Ranking Brock Lesnar’s Top 10 WrestleMania Matches

It’s WrestleMania season, a time when WWE fans of all shapes and sizes rejoice for the upcoming yearly extravaganza. There are few WWE Superstars who embody a big fight feel like Brock Lesnar, and from his first WrestleMania match in 2003, the former UFC Champion has always brought intensity to every bout he’s had at the Showcase of the Immortals.

While not every match the Beast has had Mania is a 5-Star classic, the eyes of the WWE Universe are always locked onto Lesnar’s matches from bell to bell.

Today, we’re going to look at Lesnar’s Top 10 WrestleMania matches. The Former NCAA Champion has only had 11 matches at the biggest event in WWE’s calendar year, with this year’s bout against Omos being his 12th. For the purposes of this piece, we’re leaving out his WrestleMania 20 match for the following reasons: 1) It’s already universally agreed that it’s his worst performance at Mania, and would simply take a spot away from another match, and 2) Because “10” sounds better than “11”.

With all that said, let’s dive right into Brock Lesnar’s Top 10 Matches at WrestleMania!

10) Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose [No Holds Barred Street Fight] – WrestleMania 32

Dean Ambrose, aka Jon Moxley to AEW fans, was set on a collision course with The Beast in early 2016, following the two being involved in a triple-threat match at Fastlane.

At the time Ambrose was white-hot, and the WWE Universe was demanding the wild thing have a big role at WrestleMania. Unfortunately for Ambrose, the world title scene was just out of reach, as his old friend Roman Reigns was getting one of his signature baby-face-to-the-moon pushes. To appease the audience, WWE booked Ambrose and Lesnar to square off at Mania, and not just in any match – a No Holds Barred Street Fight.

The build-up to the match was quite good. The no-disqualification stipulation convinced fans that Ambrose would actually have a shot against  Brock Lesnar; despite him being the unbreakable juggernaut. Ambrose would meet up with hardcore legends for weeks leading up to WrestleMania, with the Lunatic Fringe accumulating an entire wagon full of weapons he planned to use on The Beast.

However despite a solid build, and it seeming like Ambrose going over Lesnar would be the obvious choice, (especially considering the match type) the match would end up being a fairly standard Heel Brock Lesnar vs Baby Face match. Ambrose had some good moments of offense, but Lesnar’s brute strength was simply too much for the future AEW Champion.

Overall, a great build led to a  predictable match. However, it’s lightyears better than Brock vs Goldberg I, which is why it earns the 10 spot on this list.

9) Brock Lesnar vs Triple H [No Holds Barred Match] – WrestleMania 29

Two “No Holds Barred” matches in a row and they’re both at the bottom of the list. Is that saying something?

Lesnar and Triple H’s feud began nearly a year prior to their encounter in MetLife Stadium at WrestleMania 29. Lesnar had attacked the future COO shortly after the previous year’s WrestleMania, which lead to a match at SummerSlam. Lesnar soundly beat Triple H, F5ing him right off of WWE TV for months. In February, Triple H would return and formally challenge Lesnar to a match on the Grandest Stage of them All.

Lesnar would accept the challenge, however only on the condition that he could choose the stipulation. The Beast, more so his advocate Paul Heyman, made the stipulation No Holds Barred. In addition, he added an extra caveat that if Triple H lost he would be forced to retire from WWE.

The stipulation of a possible retirement somewhat gave it away that Lesnar would most likely be losing this match. While one could be satisfied in knowing that the story going into the match, and the one told during it was intense and personal, the encounter simply doesn’t stand out too much compared to other matches The Beast has had at Mania. One of the most memorable moments was Shawn Michaels getting involved as much as he did physically, 3 years following his loss to Undertaker and subsequent in-ring retirement.

Overall the match is fine, with Triple H eventually coming out on top after a pedigree on steel steps. While Lesnar would eventually win the feud, clobbering Triple H in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, a decisive win at WrestleMania over The Game would have been a nice notch in Brock Lesnar’s belt.

8) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns [The “Greatest Main Event in WrestleMania History”] – Night 2, Wrestlemania 38

Roman Reigns is a name that you are going to see a LOT on this list, and rightfully so. It can be argued that The Tribal Chief is one of Brock Lesnar’s greatest rivals of all time. The two have clashed three times at WrestleMania, making up nearly half of all of Reigns’ main event matches at the event.

However, there’s been no clash between these two – before or since – has been built up more than their WrestleMania 38 bout in Dallas, Texas. A match that WWE dubbed “The Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-Time”.  With that tagline, WWE put itself into an almost impossible box. While no one expected the greatest match in a squared circle to take place, the match had to AT LEAST be the best match of WrestleMania weekend. It was not.

The feud for this chapter in Regins’ and Lesnar’s story began at SummerSlam when a returning Lesnar made it clear that he wanted Regins’ Universal Championship. Through a long series of events, far too long to go into for this piece, Regins and Lesnar would find themselves at the door of WrestleMania – both as champions. Regins the Universal and Lesnar the WWE. Opening the door for a Winner-Takes-All unification match.

The match itself wasn’t necessarily bad. Instead, the best way to describe it is…rushed. While it was a foregone conclusion that Roman Reigns was going to win the WWE Championship and become the Thanos of WWE. Fans expected the match to be a slobber-knocker. One in which each man gave it absolutely everything they had.

The WWE Universe expected to see an infinite number of Spears, F5s, Suplexes, and Superman Punches. Instead, fans got a 15-minute bout where it only took 4 spears and 3 superman punches to put the beast away. Lesnar himself only got off 1 F5 the entire match. When Reigns eventually hit the final spear and pinned Lesnar 1..2..3, it left fans saying “huh, that’s it?” rather than “wow, this is a match of the year candidate”.

Speculation over a possible audible being called mid-match due to a legitimate injury to Reigns had been proposed, but never confirmed.

In total, the build-up, storytelling, and presentation of the match were fantastic. Paul Heyman element, Reigns subtly rubbing his head remembering his beat down from Lesnar at their last Mania encounter (we’ll get to that), and the introduction of Cowboy Lesnar. All great! Yet, unfortunately, the bout itself wasn’t all that it could have been.

7) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns [WWE Universal Championship Match] – WrestleMania 34

Not even one spot away, and Roman Reigns’ name pops up again. Who would have guessed?! For many reasons, WrestleMania 34 was an eventful show, but perhaps none bigger than the controversy surrounding the main event. Lesnar vs Reigns II. Both inside and outside the ring.

The lead-up to WrestleMania 34 for these two was nearly identical to their build at WrestleMania 31. Reigns was the superduper babyface and Brock Lesnar was the evil dominant heel. Similarly, the WWE Universe voiced their displeasure. They were once again being fed another Reigns and Lesnar match where, once again, the company wanted to push Reigns as the #1 babyface and used Lesnar as the mountain he would need to climb to become the top of the food chain in WWE. Nothing new. Nothing organic. Nothing innovative.

By the time the main event began, it was clear as day, no one in New Orleans cared about the match in front of them. It seemed obvious that WWE would be pulling the trigger with Reigns, and this time there would be no other “plan B”. Worse, the fans would only react negatively to any offense Reigns got in; thus any hope the company had of pulling the trigger with a supportive crowd behind him was evaporated.

Suddenly, the match would take a very dramatic turn, as Brock Lesnar went into UFC mode and everything went red. Literally. Lesnar didn’t just brutalize Reigns, he absolutely thrashed him. Brusting the former remember of The Shield’s head open and causing him to bleed profusely from his skull. Despite a cool shot or two of an intense Reigns fighting through the pain in a crimson mask, it would all mean nothing. To the surprise of almost everyone, Lesnar would soundly defeat Reigns, pinning him clean as a whistle in the middle of the ring.

The shock from the violence and match outcome stunned the crowd in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, as they simply did not know what to make of the finish. While the reaction from the WWE Universe was one of disbelief, the reaction backstage was one of confusion and in some instances downright frustration.

