title: Shiva

text: Rudra's evolution from a minor Vedic deity to a supreme being is first evidenced in the "Shvetashvatara Upanishad" (400–200 BCE), according to Gavin Flood, presenting the earliest seeds of theistic devotion to Rudra-Shiva. Here Rudra-Shiva is identified as the creator of the cosmos and liberator of Selfs from the birth-rebirth cycle. The Svetasvatara Upanishad set the tone for early Shaivite thought, especially in chapter 3 verse 2 where Shiva is equated with Brahman: "Rudra is truly one; for the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a second". The period of 200 BC to 100 AD also marks the beginning of the Shaiva tradition focused on the worship of Shiva as evidenced in other literature of this period. Other scholars such as Robert Hume and Doris Srinivasan state that the "Shvetashvatara Upanishad" presents pluralism, pantheism, or henotheism, rather than being a text just on Shiva theism.


title: Shiva

text: Shaiva devotees and ascetics are mentioned in Patanjali's "Mahābhāṣya" (2nd-century BCE) and in the "Mahabharata".


title: Shiva

text: The earliest iconic artworks of Shiva may be from Gandhara and northwest parts of ancient India. There is some uncertainty as the artwork that has survived is damaged and they show some overlap with meditative Buddha-related artwork, but the presence of Shiva's trident and phallic symbolism in this art suggests it was likely Shiva. Numismatics research suggests that numerous coins of the ancient Kushan Empire (30–375 CE) that have survived, were images of a god who is probably Shiva. The Shiva in Kushan coins is referred to as Oesho of unclear etymology and origins, but the simultaneous presence of Indra and Shiva in the Kushan era artwork suggest that they were revered deities by the start of the Kushan Empire.


title: Shiva

text: The Shaiva Upanishads are a group of 14 minor Upanishads of Hinduism variously dated from the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE through the 17th century. These extol Shiva as the metaphysical unchanging reality Brahman and the Atman (Self), and include sections about rites and symbolisms related to Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The Shaiva Puranas, particularly the Shiva Purana and the Linga Purana, present the various aspects of Shiva, mythologies, cosmology and pilgrimage ("Tirtha") associated with him. The Shiva-related Tantra literature, composed between the 8th and 11th centuries, are regarded in devotional dualistic Shaivism as Sruti. Dualistic Shaiva Agamas which consider Self within each living being and Shiva as two separate realities (dualism, "dvaita"), are the foundational texts for Shaiva Siddhanta. Other Shaiva Agamas teach that these are one reality (monism, "advaita"), and that Shiva is the Self, the perfection and truth within each living being. In Shiva related sub-traditions, there are ten dualistic Agama texts, eighteen qualified monism-cum-dualism Agama texts and sixty-four monism Agama texts.


title: Shiva

text: Shiva-related literature developed extensively across India in the 1st millennium CE and through the 13th century, particularly in Kashmir and Tamil Shaiva traditions. Shaivism gained immense popularity in Tamilakam as early as the 7th century CE, with poets such as Appar and Sambandar composing rich poetry that is replete with present features associated with the deity, such as his tandava dance, the mulavam (dumru), the aspect of holding fire, and restraining the proud flow of the Ganga upon his braid. The monist Shiva literature posit absolute oneness, that is Shiva is within every man and woman, Shiva is within every living being, Shiva is present everywhere in the world including all non-living being, and there is no spiritual difference between life, matter, man and Shiva. The various dualistic and monist Shiva-related ideas were welcomed in medieval southeast Asia, inspiring numerous Shiva-related temples, artwork and texts in Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, with syncretic integration of local pre-existing theologies.


title: Shiva

text: Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and the Smarta Tradition. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas", revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is. He is not only the creator in Shaivism, but he is also the creation that results from him, he is everything and everywhere. Shiva is the primal Self, the pure consciousness and Absolute Reality in the Shaiva traditions.


title: Shiva

text: The Shaivism theology is broadly grouped into two: the popular theology influenced by Shiva-Rudra in the Vedas, Epics and the Puranas; and the esoteric theology influenced by the Shiva and Shakti-related Tantra texts. The Vedic-Brahmanic Shiva theology includes both monist ("Advaita") and devotional traditions ("Dvaita") such as Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta and Lingayatism with temples featuring items such as linga, Shiva-Parvati iconography, bull Nandi within the premises, relief artwork showing aspects of Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The Tantric Shiva tradition ignored the mythologies and Puranas related to Shiva, and depending on the sub-school developed a variety of practices. For example, historical records suggest the tantric Kapalikas (literally, the 'skull-men') co-existed with and shared many Vajrayana Buddhist rituals, engaged in esoteric practices that revered Shiva and Shakti wearing skulls, begged with empty skulls, and sometimes used meat as a part of ritual. In contrast, the esoteric tradition within Kashmir Shaivism has featured the "Krama" and "Trika" sub-traditions. The Krama sub-tradition focussed on esoteric rituals around Shiva-Kali pair. The Trika sub-tradition developed a theology of triads involving Shiva, combined it with an ascetic lifestyle focusing on personal Shiva in the pursuit of monistic self-liberation.


title: Shiva

text: The Vaishnava (Vishnu-oriented) literature acknowledges and discusses Shiva. Like Shaiva literature that presents Shiva as supreme, the Vaishnava literature presents Vishnu as supreme. However, both traditions are pluralistic and revere both Shiva and Vishnu (along with Devi), their texts do not show exclusivism, and Vaishnava texts such as the "Bhagavata Purana" while praising Krishna as the Ultimate Reality, also present Shiva and Shakti as a personalized form an equivalent to the same Ultimate Reality. The texts of Shaivism tradition similarly praise Vishnu. The Skanda Purana, for example, states:


title: Shiva

text: Both traditions include legends about who is superior, about Shiva paying homage to Vishnu, and Vishnu paying homage to Shiva. However, in texts and artwork of either tradition, the mutual salutes are symbolism for complementarity. The Mahabharata declares the unchanging Ultimate Reality (Brahman) to be identical to Shiva and to Vishnu, that Vishnu is the highest manifestation of Shiva, and Shiva is the highest manifestation of Vishnu.


title: Shiva

text: The goddess-oriented Shakti tradition of Hinduism is based on the premise that the Supreme Principle and the Ultimate Reality called Brahman is female (Devi), but it treats the male as her equal and complementary partner. This partner is Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The earliest evidence of the tradition of reverence for the feminine with Rudra-Shiva context, is found in the Hindu scripture "Rigveda", in a hymn called the Devi Sukta.


title: Shiva

text: The "Devi Upanishad" in its explanation of the theology of Shaktism, mentions and praises Shiva such as in its verse 19. Shiva, along with Vishnu, is a revered god in the "Devi Mahatmya", a text of Shaktism considered by the tradition to be as important as the "Bhagavad Gita". The Ardhanarisvara concept co-mingles god Shiva and goddess Shakti by presenting an icon that is half-man and half woman, a representation and theme of union found in many Hindu texts and temples.


title: Shiva

text: In the Smarta tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is a part of its Panchayatana puja. This practice consists of the use of icons or anicons of five deities considered equivalent, set in a quincunx pattern. Shiva is one of the five deities, others being Vishnu, Devi (such as Parvati), Surya and Ganesha or Skanda or any personal god of devotee's preference (Ishta Devata).


title: Shiva

text: Philosophically, the Smarta tradition emphasizes that all idols (murti) are icons to help focus on and visualize aspects of Brahman, rather than distinct beings. The ultimate goal in this practice is to transition past the use of icons, recognize the Absolute symbolized by the icons, on the path to realizing the nondual identity of one's Atman (Self) and the Brahman. Popularized by Adi Shankara, many Panchayatana mandalas and temples have been uncovered that are from the Gupta Empire period, and one Panchayatana set from the village of Nand (about 24 kilometers from Ajmer) has been dated to belong to the Kushan Empire era (pre-300 CE). The Kushan period set includes Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Brahma and one deity whose identity is unclear.


title: Shiva

text: Shiva is considered the Great Yogi who is totally absorbed in himself – the transcendental reality. He is the Lord of Yogis, and the teacher of Yoga to sages. As Shiva Dakshinamurthi, states Stella Kramrisch, he is the supreme guru who "teaches in silence the oneness of one's innermost self ("atman") with the ultimate reality ("brahman")." Shiva is also an archetype for "samhara" () or "dissolution" which includes transcendence of human misery by the dissolution of "maya", which is why Shiva is associated with Yoga.


title: Shiva

text: The theory and practice of Yoga, in different styles, has been a part of all major traditions of Hinduism, and Shiva has been the patron or spokesperson in numerous Hindu Yoga texts. These contain the philosophy and techniques for Yoga. These ideas are estimated to be from or after the late centuries of the 1st millennium CE, and have survived as Yoga texts such as the "Isvara Gita" (literally, 'Shiva's song'), which Andrew Nicholson – a professor of Hinduism and Indian Intellectual History – states have had "a profound and lasting influence on the development of Hinduism".


title: Shiva

text: Other famed Shiva-related texts influenced Hatha Yoga, integrated monistic ("Advaita Vedanta") ideas with Yoga philosophy and inspired the theoretical development of Indian classical dance. These include the "Shiva Sutras", the "Shiva Samhita", and those by the scholars of Kashmir Shaivism such as the 10th-century scholar Abhinavagupta. Abhinavagupta writes in his notes on the relevance of ideas related to Shiva and Yoga, by stating that "people, occupied as they are with their own affairs, normally do nothing for others", and Shiva and Yoga spirituality helps one look beyond, understand interconnectedness, and thus benefit both the individual and the world towards a more blissful state of existence.


title: Shiva

text: The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Triple deity". However, the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism feature many triads of gods and goddesses, some of which do not include Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: According to Gavin Flood, "Shiva is a god of ambiguity and paradox," whose attributes include opposing themes. The ambivalent nature of this deity is apparent in some of his names and the stories told about him.


title: Shiva

text: In Yajurveda, two contrary sets of attributes for both malignant or terrifying (Sanskrit: ') and benign or auspicious (Sanskrit: ') forms can be found, leading Chakravarti to conclude that "all the basic elements which created the complex Rudra-Śiva sect of later ages are to be found here". In the Mahabharata, Shiva is depicted as "the standard of invincibility, might, and terror", as well as a figure of honor, delight, and brilliance.


