A six-time World Champion, 2003 Royal Rumble winner, King of the Ring and one of the biggest draws - Brock Lesnar has been one of the top WWE Superstars since his main roster debut in 2002. He had one of the fastest rise to the top as Vince McMahon was instantly sold on his potential as a star in the WWE, as Lesnar never looked back since then. And while he was among the faces of the WWE in his first stint, he has managed to succeed even further in his second run.

Considering his unique personality, as well as previous rift with the WWE and transition to a UFC fighter, Lesnar has always been a controversial figure to say the least. From fan criticism to heat among fellow co-workers, Lesnar has been subject of plenty discussion throughout his WWE journey, and will likely continue to be the centre of attention for as long as he is around. Despite his massive success and being pushed as one of the main faces of the company, Lesnar has shied away from the media as much as possible and he is well-known for keeping to himself.

That means that Lesnar hasn't made many friends throughout his WWE tenure(s) - in fact, he probably has the least amount of associates in the industry for someone who has been as pushed for as long as he has been with the company. With today's list, we look at 10 wrestlers who are friends with Brock Lesnar and 10 who keep their distance.

20 Friend: The Rock

Not many WWE Superstars were huge on Brock Lesnar upon his dominant introduction to the scene with many questioning his quick rise to the top. The Rock wasn't among them, and as he transitioned into a Hollywood character at the time, he welcomed the idea of putting Lesnar over at SummerSlam 2002.

In his book, Lesnar complimented The Rock for assisting him behind the scenes as a rookie, while the latter has always returned the favor with heaps of praise throughout interviews. Considering the friendship that they have enjoyed since the early 2000s, as well as the mutual respect, it wouldn't be surprising to see them work together again.

19 Keeps Their Distance: Dean Ambrose

When Dean Ambrose was booked to take on Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32, fans were excited regarding the possibility of seeing the former establish himself as a legitimate top star. Seeing as Lesnar has only worked with the biggest name in the industry upon his return to the WWE, Ambrose could've certainly benefited from facing off against the biggest draw today. But fans felt the bout was among the most disappointing in recent years and Ambrose shared those very same thoughts in a later interview - claiming that Lesnar had refused to make him look good in the match. Since then, their personal relationship has taken a turn for the worse although they have never clashed behind the scenes.

18 Friend: Shelton Benjamin

Long before they were WWE Superstars, Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin had been roommates in college. Their friendship only grew stronger once both joined the very same class in OVW as they worked together on multiple occasions. By 2002, both had made it to the main WWE roster as they would enjoy working together on SmackDown up until 2004.

Even when Lesnar left the industry behind, Benjamin remained as one of the few that he kept in touch with - which speaks highly of their friendship away from the ring. Lesnar has also credited Benjamin for helping him out inside the ring in his early wrestling days.

17 Keeps Their Distance: Randy Orton

It's no secret that Randy Orton didn't make too many friends while training at OVW as he rubbed many wrestlers the wrong way with his actions. Indications suggest that Brock Lesnar wasn't exactly his biggest fan as they kept their distance from each other until they finally worked a WWE program for the 2016 SummerSlam. And the match has now become known for all the wrong reasons as Lesnar delivered a devastating elbow that truly hurt Orton as evident by the match. The incident led to massive heat among fans and many WWE Superstars although the company resolved it behind closed doors.

16 Friend: CM Punk

Having been highly critical of part-timers coming into the WWE to take the spotlight from full time Superstars, CM Punk was still very fond of Brock Lesnar during their brief run together in the company. They even worked an angle together that generated plenty of interest among fans. And when Punk left the wrestling world in pursue of his latest venture in UFC, he claimed that Lesnar had fully supported his decision and even reached out to provide him with some advice about stepping into the octagon. There is mutual respect between the two stars who haven't always had the most favorable reputations.

15 Keeps Their Distance: Big Show

Considering that Brock Lesnar and Big Show worked often with each other in the WWE, most fans would have assumed that they had been friends in real life. That may have been the case at some point, but Big Show was among the many Superstars disappointed in seeing Lesnar turn his back on the company in 2004. Since he had received one of the biggest pushes in WWE history with impressive victories over the likes of Big Show, the latter felt that Lesnar didn't fully appreciate the spot that he had received, as well as the help provided by some of his peers.

14 Friend: Billy Gunn

When Brock Lesnar came to the WWE, he had a reputation of being very green inside the ring - which isn't a complete surprise since he hadn't been competing for too long compared to his peers. And while that led to some rift among many of his co-workers, Billy Gunn was one of the Superstars that assisted Lesnar in his transition to the company. Having worked together in the early 2000s, Gunn was asked to make Lesnar look as great as possible in the ring and the latter gladly obliged. That eventually led to mutual respect between them behind the scenes.

13 Keeps Their Distance: Braun Strowman

This past year, Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman have had an on and off rivalry with several title matches along the way. But the heat between them began at the 2018 Royal Rumble when they were apart of a triple threat match along with Kane, but it took a sour turn for the worse that even fans couldn't help but notice. While both stars are well-known for having a rough style compared to the average Superstar, they did exchange some heavy jabs during the match and Lesnar was visibly upset at Strowman - leading to one heck of a punch that may have put anybody else to sleep.

12 Friend: Steve Austin

Despite a rocky start to their relationship, Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin managed to patch things up along the way. When the former was quickly making his way in the WWE, he was booked to defeat many top Superstars. And as Vince McMahon prepared to have Austin put him over in a match on Raw, the latter decided to walk out from the company as he strongly opposed the decision.

While he didn't have anything against Lesnar, Austin thought it was a waste of a huge opportunity down the line in a long-term storyline. Since then, both stars have listed each other as close friends in the industry.

