Lesnar has RC-flagged cards in wrestling, football and MMA, so 'his rookie' depends on which question you're asking. For the first card overall, the answer is settled.
2002 Fleer WWE Raw vs. SmackDown! #19, released 24 July 2002. TCDB flags it RC, SportsCardsPro lists it as a rookie, and Cardboard Connection says his first appearance on cardboard came in this set.
The other RC-flagged cards
- 2002 Fleer WWE Royal Rumble #4. Also RC-flagged, and often called 'the' Lesnar rookie, but it came out in December 2002, after Raw vs. SmackDown.
- 2004 football rookies. Leaf Rookies & Stars #155 and Playoff Honors #173 (/425), from his 2004 Vikings preseason.
- 2009 Topps UFC Round 1 #81. His first MMA card, showing his UFC 81 debut against Frank Mir. Cardboard Connection: 'The first Brock Lesnar MMA cards are in 2009 Topps UFC Round 1.'
For UFC collectors
If you only collect UFC-licensed cards, Round 1 #81 is his MMA rookie, Round 2 #69 is his first solo UFC card, and the Round 2 FA-BL is the autograph Cardboard Connection names as his first. The site lists all three as key cards, with the WWE card kept as the overall rookie.
One mislabel: the printed facsimile signature on the Raw vs. SmackDown card gets mistaken for a real autograph. It is printed on every copy.
