To win a WWE Championship once is an achievement worth praising, but to do so multiple times has made legends out of Superstars. In a sport with pre-determined finishes, a wrestler being anointed with the WWE Championship is an indicator of their popularity, but also their skill level. They've managed to connect with audiences better than anyone else on the roster through in-ring ability and their promo work.
Such WWE Superstars have connected with audiences in ways to make them believe in them as characters. Few wrestlers have had such a believable presentation quite like Brock Lesnar, largely because The Beast Incarnate is a legitimate competitor in combat sports. As such, he's been the perfect candidate to be WWE's ultimate final boss, before The Rock coined it into a phrase. His popularity and in-ring presence have warranted 10 WWE World Championship reigns. Each of those reigns has its own significance, not only because of how he won each time, but how he lost each title.
10 Defeating The Rock for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2002
Lost to Big Show at Survivor Series 2002 after 84 Days
At WrestleMania X8, The Rock stole the show in his match with Hollywood Hulk Hogan, one of his best, but the very next night on March 18, 2002, all attention would turn to a debuting Brock Lesnar. It wouldn't take long before the rookie would meet the most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, and even sooner before Brock solidified a stake in the main event picture. By June, after winning King of the Ring, he'd become the number one contender to the WWE Championship, held by The Rock at that time, who he'd beat in the main event of SummerSlam.
Bringing his title to SmackDown, he'd become the leading face of the blue brand thanks to a feud with The Undertaker. He'd go into Madison Square Garden as the champ. However, the manager he debuted next to, Paul Heyman, found his challenger to be a wiser investment for the future. He'd betray Brock to join Big Show's side, opening the door for the giant's win at Survivor Series.
9 Defeating Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIX
Lost to Kurt Angle at Vengeance 2003 after 119 Days
Just over a year after his first onscreen appearance, Brock Lesnar had gone from The Next Big Thing in WWE to the big thing. To reflect that, he'd walk into WrestleMania XIX's main event as the number one contender to Kurt Angle's WWE Championship, an opportunity he'd win after winning his first Royal Rumble. Despite nearly breaking his neck in the process in a famous spot gone wrong, he'd make the most of the opportunity by winning his second title on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
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While this was only the beginning of Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle's feud, his prior rivalry with Big Show still had unfinished business. This would prompt a Triple Threat among the three for Vengeance. By pinning the man who beat him for the title, Angle would regain the championship.
8 Defeating Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship on SmackDown, September 18, 2003
Lost to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004 after 152 Days
The feud between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar would escalate, this time with both men switching roles. By the summer, Angle was a babyface, and an alliance with the controversial former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon would establish Brock Lesnar as a heel. The heated intensity of their feud would culminate in a 60-minute Iron Man match. After a 5-4 score, Brock Lesnar was able to walk away with the WWE Championship.
Of his first three reigns, this would mark the longest yet before losing the title in February to Latino Heat Eddie Guerrero, thanks largely to an assist from Goldberg and a little bit of lying and cheating before stealing a victory. After a much-maligned match with Goldberg at the following month's WrestleMania XX, Lesnar left the company and did not return for eight years.
7 Defeating John Cena at SummerSlam 2014
Losing to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 after 224 Days
In his time away from WWE, Brock Lesnar continued to win gold worldwide, most notably by winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title in NJPW and then the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He'd make a comeback to WWE in 2012, and within two years, he'd be the first to beat the Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak. He'd carry that momentum into SummerSlam, defeating John Cena in perhaps the most shocking one-sided "squash" match of all time.
Although his appearances were sparse, his moments remained memorable whenever he appeared onscreen, particularly in two of the best matches of Seth Rollins' career. First with John Cena in the mix for Royal Rumble 2015, where he pinned Rollins. Then, after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, Seth turned Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns into a Triple Threat. The Architect pinned Reigns for the Heist of the Century.
6 Defeating Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 33
Losing to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2018 after 504 Days
In 2016, following WWE's reintroduction of the brand split, each show received its own World Championship. Friday Night SmackDown kept the WWE Championship, while Monday Night Raw introduced the Universal Championship. After defeating Goldberg in a Mania rematch, Brock Lesnar became the first man to hold both titles, and in due time, until the record was broken by Reigns' 1,000+ day reign, he was the longest reigning champion.
