When Brock Lesnar first joined the WWE back in the year 2002, he was a force to reckon with. He was known as one of the most dominant superstars to join the company, and was given the moniker “The Next Big Thing” by his then manager, Paul Heyman. Back then, Brock was nearly invincible. Nearly, because despite throwing his weight around the men’s locker room, there were superstars who bested him in the WWE ring. Superstars like The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and Goldberg.
Upon Brock’s return to the WWE in 2012, he rebranded and took on the moniker “The Beast,” or “The Beast Incarnate.” The nickname became an inseparable part of his identity in 2014 after he shocked the world by breaking The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania 30. Again, he was nearly invincible. While more than half of the men’s locker room were scared of “The Beast” Brock Lesnar, there were superstars who weren’t, and they proved it by defeating him in a one-on-one match. Superstars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and most recently, Oba Femi.
These superstars that defeated Brock never felt like they conquered “The Beast,” except for Seth Rollins. The term “Beast Slayer” was created by Seth Rollins back in 2019 when he defeated Brock, twice, to earn that nickname. However, it may seem as though recent events which includes Oba Femi’s victory over Brock at WrestleMania 42, has expunged Seth’s “Beast Slayer” moments from our memories. The reason for this will be shared shortly but before that, let’s take a recap on Seth Rollins’ “Beast Slayer” era.
The Origin Of Seth Rollins’ ‘Beast Slayer’ Moniker
In 2019, Seth won the Men’s Royal Rumble by tossing the final man, Braun Strowman, over the ring. The following day on Monday Night Raw, when it was time to choose between WWE Champion “The New” Daniel Bryan, and The Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, for his WrestleMania match, Rollins was confronted by Brock and Paul Heyman. The confrontation led to Brock hitting Seth with six F-5s, automatically making him Seth’s opponent for WrestleMania 35.
The attack by Brock on Seth, coupled with the hype from Paul who kept reiterating that “The Beast” is undefeated since winning the Universal Championship, culminated in Seth’s decision to be the one who will slay the beast at WrestleMania. After successfully defeating Brock, and winning the Universal Championship, Seth cemented the moniker “Beast Slayer.” The moment went viral and was talked about for weeks.
After WrestleMania 35, Brock went on to win the Money In The Bank ladder match that same year, and would later cash it in on Seth at Extreme Rules, after Seth finished a grueling main event tag team match against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. The following day on Raw, Seth earned his Universal Championship rematch against Brock Lesnar by winning a cross branded, All-Star, Top 10 Battle Royal. The match took place at the main event of Summer Slam, and once again, Seth defeated Brock to regain his Universal Championship, and retain the “Beast Slayer” moniker.
Oba Femi’s WrestleMania Victory
After Seth, others like Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes went on to defeat Brock more than once but never coveted the “Beast Slayer” nickname. In fact, the “Beast Slayer” word was never mentioned outside of Seth, until WrestleMania 42. The events that led to the match between Oba and Brock brought up the “Beast Slayer” words again, and not so surprisingly, Oba got the tag.
Here’s how it happened. Shortly after the 2026 Royal Rumble, Brock, accompanied by his advocate Paul, came to the ring on Monday Night Raw to claim that no one in the locker room was man enough to face him. Paul took over and laid down a bold, open challenge, challenging anyone to step up to “The Beast” for a match at WrestleMania. When Oba accepted the open challenge, Brock felt somewhat offended that a newbie like Oba would dare step up to him. He attempted a cheap shot at Oba but to the surprise and shock of everyone present, including Brock, Oba countered the attack.
The following week, the same thing happened, and due to how Oba would constantly stand his ground against Brock, commentators like Michael Cole, and Wade Barrett would be heard occasionally asking if Oba would do the impossible and slay the beast. Comments like this kept coming up every time Oba and Brock’s match was mentioned, even after Oba defeated Brock at WrestleMania. After WrestleMania, whenever Oba’s theme song hits, his WrestleMania match will be recalled, and he will be called the “Beast Slayer.”
What Was It About Oba Femi’s Match That Obliterated Seth’s Match?
Funnily enough, these matches had one thing in common. They were both the opening matches at their respective WrestleMania dates. But then, while one had a championship on the line, the other was about ego. The only plausible reason why Oba’s match is outshining Seth’s is because, after Oba’s victory at Mania, Brock cried so much that he retired impromptu.
The fact that Oba Femi was the man that made “The Beast” Brock Lesnar, the one in the 21:1, to retire is enough to forget about Seth Rollins’ “Beast Slayer“ era. Yes, both matches went viral, but there’s no denying that Brock’s last match in the WWE was everything, and more. It’s worth knowing that Oba Femi has been undefeated since he debuted in the main roster.
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