In 2002, WWE’s ‘Ruthless Aggression’ era kicked off with multiple top stars joining the main roster of the company after graduating from the OVW developmental territory. These included John Cena, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar, three stars who have spent years at the pinnacle of WWE.
While Cena made a huge impression on his debut against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton eventually found his place as part of the Triple H-led Evolution faction, it was Brock Lesnar who was referred to as “The Next Big Thing”.
The star more than lived up to the moniker, blasting his way through the company in record time, first winning King of the Ring and then becoming the youngest WWE Champion by defeating The Rock at SummerSlam four months after making his debut.
Despite being pushed as one of the biggest stars in WWE, Lesnar chose to leave the company in 2004 and forged a career in MMA. By the time he finished with UFC, The Beast Incarnate had held the company’s top title and left with a 5-3 record.
He made his triumphant return to WWE in 2012, and in the last decade has dominated the company with multiple World Title reigns and holding the unique accolade of ending The Undertaker’s storied WrestleMania streak.
Matt Hardy believes Brock Lesnar’s career is greater than John Cena and Randy Orton’s
With the career Brock Lesnar has had, it is no surprise he’s seen as one of the most pivotal stars WWE has seen. According to Matt Hardy, The Conqueror’s accomplishments put him above even his highly-decorated OVW classmates.
On the latest edition of his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the current AEW star explained why he thinks Lesnar had the most pivotal career of him, Randy Orton, and John Cena in terms of overall stardom.
“The top three that stand out above everyone else, head and shoulders above everyone else, are John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton.
“As far as who was the most influential of all those maybe in terms of like being the person to build the brand around, it was John Cena, especially with his work ethic and everything else.
“In terms of maybe like overall stardom, it may be Brock Lesnar, just because he’s done such and had a crossover career during the UFC deal. He’s just such a freak of nature.
“But those three stand out above everyone else, head and shoulders above everyone else.”
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