Speaking of Reigns, The Big Dog spent the majority of 2018 chasing Brock Lesnar for the gold. Although he would lose their WrestleMania 34 main event clean in the middle of the ring, then a subsequent Steel Cage match, Reigns finally vanquished The Beast at SummerSlam, thanks partially to a distraction from Braun Strowman's Money in the Bank cash-in attempt.
5 Defeating Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel 2018
Lost to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 35 after 156 Days
Sadly, Reigns' crowning moment would not last long, as mere months later, he would have to vacate the Universal Championship, as Leati "Joe" Anoa'i would be diagnosed with a bout of leukemia that he had been privately dealing with since 2007. When the cancer returned, he took a hiatus from the ring until the first quarter of 2019. As for onscreen storylines, Brock Lesnar would win the vacant title at Crown Jewel after defeating Braun Strowman.
After winning the title in November, Lesnar would be absent for much of the rest of the year and a portion of early 2019. Despite a 156-day reign, he'd only successfully defend and retain the title once. He defeated Finn Balor at Royal Rumble before The Beastslayer Seth Rollins re-entered The Beast's life to vanquish him in the opening match of WrestleMania 35. This kickstarted the time Seth Rollins was closest to being The Man for WWE.
4 Defeating Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship at Extreme Rules 2019
Lost to Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2019 after 28 Days
One month after Mania, Brock Lesnar shocked the WWE Universe when he was revealed as a surprise entrant in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, replacing Sami Zayn who had been mysteriously attacked backstage before the show. Lesnar pulled down the briefcase to become Mr. Money in the Bank, guaranteeing him a title shot any place at any time. The place would be Extreme Rules and the time would be moments after Rollins already retained his title in the main event.
Rollins wouldn't wait long before receiving his rematch after losing the title in July. On August 11th, it was make or break for Rollins. In the ultimate underdog performance, Rollins bounced back from a brutal assault from Lesnar to regain his championship to a thunderous audience at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
3 Defeating Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship on SmackDown, October 4, 2019
Lost to Drew McIntyre after 173 Days
After losing the Universal Championship in August, Brock Lesnar wasn't done with the title picture just yet. He'd resurface mere months later with a move to SmackDown, challenging that brand's World Champion, Kofi Kingston, for a title match on the premiere episode on FOX. In what currently stands as the shortest World Title match in WWE history, Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston in seven seconds. This would mark Brock's first time holding the WWE Championship in 15 years.
In the coming months, Brock would retain the title in defenses against Cain Velasquez, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet before he'd meet Royal Rumble winner, Drew McIntyre. The Scotsman met Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 and defeated Lesnar for his first WWE Championship. Lesnar would then go on a hiatus until the summer of 2021.
2 Defeating Big E for the WWE Championship at Day 1
Lost to Bobby Lashley at Royal Rumble after 28 Days
Upon his return, Brock Lesnar would rekindle his longstanding rivalry with Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship on SmackDown, regaining Paul Heyman as a manager. The two were set to wrestle one-on-one at WWE's January 1st, 2022 premium live event, but those plans were disrupted and postponed by the champion's COVID-19 diagnosis. To compensate, the Raw brand's Fatal Four Way match between defending champion Big E and challengers Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley would turn into a Fatal Five Way.
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Brock Lesnar won after pinning the reigning champion, but he'd soon put his sights on one of the other challengers, Bobby Lashley. The dream match was set for Royal Rumble. After a series of suplexes, Roman Reigns would march to the ring. Another betrayal from the Wiseman allowed Reigns to clobber Lesnar with the title belt, giving Lashley the chance to pin.
1 Defeating Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber 2022
Lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38 after 43 Days
Immediately after losing the title, Brock Lesnar focused on Roman Reigns. Later in the night, he'd win the Royal Rumble match, already guaranteeing him a shot against Reigns. However, as teased the month prior, Lesnar wanted to up the ante a bit with a Title vs. Title challenge. He'd thus enter the Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship. Lashley would suffer a kayfabe injury in the match, pulling him out of the match without being pinned or submitted. Lesnar, meanwhile, would pin every other participant.
The match was officially on for a Championship Unification match at WrestleMania. Lesnar and Reigns closed out their trilogy of Mania matches with Reigns becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. After a handful of subsequent matches, Brock Lesnar has been on a hiatus that he may or may not come back from, meaning this could be his final WWE Championship run.
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