title: Shiva

text: The duality of Shiva's fearful and auspicious attributes appears in contrasted names. The name Rudra reflects Shiva's fearsome aspects. According to traditional etymologies, the Sanskrit name "Rudra" is derived from the root "rud-", which means "to cry, howl". Stella Kramrisch notes a different etymology connected with the adjectival form "raudra", which means "wild, of "rudra" nature", and translates the name "Rudra" as "the wild one" or "the fierce god". R. K. Sharma follows this alternate etymology and translates the name as "terrible". Hara is an important name that occurs three times in the Anushasanaparvan version of the "Shiva sahasranama", where it is translated in different ways each time it occurs, following a commentorial tradition of not repeating an interpretation. Sharma translates the three as "one who captivates", "one who consolidates", and "one who destroys". Kramrisch translates it as "the ravisher". Another of Shiva's fearsome forms is as "time" and "great time", which ultimately destroys all things. The name appears in the "Shiva Sahasranama", where it is translated by Ram Karan Sharma as "(the Supreme Lord of) Time". Bhairava "terrible" or "frightful" is a fierce form associated with annihilation. In contrast, the name , "beneficent" or "conferring happiness" reflects his benign form. This name was adopted by the great Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara (c. 788–820), who is also known as Shankaracharya. The name (Sanskrit: swam-on its own; bhu-burn/shine) "self-shining/ shining on its own", also reflects this benign aspect.


title: Shiva

text: Shiva is depicted as both an ascetic yogi and as a householder (grihasta), roles which have been traditionally mutually exclusive in Hindu society. When depicted as a yogi, he may be shown sitting and meditating. His epithet Mahāyogi ("the great Yogi: "" = "great", "Yogi" = "one who practices Yoga") refers to his association with yoga. While Vedic religion was conceived mainly in terms of sacrifice, it was during the Epic period that the concepts of tapas, yoga, and asceticism became more important, and the depiction of Shiva as an ascetic sitting in philosophical isolation reflects these later concepts.


title: Shiva

text: As a family man and householder, he has a wife, Parvati and two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. His epithet ("The husband of ") refers to this idea, and Sharma notes that two other variants of this name that mean the same thing, and , also appear in the "sahasranama". in epic literature is known by many names, including the benign . She is identified with Devi, the Divine Mother; Shakti (divine energy) as well as goddesses like Tripura Sundari, Durga, Kali, Kamakshi and Minakshi. The consorts of Shiva are the source of his creative energy. They represent the dynamic extension of Shiva onto this universe. His son Ganesha is worshipped throughout India and Nepal as the Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles. Kartikeya is worshipped in Southern India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) by the names Subrahmanya, Subrahmanyan, Shanmughan, Swaminathan and Murugan, and in Northern India by the names Skanda, Kumara, or Karttikeya.


title: Shiva

text: Some regional deities are also identified as Shiva's children. As one story goes, Shiva is enticed by the beauty and charm of Mohini, Vishnu's female avatar, and procreates with her. As a result of this union, Shasta – identified with regional deities Ayyappan and Aiyanar – is born. In outskirts of Ernakulam in Kerala, a deity named Vishnumaya is stated to be offspring of Shiva and invoked in local exorcism rites, but this deity is not traceable in Hindu pantheon and is possibly a local tradition with "vaguely Chinese" style rituals, states Saletore. In some traditions, Shiva has daughters like the serpent-goddess Manasa and Ashokasundari. According to Doniger, two regional stories depict demons Andhaka and Jalandhara as the children of Shiva who war with him, and are later destroyed by Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The depiction of Shiva as Nataraja (Sanskrit नटराज; "Naṭarāja") is a form (') of Shiva (literally, "Lord of Dance"). The names Nartaka ("dancer") and Nityanarta ("eternal dancer") appear in the Shiva Sahasranama. His association with dance and also with music is prominent in the Puranic period. In addition to the specific iconographic form known as Nataraja, various other types of dancing forms (Sanskrit: ') are found in all parts of India, with many well-defined varieties in Tamil Nadu in particular. The two most common forms of the dance are the Tandava, which later came to denote the powerful and masculine dance as Kala-Mahakala associated with the destruction of the world. When it requires the world or universe to be destroyed, Shiva does it by the Tandava, and Lasya, which is graceful and delicate and expresses emotions on a gentle level and is considered the feminine dance attributed to the goddess Parvati. "Lasya" is regarded as the female counterpart of "Tandava". The "Tandava"-"Lasya" dances are associated with the destruction-creation of the world.


title: Shiva

text: Dakshinamurthy (Sanskrit दक्षिणामूर्ति; ")" is a form ("") of Shiva (literally, "[facing] south form"). Dakshinamurthy is depicted as a figure seated upon a deer-throne surrounded by sages receiving instruction. This form represents Shiva in his aspect as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom and giving exposition on the "shastras". This iconographic form for depicting Shiva in Indian art is mostly from Tamil Nadu.


title: Shiva

text: Bhikshatana (Sanskrit भिक्षाटन; "Bhikṣāṭana") is a form ("") of Shiva (literally "wandering about for alms, mendicancy" ). Bhikshatana is depicted as a nude four-armed man adorned with ornaments who holds a begging bowl in his hand and is followed by demonic attendants. The nudity and begging bowl are associated with the kapali tradition. This form of Shiva is associated with his penance for committing brahmicide, and with his encounters with the sages and their wives in the Deodar forest.


title: Shiva

text: Tripurantaka (Sanskrit त्रिपुरांतक; ') is a form (') of Shiva (literally "ender of Tripura"). Tripurantaka is depicted with four arms, the upper pair holding an axe and a deer, and the lower pair wielding a bow and arrow. This form of Shiva is associated with his destruction of the three cities (Tripura) of the Asuras.


title: Shiva

text: Ardhanarishvara (Sanskrit: अर्धनारीश्वर; "Ardhanārīśvara") is a form ("") of Shiva (literally "the lord who is half woman"). Adhanarishvara is depicted with one half of the body as male and the other half as female. Ardhanarishvara represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and illustrates how Shakti, the female principle of God, is inseparable from (or the same as, according to some interpretations) Shiva, the male principle of God, and vice versa.


title: Shiva

text: Kalyanasundara-murti (Sanskrit कल्याणसुन्दर-मूर्ति, literally "icon of beautiful marriage") is the depiction of Shiva's marriage to Parvati. The divine couple are often depicted performing the "panigrahana" (Sanskrit "accepting the hand") ritual from traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies. Agamic texts like the "Amsumadbhedagama", the "Uttara-kamaikagama" and the "Purva-Karanagama" prescribe the iconography of the Kalyanasunadara icon. The most basic form of this "murti" consists of only Shiva and Parvati together, but in more elaborate forms they are accompanied by other persons, sometimes including Parvati's parents, as well as deities (often with Vishnu and Lakshmi standing as Parvati's parents, Brahma as the officiating priest, and various other deities as attendants or guests).


title: Shiva

text: Somaskanda is the depiction of Shiva, Parvati, and their son Skanda (Kartikeya), popular during the Pallava Dynasty in southern India.


title: Shiva

text: Pañcānana (Sanskrit: पञ्चानन), also called the "pañcabrahma", is a form of Shiva depicting him as having five faces which correspond to his five divine activities ("pañcakṛtya"): creation ("sṛṣṭi"), preservation ("sthithi"), destruction ("saṃhāra"), concealing grace ("tirobhāva"), and revealing grace ("anugraha"). Five is a sacred number for Shiva. One of his most important mantras has five syllables ().


title: Shiva

text: Shiva's body is said to consist of five mantras, called the . As forms of God, each of these have their own names and distinct iconography: These are represented as the five faces of Shiva and are associated in various texts with the five elements, the five senses, the five organs of perception, and the five organs of action. Doctrinal differences and, possibly, errors in transmission, have resulted in some differences between texts in details of how these five forms are linked with various attributes. The overall meaning of these associations is summarized by Stella Kramrisch, "


title: Shiva

text: In the hymn of Manikkavacakar's Thiruvasagam, he testifies that at Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram had, by the pre-Chola period, an abstract or 'cosmic' symbolism linked to five elements (Pancha Bhoota) including ether. Nataraja is a significant visual interpretation of Brahman and a dance posture of Shiva. Sharada Srinivasan notes that, Nataraja is described as Satcitananda or "Being, Consciousness and Bliss" in the Shaiva Siddhanta text "Kunchitangrim Bhaje", resembling the Advaita doctrine, or "abstract monism," of Adi Shankara, "which holds the individual Self (Jīvātman) and supream Self (Paramātmā) to be one," while "an earlier hymn to Nataraja by Manikkavachakar identifies him with the unitary supreme consciousness, by using Tamil word Or Unarve, rather than Sanskrit Chit." This may point to an "osmosis" of ideas in medieval India, states Srinivasan.


title: Shiva

text: The "Linga Purana" states, "Shiva is signless, without color, taste, smell, that is beyond word or touch, without quality, motionless and changeless". The source of the universe is the signless, and all of the universe is the manifested Linga, a union of unchanging Principles and the ever changing nature. The "Linga Purana" and Siva Gita texts builds on this foundation. Linga, states Alain Daniélou, means sign. It is an important concept in Hindu texts, wherein Linga is a manifested sign and nature of someone or something. It accompanies the concept of Brahman, which as invisible signless and existent Principle, is formless or linga-less.


title: Shiva

text: Shvetashvatara Upanishad states one of the three significations, the primary one, of "Lingam" as "the imperishable Purusha", the absolute reality, where says the "linga" as "sign", a mark that provides the existence of Brahman, thus the original meaning as "sign". Furthermore, it says "Shiva, the Supreme Lord, has no liūga", liuga ( ) meaning Shiva is transcendent, beyond any characteristic and, specifically the sign of gender.


