Date and location

Sunday, Aug 23 | 7 PMET/4 PMPT

Where to watch

Get the Network

The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: SummerSlam 2015 (WWE Network Exclusive)

Brock Lesnar F5s The Undertaker through the announce table: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The record will show that The Beast has been slain, and the demons of The Undertaker have been laid to rest. The reality, though, is more complicated than that.

Sixteen months after The Phenom’s life’s work was taken from him by Brock Lesnar, The Deadman found redemption in a confrontation that was deemed “Too Big For WrestleMania.” He defeated The Beast Incarnate through a development that was partially a gift from Heaven and partially some magic of the devil himself, with a hefty helping of rulebook jargon to go with it. Officially, yes, The Undertaker won. Whether Brock Lesnar was truly defeated in the purest sense, however, will be a question for historians to decide.

WWE Network: Undertaker returns at WrestleMania |  "The Reaper" strikes at Battleground

Ironically, The Deadman’s victory — such as it was — snapped another, lesser known streak: A winless stretch against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. It was another historic shortcoming that surely spurred The Phenom into action when Lesnar pounced on him before the bell even rang, lending an air of lawlessness to the most eagerly anticipated rematch in WWE history. Things got grittier from there when the match finally did begin in earnest, as Lesnar immediately floored The Phenom with a double-leg takedown and mashed his face in with forearms and fists.

Photos: The Streak avenged? |  Watch the full SummerSlam replay

Despite Lesnar’s track record with the ground-and-pound style, it was Undertaker who drew first blood with a face full of turnbuckle for his opponent. And yet Lesnar still forced The Phenom into Suplex City with a bevvy of belly-to-bellies and Germans, and a detour into F-5 County that sent Undertaker spiraling through the commentary table. 

The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

That this didn’t send The Deadman into the grave once and for all was shock enough. Yet clearly, this Undertaker was not the same beaten wretch that hobbled out of WrestleMania 30 with The Streak stripped from him. Lesnar knew as much, baiting and reeling Undertaker to stand and fight. Much to his surprise, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion did just that, chokeslamming The Beast and opening the gates of Tombstone City with a spike of his own into the canvas. That only notched two counts, but left both Superstars sprawled on the mat until Lesnar, much like last year’s SummerSlam, sat bolt-upright in a mockery of The Deadman’s countless returns from the brink.

Only this time, The Phenom followed suit.

The Beast at SummerSlam: Behold "The Perfect Storm" |  Suplex City opens for business

As Lesnar chuckled bemusedly, The Demon of Death Valley roared in his face and found his second wind, thundering back into the advantage by countering a top-rope Kimura Lock into the Last Ride. But The Beast is made of stronger stuff than that, and The Deadman ultimately found himself on the receiving end of two more F-5’s and a wicked Kimura Lock that, after what seemed like an eternity, apparently forced Undertaker to submit.

If only the referee had seen it.

The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

Due to the position of The Deadman’s shoulders on the mat, official Charles Robinson was checking his shoulders for a pin, and couldn’t see The Undertaker tap for release on his own leg outside the ref’s vantage point. The timekeeper, however, did see The Phenom tap, and signaled for the end of the match with the bell. The miscommunication led to a shouting match between the timekeeper and the official, during which The Undertaker low-blowed an unsuspecting Lesnar just in time for the bout to be restarted. The Deadman locked in a second Hell’s Gate and, with Lesnar weakened and nowhere near the ropes, he half-commanded, half-begged The Anomaly to submit.

Watch:  Robinson breaks his silence |  Did the timekeeper overstep his bounds? 

Brock Lesnar obeys no man, however, living or dead. Even as the lights began to fade and defeat reared its head, The Beast refused to allow his foe the satisfaction of a submission, raising a defiant gesture directly in The Undertaker’s face as he slid into unconsciousness. The bell tolled again, this time officially, and The Undertaker won. Only there was no celebration. No confetti. No Deadman kneeling over Lesnar’s remains with his serpentine tongue stuck through his fangs. Instead, The Undertaker took his win and returned back into the void while Paul Heyman blew a gasket, declaring Lesnar the rightful winner by virtue of a submission that everyone except the referee had seen.

Most controversial title matches ever |  Champions who were never beaten

To some, this will even the score and The Undertaker, spurred by a year’s worth of disgrace, did what he had to do to win. To others, Lesnar is owed satisfaction, wherever and whenever that may come. Officially, The Deadman can claim the victory that has eluded him ever since that fateful night in New Orleans and Lesnar goes home on the losing end. Yet with the question of dominance still unanswered between them, it’s highly unlikely that either The Undertaker, or Brock Lesnar for that matter, will truly rest in peace.