Lesnar famously threw his Universal Championship belt at Vince McMahon moments after stepping through the curtain, with an altercation between Lesnar and Shane McMahon almost taking place as a result. It was also reported that remembers of Reigns’ family were backstage demanding answers from Vince McMahon, as they like many believed the match would go differently.

Potential audibles and swerves aside, the fact remains that the match itself doesn’t belong much higher on this list than #7. The only reason it’s not #8 is because of its pure shock value.

6) Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre [WWE Championship] – Night 2, WrestleMania 36 

In one of the shorter matches on this list, Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre battled it out in front of 0 fans at WrestleMania 35. Dubbed by some as the Covid-Mania.

To say that March and April of 2020 were concerning times would be an understatement, as the world was thrust into a once-in-a-generation pandemic. Causing WWE to have to massively shift the course of its programming, moving Mania from its planned venue of Ramond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida to the small and intimate space of the WWE Performance Center.

While the lack of a live audience was incredibly jarring, WrestleMania 35 is arguably one of the most important Manias in the company’s history. As the event set out to provide a much-needed distraction for WWE fans, who were faced with a constantly changing and uncertain world. One of the most important matches on the card was the WWE Championship bout between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Drew McIntyre.

In one of Lesnar’s most selfless acts, The Beast put over the Scottish Warrior after 5 hard-hitting minutes. Giving McIntyre his first world championship, and truly cementing his main event status. Despite no crowd to cheer him on, remember these were the days before they had NXT talent stand in the audience, McIntyre celebrated as much as he possibly could.

The victory marked years of vindication for the former Chosen One, and a victory over Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania was something he at one time could only dream of. McIntyre was instantly elevated, and a new era – an extremely turbulent one at that – began.

While most will not remember the match itself, its importance in WWE history is no less great. Brock Lesnar did exactly what he was supposed to do; providing a main event feel, while setting up McIntyre as the company’s biggest hero. At a time when everyone was looking for heroes to look up to.

5) Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins [WWE Universal Championship] – WrestleMania 35

At WrestleMania 35, WWE brought back the yearly spectacle to New York Tri-State Area for the first time since WrestleMania 29. The event itself is best remembered for its historic main event, which for the first time featured a women’s championship match. As Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair clashed in a triple-threat match.

While the Women’s unification match certainly dominated the hype leading into the event, the lead-up to Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins’ bout also drew excitement from fans.

For the first time in a long time, WWE had found the proper top babyface to take on Lesnar. One that both the WWE Universe wanted to see conquer The Beast, and one that the company saw as top tier star. Seth Rollins had won the Men’s Royal Rumble match earlier that year, challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship the next night on Monday Night RAW.

While WWE fans who filled MetLife Stadium expected to wait until the end of the pay-per-view’s card to see The KingSlayer and The Beast face-off, Lesnar’s advocate came out at the very beginning of the show and announced that his client would NOT “wait around” where he isn’t appreciated. Further noting that his client wanted to take care of business and then get on a plane to Las Vegas, feeding into the rumors at the time that Lesnar would be taking time off from WWE. At this time, all signs indicated that Lesnar would be returning to UFC to go against then-UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier, especially after the two’s physical altercation at UFC 266.

With that, Heyman stated that Lesnar vs Seth Rollins would kick off WrestleMania 35, much to the delight of the over 80,000 in attendance. This match is the shortest of any on this list, only going a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. However, the match’s condensed time frame doesn’t take away from its quality in the slightest. If anything, it shows how two world-class professionals can tell a story with such little time.

Lesnar tried to obliterate Rollins as quickly as possible, but the resilient and crafty star found a way to hang in and beat Lesnar at his own game. Seth Rollins would officially become The Beast Slayer, winning his first Universal Championship.

4) Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg [WWE Universal Championship] – WrestleMania 33

For all the sly comments about Goldberg and Brock Lesnar’s match at WrestleMania 20, absolutely none of the criticism stems from the idea that the two COULDN’T have a great match. On the contrary, it stems from the sincere feeling of disappointment that something special was within grasp, but never materialized.