title: Shiva

text: Apart from anthropomorphic images of Shiva, he is also represented in aniconic form of a lingam. These are depicted in various designs. One common form is the shape of a vertical rounded column in the centre of a lipped, disk-shaped object, the "yoni", symbolism for the goddess Shakti. In Shiva temples, the "linga" is typically present in its sanctum sanctorum and is the focus of votary offerings such as milk, water, flower petals, fruit, fresh leaves, and rice. According to Monier Williams and Yudit Greenberg, "linga" literally means 'mark, sign or emblem', and also refers to a "mark or sign from which the existence of something else can be reliably inferred". It implies the regenerative divine energy innate in nature, symbolized by Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: Some scholars, such as Wendy Doniger, view "linga" as merely a phallic symbol, although this interpretation is criticized by others, including Swami Vivekananda, Sivananda Saraswati, Stella Kramrisch, Swami Agehananda Bharati, S. N. Balagangadhara, and others. According to Moriz Winternitz, the "linga" in the Shiva tradition is "only a symbol of the productive and creative principle of nature as embodied in Shiva", and it has no historical trace in any obscene phallic cult. According to Sivananda Saraswati, westerners who are curiously passionate and have impure understanding or intelligence, incorrectly assume Siva Linga as a phallus or sex organ. Later on, Sivananda Saraswati mentions that, this is not only a serious mistake, but also a grave blunder.


title: Shiva

text: The worship of the lingam originated from the famous hymn in the "Atharva-Veda Samhitâ" sung in praise of the "Yupa-Stambha", the sacrificial post. In that hymn, a description is found of the beginningless and endless "Stambha" or "Skambha", and it is shown that the said "Skambha" is put in place of the eternal Brahman. Just as the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke, ashes, and flames, the "Soma" plant, and the ox that used to carry on its back the wood for the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the conceptions of the brightness of Shiva's body, his tawny matted hair, his blue throat, and the riding on the bull of the Shiva, the "Yupa-Skambha" gave place in time to the "Shiva-Linga". In the text "Linga Purana", the same hymn is expanded in the shape of stories, meant to establish the glory of the great Stambha and the superiority of Shiva as Mahadeva.


title: Shiva

text: The oldest known archaeological "linga" as an icon of Shiva is the Gudimallam lingam from 3rd-century BCE. In Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, twelve major temples of Shiva are called Jyotirlinga, which means "linga of light", and these are located across India.


title: Shiva

text: Puranic scriptures contain occasional references to "ansh" – literally 'portion, or avatars of Shiva', but the idea of Shiva avatars is not universally accepted in Shaivism. The Linga Purana mentions twenty-eight forms of Shiva which are sometimes seen as avatars, however such mention is unusual and the avatars of Shiva is relatively rare in Shaivism compared to the well emphasized concept of Vishnu avatars in Vaishnavism.


title: Shiva

text: Some Vaishnava literature reverentially link Shiva to characters in its Puranas. For example, in the "Hanuman Chalisa", Hanuman is identified as the eleventh avatar of Shiva. The "Bhagavata Purana" and the "Vishnu Purana" claim sage Durvasa to be a portion of Shiva. Some medieval era writers have called the Advaita Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara an incarnation of Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: There is a "Shivaratri" in every lunar month on its 13th night/14th day, but once a year in late winter (February/March) and before the arrival of spring, marks "Maha Shivaratri" which means "the Great Night of Shiva".


title: Shiva

text: Maha Shivaratri is a major Hindu festival, but one that is solemn and theologically marks a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world, and meditation about the polarities of existence, of Shiva and a devotion to humankind. It is observed by reciting Shiva-related poems, chanting prayers, remembering Shiva, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, noninjury to others, forgiveness, introspection, self-repentance and the discovery of Shiva. The ardent devotees keep awake all night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on pilgrimage to Jyotirlingam shrines. Those who visit temples, offer milk, fruits, flowers, fresh leaves and sweets to the lingam. Some communities organize special dance events, to mark Shiva as the lord of dance, with individual and group performances. According to Jones and Ryan, Maha Sivaratri is an ancient Hindu festival which probably originated around the 5th-century.


title: Shiva

text: Another major festival involving Shiva worship is Kartik Purnima, commemorating Shiva's victory on the demons Tripurasura. Across India, various Shiva temples are illuminated throughout the night. Shiva icons are carried in procession in some places.


title: Shiva

text: Thiruvathira is a festival observed in Kerala dedicated to Shiva. It is believed that on this day, Parvati met Shiva after her long penance and Shiva took her as his wife. On this day Hindu women performs the Thiruvathirakali accompanied by Thiruvathira paattu (folk songs about Parvati and her longing and penance for Shiva's affection).


title: Shiva

text: Regional festivals dedicated to Shiva include the Chithirai festival in Madurai around April/May, one of the largest festivals in South India, celebrating the wedding of Minakshi (Parvati) and Shiva. The festival is one where both the Vaishnava and Shaiva communities join the celebrations, because Vishnu gives away his sister Minakshi in marriage to Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: Some Shaktism-related festivals revere Shiva along with the goddess considered primary and Supreme. These include festivals dedicated to Annapurna such as "Annakuta" and those related to Durga. In Himalayan regions such as Nepal, as well as in northern, central and western India, the festival of Teej is celebrated by girls and women in the monsoon season, in honor of goddess Parvati, with group singing, dancing and by offering prayers in Parvati-Shiva temples.


title: Shiva

text: The ascetic, Vedic and Tantric sub-traditions related to Shiva, such as those that became ascetic warriors during the Islamic rule period of India, celebrate the Kumbha Mela festival. This festival cycles every 12 years, in four pilgrimage sites within India, with the event moving to the next site after a gap of three years. The biggest is in Prayaga (renamed Allahabad during the Mughal rule era), where millions of Hindus of different traditions gather at the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna. In the Hindu tradition, the Shiva-linked ascetic warriors ("Nagas") get the honor of starting the event by entering the "Sangam" first for bathing and prayers.


title: Shiva

text: In Pakistan, major Shivaratri celebration occurs at the Umarkot Shiv Mandir in the Umarkot. The three-day Shivarathri celebration at the temple is attended by around 250,000 people.


title: Shiva

text: In Indonesian Shaivism the popular name for Shiva has been "Batara Guru", which is derived from Sanskrit "Bhattāraka" which means "noble lord". He is conceptualized as a kind spiritual teacher, the first of all Gurus in Indonesian Hindu texts, mirroring the Dakshinamurti aspect of Shiva in the Indian subcontinent. However, the Batara Guru has more aspects than the Indian Shiva, as the Indonesian Hindus blended their spirits and heroes with him. Batara Guru's wife in Southeast Asia is the same Hindu deity Durga, who has been popular since ancient times, and she too has a complex character with benevolent and fierce manifestations, each visualized with different names such as Uma, Sri, Kali and others. In contrast to Hindu religious texts, whether Vedas or Puranas, in Javanese puppetry (wayang) books, Batara Guru is the king of the gods who regulates and creates the world system. In the classic book that is used as a reference for the puppeteers, it is said that Sanghyang Manikmaya or Batara Guru was created from a sparkling light by Sang Hyang Tunggal, along with the blackish light which is the origin of Ismaya. Shiva has been called Sadāśiva, Paramasiva, Mahādeva in benevolent forms, and Kāla, Bhairava, Mahākāla in his fierce forms.


title: Shiva

text: The Indonesian Hindu texts present the same philosophical diversity of Shaivite traditions found in the Indian subcontinent. However, among the texts that have survived into the contemporary era, the more common are of those of Shaiva Siddhanta (locally also called Siwa Siddhanta, Sridanta).


title: Shiva

text: During the pre-Islamic period on the island of Java, Shaivism and Buddhism were considered very close and allied religions, though not identical religions. The medieval-era Indonesian literature equates Buddha with Siwa (Shiva) and Janardana (Vishnu). This tradition continues in predominantly Hindu Bali Indonesia in the modern era, where Buddha is considered the younger brother of Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The worship of Shiva became popular in Central Asia through the influence of the Hephthalite Empire and Kushan Empire. Shaivism was also popular in Sogdia and the Kingdom of Yutian as found from the wall painting from Penjikent on the river Zervashan. In this depiction, Shiva is portrayed with a sacred halo and a sacred thread ("Yajnopavita"). He is clad in tiger skin while his attendants are wearing Sogdian dress. A panel from Dandan Oilik shows Shiva in His Trimurti form with Shakti kneeling on her right thigh. Another site in the Taklamakan Desert depicts him with four legs, seated cross-legged on a cushioned seat supported by two bulls. It is also noted that the Zoroastrian wind god Vayu-Vata took on the iconographic appearance of Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: The Japuji Sahib of the Guru Granth Sahib says: "The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi." In the same chapter, it also says: "Shiva speaks, and the Siddhas listen." In Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh has mentioned two avatars of Rudra: Dattatreya Avatar and Parasnath Avatar.


title: Shiva

text: Shiva is mentioned in the Buddhist Tantras and worshipped as the fierce deity Mahākāla in Vajrayana, Chinese Esoteric, and Tibetan Buddhism. In the cosmologies of Buddhist Tantras, Shiva is depicted as passive, with Shakti being his active counterpart: Shiva as "Prajña" and Shakti as "Upāya".


title: Shiva

text: In Mahayana Buddhism, Shiva is depicted as Maheshvara, a deva living in Akanishta Devaloka. In Theravada Buddhism, Shiva is depicted as Ishana, a deva residing in the 6th heaven of Kamadhatu along with Sakra Indra. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Shiva is depicted as Mahakala, a dharma protecting Bodhisattva. In most forms of Buddhism, the position of Shiva is lesser than that of Mahabrahma or Sakra Indra. In Mahayana Buddhist texts, Shiva (Maheshvara) becomes a buddha called Bhasmeshvara Buddha ("Buddha of ashes").


title: Shiva

text: In China and Taiwan, Shiva, better known there as Maheśvara (Chinese: 大自在天; pinyin: Dàzìzàitiān; or Chinese: 摩醯首羅天 pinyin: Móxīshǒuluótiān) is considered one of the "Twenty Devas" (Chinese: 二十諸天, pinyin: Èrshí Zhūtiān) or the "Twenty-Four Devas" (Chinese: 二十四諸天, pinyin: Èrshísì zhūtiān) who are a group of "dharmapalas" that manifest to protect the Buddhist dharma. Statues of him are often enshrined in the Mahavira Halls of Chinese Buddhist temples along with the other "devas". In addition, he is also regarded as one of thirty-three manifestations of Avalokitesvara in the Lotus Sutra. In Mahayana Buddhist cosmology, Maheśvara resides in Akaniṣṭha, highest of the Śuddhāvāsa ("Pure Abodes") wherein Anāgāmi ("Non-returners") who are already on the path to Arhathood and who will attain enlightenment are born.


