Brock Lesnar has been someone who can intimidate opponents just by showing up. Apart from his size and strength, his tattoos, especially the sword on his chest, have become a big part of his image. But the story behind that tattoo is not what many fans would expect.
Recently, Lesnar shared that his chest tattoo wasn’t planned at all. It actually came from a very difficult time in his life. Back in 2004, he left WWE to kickstart a career in the NFL. During that time, he was training in Scottsdale.
However, things didn’t go well for him, though.
Brock Lesnar Didn’t Remember Getting His Chest Tattoo
Lesnar was dealing with both physical and mental struggles. He was also recovering from a motorcycle accident at the time. He felt lost and frustrated. One night, things got out of control when he ended up at a tattoo shop near a biker bar.
Speaking on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, he said,
“I got that tattoo, I was shitfaced drunk in Scottsdale, Arizona… I was in Scottsdale, training for the NFL, had just gotten in a motorcycle accident. And I was just kicked down hard. I was going through all that stuff.”
“There was a tattoo shop across the street from the biker bar. That’s not a good place to have a tattoo shop. But anyway, I got this tattoo. I didn’t even know I got the damn thing. I wake up the next day, and I’m like, ‘What in the hell is this thing?'” Lesnar added.
At first, it was just a random and careless decision. But over time, it started to mean something more. Lesnar said that during that phase, his life was at a low point, like he was stuck with no clear direction. The sword tattoo slowly became a symbol of that feeling.
“I felt like my back was against the wall and somebody had a sword, a knife, stuck to my throat. Like, ‘What are you going to do now?’ You know what I mean? So I walked over there and said, ‘Yeah, let’s put a bigass, ugly sword on my chest,’” Lesnar said.
Today, that chest tattoo is one of the most recognizable things about him.
