as much as delivering matches with Fury and Velasquez."

Fury has iterated in the past that he would love to face Brock Lesnar in WWE. But with him and Lesnar no longer under contract with the company, it remains to be seen whether his wish can be fulfilled.

#1 Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 30

Brock Lesnar and the Rock are good friends in real life
Brock Lesnar and the Rock are good friends in real life

Brock Lesnar and The Rock engaged themselves for the first time in a televised match at 2002 Summerslam. After multiple interferences from his advocate Paul Heyman, Lesnar emerged at the top and became the youngest ever WWE Champion at the age of 25.

Both The Rock and Brock Lesnar left the company two years later to tread on separate career paths before returning in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Despite making sporadic appearances in WWE until 2020, Lesnar and The Rock never squared off in a competitive match.

The Rock confirmed on Twitter that a match against Brock Lesnar was scheduled to take place at WrestleMania 30. However, he had torn his pelvis' abdominal and adductor tendon muscles in WrestleMania 29 and was yet to recover.

In early 2010s, Rock and Lesnar were two of the biggest names in sports entertainment. Despite having both of them under contract, WWE failed to book them in a one-on-one contest.

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Edited by Alex Turk
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