Brock Lesnar is one of the most glorified superstars in WWE history, a future Hall of Fame without a doubt, but to get to this level he is currently viewed at has taken 12 years in the pros to establish this status. The question though is, is the Brock Lesnar from 2002 that was once beloved by the fans or the current Viking Lesnar the better version?
Brock Lesnar 2002:
Lesnar was clearly having the most fun of his career prior to his post WrestleMania hiatus we see yearly. The last time we got to see Brock, seem like he enjoyed the business to this capacity was back in 2002 to spring 2004, when he left the pro wrestling world to chase his NFL and UFC dreams. Lesnar was once the Next Big Thing when he arrived on WWE programming, following his call up from OVW. He had a dominant two year run, that is rarely seen in the sport. Booking went his way, he was a fan favorite, he was pushed and he defeated some of the biggest names in the history of the industry. Brock Lesnar during his first run won the WWE Undisputed Championship, got wins over the Undertaker, Big Show, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and Jeff Hardy. He was being pushed straight to the top and was clearly being positioned as the successor as the top guy following the losses of the Rock and Stone Cold in recent years.
Brock Lesnar Today:
Fast forward nineteen years later and Brock Lesnar after one of his longest hiatus’ since returning in 2012, came back at SummerSlam 2021 and little would we know this is was a version of Brock Lesnar we have rarely seen. Lesnar has shown himself having fun of television having fun at random points throughout his WWE career, the main example that comes to peoples minds is after winning the Money in the Bank and him dancing while holding it like a boom box. This was the version of Lesnar that returned in 2021, but he was full time having fun on our tv screens for us to see.
Brock returned in 2021, attacked John Cena after he lost to Roman Reigns and never stopped smiling. Week in and week out Brock was a weekly stable of WWE programming. Brought back for the sole purpose of a 7 month feud with Roman Reigns culminating at what was supposed to be the biggest match in WrestleMania history. Brock for the first time in his career, took the mic into his own hands. He showed the charisma that WWE saw nearly two decades earlier and never went back into his shell. Brock was talking his smack, laughing and all around having a good time week in and week out.
Brock showcased some of his best wrestling abilities that he has developed throughout his career. No he didn’t go back to the top rope and started doing shooting star presses again, but he showed off his in ring psychology, broke out new moves in the move-set, and gave us some of his bouts we have seen throughout his career. It was a joy and when Lesnar returns you have to assume this is the version that he will bringing back.
Conclusion:
Which version of Brock is the best is up for debate, every person will enjoy a different version, but overall it is a testament to the great career he has put together for himself. There is a reason he is a ten time world champion for WWE and there will be more down the line for him. His resume speaks for himself and Brock is one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time.
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