Despite all of this, 13 years later, the two titans would find themselves at WrestleMania once again. Only this time they wouldn’t just deliver, they would blow all expectations out of the water.

Goldberg first returned to WWE after well over a decade in 2016, returning at Survivor Series and squaring off against his old rival Brock Lesnar. To the shock of literally everyone and their mother, Goldberg not only defeated Lesnar but did so in less than 90 seconds. After another run-in with each other during the  Royal Rumble match in January of that year, Lesnar had enough of Goldberg and challenged him to one more match at WrestleMania. Which the WCW legend gladly accepted. After Goldberg took the Universal title off of Kevin Owens at Fastlane, the bout was elevated to a championship match.

What makes their WrestleMania 33 match special is that played perfectly to the strengths of both men. The bout was well-balanced and paced, giving each man an opportunity to shine, while not dragging on too long. At no point did either man look blown up or running on fumes. Instead, both men looked explosive and forceful. At the end of the day, WWE gave fans exactly what they wanted. A dream, almost video game-like, match where two brutes just smash into each other.

In the end, Lesnar would finally get his win over Goldberg. Defeating him after an earth-shattering F5 and becoming Universal Champion once again.

3) Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker [The Beast vs The Streak] –  WrestleMania 30

How can we possibly talk about Brock Lesnar’s Top WrestleMania moments and not mention his match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30?

Without exaggeration, Brock Lesnar conquering The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak is one of the few moments in modern wrestling that completely stopped fans in their tracks. Any WWE fan can tell you the exact moment they realized the streak had been broken, and everyone can recall the wave of emotions that overcame them in the seconds and minutes after the bell had rung.

“There must be a mistake!”, “Is this really happening?”, “Is this Undertaker’s last match?”, “What the heck!?”, were just some of the most common reactions from WWE fans that night in New Orleans and around the world. While everyone knew the streak would eventually need to end, many assumed that the moment would be reserved for a raising star. With names like Roman Reigns and Wade Barrett being tossed around according to some reports. Instead, WWE tapped its Beast to do the job. Catapulting him to an even higher plane than he already was.

The build-up to the now historic match wasn’t anything particularly special. If one were to re-watch it from start to finish, one would most likely say it came across like a fairly standard Undertaker-WrestleMania feud that fans had come to expect. The Phenom would be presented with a larger-than-life challenger, that could conceivably beat him on paper, but in the end, would lose after a hellacious back-and-forth match.

Instead, fans watched a visibly older Undertaker struggle against Lesnar. Slow to get up after each and every suplex. While he was able to withstand the initial onslaught for some time, even making Paul Heyman sweat a moment or two, Undertaker’s streak would finally be laid to rest following a 3rd F5 and accompanying pinfall.

While the match itself is no classic, the match’s outcome stands as one of the most significant moments in WWE history. Where WWE fans were faced with the reality that its resident gunslinger was getting closer to retirement, and a new sheriff was in town.

2) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (and eventually Seth Rollins)  [WWE World Heavyweight Championship] – WrestleMania 31

Coming off the heels of breaking The Undertaker’s Streak, Brock Lesnar was faced with yet another monumental challenge the following year. Help get Roman Reigns over with the WWE Universe.

WrestleMania 31 came at a time during the height of Roman Reigns’ first major push, with the young star quickly skyrocketing to the main event scene. Much to the chagrin of a large portion of the audience. Reigns had earned a shot at the WWE Heavyweight Championship following his victory at the Royal Rumble. The Big Dog had also fought off a very game Daniel Bryan at Fastlane, where had put his guaranteed WrestleMania match on the line.

The build-up to the clash was a bit of a mixed bag, with neither man looking particularly better than the other. At WrestleMania 31, however, Reigns would earn his stripes, as he would face the full wrath of Brock Lesnar. While Reigns looked confident, Brock Lesnar simply looked unstoppable as he made his way to the ring. This along with a particularly great announcing job by Paul Heyman made Lesnar look like an absolute prize fighter, ready to rip Roman Reigns’ head off – and he nearly did.

