How did Brock Lesnar break 11-time WWE champion's neck? Exploring the little-known details
Brock Lesnar had quite a storied career that can simply be explained by his nickname, The Beast Incarnate. A true beast inside the squared circle, Lesnar was a force to be reckoned with. He rarely ever lost a match, and when he did, he made sure his opponent fought hard for victory. Sometimes, he made them fight too hard, to the point where they ended up injured. Such was the case with an 11-time WWE champion who recently went into detail about how he suffered a broken neck against The Beast.
The 11-time champion in question, you know it's true, it's damn true, is Kurt Angle. The Wrestling Machine took on The Beast at WrestleMania XIX, where they battled it out for the WWE Championship. The match ended after Lesnar hit his infamous F-5 on Angle, securing the title and ending the latter's championship reign. However, was that supposed to happen?
Well, according to Angle, who revealed all on The Joe Rogan Experience, that was unplanned. In reality, he was supposed to have a long title reign, but unfortunately, he broke his neck the month prior, and it was Lesnar who actually broke it.
"I was on his back, I had him in a choke hold. I was on his back and he was on the other side of the ring. He's really strong, and he can run really fast. So, I'm on his back and he starts running to the other side of the ring and he goes to turn, so I hit the turnbuckle. Well, we only turned sideways and my head whiplashed really fast and it snapped," recalled Angle [5:53-6:17]
If that wasn't bad luck for both Brock Lesnar and Angle, things got worse six months later. Once again going head-to-head, Lesnar managed to break Angle's neck a second time.
"But what's crazy is, I broke my neck again. Brock broke my neck again, six months later. He hit me over the head with a chair like this! Straight over top. You're supposed to bring it sideways so you don't have the pressure of your neck, your head going down your neck. So he hit me straight over and broke my neck again," said Angle [6:42-7:00]
It certainly was a rough year for Angle, who most definitely wasn't the same man in the ring after that. Nevertheless, he went on to have a great career, one that would be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Brock Lesnar may have been scheduled to face Gunther at WrestleMania 40
Brock Lesnar took to the ring at WrestleMania XIX at the age of 26. Fast forward 21 years and his career is the stuff of legends. He in fact, was expected to add another milestone moment to it, at WrestleMania 40, where many believed he would take on the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion, Gunther.
After their staredown in the 2023 Royal Rumble, the anticipation for the match was through the roof. However, recent allegations surrounding Brock Lesnar and former chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, have put those plans on hold. It now seems that The Ring General is heading down a path that leads to a 'Mania match against someone from The Judgment Day. A prospect, that is a lot less exciting than facing The Beast Incarnate.
It would certainly have been entertaining to watch Gunther and Lesnar collide at The Grandest Stage of Them All. But, for now, it looks like it will be a while before such plans are revisited.
Who do you think Gunther should face at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments section below.