5 Times Brock Lesnar proved why he is 'Mr. SummerSlam'

WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar has become synonymous with SummerSlam ever since his first appearance at the event in 2002.

In his rookie year as a WWE Superstar, “The Beast” faced The Rock for the Undisputed Championship at the main event of the August PPV, while he was involved in another marquee title match at the show against Kurt Angle in 2003.

Since returning to WWE in 2012, Lesnar has appeared in six more matches at “The Biggest Party of the Summer”, facing Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, The Undertaker and Randy Orton in singles matches, as well as competing in a Fatal 4-Way match in 2017 against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe.

With another huge match-up on the way at the 2018 event against Reigns, let’s take a look at five moments that proved why Lesnar has earned the title of ‘Mr. SummerSlam’.

---

#5 The Next Big Thing arrives (2002)

Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock at SummerSlam 2002

In March 2002, Brock Lesnar burst onto the WWE scene by jumping over the barricade on an episode of Monday Night Raw before viciously attacking Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley during a Hardcore Championship match.

Within four months, “The Next Big Thing” had dismantled The Hardy Boyz, beaten four men to win King of the Ring, swapped brands from Raw to SmackDown, and defeated the iconic Hulk Hogan.

Lesnar’s incredible start to life on the main roster led to him challenging The Rock for the Undisputed Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 2002.

Aged just 25, Paul Heyman’s client defeated “The Great One” to become the youngest world champion in WWE history – a record that he held for two years before Randy Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004.

The statement victory was a passing of the torch between Rock and Brock, and it was clear from that moment on that WWE had created the next huge Superstar of his generation.

#4 The Best vs. The Beast (2013)

Brock Lesnar defeated CM Punk in 2013

The 2013 SummerSlam PPV is best remembered by fans for the main event, which saw Randy Orton cash in his Money In The Bank contract after Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena, but the much-hyped “Best vs. The Beast” encounter between CM Punk and Brock Lesnar was just as good.

It looked on several occasions as if Punk really would defeat the former UFC champion during the 25-minute no disqualification match. However, Paul Heyman proved a distraction throughout, especially in the closing stages, and Lesnar was able to pick up the win with an F5 onto a steel chair.

#3 The birth of Suplex City (2014)

Brock Lesnar hit John Cena with 16 suplexes

At WrestleMania 31, Brock Lesnar uttered the words “Suplex City b****” for the first time in front of a WWE camera, but the suplex phenomenon actually started eight months earlier when “The Beast” defeated John Cena in one of the most one-sided SummerSlam main events in history.

After almost getting a 3-count inside just 30 seconds following an F5, Lesnar connected with an incredible 16 suplexes on “Big Match John” before hitting another F5 to become the WWE World Heavyweight champion.

#2 Overcoming the odds (2017)

Brock Lesnar outlasted three of Raw's top heavyweights

Much of the build-up to SummerSlam 2018 has surrounded Brock Lesnar’s WWE future, with many people expecting him to leave the pro wrestling/sports entertainment business after the event to fully concentrate on UFC.

Well, rewind back to 2017 and Lesnar was in exactly the same situation, and WWE capitalised on the speculation by stipulating that he would have to leave the company if he failed to retain his Universal Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe.

In the end, “The Beast” withstood a huge amount of punishment in the match, especially from Strowman, before pinning Reigns to keep hold of his title.

#1 SummerSlam main-event run (2012-2018)

Brock Lesnar is expected to headline SummerSlam again in 2018

While Brock Lesnar has racked up plenty of individual SummerSlam triumphs, it’s even more impressive that he is currently on course to headline the August PPV for the sixth time in seven years.

From 2012 to 2016, he featured in the main event against Triple H, John Cena, The Undertaker and Randy Orton, while he also closed the show in 2017 against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe.

The only time he hasn’t been in the final match on the card in recent years came in 2013 when John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan went on last instead of Lesnar vs. CM Punk.

The recent WrestleMania main-event record of Reigns is often brought up by fans, but headlining SummerSlam six times in seven events (and a total of seven times including 2002) isn’t bad going!