SummerSlam
SummerSlam
Subscribe Now

Featured Superstars

SummerSlam
SummerSlam
Subscribe Now

Featured Superstars

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: SummerSlam 2015 (WWE Network Exclusive)

Brock Lesnar F5s The Undertaker through the announce table: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The record will show that The Beast has been slain, and the demons of The Undertaker have been laid to rest. The reality, though, is more complicated than that.

Sixteen months after The Phenom’s life’s work was taken from him by Brock Lesnar, The Deadman found redemption in a confrontation that was deemed “Too Big For WrestleMania.” He defeated The Beast Incarnate through a development that was partially a gift from Heaven and partially some magic of the devil himself, with a hefty helping of rulebook jargon to go with it. Officially, yes, The Undertaker won. Whether Brock Lesnar was truly defeated in the purest sense, however, will be a question for historians to decide.

WWE Network: Undertaker returns at WrestleMania |  "The Reaper" strikes at Battleground

Ironically, The Deadman’s victory — such as it was — snapped another, lesser known streak: A winless stretch against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. It was another historic shortcoming that surely spurred The Phenom into action when Lesnar pounced on him before the bell even rang, lending an air of lawlessness to the most eagerly anticipated rematch in WWE history. Things got grittier from there when the match finally did begin in earnest, as Lesnar immediately floored The Phenom with a double-leg takedown and mashed his face in with forearms and fists.

Photos: The Streak avenged? |  Watch the full SummerSlam replay

Despite Lesnar’s track record with the ground-and-pound style, it was Undertaker who drew first blood with a face full of turnbuckle for his opponent. And yet Lesnar still forced The Phenom into Suplex City with a bevvy of belly-to-bellies and Germans, and a detour into F-5 County that sent Undertaker spiraling through the commentary table. 

The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

That this didn’t send The Deadman into the grave once and for all was shock enough. Yet clearly, this Undertaker was not the same beaten wretch that hobbled out of WrestleMania 30 with The Streak stripped from him. Lesnar knew as much, baiting and reeling Undertaker to stand and fight. Much to his surprise, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion did just that, chokeslamming The Beast and opening the gates of Tombstone City with a spike of his own into the canvas. That only notched two counts, but left both Superstars sprawled on the mat until Lesnar, much like last year’s SummerSlam, sat bolt-upright in a mockery of The Deadman’s countless returns from the brink.

Only this time, The Phenom followed suit.

The Beast at SummerSlam: Behold "The Perfect Storm" |  Suplex City opens for business

As Lesnar chuckled bemusedly, The Demon of Death Valley roared in his face and found his second wind, thundering back into the advantage by countering a top-rope Kimura Lock into the Last Ride. But The Beast is made of stronger stuff than that, and The Deadman ultimately found himself on the receiving end of two more F-5’s and a wicked Kimura Lock that, after what seemed like an eternity, apparently forced Undertaker to submit.

If only the referee had seen it.

The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

Due to the position of The Deadman’s shoulders on the mat, official Charles Robinson was checking his shoulders for a pin, and couldn’t see The Undertaker tap for release on his own leg outside the ref’s vantage point. The timekeeper, however, did see The Phenom tap, and signaled for the end of the match with the bell. The miscommunication led to a shouting match between the timekeeper and the official, during which The Undertaker low-blowed an unsuspecting Lesnar just in time for the bout to be restarted. The Deadman locked in a second Hell’s Gate and, with Lesnar weakened and nowhere near the ropes, he half-commanded, half-begged The Anomaly to submit.

Watch:  Robinson breaks his silence |  Did the timekeeper overstep his bounds? 

Brock Lesnar obeys no man, however, living or dead. Even as the lights began to fade and defeat reared its head, The Beast refused to allow his foe the satisfaction of a submission, raising a defiant gesture directly in The Undertaker’s face as he slid into unconsciousness. The bell tolled again, this time officially, and The Undertaker won. Only there was no celebration. No confetti. No Deadman kneeling over Lesnar’s remains with his serpentine tongue stuck through his fangs. Instead, The Undertaker took his win and returned back into the void while Paul Heyman blew a gasket, declaring Lesnar the rightful winner by virtue of a submission that everyone except the referee had seen.

Most controversial title matches ever |  Champions who were never beaten

To some, this will even the score and The Undertaker, spurred by a year’s worth of disgrace, did what he had to do to win. To others, Lesnar is owed satisfaction, wherever and whenever that may come. Officially, The Deadman can claim the victory that has eluded him ever since that fateful night in New Orleans and Lesnar goes home on the losing end. Yet with the question of dominance still unanswered between them, it’s highly unlikely that either The Undertaker, or Brock Lesnar for that matter, will truly rest in peace.