title: Shiva

text: Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japan, is considered to be evolved from Shiva. The god enjoys an exalted position as a household deity in Japan and is worshipped as the god of wealth and fortune. The name is the Japanese equivalent of Mahākāla, the Buddhist name for Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: In contemporary culture, Shiva is depicted in art, films, books, tattoos, etc. He has been referred to as "the god of cool things" and a "bonafide rock hero".


title: Shiva

text: Popular films include the Gujarati language movie "Har Har Mahadev", the Kannada movie "Gange Gowri" and well-known books include Amish Tripathi's "Shiva Trilogy", which has sold over a million copies. On television, "Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev", a television serial about Shiva on the Life OK channel was among the most watched shows at its peak popularity. A 90's television series of DD National titled Om Namah Shivay was also based on legends of Shiva.


title: Shiva

text: Popular video games featuring Shiva include the Shin Megami Tensei series and especially Smite. The god is also depicted as the mascot for the Washington Commanders in the popular animated series, Gridiron Heights.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for "Bottle Rocket" (1996), "Rushmore" (1998), and "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), the last of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. He has also appeared in Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007), "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), and "The French Dispatch" (2021). Wilson also starred in the Woody Allen romantic comedy "Midnight in Paris" (2011) as unsatisfied screenwriter Gil Pender, a role which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. In 2014 he appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice", and Peter Bogdanovich's "She's Funny That Way".


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson is also known for his career as an onscreen comedian and member of the Frat Pack, which included starring roles in such comedies as "Zoolander" (2001), "Starsky & Hutch" (2004), "Wedding Crashers" (2005), "You, Me and Dupree" (2006), "How Do You Know" (2010), "The Big Year" (2011), and "The Internship" (2013). He is also known for the family films "Marley and Me" (2008), and the "Night at the Museum" film series (2005–2014). He voices Lightning McQueen in the "Cars" film series (2006–present), the title character in "Marmaduke" (2010) and Reggie in "Free Birds" (2013). He stars as Mobius M. Mobius in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series "Loki" (2021–present) streaming on Disney+.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson's accolades include an Oscar and BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay (for "The Royal Tenenbaums"), a Golden Globe and two SAG acting nominations (for "Midnight in Paris" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel") and an Independent Spirit Award (for "Inherent Vice").


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson was born in Dallas, the middle child of three sons of photographer Laura Cunningham Wilson (born 1939) and Robert Andrew Wilson (1941–2017), an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. His brothers Andrew and Luke are also actors. Wilson's parents are of Irish descent. He attended New Mexico Military Institute, amongst other schools. He later attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, but did not graduate. While in college, he met and was roommates with director and frequent collaborator Wes Anderson.


title: Owen Wilson

text: After his film debut in "Bottle Rocket" (1996), Wilson co-wrote with Wes Anderson the script for Anderson's next two directorial films, "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums", for which they garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. While Wilson did not act in "Rushmore" he appears briefly in a photograph in the film. Wilson then landed a role in "The Cable Guy", directed by Ben Stiller, an early admirer of "Bottle Rocket". After appearing in supporting roles in action films like "Anaconda" and "Armageddon" and the horror film "The Haunting", Wilson appeared in two dramatic roles: a supporting role in "Permanent Midnight", which starred Stiller as a drug-addicted TV writer; and the lead role (as a serial killer) in "The Minus Man", in which his future girlfriend, singer Sheryl Crow, was a co-star.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson starred in the 2000 comedy action film "Shanghai Noon" alongside Jackie Chan. The film grossed nearly $100 million worldwide. His fame continued to rise after starring alongside Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell in the 2001 film "Zoolander". Gene Hackman reportedly took notice of Wilson's performance in "Shanghai Noon" and recommended the actor to co-star in the 2001 action film "Behind Enemy Lines". Also in 2001, Wilson and Anderson collaborated on their third film, "The Royal Tenenbaums", a financial and critical success. The film earned the writing team an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson returned to the buddy-comedy genre in 2002 with the action comedy "I Spy", co-starring Eddie Murphy. The big-screen remake of the same-named television series did not perform well at the box office. He made a cameo appearance in the Girl Skateboards video "Yeah Right!" in 2003. He then reunited with Chan to make "Shanghai Knights" (2003), and co-starred in the film remake of the 1970s television series "Starsky & Hutch" (2004). Due to his busy schedule as an actor and an ongoing sinus condition, Wilson was unavailable to collaborate on the script for Wes Anderson's fourth feature film, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". The 2004 film was ultimately co-written by filmmaker Noah Baumbach. However, Wilson did star in the film as Bill Murray's would-be son, Ned Plimpton; it was a role written specifically for him. In 2004, he and his brother Luke played the Wright brothers in the 2004 film "Around the World in 80 Days".


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson partnered with Vince Vaughn in the 2005 comedy film "Wedding Crashers", which grossed over $200 million in the US alone. Also in 2005, Owen collaborated with his brothers in "The Wendell Baker Story", written by Luke and directed by Luke and Andrew. In 2006, Wilson voiced Lightning McQueen in the Disney/Pixar film "Cars", starred in "You, Me and Dupree" with Kate Hudson, and appeared with Stiller in "Night at the Museum" as cowboy Jedediah.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson has starred with Ben Stiller in twelve films, including "The Cable Guy" (1996), "Permanent Midnight" (1998), "Meet the Parents" (2000), "Zoolander" (2001), "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), "Starsky & Hutch" (2004), "Meet the Fockers" (2004), "Night at the Museum" (2006), and the sequels "" (2009), "Little Fockers" (2010), "" (2014) and "Zoolander 2" (2016).


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson appeared in another Wes Anderson film, "The Darjeeling Limited", which screened at the 45th annual New York Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and opened September 30, 2007. It co-stars Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody. "The Darjeeling Limited" was selected for a DVD and Blu-ray release by The Criterion Collection in October 2010. Wilson next starred in the Judd Apatow comedy, "Drillbit Taylor" which was released in March 2008. He appeared in a film adaptation of John Grogan's best-selling memoir, "Marley & Me" (2008), co-starring Jennifer Aniston.


title: Owen Wilson

text: He provided the voice for the Whackbat Coach Skip in Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox". He starred in the film "The Big Year", an adaptation of Mark Obmascik's book "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession". The film was released in October 2011 by 20th Century Fox, and co-starred Jack Black, JoBeth Williams, Steve Martin and Rashida Jones.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson is a member of the comedic acting brotherhood colloquially known as the Frat Pack. Wilson made a guest appearance on the NBC comedy "Community" with fellow Frat Pack member Jack Black.


title: Owen Wilson

text: In 2011, Wilson starred as a nostalgia-seized writer in the romantic comedy "Midnight in Paris", written and directed by Woody Allen. The film premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Wilson earned a Golden Globe Award for his performance. The film became Allen's highest grossing thus far, and was also well received by critics.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson returned to voice McQueen in "Cars 2". In March 2012, Wilson was signed to star in the John Erick Dowdle thriller "The Coup", later renamed "No Escape", in which he played the role of the father of an American family that moves to Southeast Asia, only to find itself swept up in a wave of rebel violence that is overwhelming the city. The film was not released until 2015, and was Wilson's return to the action genre for the first time since "Behind Enemy Lines" in 2001. He also voiced turkey Reggie in Reel FX's first animated film, "Free Birds".


title: Owen Wilson

text: In 2014, Wilson appeared in Wes Anderson's acclaimed ensemble comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and in Paul Thomas Anderson's book adaptation of "Inherent Vice". In 2015, he starred with Jennifer Aniston in Peter Bogdanovich's film "She's Funny That Way", and in the action thriller film "No Escape" alongside Lake Bell and Pierce Brosnan. Wilson's films have grossed more than 2.25  billion domestically (United States and Canada), with an average of 75M per film. In 2017, Wilson again voiced Lightning McQueen in "Cars 3", played a suburban father in the drama "Wonder", and co-starred with Ed Helms in the comedy "Father Figures".


title: Owen Wilson

text: In November 2017, Wilson became the face of a new £20 million advertising campaign for the UK sofa retailer Sofology. He returned to work with Sofology in 2019 for a second advertising campaign.


title: Owen Wilson

text: In 2021, Wilson starred in the comedy film "Bliss", directed by Mike Cahill opposite Salma Hayek for Amazon Studios. In 2021, Wilson also reunited with Wes Anderson for "The French Dispatch", which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. and "Marry Me" alongside Jennifer Lopez and directed by Kat Coiro for Universal Pictures. Wilson is said to be attached to a sequel to "Shanghai Knights", marking his third collaboration with Jackie Chan.


title: Owen Wilson

text: Wilson is currently starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series "Loki" opposite Tom Hiddleston on Disney+ as Mobius M. Mobius. He also signed on to star in a new film adaptation of "The Haunted Mansion".


title: Owen Wilson

text: In August 2007, Wilson attempted suicide and was subsequently treated for depression at St. John's Health Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. A few days after his hospitalization, Wilson withdrew from his role in "Tropic Thunder", which was produced by and co-starred his friend and frequent collaborator Ben Stiller and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. The incident resulted in much unwanted publicity for Wilson, and he has been wary of doing interviews ever since. However, Wilson opened up about his suicide attempt with an article with "Esquire" in 2021, 14 years to the month after the event"." Within the article, Wilson described how his older brother, Andrew, supported him during his recovery.


