Leaving WWE following a divisive contest vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, Brock Lesnar instead embarked on a career in American football and, later, mixed martial arts. It was in the latter that ‘The Beast Incarnate’ rose to prominence, holding the UFC Heavyweight Championship once, and being voted the Best Box Office Draw and Most Valuable MMA Fighter by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter between 2008 and 2010.
Lesnar ultimately retired from mixed martial arts following a December 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. He’s returned for only one fight since, going to a no contest vs. Mark Hunt at July 2016’s UFC 200. Brock Lesnar had actually won the contest before it was overturned, owing to a positive clomiphene test.
Brock Lesnar Confronted John Cena In His WWE Return
With UFC behind him, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE on the April 2, 2012 broadcast of Monday Night Raw. Taking place the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, Lesnar confronted John Cena after the multi-time World Champion had called out Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, laying Cena out with his first F5 in several years.
A few weeks of back-and-forth between the pair resulted in Brock Lesnar’s first WWE match in almost a decade, losing to Cena in an Extreme Rules match at the namesake pay-per-view. The bout saw Lesnar cut open before taking an Attitude Adjustment atop the ring steps for the finishing spot.
Brock Lesnar has remained a part-time WWE Superstar for the past decade, amassing four reigns with the WWE Championship and three with the Universal Championship during this time, alongside victories in both the Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble matches.
At the time of writing, he most recently competed at the 2022 Crown Jewel premium live event, pinning Bobby Lashley. This put ‘The Beast’ and ‘The All Mighty’ at 1-1 in singles action, with Lashley having dethroned Brock of the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble the previous January.