While Suplex City had already been established at SummerSlam 2015, when Lesnar defeated John Cena in emphatic fashion, That night in Levi’s Stadium a new term was coined… Suplex City (Censored). If you know, you know. If you don’t, we suggest you watch the match for yourself.

The whole match became a task of sheer survival for Roman Reigns, who was put on the defensive almost instantly following the opening bell. For the first 2/3s of the match, Brock Lesnar put on a showcase of brutality. Despite all the punishment dished out by Lesnar, Reigns never wilted and refused to give in. This of course infuriated The Beast, who continued his assault, until Regins was able to use his own momentum to drive him into the ring post.

Sizing the opportunity to level the playing field, Reigns was able to bust open the world champion and put him against the ropes. While Lesnar was able to land some critical hits, including an F5 out of nowhere, the damage had been done, as both he and Reigns lay flat on the mat. When suddenly, The Architect and Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins appeared.

Before long, Seth Rollins had cashed in and inserted himself into the main event of WrestleMania. The first time any MITB winner had done so. Despite Lesnar’s best attempts, Rollins was able to pick up the victory, following a curb stomp on his old Shield ally. Thus both protecting Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in the long run.

The overall excitement and ride of emotions that came with this match is what sets it apart from most on this list. There was more energy and enthusiasm for the bout DURING the match itself, rather than in the build-up beforehand. All three men involved told a great story, and Lesnar helped show the sheer toughness and grit in Reigns as a competitor. Better than WWE had done up to that point.

1) Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar [WWE Championship] – WrestleMania 19 

There’s an old saying that declares “There’s nothing like your first time”, and this writer chooses to believe the author of that quote was talking about a WWE Superstar’s first match at WrestleMania. At the very least, the adage rings true for Brock Lesnar. Without a shadow of a doubt, Brock Lesnar’s best match at WrestleMania was his first, when he squared off against WWE Champion, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle.

After Lesnar earned his opportunity to face the former Olympian by winning Royal Rumble, Angle did all in his power to try and escape the clutches of The Next Big Thing. Angle threw everything he had at Lesnar in the weeks and months leading to WrestleMania, including every member of Team Angel, Paul Heyman, his own brother Eric Angle, and even attacking Lesnar with a 2×4. Despite all the obstacles and injury, Lesnar refused to settle and demanded his match.

SmackDown GM Stephanie McMahon would then add a massive stipulation to the match a little more than a week before the match was set to take place. The Billion Dollar Princess revealed that if Angle got counted out, disqualified, or had anyone interfere during the match, he would still lose the WWE Championship.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a single bad match between these two, and this match at WrestleMania 19 was no different. The two former collegiate wrestlers put on an absolute clinic while displaying their own unique styles and strategies. While Kurt Angle went for more of a slower ground-and-pound pace, Brock Lesnar relied on his explosive offense to knock Angle off his game.

During the bout, Lesnar would kick out of the Angle Slam and Angle kicked out of the F5, two incredibly rare events at that time. Following his second F5, Brock Lesnar decided to take flight and attempt a shooting star press onto the prone Angle. Unfortunately, the distance was a bit too far and he did not complete a full rotation, thus leading him to land almost directly on top of his head and just clip the side of Angle. WWE would later reveal that if it were not for Lesnar’s massive neck and shoulder muscles, he could have sustained serious injury.

After the visually terrifying mishap, Lesnar would continue on. Kicking out of a pin attempt by Angle, and eventfully hit the Pittsburg native with a 3rd F5 to finish the job for good. Earning him his first WrestleMania victory and the WWE Championship. The men struggled to get back to their feet, selling the wounds of the intense battle they had just had. The pay-per-view would close with Lesnar and Angle shaking hands and embracing as a sign of respect.

In every aspect, and by every metric, this match stands above any other match Lesnar has had at WrestleMania (so fair). The build-up and execution of the match were perfect. Plus having WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle as your dance partner doesn’t hurt either.