title: Owen Wilson

text: In January 2011, Wilson and his then-girlfriend Jade Duell had a son. Wilson and Duell ended their relationship later that year. In January 2014, he had a son with Caroline Lindqvist. He had a third child, a daughter, in October 2018 with ex-girlfriend Varunie Vongsvirates. Although Wilson has no relationship with his third child, he pays monthly child support.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is currently signed to the professional wrestling promotion WWE, where in storyline, he is a "free agent", allowing him to appear on both the Raw and SmackDown brands. Lesnar is the only person to have won all of the primary heavyweight championships in WWE, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar competed in collegiate wrestling for the University of Minnesota, winning the NCAA Division I national championship in 2000. He soon signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002), rising to industry prominence in 2002 by winning the WWE Championship at age 25, setting the record for the youngest performer to win the championship. In 2004, Lesnar departed WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), but was cut from the team during pre-season. He won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2005 while with NJPW, and he re-signed with WWE in 2012; his 504-day reign as Universal Champion is the seventh-longest world championship reign in the promotion's history. He also won the Royal Rumble match twice (2003 and 2022), the Money in the Bank ladder match (2019), the King of the Ring tournament (2002), and has headlined several pay-per-view events, including WWE's flagship event WrestleMania five times (XIX, 31, 34, 36, and 38); in addition, he also ended The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar began an MMA career in 2007, and signed with the UFC in 2008. He quickly won the UFC Heavyweight Championship, but was sidelined with diverticulitis in 2009. On his return in 2010, Lesnar defeated Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin to unify the heavyweight championships and become the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. After a set of losses and further struggles with diverticulitis, Lesnar retired from MMA in 2011. He returned at "UFC 200" in 2016 to defeat Mark Hunt, but his victory was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for clomiphene, a banned substance on UFC's anti-doping policy. He then retired from MMA for the second time in 2017. A box office sensation, he competed in some of the bestselling pay-per-view events in promotion history, including headlining "UFC 91", "UFC 100", "UFC 116", and "UFC 121". He also co-headlined "UFC 200", briefly being the main headliner before that spot was given to Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Brock Edward Lesnar was born in Webster, South Dakota, on July 12, 1977, the son of Stephanie and Richard Lesnar. He grew up on his parents' dairy farm in Webster. He is of German descent, and has two older brothers named Troy and Chad and a younger sister named Brandi. At the age of 17, he joined the Army National Guard and was assigned to an office job after his red-green colorblindness was deemed hazardous to his desire to work with explosives. He was discharged after failing a computer typing test and later worked for a construction company.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar attended Webster High School, playing football and competing in amateur wrestling, placing third in the state championships his senior year. He then went to Bismarck State College, where he won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) heavyweight wrestling championship in his sophomore year. Lesnar attended Bismarck State College for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota on a wrestling scholarship, where he was roommates with future WWE colleague Shelton Benjamin, who was also his assistant coach.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar won the 2000 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I heavyweight wrestling championship his senior year after being the runner-up to Stephen Neal the year prior. He finished his amateur career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, the 1998 NJCAA Heavyweight Champion, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion and the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Champion, with a record of 106–5 overall in four years of college.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: In 2000, Lesnar signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he first met future friend and manager Paul Heyman. OVW booker Jim Cornette paired Lesnar with his former college roommate Shelton Benjamin in October 2000. They were known as The Minnesota Stretching Crew and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions. Lesnar wrestled several dark matches in 2001 and 2002 before being called up to the WWF's main roster.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar debuted on WWF television on the March 18, 2002, episode of "Raw" as a heel, attacking Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley during their WWF Hardcore Championship match, while also being accompanied by Paul Heyman, who was seen giving instructions to Lesnar. When the brand extension was introduced in the WWF, Lesnar was drafted to the Raw brand. Later, Heyman was confirmed to be Lesnar's agent and gave Lesnar the nickname "The Next Big Thing". Lesnar's first feud was with The Hardy Boyz. He defeated Jeff Hardy by knockout after Hardy did not respond to referee Theodore Long at Backlash on April 21, his first official televised match. The next night on "Raw", Lesnar faced off against Jeff's brother, Matt Hardy, and defeated him in the same fashion. Lesnar and Shawn Stasiak lost to The Hardy Boyz at Insurrextion on May 4 after Stasiak was pinned, but Lesnar attacked all the participants after the match. At Judgment Day on May 19, Lesnar and Heyman defeated The Hardy Boyz. This was also the first pay-per-view held after the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).


title: Brock Lesnar

text: In June 2002, Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Bubba Ray Dudley in the first round, Booker T in the quarter-finals, Test in the semi-finals and Rob Van Dam in the finals, earning him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam. At Vengeance on July 21, Lesnar lost to Van Dam in a WWE Intercontinental Championship match by disqualification. On July 22, Lesnar joined the SmackDown! brand. After a quick feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in August 2002, Lesnar defeated The Rock at SummerSlam on August 25 to become the new WWE Undisputed Champion and youngest WWE Champion at age 25. He also became the second fastest professional wrestler to win the WWE Championship since his debut (126 days) behind only Ric Flair (113 days). At the time, the WWE Undisputed Championship was being defended on both brands, so Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff expected Lesnar to return on "Raw" the following night. SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon declared that Lesnar was only required to defend the title on SmackDown! shows and events, prompting Bischoff to establish a new championship for the Raw brand (the World Heavyweight Championship); the WWE Undisputed Championship was then renamed the WWE Championship.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar's rapid rise to the top of WWE in 2002 led to a feud with The Undertaker, which involved a match at Unforgiven on September 22. The match ended in a double disqualification, with Lesnar retained the title. Lesnar faced The Undertaker again at No Mercy, this time in a Hell in a Cell match. Leading up to the match, in the storyline, Lesnar broke The Undertaker's hand with a propane tank. Despite Heyman begging McMahon not to let The Undertaker use his cast as a weapon, the request was denied and the match went on as planned. At No Mercy on October 20, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in the Hell in a Cell match to retain the title, thus ending their feud. He retained the WWE Championship in a handicap match with Heyman against Edge at Rebellion on October 26.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar's next opponent was Big Show and Heyman was convinced more than anyone that Lesnar could not win, trying to talk him out of defending the title. Lesnar refused and defended the championship against Big Show at Survivor Series on November 17. At Survivor Series, Heyman turned on Lesnar, allowing Big Show to chokeslam him onto a steel chair and pin him to win the WWE Championship, resulting in Lesnar's first pinfall loss in WWE. This led to Lesnar turning face for the first time. Following Survivor Series, Heyman made it clear that Lesnar would not get a rematch, and had snuck a special clause saying so into his contract. To gain his revenge on Big Show and Heyman, Lesnar interfered in Big Show's first title defense, which came against Kurt Angle the next month at Armageddon on December 15, where Lesnar executed the "F-5" on Big Show, which enabled Angle to win the WWE Championship. On the following episode of "SmackDown!", Angle introduced Heyman as his manager and, despite promising Lesnar a title shot earlier in the evening, declared that Lesnar still would not get it. Lesnar's rivalry with Heyman and Big Show resumed, which culminated in a match at the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003, with the winner being placed into the Royal Rumble match later in the evening. At the Royal Rumble, he defeated Big Show and entered the Royal Rumble match as the #29 entry. He eliminated Matt Hardy and Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Lesnar's former OVW teammate Shelton Benjamin), who at the time, were mentored by Angle as a three-man stable. He eliminated The Undertaker last and won the Royal Rumble match, which guaranteed him a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XIX since he was a SmackDown! wrestler. After the Royal Rumble, Lesnar and Chris Benoit defeated Angle, Haas and Benjamin in a three-on-two handicap match at No Way Out on February 23, despite Team Angle injuring their partner, Edge, backstage before the match. At WrestleMania on March 30, Lesnar defeated Angle to win his second WWE Championship; during the match, he botched a shooting star press (a move he had used numerous times in OVW) and landed on his head and neck, resulting in a concussion. This forced Angle (who entered the match with a broken neck) and Lesnar to improvise the finish of the match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: After WrestleMania, Lesnar turned his attention to John Cena, who had returned from injury in February 2003 after an "F-5" into a ringpost from Lesnar, with Cena claiming that Lesnar nearly ended his career and even named his new finishing move the ""F.U."" as a jab at the new champion. The feud ended in a match at Backlash on April 27, where Lesnar defeated Cena to retain the WWE Championship. On the following episode of "SmackDown!", Lesnar resumed his rivalry with Big Show after, in the storyline, Big Show injured Rey Mysterio during their match at Backlash. Big Show's attack resulted in Mysterio being carried out on a stretcher and backboard, and Big Show took Mysterio off the stretcher and swung the backboard into the ringpost, compounding the injury. Lesnar called out Big Show, who demanded that Lesnar put his title on the line against him. This led to a stretcher match for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day on May 18, which Lesnar won. During a rematch on the June 12 episode of "SmackDown!", Lesnar lifted Big Show off the top-rope in a superplex which caused the ring to collapse on impact. As Lesnar and Big Show continued their rivalry, Kurt Angle returned from his neck surgery and began to form a more friendly rivalry with Lesnar, as the two were allies, yet contenders for the title. At the first-ever SmackDown! brand-exclusive pay-per-view on July 27, Vengeance, Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Angle in a triple threat match involving Big Show, after he was pinned by Angle.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar continued to aggressively pursue the WWE Championship despite his friendship with Angle. Mr. McMahon became involved in the angle, at first berating Lesnar, who had involved himself in McMahon's rivalry with Zach Gowen, for losing to Angle. This all turned out to be a swerve that came into focus on the August 7 episode of "SmackDown!". That night, Lesnar and McMahon were to face each other in a steel cage match with Angle as the special guest referee as per McMahon's orders on the previous week's program. During the match, Lesnar had passed out due to a staged backstage incident and McMahon was set to pin him, but Angle refused to allow McMahon to win that way. As the two men began to argue, Lesnar attacked Angle with an "F-5" and kept attacking Angle while McMahon watched and celebrated with him afterward, turning heel once again in the process. At SummerSlam on August 24, Lesnar lost to Angle after submitting to the ankle lock. On the September 18 episode of "SmackDown!", Lesnar defeated Angle in an Iron Man match to win his third WWE Championship by a final score of five to four, thus ending their long-standing feud.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar successfully defended his newly won title against the debuting Paul London on the October 9 episode of "SmackDown!". He returned to feud with The Undertaker, as Lesnar had previously cost Undertaker the title in a match against then-champion Kurt Angle on the September 4 episode of "SmackDown!", which granted him a shot at Lesnar's title. At No Mercy on October 19, Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a Biker Chain match after interference from The Full Blooded Italians and Vince McMahon. After Paul Heyman returned to WWE as SmackDown! General Manager, Lesnar aligned himself with Heyman. With Survivor Series coming up, he challenged Angle to a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match. Lesnar chose Big Show as his first teammate, with Heyman adding a returning Nathan Jones and a debuting Matt Morgan to bring the team number to four. Angle chose Chris Benoit and The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) to join his team. Faarooq was injured during a match with Lesnar and Angle's team was forced to find a replacement for him. Lesnar's team picked A-Train to fill the fifth and final spot for them after he attacked John Cena, who refused to accept an invitation to join Lesnar's team. Cena instead joined Angle's team and Angle added Hardcore Holly as the fifth member (Lesnar had legitimately injured Holly the year before and he had not wrestled since). On November 16 at Survivor Series, Lesnar was eliminated after Benoit forced him to tap out to the "Crippler Crossface". His team lost the match. On the December 4 episode of "SmackDown!", he defended the WWE Championship from Benoit after Benoit passed out to Lesnar's debuting submission hold, the "Brock Lock".


