Every 'Next Big Thing' In Wrestling History: Where Are They Now?
17. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar in 2002 was the recipient of the strongest push in WWE history. Underscoring the theme at the core of this listicle, Lesnar was literally marketed as the Next Big Thing.
He destroyed, all at once, a horde of midcard acts upon his debut. The bumps they all took looked and sounded disgusting. It was an effective “Who the hell is this?” moment; the aural horror of the Hardy Boyz colliding with the mat is seared into the memory.
Lesnar beat Hulk Hogan clean, won King of the Ring, dethroned WWE Champion the Rock, and won a programme with the Undertaker - all in his first year.
In under a year, he’d practically completed WWE, Vince McMahon was that desperate to portray him as the guy. By WrestleMania XIX, he’d already lost and regained the big one to finish his babyface comeback arc. He earned the push eventually: he learned the showbiz aspect by leaning into his demeanour as a piece of trash mega-jock.
He left in 2004 because he hated the lifestyle, won the UFC Heavyweight title with relatively minimal training because was such a brick sh*thouse freak, and upon returning to WWE in 2012, was the recipient of the second strongest push in WWE history.
He is now exiled (they’ll bring him back). He played an effective piece of trash mega-jock because the most effective wrestling characters are an extension of themselves.