Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar: ‘WWE Made Me a Household Name’

As Brock Lesnar was breaking onto the MMA scene in 2007, it was no secret that the former “Next Big Thing” was at one point a WWE heavyweight champion.  This did not sit well with a lot of MMA purists, who were willing to completely ov…

As Brock Lesnar was breaking onto the MMA scene in 2007, it was no secret that the former “Next Big Thing” was at one point a WWE heavyweight champion.  This did not sit well with a lot of MMA purists, who were willing to completely overlook the fact that Brock was a former two-time NCAA […]

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Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar: ‘WWE Made Me a Household Name’

UFC Rumor: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in “Deep Talks” with WWE

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar may be back sooner than we first expected—but it might actually be with a former employer, the WWE. Long-time pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer wrote today in the Wrestling Observer that Lesnar has  “…

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar may be back sooner than we first expected—but it might actually be with a former employer, the WWE.

Long-time pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer wrote today in the Wrestling Observer that Lesnar has  “either made a deal or at least [is] in very serious negotiations to have a business relationship with WWE.”

Lesnar remains hugely popular with the WWE audience and has been linked to many returns in the past after he left the company to pursue a career in the NFL in 2004.

“It is not to wrestle, and as far as what we’ve heard, would also not be as a television character,” Meltzer continued.

Top WWE superstar CM Punk delivered a memorable promo this past Monday on WWE’s RAW program where he mentioned both Brock Lesnar and his on-screen manager, friend and book partner Paul Heyman.

According to Meltzer’s report, both Heyman and Lesnar are in negotiations with the WWE.

As it is an entertainment industry, there are many opportunities for work off-camera for both men. But MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani also indicated that the deal could simply be a merchandise agreement.

Lesnar pulled out of his scheduled UFC 131 main event fight with Junior dos Santos, citing a second bout with the disease diverticulitis, which gave him a major health scare not long after he won the UFC heavyweight championship. He was replaced in the main event by Shane Carwin, and his return date has not yet been finalized.

Update:

According to Jeremy Botter of HEAVY, there have been absolutely no discussions to bring back either Lesnar or Heyman as on-screen characters in WWE.

The discussions have been for a WWE-related consumer products deal which the WWE has no final say in and are not involved in negotiations.

Paul Heyman will not be involved in said product. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

No, It’s Not April Fool’s: Former WWE Wrestler To Open MMA Gym With Cesar Gracie

By Jason Moles

Man, they sure are lowering the bar these days. According to TMZ, Dave Bautista (aka former WWE professional wrestler “Batista“) and renowned MMA trainer Cesar Gracie have created a new tag team, and will be opening a Gracie Fighter Jiu Jitsu franchise in Tampa. Though the gym is currently only open to “close martial artist friends,” it will be opened to the public next week; you can see a couple photos of the joint here.

The last we heard about Bautista’s MMA career is that it was dead thanks to the UFC acquiring Strikeforce. I’m not sure if I’m more surprised that Bautista can’t stop pretending he’s a real fighter or that Cesar is whoring out the Gracie family name like that. I hope his cousin Renzo gives him a good talking to about this whole ordeal.

By Jason Moles

Man, they sure are lowering the bar these days. According to TMZ, Dave Bautista (aka former WWE professional wrestler “Batista“) and renowned MMA trainer Cesar Gracie have created a new tag team, and will be opening a Gracie Fighter Jiu Jitsu franchise in Tampa. Though the gym is currently only open to “close martial artist friends,” it will be opened to the public next week; you can see a couple photos of the joint here.

The last we heard about Bautista’s MMA career is that it was dead thanks to the UFC acquiring Strikeforce. I’m not sure if I’m more surprised that Bautista can’t stop pretending he’s a real fighter or that Cesar is whoring out the Gracie family name like that. I hope his cousin Renzo gives him a good talking to about this whole ordeal.

We can only imagine what a normal training day is like at Batista Top Team. Let’s see here, we’ve got jiu jitsu for dummies followed by tire-flipping. After that you have your choice of “Juice” 101, How to Sell a Punch, or 10 Steps to a Meaner Mug. You’ve got your work cut out for you, Ron Kruck.

