Arguably, no one's rookie year in WWE history matched Kurt Angle's but Brock Lesnar's is right up there. The Next Big Thing had the look to be a certified main eventer, and with Paul Heyman by his side, Lesnar became an unstoppable force.
Nevertheless, with Lesnar's ascension to the top of the card, it was inevitable that he would clash with some of the greatest of all time. Lesnar certainly held his own against the very best in the business, and he looked extremely dominant in his first 10 feuds.
10 Hardcore Holly
Brock Lesnar was the WWE Champion by the fall of 2002, but he was by no means the finished article. On the September 12, 2002, edition of SmackDown, Lesnar clashed with Hardcore Holly, and unfortunately, he botched a Powerbomb which resulted in Lesnar breaking Holly's neck.
Nonetheless, they had a brief rivalry once Holly returned in late 2003, and Holly challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2004. Holly was never going to take the WWE Title away from Lesnar. Therefore, the feud was incredibly lackluster for someone of Lesnar's caliber.
9 The Hardy Boyz
Lesnar didn't bother with competing against enhancement talent he started with established talents right from the bat. The Next Big Thing was a forced to be reckoned with, and he engaged in a rivalry with The Hardy Boyz.
At Backlash 2002, Lesnar systematically manhandled Jeff Hardy in his first pay-per-view outing. He also defeated Matt in one-on-one action, and at Judgment Day, alongside Paul Heyman, they beat The Hardy Boyz in a tag team match. This was a decent feud to get Lesnar settled in WWE.
8 Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan has a reputation for not putting other wrestlers over so it was interesting to see what would happen when he feuded with Brock Lesnar. Both were members of the SmackDown brand, and having a rivalry with Hogan did not faze Lesnar.
He salivated at the prospect of destroying Hulkamania, and he certainly did without hesitation. Lesnar squeezed Hogan with a tight bearhug which caused Hogan to bleed. The Next Big Thing was pleased with what he had accomplished and he had a sinister smile on his face.
7 Eddie Guerrero
Heading into WrestleMania XX season, Brock Lesnar was still the reigning WWE Champion, and he kickstarted a feud with Goldberg, who was on Raw. Nevertheless, before Lesnar could fully turn his attention to Goldberg, he had to defend the WWE Championship against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004.
Lesnar and Guerrero's feud was incredibly short but it was a significant moment in Latino Heat's career. With a little bit of help from Goldberg, Eddie finally climbed the mountain to win his first WWE Championship. They created magic in one high-profile match, which elevated Eddie up the card as a legitimate main eventer.
6 Rob Van Dam
Brock Lesnar has a very good track record of producing magnificent matches with so-called smaller guys. At King of the Ring 2002, Lesnar won the King of the Ring Tournament, and he defeated Rob Van Dam in the final.
Lesnar continued his rivalry with RVD after King of the Ring, and he went after RVD's Intercontinental Championship. Despite looking dominant against Van Dam, RVD had some offense in their feud. They collided at Vengeance the following month but he failed to capture the IC Title. Nonetheless, Lesnar had his sights set on becoming the new WWE Champion.
5 The Rock
The Rock returned to WWE in the summer of 2002, and he wasted no time by defeating The Undertaker and Kurt Angle for a then-record seventh WWE Championship. Waiting in the wings for The Great One at SummerSlam was Brock Lesnar in a hotly anticipated match.
Despite being a heel, Lesnar was cheered like a babyface as The Rock was beginning to pursue his career as a full-time actor in Hollywood. However, Rock did one final job and that was to cement Lesnar's status as the top star in the company as Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion at the age of 25.
4 John Cena
Brock Lesnar and John Cena have a rich history together which dated back to 2002. Lesnar has dominated his rivalry with Cena over the years, and at Backlash 2003, Lesnar put his WWE Championship on the line against Cena.
They had a decent match, which they would top in years to come with Lesnar retaining the WWE Title. Neither man was the finished article, so it wasn't going to be a five-star classic. However, it was a poignant moment in both men's careers as Lesnar continued his momentum, and Cena proved that he could be a big star down the line.
3 Big Show
In the fall of 2002, Brock Lesnar unexpectedly turned face when he began a rivalry with Big Show. The World's Largest Athlete jumped ship from Raw to SmackDown, and Show wasn't there to make up the numbers. He was eying up Lesnar's WWE Championship, and he posed a significant threat to Lesnar.
At Survivor Series, Show captured his second WWE Title, when he handed Lesnar his first pinfall loss. It was a shocking moment as Lesnar's agent Paul Heyman betrayed him to join up with Show. Their matches weren't the greatest spectacles but their storyline was good. Lesnar got some revenge in 2003 by defeating Show at the Royal Rumble and Judgment Day in a Stretcher match.
2 The Undertaker
Just like Lesnar's rivalry with Cena in 2012-14, fans fondly remember Lesnar's feud with Undertaker in 2014-15 when he broke Undertaker's unbeaten streak at WrestleMania XXX. However, Lesnar and Undertaker's feud dates back to 2002, after Rock jetted off to Hollywood, Undertaker was another legend for Lesnar to contend with.
Their rivalry was believable, and their Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy 2002 was remarkable. It was a bloodbath, and Lesnar beat Undertaker cleanly to retain the WWE Championship. A year later, they renewed old hostilities, and Lesnar beat Undertaker once more at No Mercy. Not everyone gets to beat The Undertaker but Undertaker could see that Lesnar was a big star, and was willing to help get Lesnar over.
1 Kurt Angle
Arguably, Kurt Angle is Lesnar's biggest rival. It didn't matter who was the face or the heel in their feud as they tore the house down every time they met. At WrestleMania XIX, Lesnar captured his second WWE Championship, after beating Angle in a war of attrition.
The roles were reversed in the summer of 2003, and Angle regained the WWE Title from Lesnar at Vengeance in a triple threat match that involved Big Show. Angle beat Lesnar once more at SummerSlam but their 60-minute Iron Man match on an episode of SmackDown was superb. Lesnar became a three-time WWE Champion.