10 Biggest WWE Developmental Success Stories

4. Brock Lesnar

Batista John Cena Randy Orton Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

Long before 'The Beast' was a UFC Champion and one of WWE's hottest modern commodities, he was subject to his first big push as the 'Next Big Thing'.

In 2002, his main roster arrival was met with gasps and awe and fear as he ripped through a host of midcarders en route to his first WWE Title that summer. It was unprecedented that a wrestler could so quickly rise through the ranks, not least working for Vince McMahon, but Lesnar was a physical specimen like few that came before him, and McMahon was willing to go all in on the 25-year-old when he took on (and took out) The Rock at SummerSlam.

As much as it looked as though he came to professional wrestling ready-made, Lesnar's admittedly freakish skills were honed under the watchful eye of Jim Cornette and Danny Davis at Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Teaming with Shelton Benjamin as part of the Minnesota Stretching Crew, Brock had all the size and strength he'd exhibit upon his main roster arrival, with the added twist of a shooting star press to go along with the suplexes and strikes. Even in dark matches and dusty developmental tapes, his star quality is undeniable.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett