It’s not always easy being a pro wrestling fan. Even in 2012, decades after Vince McMahon let the cat out of the bag, the most common retort to any mention of wrestling fandom is the tried and true classic—”You know it’s all fake right?”How to re…
It’s not always easy being a pro wrestling fan. Even in 2012, decades after Vince McMahon let the cat out of the bag, the most common retort to any mention of wrestling fandom is the tried and true classic—”You know it’s all fake right?”
How to respond to that nugget of wisdom? Of course it’s all fake! That’s a big part of the fun. We love wrestling because it is so over-the-top, campy and outrageous.
Even “serious” wrestlers like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk do things in the ring that defy the laws of physics and rational thought. That’s okay. It’s all part of the show.
Despite these obvious truths, we still feel the need to defend the business. The wrestlers do it too. That’s why Mick Foley likes to run down his laundry list of injuries. Sure, they all happened as a human cartoon, but they lend realism to the absurd.
It’s the same reason Jim Ross points out a wrestler’s amateur background. It somehow makes it easier to ignore the utter possibility of a hurricanrana when the performer was once a special teams player at the University of Oklahoma.
And it’s why we love it when one of our own goes on to succeed in mixed martial arts. See? Those guys pretending to be tough on television? Maybe there’s something to that act after all.
Everyone knows Brock Lesnar. But he’s not the first and he won’t be the last pro wrestler to excel in MMA. Here’s ten other wrestling stars who went on to MMA fame and fortune.
Were you a big Brock Lesnar fan who’s not quite sure how to feel about his return to pro wrestling? Can’t be in front of the television every Monday night, or unclear how to work a DVR despite it being 2012? Well, I’ve found my purpose in life, bringin…
Were you a big Brock Lesnar fan who’s not quite sure how to feel about his return to pro wrestling? Can’t be in front of the television every Monday night, or unclear how to work a DVR despite it being 2012? Well, I’ve found my purpose in life, bringing you Brock Lesnar’s WWE exploits weekly right here at Bleacher Report.
The Facts:
After recapping Lesnar’s triumphant return to the WWE last week, they waste little time bringing Lesnar out to the ring. He’s there with John Laurinaitis, the new authority figure, which establishes Lesnar as a bad guy. The crowd hasn’t quite caught on, as Lesnar is met with more cheers than boos. Lesnar has one goal—bringing legitimacy back to the WWE.
Laurinaitis announces the two will meet at Extreme Rules on PPV in three weeks. Then…wait for it…that’s John Cena‘s music! The former champion interrupts Lesnar, who once again forgot the sleeves on his MMA style t-shirt. Positively Belichickian.
Cena slaps Lesnar in the face and Lesnar responds, sensibly, with a takedown and some ground-and-pound. The first punch was a solid one. Potato alert! Later the announcers hint that Cena actually lost some teeth in the exchange.
An absolutely comical number of superstars run into ring to separate them and even more comically, can’t. It’s an ode to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Tyson in the lead-up to WrestleMania 14. The two go back and forth playing “hold me back” and Cena ends up with a split lip. Someone may need to remind Lesnar that wrestling is worked.
Lesnar is finally dragged out the ring, while Cena smiles maniacally. Things are finally simmering down as we cut to a commercial break. (Lesnar Segment 1)
Lesnar later comes back out for an interview with Josh Matthews. Lesnar tries to give himself a new nickname, “The War Machine,” and tells Matthews that Cena couldn’t hold his jock strap, as he proved it in the ring. (Lesnar Segment 2)
The show ends with Lesnar, once again, getting the best of Cena. He sneaks up behind Cena after the WWE’s biggest star won a squash, kicking him right in the nuts and F-5ing him. The show goes off the air with Cena lying helpless in the ring, (Lesnar Segment 3)
My Not So Humble Opinion:
The segment played to Lesnar’s strengths. He didn’t have to talk much and got to takedown and punch someone in the face. He’s probably loving this return. In two weeks, Lesnar hasn’t taken a single bump and has dominated Cena.
They went a little too far filling the ring with wrestlers. It wasn’t exactly believable to see the two men shrug off the entire WWE roster to get at each other. But it was intense and it worked. If you wanted us to believe in a feud between the two men, well, some blood the hard way is a good start. (Segment 1)
Lesnar’s first promo since returning to the WWE went fairly well. Lesnar lets us know he’s proud to be back in wrestling, just like he’s proud of everything he does. It didn’t blow anyone away, but it was perfectly respectable. It will get better as he gets back in the swing of things. (Segment 2)
Has John Cena never watched wrestling before? Everyone in the building knew Lesnar would hit the ring. Everyone, except apparently, John Cena. They are really doing a good job building Lesnar back into a star. (Segment 3)
Brock Talk:
First and foremost I’d like to thank you, Mr. Laurinaitis, for bringing credibility back to the WWE.” (Segment 1)
“A guy like John Cena? He thinks he’s at the top. But he couldn’t hold my jock strap in a million years.” (Segment 2)
Classic Lesnar Moment of the Week:
Lesnar apologizes after talking trash to Frank Mir after their UFC 100 rematch.