This seems more like a publicity stunt than anything — or maybe it’s Bautista’s attempt to convince Dana White that he’s not a fake-fighter after all. What’s your take?

10 Things Brock Lesnar Brings to the Table as a TUF Coach

(Now smile and tell everyone I’m the TUF coach and that it was an easy decision to make.)
By Cage Potato contributor Jason Moles
The second Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar would be taking the reins of one of next season’s The Ultimate Fighter te…


(Now smile and tell everyone I’m the TUF coach and that it was an easy decision to make.)

By Cage Potato contributor Jason Moles


The second Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar would be taking the reins of one of next season’s The Ultimate Fighter teams, it seems that everyone with a keyboard immediately began furiously typing out their manifestos explaining why, in their "professional opinion" the  former UFC heavyweight champ will suck as a coach.

Well, not everyone agrees with the popular assertion that the ironically seemingly reluctant UFC star who owned the camera while cashing paychecks from the WWE will sink the TUF ship.

We may not necessarily agree with White’s opinion that anyone who thinks it’s possible that Brock might not deliver as a coach is basically a stupid f*cking idiot, as he so eloquently inferred MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani was for asking about the plausibility during a press conference last week, but we are part of the minority who think it may not be so bad.

Check out contributor Jason Moles’ breakdown of why Brock will do TUF some good after the jump.

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Next Stop for Shonie Carter? WWE, Duh

(For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will do. PicProps: CombatLifestyle)
As it stands, the Potato has what you might call in the parlance of the fight game a “verbal agreement” in place t…


(For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will do. PicProps: CombatLifestyle)

As it stands, the Potato has what you might call in the parlance of the fight game a “verbal agreement” in place to have Shonie Carter on an upcoming episode of The Bum Rush. So far it’s just been a matter of getting our schedules to mesh. When it happens and we get Mr. International live on the air you can damn sure bet we’re going to get to the bottom of this little tidbit: Recently retired, it now appears that Carter wants to take his singular talents to the world of professional wrestling. At least that’s what he told Old Dad on Wednesday in an interview over on MMA Fighting.

"I want to go to the WWE … ," Carter says. "I’m coming to acknowledge the midlife crisis that a lot of guys go through where they get a Corvette and a hot blonde girlfriend with big boobs. I’ve just decided to do the WWE. Overtime, that will be my name. Overtime, because I work hard. I put that hard hat on, I bring a lunchbox, and I punch in. If you get in that ring with me, you better punch in too, because you’re going to be working overtime."

Phew, midlife crisis averted. Still, we can’t help but wonder: Wouldn’t it be possible for Shonie to go to WWE and get the hot blonde girlfriend with big boobs? Just sayin.

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As Internet Accuses Undertaker of Epic Troll Job, White Says Lesnar will be Back in the UFC Sooner than Expected

(Does this look like the face of a man who is pumped for Wrestlemania? PicProps: BloodyElbow)
Right on schedule, the Internets are in full-on meltdown mode this Monday morning concerning all things Brock Lesnar. Lesnar fans who talked him up as an unst…


(Does this look like the face of a man who is pumped for Wrestlemania? PicProps: BloodyElbow)

Right on schedule, the Internets are in full-on meltdown mode this Monday morning concerning all things Brock Lesnar. Lesnar fans who talked him up as an unstoppable juggernaut as late as Friday afternoon are now backtracking, suddenly focusing more on his inexperience than his otherworldly physical prowess. Cain Velasquez supporters are getting their gloat on, as well they should, after Velasquez put a king sized beating on Lesnar at UFC 121. We blogging scumbags are attacking the former champ’s striking skills, his game plan and his training camp. Many of us are wondering aloud about Lesnar’s future in the sport, how he’ll rebound from this and what in the bejeezus is going to happen to our precious heavyweight rankings now.

For his part, UFC President Dana White is insinuating that the whitetail deer population of southwestern Minnesota might be a bit inflated come spring, since he believes Lesnar will cancel much of his planned time off in order to get back in the gym and back in the Octagon ASAP. Then there’s this goddamned Undertaker thing, which is threatening to take on a life of its own.

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