Brock Lesnar: The Beast’s Universal Championship Defenses Ranked

Photo Source: WWE.com

2. Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe (Great Balls of Fire)

The first time Lesnar defended the Universal Championship was the time he seemed the most in jeopardy of losing it. Yes, Strowman was a monster, a triple threat means he doesn’t have to lose to lose, and Reigns seemed more inevitable than dangerous.

But in the weeks leading to Great Balls of Fire, Samoa Joe made The Beast feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time: fear.

Paul Heyman demonstrated it better than Lesnar could, but you just knew that Brock was terrified of Samoa Joe. Lesnar tried to express how confident he was heading into the title defense, but Joe had all the power. Between applying the Coquina Clutch to both Heyman and Lesnar — nearly causing the champ to pass out — and showing no fear whatsoever, how could Lesnar expect to stand a chance?

The match was relatively short, even if you count the pre-match attack launched by Joe. Again, Joe showing no fear as he put Lesnar through a table before the opening bell threw Brock off his game. It took everything Lesnar had in him to escape the Coquina Clutch and finally hit the F-5 to retain the title.

Because it was the first defense for Brock Lesnar, there was a lot of uncertainty in plans for the title. Would Lesnar be a long term champion as a part timer? Or would he be transitioning the championship to someone relatively quickly? Joe seemed like a prime candidate to become a world champion, but — clearly — that wasn’t the case.