Before Brock Lesnar became one of the most dominant world champions in WWE history, his early run was all about showing off his raw power. One of the men who played a key role in making “The Next Big Thing” look unstoppable was Spike Dudley, who recently looked back on what it was like being one of Lesnar’s first 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 touched on the infamous powerbomb sequence that left a lasting mark on 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 destruction of Dudley and Funaki immediately set the tone for what was to come, cementing his reputation as a once-in-a-generation powerhouse. The visual of Spike being rag-dolled around the ring became part of Lesnar’s highlight reel and played a crucial role in introducing the “Beast Incarnate” to the WWE audience.