10 Most Paused WWE Moments

2. Brock Lesnar's Shooting Star Press

CM Punk Fan
WWE.com

Just a few inches short of one of the greatest moments in the history of professional wrestling, instead, Brock Lesnar was millimetres away from ending his career in the best possible outcome of a near-disaster.

WWE was in woeful decline in 2003, a worrying trend obscured by the fantastic WrestleMania XIX. Well ahead of an incredible show, WWE had preserved an iconic mega-pop by withholding a reality-defying super-finisher. Brock Lesnar was such a freakishly gifted athletic specimen that his colossal frame was actually capable of executing the shooting star press, and WWE, decline or no, still had the sense to really make it matter.

At the crescendo of a match as physical as it was admirable - remarkable, if not quite the best definition of it - Lesnar scaled the ropes. Instantly, the dread kicked in. Angle looked to be inches away from even a splash, much less the shooting star with its acute rotation.

The sheer tone of Tazz's voice still inspires terror. There's a lot in his voice. Excitement, disbelief, sheer panic. The ghoulish among you have most certainly paused this near-disaster to learn just how close Lesnar came.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!