In a recent episode of the Tetragrammaton podcast, Paul Heyman revealed that he handpicked two wrestlers to face Brock Lesnar in order to make him look strong in the ring. Heyman, who was paired with Lesnar from the beginning, produced some of The Beast Incarnate’s early matches following the wrestler’s main roster debut in the spring of 2002 made by Vince McMahon.
Paul Heyman selected Spike Dudley and Funaki
Heyman shared that he chose Spike Dudley and Funaki as Lesnar’s opponents because he knew they would make him look good. Both wrestlers faced Lesnar twice over two weeks, with Heyman setting up the match specifics to ensure Lesnar shined.
Brock Lesnar quickly became a force to be reckoned with
Lesnar rapidly established himself as a massive threat to WWE’s top stars. He made quick work of Funaki in a dark match on the January 3, 2002 edition of Sunday Night Heat and went on to face Spike Dudley in three singles contests, winning each convincingly.
Lesnar’s successful main roster debut
Following his impressive initial matches, Lesnar made his main roster debut, destroying numerous mid-card acts upon his arrival on WWE RAW. Just five months later, Lesnar defeated The Rock to become the WWE Champion in the main event of SummerSlam 2002.
