10 Monumental Happenings On Post-WrestleMania Raws

10. Brock Lesnar Returns To WWE (2012)

When the news broke that Brock Lesnar had retired from MMA, following his crushing defeat to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on December 30, 2011, all eyes instinctively shifted to WWE

Former Heavyweight Champion Lesnar had left the company nearly eight years earlier, after his notorious match with Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. It was an acrimonious departure: Lesnar had signed a seven-year contract extension with WWE in June 2003. In March 2004, he suddenly announced that he wanted out.

WWE was left reeling: it had grand plans for Lesnar throughout 2004 and beyond. Once the company recovered from this bombshell, it consented to grant Lesnar a conditional contract release, which would allow him to chase his dream of playing in the NFL, but would block him from wrestling or fighting for any other organisation for the duration of the contract he had inked in 2003. That is, until 2010.

When Lesnar failed to make the cut in the NFL, he sought to return to wrestling. His appearance at ringside for New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4, 2005 triggered a legal battle between Lesnar and WWE. There was the matter of his contract, after all. Lesnar and WWE finally reached a settlement, which enabled Lesnar to wrestle for New Japan, and to make his MMA debut in the States on June 2, 2007. He won that fight in 69 seconds.

On February 2, 2008, Lesnar entered the Octagon for the first time at UFC 81: Breaking Point. He lost in 90 seconds.

Lesnar bounced back from his defeat to Frank Mir at UFC 81 to become UFC’s biggest attraction. At least two of his fights attracted over one million pay-per-view orders apiece.

Back on the open market following UFC 141, Lesnar had something WWE desired and was prepared to pay handsomely for: proven drawing power on pay-per-view.

Believing it would translate to the WWE audience, whom WWE surmised would remember Lesnar from his 2002-2004 run, the company made Lesnar a huge, limited appearances offer he couldn’t refuse and, for the first time since 2004, Lesnar strolled onto a WWE stage on Raw, the night after WrestleMania XXVIII.

His target: John Cena.

As Cena stood in the ring, Lesnar’s music blasted through the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Although his appearance had not been advertised, word had leaked out that he might be there that night. “Welcome back Brock,” read one sign in the audience.

Cena smirked and applauded as Lesnar stepped through the ropes. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion would soon wipe the smile off his face.

Suckering Cena with a handshake, Lesnar lifted him up for an F5 and tossed him to the mat. He kicked Cena’s baseball cap across the ring, just for good measure. Naturally, fans cheered.

“The landscape, the complexion of the WWE, has been drastically changed with one emphatic F5 from The Beast, the freak, Brock Lesnar,” observed Michael Cole on commentary.

It was a remarkable comeback for Lesnar, given the circumstances under which he had left WWE, and the hostility he had received from spectators in his last appearance for the company at WM XX.

Lesnar’s unprovoked attack on Cena led to an incredible match between the two at Extreme Rules on April 29 — which Cena strangely won.