Brock Lesnar
| Brock Lesnar | |
|---|---|
| File:Brocklesnarportrait.jpg | |
| Born | July 12, 1977 Webster, South Dakota |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg) |
| Trained by | Ohio Valley Wrestling |
| Debut | October 2000 |
Brock Edward Lesnar (born on July 12, 1977 in Webster, South Dakota) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his two year career with World Wrestling Entertainment, and his attempt at a career in the National Football League with the Minnesota Vikings. He is currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and holds their IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
World Wrestling Entertainment
Before entering professional wrestling, Lesnar was an outstanding amateur wrestler and went to the University of Minnesota on a full wrestling scholarship, where he was roommates with WWE's Shelton Benjamin, himself a talented amateur wrestler. Lesnar won the 2000 NCAA wrestling championships as a heavyweight. He finished runner-up in 1999. Lesnar also wrestled in junior college prior to joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
In 2000 Lesnar signed with WWE and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling for development, where he wrestled in a tag team named the Minnesota Stretching Crew with Benjamin (a reference to the Minnesota Wrecking Crew). During his time in OVW he became known for performing the Shooting Star Press, a move more commonly performed by smaller, lighter wrestlers and rarely by a wrestler of his size. He was trained as a professional by Danny Davis.
In 2002, Lesnar was called up to WWE and was immediately pushed. He debuted on Raw on March 18, 2002, beating down Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley. Paul Heyman made his on-camera return in WWE as Lesnar's manager, touting as Lesnar as being "The Next Big Thing."
Lesnar then feuded with the Hardy Boyz. A ruthless Lesnar was seen giving Matt Hardy an F-5 on the steel ramp, which led to an angered Jeff Hardy wanting revenge on Lesnar. The two squared off at Backlash. Lesnar was able to kick out of Hardy's finisher, the Swanton Bomb. A frustrated Hardy went to grab a steel chair, and was about to use it on Lesnar, but he countered and planted his own finisher, the F-5. Lesnar was declared the winner when the referee stopped the match as Jeff Hardy lay knocked out in the middle of the ring after receiving three powerbombs. The feud between the Hardyz and Lesnar lasted for a few more months, with Lesnar always ending up victorious.
Undisputed Championship
In June, Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament, defeating Rob Van Dam in the final round. This victory earned him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship in the main event at Summerslam, where he defeated The Rock. Lesnar, at age 25, was then the youngest WWE Champion ever (as of 2005, he is still technically the youngest WWE Champion ever, but Randy Orton is the youngest world champion in WWE history, having won the World Heavyweight Championship at 24). The next night on Raw, SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon announced Lesnar would defend the title only on Smackdown, forcing Raw GM Eric Bischoff to create the World Heavyweight Championship. That fall, Lesnar feuded with the Undertaker, who he defeated in a Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy 2002. He lost the championship in November at the Survivor Series pay-per-view to The Big Show after being betrayed by Paul Heyman.
After winning the 2003 Royal Rumble match in January 2003, he regained the championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX from Kurt Angle. Toward the end of the match, his attempt at the Shooting Star Press, which he had never performed before on WWE TV, failed, as Angle was too far from the ring post and Lesnar under-rotated on the back flip, causing him to land almost directly on his head, stunning him and forcing Angle to improvise the finish. This move gave Lesnar a concussion. The incident coined the term "to Brock", which means to botch the biggest move in the biggest match, or to double-clutch on the top rope. This was Angle's last match in WWE for several months, as he took some time off to have neck surgery.
When Angle returned he befriended Lesnar, but when Lesnar lost the title back to Angle in a triple threat match with the Big Show at Vengeance in July, Lesnar turned on him and developed a mean streak, which was highly supported by WWE owner Vince McMahon. In August on Smackdown, Lesnar faced amputee wrestler Zack Gowen, who had an artificial leg due to cancer, in Gowen's hometown. Lesnar physically broke Gowen's remaining leg in front of his little brother and mother. Later, Lesnar kidnapped a wheelchaired Gowen and pushed him off some steps. Lesnar regained the WWE Title from Kurt Angle in an Ironman match in September, and lost it to the late Eddie Guerrero at February 2004's No Way Out event.
Post-WWE career
National Football League
After his final underwhelming match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX (in which both men were heckled and jeered by the crowd; both were leaving WWE after the match), Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League. After playing in a few pre-season games for the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar was eventually cut from the team. Lesnar had suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident during the summer of 2004, which along with lack of football practice prevented him from performing well enough to remain in a Vikings practice squad position. He declined to accept an invitation to play as a representative of the Vikings in NFL Europe. He made no attempts to sign with an AFL or CFL team. Lesnar is listed as a free agent in Madden NFL '06.
Lawsuit with World Wrestling Entertainment
Lesnar had previously signed a no-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE, which prohibited him from working for any other sports entertainment or mixed martial arts companies before 2010. Lesnar had anticipated leaving wrestling entirely, but his inability to secure a career in professional football led to him challenging this ruling in court. WWE responded by demanding damages as a result of Lesnar allegedly breaching the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in 2004. In July 2005, the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. Recently, WWE had offered Brock a contract, but on August 2, 2005, WWE's official website reported that Lesnar has withdrawn from any involvement with the company. The lawsuit was entered into settlement on September 21, 2005, and the documents regarding the case were declared sealed. The date for the settlement conference was set for December 15, 2005.
New Japan Pro Wrestling
On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in the Tokyo Dome, which included the then-champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono. He won the match by pinning Masahiro Chono after an F-5, which he had renamed "The Verdict", since WWE owns the trademark on the F5 name. After the match, he stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE. The match was his first pro wrestling match since leaving WWE.
On December 6, 2005 WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW, but the court did not grant it. Lesnar successfully defended his championship on January 4, 2006 against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
On January 13, 2006 WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on February 19, 2006.
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney has stated that unless WWE gives him a good argument between now and January 25th, that he will rule in favor of Brock Lesnar, giving him a summary judgment. This would enable Lesnar to work anywhere he wanted and for anyone he wanted immediately.
In wrestling
Previous managers
Finishing and signature maneuvers
- F-5 (WWE) / Verdict (NJPW) (F-5)
- Shooting star press
- Brock Lock I (Side bearhug)
- Brock Lock II (Argentine leglock)
- Overhead belly to belly suplex
- Double or triple powerbomb
- Spinebuster
- Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker
Personal life
Lesnar has one daughter with an ex-fiancée, Nicole. He left his fiancée to start a relationship with Sable, to whom he was also briefly engaged before they separated in 2005. The couple reconciled and were married in late 2005.
Lesnar has numerous tattoos. His hobbies include football,soccer, arm wrestling, and bodybuilding.
Trivia
- There was a producer-made model of Lesnar in Madden NFL '06. Despite the name, the model looked almost nothing like the real Lesnar.
Championships and accomplishments
- 2002 Wrestler of the Year Award
- 2003 Feud of the Year, against Kurt Angle
- 2003 Match of the Year, against Kurt Angle
- 3-Time WWE Champion
- 2002 King of the Ring winner
- 2003 Royal Rumble winner