Brock Lesnar

Think all men are created equal? Then how do you explain Brock Lesnar?

Possessing the type of staggering strength and scary intensity usually only seen in Superman villains, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound freak of nature from Minneapolis, Minn., has forced his way to the top of every major combat sport. He won the NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling championship as a senior at the University of Minnesota, the WWE Championship within six months of his debut and the UFC Heavyweight Title in his fourth professional MMA fight. He’s also the 1 in 21-1. Plain and simple, the man was built to destroy.

First scouted by WWE officials while smashing his way through the college wrestling ranks, Brock Lesnar debuted on Raw on March 18, 2002, and singlehandedly destroyed a ring full of unfortunate Superstars. From that night on, the domination was unrepentant. With the sinister Paul Heyman guiding his career, “The Next Big Thing” won the King of the Ring tournament in June and beat The Rock to win the WWE Title at SummerSlam. On that night, the punishing big man became the youngest WWE Champion in history and the fastest rising star sports-entertainment had ever seen.

Like a runaway train, Lesnar was impossible to stop. He manhandled The Undertaker in a way no competitor had ever done before and made “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan appear disturbingly vulnerable in defeat. Some Superstars look like they were chiseled out of granite — Lesnar looked like he was blasted out of the side of a mountain with dynamite. How else could you explain the way he heaved Big Show through the air as if the giant was a cruiserweight? In an industry filled with seriously strong men, this type of power had never been seen.

It became clear that Brock Lesnar held skills that few men possess. He wasn’t just strong, he was built to survive. Drop this man in the middle of the frozen wilderness with nothing but a Swiss army knife and he’ll walk out of the woods a week later wearing a grizzly bear for a coat.

Betting men would have put their money on The Next Big Thing carrying WWE through the decade, but Lesnar shocked the sports-entertainment world when he announced he was leaving WWE in 2004. Following a controversial loss to Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, the dangerous athlete pursued mixed martial arts where he conquered the cage for more than three years.

It looked like Lesnar was headed for retirement from there, until the hulking competitor walked out on Raw on the day after WrestleMania XXVIII and obliterated John Cena with his F-5 finishing maneuver. Since that shocking night, The Beast Incarnate has reintroduced the eely Paul Heyman to WWE, beaten Triple H twice and — in what was his biggest victory to date — snapped The Undertaker’s iconic Streak at WrestleMania 30.

Next, The Beast absolutely decimated WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at SummerSlam 2014, reclaiming the title for the first time in nearly 11 years. He was rewarded for doing so by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon with a brand-new WWE World Heavyweight Champsionship the following night.

Cena enacted his rematch clause for Night of Champions 2014 and brought his game to another level against Lesnar, nearly defeating him. But thanks to the interference of Seth Rollins in a failed attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Lesnar won via disqualification. The Beast left Night of Champions still WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but for the first time in a long time, there is doubt as to whether he walked out ... or escaped.

At Royal Rumble on Jan. 25, 2015, Lesnar defied the odds, silenced the critics and stunned the WWE Universe by conquering both John Cena and Seth Rollins and solidifying his road to WrestleMania as the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After a bit of controversy following the Royal Rumble Match, Lesnar and the WWE Universe witnessed Roman Reigns earn the right at WWE Fastlane to challenge The Beast at The Show of Shows.

Lesnar was not impressed by his competition, however, and he showed it at WrestleMania by absolutely dominating Reigns for the majority of the main event. When Reigns turned things around and weakened Lesnar, Seth Rollins showed up to have one of the most shocking Money in the Bank cash-ins in history. Rollins made the contest a Triple Threat Match, pinned Reigns, and stole Lesnar's title away from The Beast.

The following night on Raw, a furious Lesnar demanded Rollins hand his WWE World Heavyweight Championship back via his rematch clause that night. When Rollins refused, Lesnar went berserk, destroying the Raw announce team and an innocent cameraman.

Stephanie McMahon was left with no choice but to indefinitely suspend Lesnar, who announced on ESPN's SportsCenter one week earlier that he had re-signed with WWE on a three-year deal. It's unsure when Lesnar's suspension will be lifted, but when it is, it will signal bad news for Rollins and anyone else who dares to get in the path of this now enraged Beast.