11 Keeps Their Distance: Ken Shamrock

Considering their UFC backgrounds, one would think that Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock would get along in real life. And while it is unknown whether they have actually met, we do know that the latter has been critical of Lesnar over the years. From criticizing him as a WWE Superstar to some sneak disses towards his UFC stint, Shamrock doesn't appear to be a huge fan of Lesnar.

Having expressed interest in competing against Lesnar for the WWE Universal title, perhaps it has just been Shamrock's way of generating some hype to a potential return - which is still looking unlikely.

10 Friend: JBL

When WWE Superstars happen to be travel partners, they are more likely to personally bond since they would be spending plenty of time together on lengthy tours. And that is exactly how the friendship developed between Brock Lesnar and JBL since the early 2000s. While the latter has earned a reputation for being harsh towards younger Superstars at times, that wasn't the case with Lesnar as he quickly earned his respect.

From podcasts to tweets, JBL constantly refers to Lesnar as his friend and they have been pictured together a number of times - which only confirms their connection outside of the ring.

9 Keeps Their Distance: Matt Hardy

When Brock Lesnar joined the WWE, he received special treatment from management as he was immediately given a major push while going over a number of Superstars regardless of their status or talent. Matt Hardy was among his many victims and the tension between them started when the former claimed that Lesnar refused to put him over in the ring. It only got worse when Hardy accidentally hit Lesnar with a chair shot to the head, which angered the latter enough to nearly come to blows with Hardy although the two were separated just in time before it escalated any further.

8 Friend: Kurt Angle

As two of the leading figures of SmackDown in the early 2000s, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar soon engaged in one of the most memorable rivalries of that period. And while they had been rivals inside the ring, they did enjoy a great friendship away from the ring. Lesnar is known for keep distance from the majority of WWE Superstar due to his reserved personality, but Angle managed to get through to him. They would remain close once both stars left the WWE, and upon their return in recent years - they were once again able to link up like the old days.

7 Keeps Their Distance: Hardcore Holly

In 2003, Hardcore Holly's wrestling career nearly came to an end after having been severely injured at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Luckily for him, he was still able to compete for the WWE as he returned the following years - receiving the biggest opportunity of his run with the company. Lesnar had been reigning as the WWE Champion, and the real life incident was turned into an angle to justify the match. Holly had some harsh words for Lesnar during his time off, and the two Superstars could be seen exchanging words throughout their 2004 Royal Rumble match - which were certainly not scripted.

6 Friend: Cesaro

Since his return to the WWE, Brock Lesnar hasn't made many acquaintances with most of his friends being Superstars that he had already known in his first stint. But Cesaro has managed to become one of the few to get on Lesnar's good side as the two have gotten along very well backstage. They have been spotted a number of times, including before the WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble show. It shouldn't come as a surprise since Cesaro seems to be among the most popular wrestlers in the locker room with close relationships all-around, including his newest friend in Brock Lesnar.

5 Keeps Their Distance: Triple H

As Brock Lesnar went through several top Superstars in the WWE, Vince McMahon proposed the idea of having him go over Triple H in his first stint. But the latter rebuffed it since he was also having his own dominant run at the top, and perhaps that's why Lesnar moved to SmackDown. After all as we all know that Triple H ran Raw for many years.

Prior to Batista's selection as his opponent for WrestleMania 21, McMahon was once again interested in having Lesnar take on Triple H - which the latter wasn't necessarily excited about. They finally worked a program during Lesnar's second stint, but they have no relationship away from the ring.

4 Friend: Goldberg

Most of Brock Lesnar's relationships tend to be strictly professional when it comes to fellow wrestlers, but Goldberg is among the very few whom he befriended outside of the industry. While working together for the WrestleMania XX program, Lesnar and Goldberg clicked on a personal level and remained in touch as they both left the WWE. They wanted to be involved in a feud once again in 2016 - which led to their Survivor Series bout and later on the title match at WrestleMania 33. Lesnar was fine with losing to Goldberg in 84 seconds, which should tell us plenty about their bond.

3 Keeps Their Distance: John Cena

Despite coming up together in the same OVW class, John Cena and Brock Lesnar didn't enjoy a personal relationship. While the latter skyrocketed to the top as soon as he debuted in the WWE, it took Cena a number of years before he left his mark. They did work together for a brief stint in 2003 when Lesnar was the reigning WWE Champion, and then again upon his return in 2012.

Despite having been associates inside the squared circle, there had been reports about possible tension between them going back to their early days with the company when both were attempting to claim the top spot.

2 Friend: The Undertaker

The Undertaker's iconic undefeated streak was never going to come at the ends of just anybody, and considering his status in the WWE, he was certainly going to have a say about it. And when Brock Lesnar got the job done at WrestleMania XXX, fans were stunned as they thought that Taker's reign would last forever. But upon further review, it made sense that Taker would lose it to one of the most dominant stars in wrestling history, as well as one of his closest friends. In fact, even when Lesnar had a rift with the WWE, he maintained a close relationship with Taker.

1 Keeps Their Distance: Chris Jericho

Unlike many veterans, Chris Jericho wasn't nearly as fond of Brock Lesnar as his peers. Following the latter's match with Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016, Jericho awaited him backstage as he had been caught off guard by the shoot that had just happened. As words were exchanged between the two stars, they nearly came to blows before they were separated.

Since then, Jericho has delivered some backhanded compliments to Lesnar - revealing that he admired him as a wrestling talent - although the two have kept distance from each other since then. Given their unique personalities, it's no surprise that they may not see eye to eye.