Brock Lesnar Has Become the Centerpiece of the Modern SummerSlam

Brock Lesnar has become what Hulk Hogan once was for WWE SummerSlam: its central figure and star attraction.

The marquee for SummerSlam 2015 has The Beast Incarnate's name on it. It's become a familiar sight. For the last four years, Lesnar has been the man around whom WWE has built the pay-per-view.

One imagines that pre-SummerSlam meetings have centered on what to do with Lesnar, with the idea that all the other pieces can be filled in later.

SummerSlam 2002 hosted Lesnar's first WWE title win. That was the night he announced, by way of knocking off The Rock, that he was set to be the pride's alpha male. His championship victory came early in his career, but it was no surprise.

Folks had seen something special in Lesnar since he was grinding opponents into the mat for the University of Minnesota.

It wasn't until his return to the squared circle in 2012, though, that he began to be SummerSlam's focal point year in and year out. After an attempt to make it to the NFL and winning the UFC heavyweight title, Lesnar stormed into the arena after WrestleMania XXVIII. Just four months later, he and Triple H main evented SummerSlam 2012.

Credit: WWE.com

While he had also competed at Extreme Rules that year, SummerSlam had a welcome-home feel to it.

Seeing Lesnar engaged in a rivalry again, tearing at his foes' arms and snarling at the camera, was exhilarating. The Beast had been feasting elsewhere for eight years.

To have him back at SummerSlam not only made the event feel more special but boosted its numbers as well. As James Caldwell noted on Pro Wrestling Torch, the PPV had an 18 percent bump in buys from the previous year's edition. It's hard to tell how much of that was Lesnar's doing, but his presence surely helped.

And it speaks to Lesnar's star power that his battle with Triple H headlined the show despite the fact that it didn't involve the WWE title. With Lesnar aboard, CM Punk vs. Big Show vs. John Cena was relegated to second place.

The following year's SummerSlam was the only one Lesnar has not headlined since returning.

Still, Punk vs. Lesnar was vital to that show's intrigue level. Daniel Bryan's chase for the world title was a major story, but this meeting of Paul Heyman's former and current clients felt like a blockbuster all its own.

That was just his fifth match since coming back to WWE and the first one that didn't involve either Cena or Triple H. 

The result was an absolute masterpiece. A story unfolded in the ring of Punk being blinded by his rage toward Heyman and of the dangers of facing Lesnar. Critical acclaim followed, with WWE.com's staff naming it the best match of the year.

In 2014, it was back to the top of the card for Lesnar. In what was billed as "The Fight of the Summer," Lesnar challenged Cena for the WWE title.

Once more, Lesnar was SummerSlam's major selling point. Once again, he was on the poster and the marquee, and he was front and center in the ad campaign for the PPV.

The bulk of the talk after the show was not about Roman Reigns getting the biggest win of his singles career to date or Nikki Bella turning on her sister but instead about Lesnar's destruction of Cena. The title bout was so one-sided that it shook an audience that often believes it knows exactly what's going to happen.

A good amount of post-SummerSlam buzz focused on that demolition, on how many times Lesnar hit Cena with a German suplex.

Like he has been since 2012, Lesnar was the talk of the event. That's set to be the case once again.

2015 will mark the third time The Beast Incarnate has been in the SummerSlam main event in the last four years. He faces Undertaker in a match sure to have folks talking no matter the result.

Should Undertaker get a measure of revenge, there will be talk of how the unstoppable force was stopped for one night. Should Lesnar beat down The Deadman, there will be chatter about how dominant WWE has booked him and guesses as to what's next for the powerhouse.

No other match is going to stir up water-cooler discussion like Lesnar vs. Undertaker. And that's how it has been since his return.

There's a reason WWE chose Lesnar to represent the company and promote the event on SportsCenter.

He is an attraction like no other. He is a star on a tier that houses just a few men, Undertaker included. But while The Phenom has been saving his annual emergence from hibernation for WrestleMania, Lesnar has been providing SummerSlam with a new energy, making it feel must-watch again.

Hogan headlined three of the first four SummerSlams. He was the addition to the card that made it a momentous one each time.

Lesnar plays that role now. He is the muscle-bound lure of "The WrestleMania of the Summer," SummerSlam's must-see, buzz-starting star.