5 Things we learned about Brock Lesnar in 2020

While the majority of WWE Superstars post daily updates about their lives on social media, Brock Lesnar could not be any more different. The Beast does not post as himself on any social platforms and he regularly goes several months without appearing on WWE television.

As of the time of writing, it is not clear if Brock Lesnar is even a WWE Superstar. It was widely reported in September 2020 that his WWE contract expired, officially making him a free agent. WWE even removed every item of Brock Lesnar merchandise from the company’s online store.

When that has happened with Superstars in the past, it usually means their relationship with WWE has soured so much that they cannot possibly return. In Brock Lesnar’s case, however, nobody really knows whether or not he will show up on WWE television again.

The eight-time World Champion is one of the most mysterious Superstars in WWE history. If he returns, it would not be a total surprise. Similarly, if he stayed away for years and maintained a low profile, it would be typical of Brock Lesnar to keep everyone guessing.

Despite his limited media interviews and social presence, plenty of information has still been revealed about Brock Lesnar in 2020.

In this article, let’s take a look at five things that we have learned about the former UFC star throughout the year.

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#5 Brock Lesnar was not originally supposed to end ‘The Streak’

One of the biggest shocks in WWE history took place in 2014 when Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s 21-match winning streak at WrestleMania.

Prior to this year, WWE fans did not know much about the man behind The Undertaker character, Mark Calaway. Much like Brock Lesnar, Calaway did not give too much away and he hardly ever took part in WWE-related interviews.

That all changed in 2020 when a five-part docuseries, Undertaker: The Last Ride, aired on the WWE Network. Calaway opened up about his struggles with retirement, while he also told dozens of stories about his career in media interviews.

Arguably the most interesting revelation from Calaway’s interviews revolved around his WrestleMania 30 defeat to Brock Lesnar. Calaway has said in various interviews that he was originally supposed to pick up the victory in New Orleans, extending his winning run to 22-0.

However, on the day of the show, Vince McMahon approached Calaway and told him that Brock Lesnar was going to win the match instead.

#4 Brock Lesnar questioned Drew McIntyre’s booking several years ago

This has been an interesting 12 months for Brock Lesnar’s reputation. In recent years, stories have emerged about The Beast being difficult to work with. Jon Moxley, for example, said he was “met with laziness” when he tried to pitch ideas for their WrestleMania 32 match.

Earlier this year, various WWE Superstars spoke about their backstage interactions with Brock Lesnar, including Drew McIntyre and Paige.

One of the most fascinating stories involved McIntyre, the man who defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. The Scot worked with the then-WWE Champion for two months before WrestleMania, with their story beginning at the 2020 Royal Rumble.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, McIntyre revealed that Brock Lesnar spoke to him backstage during his days as a member of 3MB. The former UFC star questioned why McIntyre played a comedy character and felt that he should be booked differently.

“I remember it well. Brock was not long back at that point from UFC. He pulled me aside, and he straight-up asked me, ‘Why are you involved in this?’ He was so confused, but he saw something in me and believed in me. It’s pretty crazy, all these years later, I was the guy to take the title from him at WrestleMania.”

While Brock Lesnar cemented his status as WWE’s biggest attraction of the 2010s, Drew McIntyre’s career took a different path. He received his release in 2014 before returning to WWE in 2017. He has since become a two-time WWE Champion, as well as a Tag Team Champion and NXT Champion.

#3 Brock Lesnar wanted to work with R-Truth again

In January 2020, Brock Lesnar participated in arguably the best WWE comedy moment of the entire year. The Beast appeared in an in-ring segment on RAW alongside his advocate, Paul Heyman, and R-Truth.

Although WWE fans did not know it at the time, Brock Lesnar was unaware of what was going to happen in the segment. He had simply been told to go out there and react to R-Truth in any way he wanted.

R-Truth is known to be one of WWE’s funniest Superstars, while Brock Lesnar is among the most serious characters in WWE history. The segment involving the contrasting personalities made for compelling viewing, especially after Truth was able to make Brock Lesnar laugh.

Truth has since revealed to Uproxx that Brock Lesnar enjoyed the segment and he even pitched to work with the comedic Superstar again.

“Brock actually has been pitching ideas. He wants to work with me doing something because of that segment. He pitched a couple ideas. He and I talked afterwards. The sky’s the limit. This business is always changing, and I’m always changing with things.”

Brock Lesnar has not appeared on WWE television since losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36. That means the possibility of more segments with R-Truth have been put on hold, at least for now.

#2 Brock Lesnar told Riddle he did not want to face him

The most well-known Brock Lesnar story of 2020 emerged shortly after the Royal Rumble. The Beast produced one of the most impressive individual performances of the year in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. He threw out 13 Superstars before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Drew McIntyre.

Another Superstar who appeared in the match, Riddle, made headlines after the show. The former NXT Superstar has repeatedly said over the years that he wants to retire Brock Lesnar from WWE. Unlike his criticisms of Goldberg, Riddle has clarified that he likes Brock Lesnar and his desire to retire him comes out of respect.

Regardless of Riddle’s motive, it appears that Brock Lesnar is not keen on the idea of facing The Original Bro. As Riddle recalled to talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion gave him some bad news backstage at the Royal Rumble.

“And I’ll be honest, at first, I was just like awww [disappointed], I got this far and you’re literally holding me like this [tightly]. Like, he’s holding me like we’re friends but we’re not. And then he tells me, ‘It’s never going to happen.’”

Riddle has appeared on RAW and SmackDown since those comments were made, but he has not yet crossed paths with Brock Lesnar.

#1 Brock Lesnar has a new look since his last WWE appearance

Credit: Dirt Sheet Radio

Brock Lesnar is not the kind of WWE Superstar who changes his appearance very often. The eight-time World Champion has occasionally appeared on television with a short beard in recent years. Other than that, he usually has the same hairstyle and no facial hair.

As is often the case when Brock Lesnar is not involved in a storyline, he has kept a very low profile since WrestleMania 36. He never posts as himself on social media and he rarely poses for pictures in public.

In November 2020, a photo of Brock Lesnar’s appearance change emerged online. The Beast could be seen sporting a biker-style goatee – a look that he has never used as part of his on-screen WWE persona.

Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar’s long-time advocate, provided an update on his client to Ariel Helwani in October. He said the former UFC star is happy in his personal life right now but there is still a chance he could appear in WWE again.

“Right now, he's very happy being a farmer and a magnificent father to his children. However, if there's something that WWE can offer that intrigues, motivates, or inspires Lesnar, and if the money is right and the business is solid, I'm sure he would be willing to do it.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract reportedly expired after WrestleMania 36. With WrestleMania 37 four months away, it is worth remembering that Lesnar has not missed a WrestleMania since he returned to WWE in 2012.