What’s next for Lesnar? Will Cena get his revenge? Will Lauriniatis serve as his mouthpiece going forward, or was that a one-time thing? And will Lesnar debut a t-shirt with sleeves? Stay tuned to this space for the latest in all things Brock Lesnar.
This summer, the UFC heads back to Brazil in an attempt to set their all-time attendance record for Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II. Scheduled to take place in June at the beautiful Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janei…
This summer, the UFC heads back to Brazil in an attempt to set their all-time attendance record for Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II. Scheduled to take place in June at the beautiful Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, the UFC hopes this Brazilian event will lead to future stadium shows.
As one of the most important events in the promotion’s history, they can draw several aspects from the WWE’s production of Wrestlemania to ensure that UFC 147 is one of the most memorable cards ever.
Brock Lesnar’s debut was amazing to behold. Entering the arena for the first time, he met multiple veterans, even former champions head on. He tossed them around like they were children, violated them, scaring everyone in the industry in the process. T…
Brock Lesnar‘s debut was amazing to behold. Entering the arena for the first time, he met multiple veterans, even former champions head on. He tossed them around like they were children, violated them, scaring everyone in the industry in the process.
The pro wrestling industry.
The champions in question were Al Snow, Spike Dudley and reality star Maven, not Frank Mir and Randy Couture. The event wasn’t UFC 81; it was a random episode of WWE RAW all the way back in 2002, years before he ever seriously considered stepping into the UFC Octagon.
Lesnar adapted quickly to the Octagon, but it’s easy to forget just how quickly he made his mark in pro wrestling as well. Lesnar was a natural. He learned the ropes incredibly fast, becoming a competent and then a good worker in record time. He also had a presence about him. Although you’ll never mistake him for the Rock on the microphone, Lesnar has a physical charisma that draws the eyeball. He looks like the ultimate badass, and fans buy into him hook, line and sinker.
Lesnar, in short, is a star. And the WWE is desperate for a star right now. At WrestleMania, the Rock stole the show despite being almost a decade removed from the business. The company has so little confidence in rising players like Daniel Bryan that they didn’t even trust them to deliver a real match on the biggest card of the year. Chris Jericho and CM Punk were upstaged by the ancient Undertaker and decrepit HHH. The wrestling business needs Brock Lesnar now more than ever.
Some insiders expressed concern about Vince McMahon and Brock ever co-existing. Brock is proud and prickly. Vince used to getting his own way. A WWE return could, these experts suggest, be a disaster waiting to happen. When two powerful egos collide, the fallout could be devastating.
But I think there is a high upside here too.
Lesnar and pro wrestling were made for each other. The first time around, the marriage between the two broke up over scheduling issues and the grind of the road. If Lesnar can find a happy medium this time, including a schedule that only has him working a couple of days a week, the relationship with Vince has the potential to thrive.
The bottom line, as a certain wrestler may have said a million times or more, is that Brock Lesnar is a pro wrestling savant. He was made for the business the way he never was MMA. He became a UFC champion despite being entirely ill-suited for the occupation. In wrestling, he was seemingly sculpted for success.
I can’t wait to see him, possibly on Raw as early as tonight. It’s Lesnar’s second act—I, for one, think it will be better than the first.
Reports circulated over the weekend that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has signed a one-year contract to return to World Wrestling Entertainment. My own sources close to Lesnar and WWE confirm that Lesnar has signed a deal, but nobody tr…
Reports circulated over the weekend that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has signed a one-year contract to return to World Wrestling Entertainment. My own sources close to Lesnar and WWE confirm that Lesnar has signed a deal, but nobody truly knows specifics. I haven’t been able to pin down an exact number of dates he’ll […]
There is a case to be made for several men as the greatest professional wrestler of all-time. Your grandfather might tell you about Buddy Rogers or Lou Thesz. Your dad can spin tails about the amazing Ric Flair and “Handsome Harley Race.” A vampire or …
There is a case to be made for several men as the greatest professional wrestler of all-time. Your grandfather might tell you about Buddy Rogers or Lou Thesz. Your dad can spin tails about the amazing Ric Flair and “Handsome Harley Race.” A vampire or the Highlander might even make an argument for Jim Londos or Frank Gotch.
But to me, the Rock stands alone at the top of the list. With apologies to Lex Luger, the “Great One” was the real total package.
What makes him the greatest of all-time? Read on, reminisce and enjoy.
Were you a big