Brock Lesnar Matches That Were Possible But Never Happened

Brock Lesnar has officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, and while “never-say-never” is a phrase commonly used in wrestling, the former multi-time world champion is now nearing 50 years of age, so the chances of many more returns are depleting significantly.

With Lesnar now done for good, it closes the door on a whole host of matches that were once possible. Whether it be major Hall Of Famers who missed out during Lesnar’s first WWE run or modern day stars who never got into the ring with him, there are major matches that never ended up taking place between Lesnar and some of the biggest stars in the promotion.

6

Brock Lesnar Vs. Shawn Michaels

• Michaels’ WWE return coincided with Lesnar’s rise.
• Michaels & Lesnar were on opposite WWE brands.
• WWE never put them in the ring together.

Shawn Michaels returned from a four year injury and early retirement in 2002, kickstarting a feud with Triple H on the Monday Night RAW brand. At the time, Brock Lesnar moved over to SmackDown, winning the WWE Championship and remaining busy with the likes of The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Big Show and more over the next two years.

Michaels & Lesnar simply never crossed paths despite both being in WWE at the same time, existing on opposite brands at a time when brand crossover was rare. By the time Lesnar left WWE in 2004, a whole bunch of major matches had never happened, with Michaels being one of them.

5

Brock Lesnar Vs. Bron Breakker

• Many fans wanted Breakker to beat Lesnar before his retirement.
• Breakker & Lesnar teamed up in WarGames.
• WWE opted for a Lesnar trilogy with Oba Femi.

When Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2025, there were several matches that stood out as being those that should take place – one of them being against one of the hottest prospects in the company, Bron Breakker.

Lesnar & Breaker would ultimately team up at Survivor Series 2025, which could have led to an eventual showdown, but that didn’t end up happening. Instead, WWE opted with Oba Femi for Lesnar’s final feud, with Breakker never getting the chance to work in a star-making showdown with the legendary Lesnar.

4

Brock Lesnar Vs. Steve Austin

• Lesnar vs. Austin was originally supposed to happen in WWE.
• Austin left WWE due to creative differences.
• Austin was Special Guest Referee for Lesnar’s match with Goldberg.

WWE wanted to book a match between Brock Lesnar and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin… but without any real build and not on a major show. Austin didn’t agree with this, which was one of many issues that led to a walkout from the company and the end of his professional wrestling career.

Due to these creative differences backstage, a match between Lesnar and Austin never ended up happening. Austin is one of the biggest available stars that Lesnar never ended up being able to face after battling the likes of The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and The Undertaker in his debut year in the company. Ticking off Austin would have completely a star-studded set of victories, but it never ended up happening. The only other opportunity WWE had was in 2022 when Austin returned at WrestleMania 38 for one final match, but Lesnar was busy working Roman Reigns on the show.

3

Brock Lesnar Vs. Gunther

• WWE teased a Gunther vs. Lesnar match.
• Gunther was expected to retire Lesnar from WWE.
• Lesnar’s final year in WWE only featured a handful of matches.

At the 2023 Royal Rumble, WWE teased a showdown between Gunther and Brock Lesnar, but the trigger wasn’t pulled on a match at WrestleMania 39. Many expected the build to begin in 2024, only for Lesnar to leave TV amidst controversy involving the Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit, in which Lesnar was named.

Upon Lesnar’s 2025 return, Gunther was embarking on a streak of retiring legends such as John Cena, AJ Styles and Goldberg, so many expected him to target Lesnar next. However, this never ended up happening and this dream match didn’t take place.

2

Brock Lesnar Vs. Chris Jericho

• Lesnar & Jericho were in WWE together more than once.
• They had a segment together on WWE programming which led to nothing.
• Jericho & Lesnar could’ve had a strong match.

Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho had crossover in their respective WWE tenures multiple times over the years, but it was never an avenue WWE went down. Lesnar ticked off plenty of big name matches throughout his time wrestling, but WWE seemingly never Jericho in the same light as people like John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and more.

WWE did once book a segment between Jericho and Lesnar in which they got physically involved on Monday Night RAW, and there was once an incident in which Jericho tried to fight Lesnar backstage after SummerSlam 2016 that could have been used for a storyline, but nothing ever came from this.

1

Brock Lesnar Vs. Sting

• Sting & Lesnar very briefly worked in WWE at the same time.
• Sting only had three matches in WWE.
• Lesnar vs. Sting would have been a bizarre matchup in WWE.

Despite a match between Brock Lesnar and Sting sounding like something you’d only ever see in a video game, the option was legitimately there for WWE if they wanted to book this obscene, surreal, and bizarre matchup between two major stars from different eras. At the back end of 2014, Sting arrived in WWE at a time when Lesnar embarked on his most dominant run ever – ending The Undertaker’s streak, squashing John Cena, and reigning as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Sting & Lesnar both wrestled at the WrestleMania 31 card, which is a wild reality, but a match between them was never even considered before Sting’s ill-timed injury that left him out of action for years.