.jpg "Brock Lesnar")
The following is an excerpt from Tom Kettwig’s recap of Brock Lesnar’s profile piece on ESPN’s E:60 yesterday:
They showed a picture of Vince McMahon from a Wrestlemania 23 press conference while talking about how WWE invited him to join its stable of showmen.
Brock said he never watched "a lick of wrestling". He said that’s not wrestling, it’s not real. They showed clips of him vs. Matt Hardy, talking about how WWE slapped a lot of money on the table, a quarter of a million dollars. They showed clips of him vs. Brian Kendrick and Rey Mysterio and talk about how he was crowned the youngest WWE champion at the age of 25. The money kept flowing into the millions, but it came at a steep price.
The reporter asks what type of injuries he had and Brock said that he tore both of knees up, got severe back pain, ribs, neck issues. He wrestled with his MCL blown out and three broken ribs and he wrestled that way for six months because he just became the champion.
He said that you are gone 300 days a year, you are miserable climbing the walls in the locker room waiting to come through the curtain in a different town every night that looks exactly the same from the night before.
He said there are two years from his life that he doesn’t remember. The reporter asked him why he doesn’t remember and Brock answered vodka and pain pills. He said he was in a lot of pain mentally and physically. The reporter asked him if was addicted and Brock asked the reporter what is addiction? Taking too many pills and drinking too much, yes. Did he become aware he was talking too many pills and drinking? Yes he did.
They showed a clip of Brock giving Big Show a suplex while Bret Hart talked about how there is a lot of pain in wrestling, that he knows countless wrestlers who are dead today from having addictions to pain killers.
Brock said he didn’t want to be in the locker room looking like these guys, doing the same thing. Being an entertainer wasn’t fulfilling his need.
In 2004 Lesnar walked away from the WWE and a reported seven year, forty five million dollar contract, to tryout with the Minnesota Vikings. They showed clips of Brock playing on special teams, walking and talking about playing for the minimum salary of 230 grand.
Showing clips of him at training camp they talked about his skills as a defensive lineman being too raw and he kept getting into fights. He said it was a way for him to get out of something where he didn’t know what he was doing. He was one of the last players cut.
He fell into a deep funk and they talked about his sword tatoo on his chest and feeling like someone was cutting his throat.
They showed clips of Lesnar entering the octagon while talking about him setting his sights on MMA and lobbied the president of UFC Dana White to give him a chance.
At first White doubted that any WWE superstar could do well in a sport where the outcome isn’t scripted. Dana White said those guys are athletic and are in great shape. He doesn’t call it competition. Coming over to Mixed Martial Arts is a big jump.
They showed a clip of Lesar working out while talking about his physique questioning if there is steroid use. The reporter talked about how that he is so big and then Lesnar laughed and walked away.
You can now follow WrestleZone.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WRESTLEZONEcom
