A true changing of the guard, WWE put everything they had behind the rise of Brock Lesnar in 2002. Making his debut the night after WrestleMania X-8, Lesnar was quickly booked to beat everyone, including the likes of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, in preparation for his coronation as WWE Champion at Summerslam. Winning the last ever fully-fledged King Of The Ring tournament on Pay-Per-View, Lesnar was also tentatively booked to beat none other than Steve Austin in the lead-up to that event, but Austin was less-than-thrilled to find out that this was little more than a one-off match. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and 'Stone Cold' walked out on WWE. Nothing could derail Brock's momentum however, and he would defeat The Rock at Summerslam to grab the big belt. Fans had started to realise that Rocky was spending more and more time in Hollywood, whereas Lesnar was clearly being positioned as the future of the business. In turn, people went wild for Brock's victory, ushering in a new era for WWE.
