5 Beasts in the WWE before Brock Lesnar
As far as Brock Lesnar's success in the WWE is concerned, the formula has always been rather simplistic; a seamless dovetail between Paul Heyman's oratorical prowess and Lesnar's brutish physicality alone checks all the boxes. Paul Heyman's unparalleled ability to talk the talk is amply backed up by Brock Lesnar's fearsome ability to walk the walk, creating one of the most must-see novelty acts in the WWE today. After Lesnar was done wrecking J&J’s new Cadillac this Monday Night Raw, it looked like it had ended up on the wrong end of a Monster Truck derby. So when Paul Heyman promises doom and destruction to Lesnar's opponents, it comes across as a highly believable notion unlike the dime a dozen ""I'm gonna kick your a**!" proclamations that we hear from other wrestlers.Quite simply put, Brock Lesnar is a freak of nature and has been further built up that way by the WWE creative team. His every move in the ring smacks of legitimacy and contributes greatly to his aura of invincibility.His involvement with the WWE World Heavyweight Title has undoubtedly elevated interest levels in the title picture and the superstar who bests him cleanly, is set to receive an all-mighty push; such is the credibility that a "Beast" character entails in pro-wrestling perspective.That being said, here is a look at 5 such beast characters that dominated the WWE landscape before Brock Lesnar's latest run as an unconquerable behemoth. These are superstars that wreaked unmitigated havoc at certain points in their careers, if not through the entirety of it and came across as exponents of legitimate destruction. Here then is a list of 5 “Beasts” in the WWE before the incidence of the Beast of Battleground.
#1 Mark Henry
Have no qualms about it, Mark Henry is one of the most highly decorated lifters to walk the planet today. His records in Strongman competitions and weightlifting competitions over the world have stood the test of time and not for nothing, have earned him the moniker “The World’s Strongest Man.”
However despite his obvious Herculean strength, Mark Henry had not always been utilized by the WWE creative team to the fulfillment of his potential; at least not until the year 2011/12 that saw the emergence of the “Hall of Pain” storyline and subsequently, Mark Henry as the beast that pulverized anyone that stood before him.
Coincidentally, his run culminated with him capturing the World Heavyweight Championship – the only time in his career he has held the title barring his run as the ECW Champion in 2008/09. Despite this, his legitimacy as an exponent of destruction had been cemented by the end of the angle, leaving fans wondering why exactly the “beast” had been sleeping for the 15 preceding years in his career that he spent with the company.