Brock Lesnar’s Greatest SummerSlam Moments After Shocking MetLife Stadium Return – Brock Lesnar is no stranger to shocking the WWE Universe, but his return at SummerSlam might go down as one of his most dramatic moments yet. On August 3rd, inside a packed MetLife Stadium, fans were still reeling from Cody Rhodes defeating John Cena to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship in an all-time great main event. The newly minted champion would pay his respects to the greatest of all time before leaving the ring. Just as Cena was about to follow suit, Lesnar’s iconic music hit.
“The Beast Incarnate” duly made his way to the ring, and once he was there, he didn’t wait around to let fans know what – or who – was next. Within moments, Cena, who had already endured the beating of a lifetime in his gruelling loss to Rhodes, became the recipient of Lesnar’s trademark fury in an unforgiving post-match assault. The former NCAA Division I champion delivered an earth-shattering F5 before departing into the Big Apple evening, leaving fans the world over stunned at what they had just witnessed.
The 47-year-old is no stranger to disrupting the worlds of both sports and entertainment. The former UFC champion made a shock return to the Octagon in 2016 after five years away, and online betting sites weren’t sure what to expect. Heading into the clash, online sports betting odds providers priced Lesnar as a 2.25 underdog, with opponent Mark Hunt a 1.65 favorite. However, it was Brock who dominated en route to a wide unanimous decision victory, before the result was ultimately overturned to a no-contest.
This latest jaw-dropping return served as a reminder of how Beast’s sheer presence can change the mood in an entire stadium, especially on the SummerSlam stage. Over his illustrious career, he has made SummerSlam a personal playground for creating countless iconic moments. Here are the very best of them.
Lesnar Confronts Roman Reigns
Every return Brock Lesnar makes feels seismic, but his 2021 SummerSlam appearance elevated the concept of spectacle to another level. After more than a year away, the Minneapolis-native reemerged at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The timing was flawless—Roman Reigns had just subdued John Cena to retain his Universal Championship, and the WWE Universe was busy celebrating or lamenting Reigns’ rise when the unmistakable sound of Lesnar’s theme ignited the crowd.
The former UFC kingpin walked to the ring with an entirely new look—sporting a Viking-like ponytail, jeans, and cowboy boots. But the real intrigue wasn’t the look; it was the man standing opposite him. Roman Reigns had transformed into the Tribal Chief in Lesnar’s time away, aligning himself with Paul Heyman, the same Heyman who had previously been Lesnar’s advocate for the better part of two decades.
This confrontation wasn’t just the planting of seeds for an epic storyline—it was a declaration of war. Over the next year, Lesnar and Reigns embarked on one of the most brutal rivalries in history. The pair would clash numerous times, including main-eventing the following year’s WrestleMania in Dallas, a clash billed as the biggest main event of all time. Ultimately, it was Reigns who reigned supreme, unifying the WWE and Universal titles in the process, before going on to defeat Lesnar again at SummerSlam 2023 in a wild last-man-standing match.
“The Next Big Thing” Conquers The Rock
SummerSlam 2002 wasn’t just another event on WWE’s calendar—it was a passing of the torch. Brock Lesnar, at just 25 years old and only months removed from his WWE debut, entered Nassau Coliseum to face The Rock for the Undisputed Championship. Few believed that the young powerhouse could dethrone one of the Attitude Era’s most celebrated figures, especially as The Great One was at the peak of his wrestling stardom. But by the end of the night, the young stud had silenced all doubters.
Heading into the clash, The Rock was firmly a fan favorite, fresh off of just breaking into Hollywood with his starring role in The Scorpion King. Lesnar, meanwhile, as the nickname suggests, was WWE’s next big thing. With The Rock said to be back off to Tinseltown to film another movie, some fans were firmly in the corner of the upstart powerhouse, despite him heading into the clash as a monstrous villain. Ultimately, the fans would get exactly what they wanted.
After a back-and-forth affair, Lesnar would counter the Rock Bottom to deliver a vicious F5, much to the delight of everyone in attendance. That was enough to secure the pinfall victory, crowning the Next Big Thing as the youngest WWE Champion in history just three months after his main roster debut.
Suplex City is Born
No match better exemplifies Brock Lesnar’s dominance than his confrontation with John Cena at SummerSlam 2014. Fresh off his shocking victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30, where he ended the Deadman’s legendary undefeated streak, the Beast entered the Staples Center as a man possessed. His opponent, the indomitable John Cena, is known for overcoming countless odds—but that night, there was no escaping Lesnar’s wrath.
What unfolded was less a match and more an obliteration. Lesnar made Cena the first ever inhabitant of “Suplex City,” delivering an otherworldly 16 German suplexes that left even seasoned fans stunned. The crowd gasped with each thunderous maneuver as Cena, slumped and defenceless, became the unwitting victim of one of WWE’s most brutal beatdowns. After following up with two F-5s, Lesnar secured the most emphatic defeat of Cena in the GOAT’s legendary career, ripping away the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.
Brock Lesnar’s Greatest SummerSlam Moments After Shocking MetLife Stadium Return
