Brock Lesnar skyrocketed in WWE in 2002 which saw him win the WWE Championship within four months. The Next Big Thing was a formidable force to be reckoned with once he made his main roster debut that year. Lesnar quickly settled in the rigors of the vicious WWE schedule. He earned some monumental victories over the very best in the business, and he had one of the best debut years in history.
However, not all of Lesnar's first 10 PPV matches were brilliant, some were duds but he had some memorable matches as well. He struck up a partnership with Paul Heyman, who became his agent, and was his spokesperson during this time frame. With Heyman by his side, The Next Big Thing paved a path of destruction all the way to the top of WWE.
10 W/ Paul Heyman Vs. Hardy Boyz (Judgment Day 2002)
Judgment Day 2002 pitted Brock Lesnar alongside his agent Paul Heyman in a tag team match against The Hardy Boyz. Lesnar decimated the Hardys when he made his debut on Raw and their feud culminated at Judgment Day.
The Hardys tried to get the early advantage before the bell rang by double-teaming Lesnar on the outside. They assaulted Heyman when Lesnar was out of the picture momentarily. However, Lesnar regrouped and he F5'd Jeff. Heyman was begging The Next Big Thing to let him cover Jeff for the victory in a match that was not PPV-worthy.
9 W/ Shawn Stasiak Vs. Hardy Boyz (Insurrextion 2002)
The unlikely duo of Brock Lesnar and Shawn Stasiak took on the Hardyz in a tag team match across the pond at Insurrextion 2002. It was the final PPV under the WWF banner and it was another underwhelming PPV match for Brock.
Mercifully the match was abrupt, and Brock was protected by Stasiak taking the fall. Friend or foe, it did not matter as Lesnar planted both the Hardys with an F5, and he attacked Stasiak with a Spinebuster and a devastating spinning-running Powerbomb after the match.
8 Vs. Test (King Of The Ring 2002)
The semifinals of the 2002 King of the Ring tournament pitted Brock Lesnar against Test. Lesnar was representing Raw, and Test represented SmackDown. Despite both men being heels, it was a competitive match.
Lesnar was going for a Powerbomb, but Test reversed it with a sweet Big Boot. Paul Heyman sensed that his client was in trouble, and he intervened by hitting Test in the back. The Next Big Thing took advantage by nailing Test with his patented F5, advancing to his maiden King of the Ring Final against Rob Van Dam.
7 Vs. Jeff Hardy (Backlash 2002)
Backlash 2002 was the site of Brock Lesnar's first PPV outing against Jeff Hardy. Lesnar dominated the early exchanges of this match and looked mighty impressive. Moreover, Jeff had to use an underhanded low-blow and a Swanton Bomb, looking for the upset win over Brock.
Lesnar kicked out effortlessly, and he countered Jeff who tried to hit him with a steel chair. Brock turned the tables on Hardy with an F5 and a Double Powerbomb. However, Jeff was unable to carry on as Lesnar dropped a third devastating Powerbomb, which left the referee no chance but to award Lesnar the victory.
6 Vs. Rob Van Dam (Vengeance 2002)
Lesnar and Rob Van Dam had a magnificent match in the 2002 King of the Ring Final, which is why they had a rematch a month later at Vengeance. This time, RVD's Intercontinental Championship was on the line, and Lesnar needed a tune-up match before his huge WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.
The two had outstanding chemistry together, which made their matches surprisingly exciting. RVD countered Lesnar's F5 and executed his dazzling Five-Star Frog Splash on him. However, Heyman pulled the referee out of the ring which allowed Van Dam to retain the Intercontinental Championship by way of DQ. Van Dam received huge cheers from the fans but Lesnar came out strong by laying Van Dam out with an F5 on the steel chair.
5 Vs. The Undertaker (Unforgiven 2002)
Shortly after Lesnar won the WWE Championship from The Rock at SummerSlam, he moved to SmackDown, where he made a name for himself in the main event scene. The Next Big Thing's first PPV title defense came against The Undertaker at Unforgiven 2002.
It was the beginning of an on-off over a decade-long rivalry between the two big men. Lesnar and Undertaker had a hard-hitting contest that went back and forth. Ultimately, it was ruled as a double disqualification with Lesnar retaining the title. Inevitably another match was on the horizon and a double disqualification preserved the feud, protecting both men in the process.
4 Vs. Rob Van Dam (King Of The Ring 2002)
Just two months into his WWE career, Brock Lesnar found himself in the 2002 King of the Ring final. Lesnar collided with his fellow Raw colleague, the Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam, with the winner heading to SummerSlam for a WWE Championship match.
Lesnar and RVD had a solid affair, and Van Dam was closing in on a gigantic victory after he executed his Five-Star Frog Splash on Lesnar. Heyman got involved, hooking RVD on the apron, which inadvertently caused Van Dam to fall on top of Lesnar and pin him. However, it had no bearing on the outcome as Lesnar caught Van Dam in mid-air with an F5 to become the 2002 King of the Ring winner.
3 W/ Paul Heyman Vs. Edge (Rebellion 2002)
A forgotten WWE Championship match occurred at Rebellion 2002, which was a UK-exclusive PPV featuring the superstars of SmackDown. Brock Lesnar was the reigning WWE Champion, and he defended the title in a unique handicap match with Paul Heyman as his partner against Edge.
This match showed that Edge was going to be a future world champion. With Heyman out of the way for the majority of the match, Edge held his own against Brock. Edge sensationally countered the F5 into his Edgecution DDT. Unfortunately, the referee was down and Heyman handed Brock a steel chair. Lesnar swung with the chair but Edge countered with his patented Spear. Furthermore, the referee's back was turned when Lesnar hit Edge with the chair in his stomach and he nailed him with an F5 for a hard-fought win.
2 Vs. The Rock (SummerSlam 2002)
In a true passing of the torch moment, Brock Lesnar's long-awaited WWE Championship match came at SummerSlam 2002 against The Rock. The People's Champion was heavily jeered in this match as fans knew that Rock was departing WWE to embark on an acting career in Hollywood.
Lesnar lived up to his Next Big Thing moniker with a superb performance against Rock. The slow build to Lesnar's ascension as the new man on top was done correctly by systematically destroying everyone on his path. Brock planted Rock with a devastating F5 for his first of many WWE Championship reigns.
1 Vs. The Undertaker (No Mercy 2002)
Brock Lesnar's toughest test in his WWE career was stepping inside Hell in a Cell against one of the most prolific performers in Satan's structure, The Undertaker. Lesnar and Undertaker were on a collision course for a blockbuster WWE Championship match at No Mercy 2002.
Undertaker deserves a huge amount of respect as he broke his hand but still put on a vintage performance. Both were battered and bloodied with Lesnar countering Undertaker's Tombstone into a jaw-dropping F5. Symbolically, Brock climbed up to the top of the cell after the match raising the WWE Championship aloft.