5 Survivor Series moments that changed the course of WWE

#4 Stopping the Unstoppable Beast

2002 was a breakout year for Brock Lesnar as he rode into prominence through matches with the company’s top superstars. After beating The Rock at Summerslam and crowned the youngest WWE Champion at that time, he defeated Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker to legitimately stake a claim as the ‘Next Big Thing’.

However, he then came face to face with the giant Big Show, who seemed to be more than a match for Lesnar in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series. Although Lesnar went into the match as the underdog, Paul Heyman helped Show win the Championship and hand Lesnar his first defeat in WWE.

The win did more damage to Show than to Lesnar. But it meant that The Beast was beatable. Show's title reign did not set the WWE Universe alight and he dropped the title to Angle next month. Angle was certainly seen as a more notable champion representing the Blue brand.

Lesnar turned face and went on a run that would result in him winning a star-studded Royal Rumble in 2003. The feud between Angle and Lesnar ran through to Summerslam with them trading wins.

After the draft in early 2002, Smackdown lacked storylines and high profile feuds (with The Rock increasing doing part-time) and they needed a Superstar to replace The People's Champ. 15 years on in 2017, Lesnar still continues to be a top draw.