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Survivor Series in November 2003 also marked the first time Lesnar met Goldberg from the Raw brand. After Lesnar claimed in a backstage interview that he could beat anybody in the world, Goldberg interrupted the interview and introduced himself to Lesnar, shaking hands with him before leaving with a staredown. Lesnar followed this rivalry with a feud involving Hardcore Holly. In the storyline, Holly wanted revenge on Lesnar for legitimately injuring his neck during a previous match between the two in 2002 which left Holly in need of neck surgery and out of action for a year. At the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, Lesnar defeated Holly to retain the WWE Championship. Later in the Royal Rumble match, Lesnar attacked Goldberg with an "F-5", enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him by throwing him off the top rope.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar defended the WWE Championship against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out on February 15. Goldberg attacked Lesnar with a spear while the referee was unconscious, allowing Guerrero to get a near-fall on Lesnar. Lesnar then attempted an "F-5" on Guerrero but Guerrero reversed it into a DDT on the title belt and executed a frog splash to win the WWE Championship. An angry Lesnar then began feuding with Goldberg, blaming him for losing his title, and a match was set up between the two at WrestleMania XX on March 14. During the feud with Goldberg, Lesnar was also at odds with Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was shown suggesting to Goldberg that he attack Lesnar at No Way Out. After Lesnar attacked Austin on the February 23 episode of "Raw" and stole his four-wheeler, Austin was inserted as the special guest referee for the WrestleMania match. On the March 4 episode of "SmackDown!", Lesnar defeated Hardcore Holly in his last match on a weekly WWE televised show until 2019. Behind the scenes, it was widely known that the match was Goldberg's last in WWE. Only a week before WrestleMania, rumors surfaced that Lesnar too was leaving WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League (NFL). As a result, Lesnar's match with Goldberg became a fiasco as the fans at Madison Square Garden jeered and heckled both of them vociferously. Goldberg defeated Lesnar after a "Jackhammer" and both men subsequently received "Stone Cold Stunners" from Austin. After WrestleMania XX, Lesnar left WWE.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on his debut match in a three-way match with Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono at a New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) show in the Tokyo Dome. Lesnar is one of the few American wrestlers to have held this title. He won the match by pinning Chono after an "F-5", which he had renamed the "Verdict" since WWE owns the trademark on the "F-5" name. After the match, Lesnar stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE, who filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW on December 6, but the court did not grant it. Following that, he had two non-title victories against Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. Lesnar successfully defended the championship on January 4, 2006, against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura. On January 13, WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which was also not enforced as he went on to retain his championship against former Sumo Wrestling Grand Champion Akebono on March 19, at the Sumo Hall. Lesnar had another successful title defense against Giant Bernard on May 3. This was the first American vs. American title match in NJPW since Vader vs. Stan Hansen in 1990. On July 15, NJPW stripped Lesnar of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he did not return to defend it due to visa issues. A tournament was held on July 16 to determine the new champion, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi. Lesnar continued to possess the physical IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt until late June 2007.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Approximately one year later on June 29, 2007, Lesnar defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle in a champion vs. champion match, at the debut event of the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). IGF promoter Antonio Inoki had stated Lesnar was the "proper" IWGP Heavyweight Champion as he was not defeated for the title. Angle made him tap out to the ankle lock to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as recognized by IGF and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This was Lesnar's last match as a professional wrestler until 2012, when he re-signed with WWE.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar returned to WWE on April 2, 2012, on "Raw", as a heel, by confronting and delivering an "F-5" to John Cena. The following week on "Raw", General Manager John Laurinaitis revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" back to WWE and become the "new face of the WWE". Laurinaitis also scheduled Lesnar to face Cena at Extreme Rules in an Extreme Rules match. At Extreme Rules on April 29, Lesnar lost to Cena despite dominating the match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: The following night on "Raw", WWE's Chief Operating Officer Triple H refused to give in to Lesnar's unreasonable contract demands (which included being given his own personal jet and having "Raw" renamed to "Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar"), resulting in Lesnar attacking him and breaking his arm with a kimura lock in storyline. The next week on "Raw", Paul Heyman returned as Lesnar's legal representative; he claimed that Lesnar was quitting WWE and was suing WWE for breach of contract. At No Way Out in June, Triple H challenged Lesnar (who was not present) to a match at SummerSlam, which Lesnar refused. Stephanie McMahon later goaded Heyman into accepting the match on Lesnar's behalf on July 23 at "Raw 1000". At SummerSlam on August 19, Lesnar defeated Triple H by submission after once again breaking his arm in storyline. The following night on "Raw", Lesnar declared himself the new "King of Kings" and said that he would depart from WWE after his victory over Triple H, stating that he had conquered everything in the company.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar returned on the January 28, 2013, episode of "Raw", confronting Mr. McMahon who was about to fire Heyman, and despite Heyman's pleas, Lesnar attacked McMahon with an "F-5", breaking McMahon's pelvis in storyline. The following week during The Miz's "Miz TV" talk show, "Raw" Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero revealed herself as the one who signed Lesnar to a new contract to impress McMahon. On the February 25 episode of "Raw", Lesnar once again attempted to attack McMahon, only to get into a brawl with the returning Triple H, which resulted in Lesnar legitimately having his head split open and requiring eighteen stitches. The following week on "Raw", Triple H issued a challenge to Lesnar, requesting a rematch with him at WrestleMania 29, which Lesnar accepted but only after Triple H signed a contract and Lesnar named the stipulation. After Triple H signed the contract and assaulted Heyman, the stipulation was revealed as No Holds Barred with Triple H's career on the line. At WrestleMania on April 7, Lesnar lost to Triple H after a "Pedigree" onto the steel steps. On the April 15 episode of "Raw", Lesnar attacked 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal) before Heyman challenged Triple H to face Lesnar in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules, which Triple H accepted the following week. At Extreme Rules on May 19, after interference from Heyman, Lesnar defeated Triple H to end their feud. Lesnar returned on the June 17 episode of "Raw", attacking Heyman's fellow client CM Punk with an "F-5". Despite the accusations from Punk, Heyman claimed that he was not behind Lesnar's attack on him. Heyman turned on Punk in July, and claimed that Punk could not beat Lesnar, which led to Lesnar making his return and attacking Punk on the July 15 episode of "Raw". The following week on "Raw", Punk challenged Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Lesnar defeated Punk in a no disqualification match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the December 30 episode of "Raw", Lesnar returned with Heyman to challenge the winner of the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy Orton and John Cena at the Royal Rumble. Lesnar then dared any wrestler who disapproved of that notion to challenge him, which was answered by Mark Henry. The ensuing brawl ended with Lesnar delivering an "F-5" to Henry. The following week on "Raw", Henry challenged Lesnar again, only to have Lesnar dislocate his elbow with the Kimura lock in storyline, which led Big Show to confront Lesnar, thus starting a feud which was settled at the Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, where Lesnar defeated Big Show after attacking him with a steel chair before the match began. On the February 24 episode of "Raw", Heyman stated that Lesnar had requested a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX, but received an open contract to face anyone else of his choosing instead. The Undertaker then returned and attacked Lesnar with a chokeslam through a table, setting up their match at WrestleMania XXX. At WrestleMania on April 6, Lesnar defeated Undertaker after executing three "F-5"s, ending his undefeated WrestleMania streak at 21, a feat that was described by "Sports Illustrated" as being "the most shocking result since the Montreal Screwjob".


title: Brock Lesnar

text: At SummerSlam on August 17, Lesnar defeated John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; during the match he delivered sixteen suplexes (most of which were German suplexes) and two "F-5"s to Cena, who barely managed any offense. In a rematch at Night of Champions on September 21, Lesnar was disqualified due to Seth Rollins interfering, but retained his championship. Later in the year, Rollins reunited with The Authority and was added to Lesnar and Cena championship match at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2015, making it a triple threat match, which Lesnar won despite (storyline) breaking a rib during the match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar's next challenger was Roman Reigns, who had won the Royal Rumble match to earn a title match at WrestleMania 31 on March 29. During his main event match against Reigns, Lesnar delivered multiple suplexes and was heard exclaiming, "Suplex City, bitch!" and thereafter "Suplex City" became one of his signature catchphrases and merchandise motifs. After Lesnar and Reigns traded a few false finishes, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while the match was in progress, making it a triple threat; Rollins then pinned Reigns to win the title after delivering a "Curb Stomp". The following night on "Raw", Lesnar tried to invoke his rematch clause and subsequently attacked commentators Booker T, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Michael Cole, as well as a cameraman after Rollins refused the rematch, which led to Stephanie McMahon suspending Lesnar indefinitely in storyline.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar returned on the June 15 episode of "Raw", being chosen by The Authority as the number one contender to Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground. On July 4, Lesnar made his first non-televised wrestling appearance for WWE since his 2012 return, defeating Kofi Kingston at The Beast in the East live event in Tokyo in a quick winning effort; he also delivered "F-5"s to Kingston's New Day stablemates Big E and Xavier Woods after the match. At Battleground on July 19, Lesnar dominated Rollins, delivering thirteen suplexes, but mid-pinfall, after performing an "F-5", he was attacked by The Undertaker (who incapacitated Lesnar with a chokeslam and two "Tombstone Piledrivers)," thus ending the match with Lesnar winning by disqualification and Rollins retaining the championship.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: The following night on "Raw", Undertaker explained that he had attacked Lesnar not for ending his WrestleMania streak, but rather for Lesnar allowing Heyman to constantly taunt him about it, which led to the two brawling throughout the arena and a WrestleMania rematch being scheduled for SummerSlam on August 23, where Undertaker controversially defeated Lesnar. The timekeeper rang the bell as Undertaker had supposedly submitted to Lesnar's Kimura lock, though the referee had not seen any submission. In the ensuing confusion, Undertaker hit Lesnar with a low blow and applied his "Hell's Gate" submission hold, in which Lesnar passed out. The following night on "Raw", Lesnar and Heyman challenged Undertaker to an immediate rematch, only to be confronted by Bo Dallas (who mocked Lesnar about his defeat); Lesnar responded with five German suplexes and an "F-5".


