Brock Lesnar

name=Brock Lesnar

Career

Amateur 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. He won two NCAA wrestling championships as a heavyweight.

Related Topics:
Amateur wrestler - University of Minnesota - Shelton Benjamin - NCAA

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World Wrestling Entertainment

Ohio Valley Wrestling

In 1999 he 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.

Related Topics:
1999 - Ohio Valley Wrestling - Tag team - Minnesota Wrecking Crew - Shooting Star Press - Danny Davis

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Main roster

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.

Related Topics:
2002 - Pushed - Raw - March 18 - Beating down - Al Snow - Maven - Spike Dudley

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Hardy Boyz

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 was able counter and managed to plant 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.

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WWE Undisputed Championship

He won the King of the Ring tournament as well as the WWE Undisputed Championship at the main event of Summerslam after he defeated The Rock. Lesnar, at age 25, was then the youngest WWE Champion ever (he still is 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). Lesnar was soon drafted and remained on SmackDown!. Because of this the WWE Undisputed Championship was renamed to WWE Championship. He later turned face when the Undertaker befriended him. He lost the championship in November at the Survivor Series pay-per-view to The Big Show.

Related Topics:
WWE Undisputed Championship - The Rock - Randy Orton - World Heavyweight Championship - SmackDown! - November - Survivor Series - Pay-per-view - The Big Show

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National Football League

After his final underwhelming match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, 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 the World League. He made no attempts to sign with an AFL team. Lesnar is listed as a free agent in Madden NFL '06.

Related Topics:
Goldberg - WrestleMania XX - National Football League - Minnesota Vikings - AFL - Free agent - Madden NFL '06

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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.

Related Topics:
2010 - New Japan Pro Wrestling - 2004 - July 2005

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New Japan Pro Wrestling

On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match against Masahiro Chono and Kazuyuki Fujita at a NJPW show in Tokyo, Japan. The match was his first pro wrestling match since leaving WWE. The lawsuit is still in progress, and as such Lesnar should be still under the no compete clause.

Related Topics:
October 8 - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - Masahiro Chono - Kazuyuki Fujita - Tokyo, Japan

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