Spike Dudley Remembers WWE Work With 'F***ing Monster' Brock Lesnar

Before the recently returned Brock Lesnar became one of WWE's most dominant world champions, he was tossing around smaller opponents to showcase his freakish strength. One of the men who helped make "The Next Big Thing" look unstoppable was Spike Dudley, who recently reflected on being chosen as one of Lesnar's early opponents.

"It was easy for him to toss me around. I mean, he was a f*****' monster," Dudley said on the "Insight" podcast. "I heard Paul [Heyman] say when they talk about Brock's debut, like, they asked Brock, who do you wanna work with, and they picked me and Funaki as guys he wanted to work with, meaning that Brock understood that if I can look like a monster, it's great. So, he had a good head on his shoulders. Brock was always extremely respectful."

Dudley also spoke about the powerbomb sequence that became one of the most brutal visuals of Lesnar's debut.

"That was the only time I tapped out. Because he hits me with three powerbombs, it was supposed to be five. We said in the back, just do as many as you can, let's go for five. But after the third one, I was just seeing stars, I couldn't hold myself up anymore. And I was just like, that's it brother."

Lesnar's demolition of Dudley and Funaki helped establish him as a destructive force in WWE from day one, and the spot quickly became part of Lesnar's highlight reel as his career skyrocketed. For those wondering what Spike Dudley is up to these days, he's remarkably still intact and remains a casual fan of the business. 

More than two decades later, the image of Dudley being rag-dolled across the ring remains a vivid reminder of Lesnar's arrival — and of Spike's unique role in helping present the "Beast Incarnate" to the WWE universe.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.