title: Brock Lesnar

text: At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match after a low blow and "F-5" onto the exposed ring floor, ending their feud. The match was later voted "Match of the Year" during the 2015 Slammy Awards.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the January 11, 2016, episode of "Raw", Lesnar returned, attacking The New Day, The League of Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio) and Kevin Owens, before performing an "F-5" on Roman Reigns. The following week on "Raw", he brawled with Reigns until they were attacked by The Wyatt Family. At the Royal Rumble on January 24, Lesnar was the 23rd entrant, eliminating Jack Swagger and The Wyatt Family minus Bray Wyatt before being eliminated by the Wyatt Family members he had eliminated first. He later defeated Wyatt and Luke Harper in a two-on-one handicap at the Road Block pay-per-view event.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the January 25 episode of "Raw", Stephanie McMahon scheduled a triple threat match between Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose for Fastlane to determine who would challenge Triple H's for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32. In the following weeks, Lesnar was continuously provoked by Ambrose, with Reigns saving him from the subsequent attacks by Lesnar. At Fastlane on February 21, Lesnar dominated most of the match before he was put through two broadcast tables by Ambrose and Reigns; he lost the match after Reigns pinned Ambrose. Because of this, Lesnar attacked Ambrose in the parking lot as he was arriving at the arena. Ambrose returned later in the night, having hijacked an ambulance, and challenged Lesnar to a No Holds Barred Street Fight match at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, where Lesnar defeated Ambrose after an "F-5" onto a pile of chairs.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the July 7 episode of "SmackDown", it Lesnar was revealed as the returning Randy Orton's opponent for SummerSlam. Two days later on July 9, WWE allowed Lesnar to have a one-off fight for "UFC 200". Lesnar failed two of his drug tests for this fight but was not suspended by WWE because he is not a full-time performer. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Lesnar was the #5 draft pick for the Raw brand. Reports claimed that he would have been #1 had he not failed his UFC drug tests. Orton was drafted to SmackDown, thus making their match an interbrand match, while WWE billed their face-off as a match fifteen years in the making. Along with Heyman, Lesnar made his return to "Raw" on August 1 (his first appearance on WWE programming since WrestleMania 32), but during his segment Orton appeared and attacked Lesnar with an "RKO". Lesnar then attacked Orton during his match the following night on "SmackDown Live", performing an "F-5" on Orton. At SummerSlam on August 21, Lesnar defeated Orton by technical knockout, leaving Orton with a forehead wound which required ten staples. He then hit Shane McMahon with an "F-5". The end made many people believe Lesnar had gone off script due to the severity of Orton's head wound, out of which Vince McMahon confirmed that the ending was planned. Lesnar was later storyline fined $500 for delivering an "F-5" to SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon and his assault on Orton. On September 24 at a house show in Chicago, Illinois, Lesnar defeated Orton in a no-disqualification rematch, with the match being billed as a Suplex City death match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the October 10 episode of "Raw", Heyman, on Lesnar's behalf, challenged Goldberg to a fight after the pair had been feuding for several months through social media and during promotional work for the "WWE 2K17" video game, which featured Lesnar as the cover star and Goldberg as the pre-order bonus. Heyman stated that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004. On the October 17 episode of "Raw", Goldberg returned to WWE after a twelve-year absence and accepted Lesnar's request for a fight with their match later scheduled for Survivor Series. On the final "Raw" before Survivor Series, Lesnar and Goldberg had a confrontation for the first time in twelve years, resulting in a brawl with security after Heyman insulted Goldberg's family. On November 20 at Survivor Series, Lesnar quickly lost to Goldberg in 1 minute and 26 seconds, marking the first time in three years that Lesnar was pinned. The next night on "Raw", Goldberg declared himself the first entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match. The following week on "Raw", Heyman addressed the Survivor Series match, stating that they underestimated Goldberg and that the match was a humiliation and embarrassment for him and Lesnar, who would also be in the Royal Rumble as he has something to prove. Lesnar returned on the January 16 episode of "Raw" to confront other Royal Rumble participants, attacking Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, Lesnar entered at number 26 and went on to eliminate Enzo Amore, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler before confronting Goldberg, who entered at number 28 and quickly eliminated Lesnar after a spear.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: The following night on "Raw", Lesnar challenged Goldberg to a final match at WrestleMania 33. On the February 6 episode of "Raw", Goldberg accepted Lesnar's challenge and was named number one contender for Kevin Owens' Universal Championship, which he won on March 5 at Fastlane thus turning his match with Lesnar into a title match. At WrestleMania on April 2, Lesnar beat Goldberg to win his fifth world title in WWE and became the first man to have won both the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship. Lesnar also became the second person to kick-out from Goldberg's "Jackhammer" and gave him the first clean singles loss of his professional wrestling career. After several weeks of feuding, Lesnar's first title defense came at the inaugural Great Balls of Fire event on July 9, 2017, where he successfully retained against Samoa Joe, before defeating him a second time for the title at a house show.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the July 31 episode of "Raw", Lesnar was scheduled to defend his title in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam against Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Lesnar and Heyman stated that both would leave WWE should Lesnar lose the championship in the match. At SummerSlam on August 20, Lesnar retained the title by pinning Reigns. The next night on "Raw", Lesnar was attacked by Strowman. The subsequent title match at No Mercy on September 24 was won by Lesnar. Lesnar then defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles in an interbrand Champion vs Champion non-title match at Survivor Series on November 19. His next title defense was scheduled for the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, where he successfully defended the title in a triple threat match against Strowman and Kane. Lesnar then re-ignited his feud with Roman Reigns, who won the Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber on February 25 to become the number one contender to Lesnar's title at WrestleMania 34. At WrestleMania on April 8, Lesnar pinned Reigns to retain the title in the main event. Rumors arose that Lesnar would leave WWE and rejoin the UFC. On April 9, Lesnar re-signed with WWE. At the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view on April 27, he again defeated Reigns in a steel cage when Reigns speared Lesnar through the cage wall. As Lesnar escaped the cage first, he was declared the winner.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: After the Greatest Royal Rumble, Lesnar was absent from WWE television for nearly three months. At Extreme Rules on July 15, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle threatened to strip Lesnar of the Universal Championship if he did not show up to "Raw" the following night. The following night on "Raw", Heyman agreed that Lesnar would defend his title at SummerSlam; Reigns became the number one contender later that same night. On the July 30 episode of "Raw", Lesnar was at the arena but refused to appear in the ring. Angle threatened to fire Heyman if he could not persuade Lesnar to come to the ring. Throughout the broadcast, Heyman's attempts were unsuccessful. At the end of the show, after Angle had fired him, Lesnar appeared to attack Angle and choke Heyman. Two weeks later, the dissension between Lesnar and Heyman was revealed to be just a ruse when Lesnar returning on the August 13 episode of "Raw" to attack Reigns. At SummerSlam on August 19, Strowman was at ringside ready to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. Lesnar incapacitated Strowman, allowing Reigns to capitalize on the distracted Lesnar and win the Universal Championship, ending Lesnar's title reign at 504 days. The reign was the sixth-longest world championship reign in WWE history and the longest since 1988.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar returned at Hell in a Cell on September 16, interrupting the Hell in a Cell match between defending Universal Champion Reigns and Braun Strowman, kicking in the door and attacking both men, thus rendering the match a no-contest and costing Strowman his Money in the Bank cash-in match. The next night on "Raw", Acting General Manager Baron Corbin scheduled Reigns to defend the Universal Championship in a triple threat match against Lesnar and Strowman at Crown Jewel on November 2. After Reigns relinquished the title due to a legitimate leukemia relapse, the match was changed to a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the vacant title. At Crown Jewel, Lesnar defeated Strowman in three minutes to become the first two-time Universal Champion, thanks to a pre-match attack from Baron Corbin.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: After his title win, Lesnar was scheduled to face WWE Champion AJ Styles at Survivor Series in another Champion vs Champion non-title match. Five days before, Styles lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan on "SmackDown". At Survivor Series on November 18, Lesnar overcame a late rally from Bryan to defeat him. Lesnar then successfully defended the title against Finn Bálor via submission at the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019. The next night on "Raw", Lesnar attacked 2019 Royal Rumble match winner Seth Rollins with six F-5s, setting up a title match for WrestleMania 35. At WrestleMania on April 7, Lesnar attacked Rollins before the match. Rollins then attacked Lesnar with a low blow while the referee was down and pinned Lesnar, ending his second reign as Universal Champion at 156 days.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: At Money in the Bank on May 19, 2019, Lesnar surprisingly replaced Sami Zayn in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Before the match, Zayn had been attacked backstage. Later, the match began with only seven of the scheduled eight participants. At the climax of the match, Lesnar ran in, took out Ali, who was on top of a ladder, and won the Money in the Bank contract, granting him either a Universal Championship or WWE Championship match at any time of his choosing within the next year. After teasing cashing in on Universal Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and failing an attempt to cash-in on Rollins at Super ShowDown on June 7, Lesnar successfully cashed in his contract to win the Universal Championship from Rollins at Extreme Rules on July 14 right after Rollins and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch had retained their respective titles against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules mixed tag team match. At SummerSlam on August 11, Lesnar lost the title back to Rollins, ending his third title reign at 28 days.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar and Heyman returned on the September 17 episode of "SmackDown" to challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. Kingston accepted and Lesnar proceeded to "F-5" him. On "SmackDown"s 20th Anniversary on October 4, Lesnar quickly defeated Kingston in about eight seconds to win his fifth WWE Championship; this was Lesnar's first match on "SmackDown" in 15 years. After his victory, Lesnar was attacked by former UFC opponent Cain Velasquez, making his WWE debut. Lesnar was then scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Velasquez at Crown Jewel on October 31. During the 2019 draft, Lesnar was drafted to SmackDown. At the Crown Jewel event, Lesnar defeated Velasquez in under five minutes via submission with the Kimura Lock. After the match, Rey Mysterio attacked Lesnar with a chair. On the November 1 episode of "SmackDown", Lesnar and Heyman quit the brand in order to go after Mysterio, who had been drafted to Raw, thus transferring to Raw with the WWE Championship. This led to Mysterio challenging Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series on November 24, which was made official as a No Holds Barred match, where Lesnar retained, despite Mysterio's son, Dominik's attempt to aid Mysterio during the match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar returned on the January 6, 2020, episode of "Raw" to declare that no one deserved an opportunity at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, so instead he would enter the Royal Rumble match as entrant number one. At the Royal Rumble on January 26, Lesnar eliminated the first thirteen competitors he faced, tying the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match, before being eliminated by Drew McIntyre, who won the match. After retaining the championship against Ricochet at Super ShowDown on February 27, Lesnar ultimately lost the WWE Championship to McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36 Part 2 (which was taped on March 25–26 and aired on April 5). This was his final appearance until 2021 – it was later reported by several sources that Lesnar was not under contract with WWE after the match. Lesnar confirmed in March 2022 that he had initially retired from professional wrestling after WrestleMania 36, until deciding to return in 2021.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar, now sporting a cowboy/farmer look with a beard and ponytail, returned at SummerSlam on August 21, 2021, as a face, confronting Universal Champion Roman Reigns after his successful title defense against John Cena. During the 2021 WWE Draft, it was revealed that Lesnar had become a free agent, allowing him to appear on any brand. He then primarily appeared on SmackDown, and he and Reigns faced each other for the title at Crown Jewel on October 21, which Lesnar lost after interference from The Usos. On the following episode of "SmackDown", he started a locker room-clearing brawl with Reigns, resulting in an indefinite suspension by on-air authority figure Adam Pearce, whom Lesnar attacked. On the November 26 episode of "SmackDown", it was announced his suspension had been lifted. On the December 3 episode of "SmackDown", it was announced that Lesnar would once again face Reigns for the title, this time at the Day 1 event. The match was canceled after Reigns contracted COVID-19, and Lesnar was instead added to Raw's WWE Championship match at the event to make it a fatal five-way match. At Day 1 on January 1, 2022, Lesnar won his sixth WWE Championship, defeating Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, and defending champion Big E, who he pinned. On the following episode of "Raw", Lesnar reunited with his advocate Paul Heyman.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: At Royal Rumble on January 29, he lost the WWE Championship to Lashley due to Reigns' interference and Heyman's betrayal (who realigned with Reigns), ending his sixth reign at 29 days, however later that night, he entered the Royal Rumble match as the surprise 30th entrant and won the match by last eliminating McIntyre and becoming the fourth person to win from the #30 spot (after The Undertaker in 2007, John Cena in 2008, and Triple H in 2016). This made Lesnar the ninth two-time Rumble winner, after his first win in 2003, while also making him the first person to lose their world championship and then win the Rumble in the same night. Among the other multi-time Rumble winners, Lesnar also set a record for the longest time between Rumble wins at 19 years. He also set the record for the least amount of time spent in the Rumble before winning it, being in the match for 2 minutes and 30 seconds and beating Edge's 2010 record by 5 minutes and 7 seconds. On the following episode of "Raw", Lesnar revealed he would challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38, and was also scheduled to compete in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match on February 19 at Elimination Chamber. Lesnar won the match to win the title for a seventh time by single-handedly eliminating all other opponents (Seth "Freakin" Rollins, AJ Styles, Riddle, and Austin Theory), except Lashley, who was removed early in the match due to a concussion protocol. This also converted his Universal Championship match against Reigns at WrestleMania into a Winner Takes All match. The following night on "Raw", their Winner Takes All match was then stipulated as a title unification match. Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Reigns in the unification match at the event on April 3.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the June 17 episode of "SmackDown", Lesnar once again returned to confront and attack Reigns after he successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Riddle, renewing their rivalry. This resulted in a Last Man Standing match being made for the title at SummerSlam, with WWE billing it as the ultimate finale to the feud. At the event on July 30, Lesnar failed to beat Reigns for the title after interference from the Usos, Paul Heyman and Austin Theory.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On the October 10 episode of "Raw", Lesnar made a surprise return, attacking United States Champion Bobby Lashley and injuring his shoulder before his scheduled title defense against Seth "Freakin" Rollins, resuming their feud. At Crown Jewel on November 5, Lesnar defeated Lashley.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Since Lesnar's debut, he was portrayed as a powerhouse athlete. He is often called by his nickname "The Beast Incarnate" or simply "The Beast". During his initial run when he was consistently main-eventing, WWE was in what is labeled by the company and fans as the "Ruthless Aggression Era". His go-to finishing maneuver for his entire career has been a fireman's carry facebuster known as the "F-5" (or "The Verdict" when he wrestled outside of WWE). After his return in 2012, Lesnar focused on an MMA-oriented gimmick, sporting MMA gloves during his matches and adding the Kimura lock as a submission hold. Lesnar is also known for performing several suplexes (especially German suplexes) on his rivals, with these often being described as the opponent being taken to "Suplex City", named after an ad-lib Lesnar delivered to Roman Reigns during their WrestleMania 31 match. Lesnar has been managed by Paul Heyman for the majority of his WWE career with Heyman being Lesnar's mouthpiece for storylines and feuds.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Throughout the second half of the 2010s, Lesnar began to receive an increasing amount of criticism for his character and performances. Many reporters thought his Suplex City character "jumped the shark" and his matches had "become formulaic". He was largely criticized due to his absences from television during his time as Universal Champion. It was pointed out that he had the longest world championship reign since Hulk Hogan, but only defended the title 13 times, all on pay-per-views, with Tim Fiorvanti from ESPN commenting that he had "removed the top title on "Monday Night Raw" from circulation". The short length of his matches were also criticized by journalists and fans. Former WWE Champion Bob Backlund criticized the fact that Lesnar used mostly suplexes during his matches, saying "it gets old to do the same thing over and over and over again".


