10 Wrestling Sequels That Were Even Better Than The Originals

4. John Cena Vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)

Kenny Omega Okada
WWE Network

Nine years before this explosive brawl, John Cena and Brock Lesnar were positioned as the future of the company, with Tazz and Michael Cole's prophetic words about their eventual successes going some way to offset the bang average match the pair had completed at April 2003's Backlash pay-per-view.

They were half right. Cena would be a WWE Champion and new face of the company by April 2005, but Lesnar's sudden departure after WrestleMania 20 less than a year later sent shockwaves through a company that had done everything to position him as a legitimate 'Next Big Thing'.

His 2012 return following a successful UFC career brought an entirely new front to 'The Beast', and his untamed and malicious assault on Cena in this match was a sign of things to come from the violent monster.

A sense of chaos hangs over the brawl, with Lesnar busting Cena open in the first minute and hurling himself to the floor following a spectacular charge at the 'Face That Runs The Place'. 'Big Match John' took a merciless beating throughout the entirety of the match, but ultimately fought from underneath to narrowly defeat his tormentor with an Attitude Adjustment on the steel stairs after punching him full in the face with a chain-wrapped fist.

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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