title: Brock Lesnar

text: After his match at WrestleMania XX in March 2004, Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League (NFL) despite not playing football since high school. WWE issued this statement on their official website, WWE.com, following his departure:


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar later told a Minnesota radio show that he had "three wonderful years" in WWE, but had grown unhappy and always wanted to play professional football, adding that he did not want to be 40 years old and wondering if he could have "made it" in football. In an interview about the NFL, he stated:


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar had a great showing at the NFL Combine, but on April 17 a minivan collided with his motorbike and he suffered a broken jaw and left hand, a bruised pelvis and a pulled groin. Several NFL teams expressed interest in watching Lesnar work out. The Minnesota Vikings worked out Lesnar on June 11, but he was hampered by the groin injury suffered in the April motorcycle accident. On July 24 it was reported that he was nearly recovered from his groin injury. He signed with the Vikings on July 27 and played in several preseason games for the team. He was released by the Vikings on August 30. Lesnar received an invitation to play as a representative for the Vikings in NFL Europa, but declined due to his desire to stay in the United States with his family. He had several football cards produced of him during his time with the Vikings.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On April 29, 2006, after the final match of the "K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Las Vegas", Lesnar stated his intent to join K-1's mixed martial arts league, Hero's. He trained with Minnesota Martial Arts Academy under Greg Nelson and Minnesota Assistant Head wrestling coach Marty Morgan. Lesnar signed the deal in August. His first fight was scheduled against Hong-man Choi of South Korea on June 2, 2007, at the "Dynamite!! USA" show. Prior to the match, Choi was replaced by Min-soo Kim. Lesnar submitted Kim with strikes in 1:09 of the first round to win his first official MMA match.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: During "UFC 77" on October 20, Lesnar joined Ultimate Fighting Championship with a one-fight contract. On February 2, 2008, Lesnar made his debut with the promotion in an event titled "UFC 81: Breaking Point" against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Due to his large hands, Lesnar was wearing 4XL gloves for the fight, making him the second man in Nevada's combat sports history to wear such gloves, after Choi Hong-man. Lesnar secured an early takedown and began landing numerous punches, but was docked a point after a punch hit Mir on the back of the head. He scored another takedown and continued landing ground and pound, before Mir secured a kneebar and forced a submission at 1:30 of the first round.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Despite losing his debut, he was offered a new contract and at "UFC 82" on March 1, former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer Mark Coleman was announced to fight Lesnar at "UFC 87". Coleman withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Heath Herring. In the first round Lesnar scored an early knockdown and went on to dominate the fight winning via unanimous decision by 30–26 on all three judges' scorecards.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: Lesnar then faced Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at "UFC 91" on November 15. He denied Couture's takedown attempts and outstruck him on the feet, eventually knocking him down and landing ground and pound until he was awarded the technical knockout and UFC Heavyweight Championship.


title: Brock Lesnar

text: On December 27 at "UFC 92", Frank Mir defeated Antônio Nogueira for the Interim Heavyweight Championship and was to face Lesnar for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at "UFC 98". Immediately after winning the Interim Heavyweight title, Mir found Lesnar in the crowd and shouted, "You've got my belt". Due to a knee injury to Mir, the title unification match with Lesnar that was originally slated to be the "UFC 98" main event was postponed. Lesnar instead fought Mir at "UFC 100" on July 11, 2009. Mir attempted to grab ahold of Lesnar's leg early in the fight but was denied and Lesnar held top position landing punches for the rest of the round. In the second the two traded blows but Mir hurt Lesnar with a knee and a punch, leading him to take Mir down and land heavy ground and pound winning the fight via technical knockout in round two. During his post-match celebration, Lesnar flipped off the crowd who had been booing him. Lesnar also made a disparaging comment about the pay-per-view's primary sponsor Bud Light, claiming they "won't pay me nothin and promoted Coors Light instead. Lesnar later apologized for his remarks at the post-fight press conference, where he held a bottle of Bud Light and endorsed their product.