Top WWE star Brock Lesnar appeared on Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets podcast to discuss various topics, including how he originally signed with the company primarily for financial reasons.
Lesnar said, “One thousand percent. So when I won my NCAA title, the WWE approached me because I lived in Minneapolis. I had a big media following there. Back when I was in college, I was the big man on campus. It was me and Kevin Garnett running Minneapolis. Yeah, like I was—they turned me into this unbeatable monster, and I was doing all the radio stuff back then and going down and getting free steaks whenever I wanted, and everywhere I went there was a pat on the back. So it was cool. But yeah, once I was done with my eligibility, then I was just tired of being broke. The WWE was the only real offer on the table for me, my only option to go and make some money.”
On not knowing what pro wrestling was at the time:
“Guys, I never watched—I didn’t even know all that existed until I got to college. Wow. So it’s not like that was the dream. It was competing, wrestling in college. It wasn’t WWE. Not at all. Then I got down to OVW and I was like, it just clicked with me. I was like, ‘This isn’t really hard. There’s a good guy and a bad guy.’ I just picked it up really fast and the company saw my improvements. And next thing I know, I’m the youngest WWE champion in history. I was 24.”
On deciding to leave WWE after his first run with the company:
“Yeah, but then they put me with a guy. They gave me a manager. They gave me a manager, and it was Paul Heyman, who, bless his heart, has been a good friend of mine for many years. And they put the mic on him and turned me into this demolition man, and it was fun. But literally, I wasn’t prepared for it at the time. I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn’t know that we were on the road 300 nights a year. I had no idea that I could get hurt at this stuff. And it was like—so before I knew it, I was on the pain train, with Vicodin and vodka, and then I was like—I’m looking around at the legends in the locker room at the time and I’m looking across and I go, ‘Man, I don’t know if I can hang with these guys like this.’ You know what I mean? And I was feeling like I still had some athletic endeavors inside, so that’s why I stepped away from it. And then I tried my hand in the NFL, had a cup of coffee there, maybe just a half a cup.”
On his exit opening the door for John Cena to rise:
“Yeah, John Cena was very happy because a year before I left I had just re-upped. I had just signed a new contract. It was a 10-year contract, 20 million guaranteed. I’m 22 years old and I guess for me, the company was pretty chapped at me at the time because they invested a lot into me. And I understand that now. But if I would’ve stayed there, I wouldn’t be who I am today either. You know what I mean? So I’m glad that I had enough wits about me to leave. But everything turned out.”
On why he chose to leave WWE in 2004:
“I can remember when the light bulb—or when it hit me—and I was in the locker room. I’m looking around and I’m seeing some of these old boys, that this is the life that they’ve lived for 30, 40 years. And I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got something else to give here.’ And I was like, ‘I want to go and see what else is out there for me. it was a big move. I left the company and I learned a lot of lessons there. The paychecks stop coming in, but the bills still keep coming, right?….And I went through—it was living hell in 2004 to 2006, some of the worst years of my life. But it’s those character-building years that you learn from. You know what I mean? And there’s light at the end of the tunnel, but sometimes it’s not there. But you’ve got to keep fighting for it.”
On ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak:
“For me, guys, it was—it’s really simple. This is a business. It’s a business. And I think a lot of the guys live and breathe the lifestyle of it. And for Taker, it obviously wasn’t my call to make. At the time, Vince McMahon -— if there was a person that could take the streak away with a legitimate background and people could believe it, I guess it was me. There’s a lot of people that are pissed that it’s me, but it’s not my call, you know what I mean? And so my hat’s off to Undertaker, Mark. He’s a great guy. And at the end, guys, it’s just a business and you have—it’s a give and take. And it was time for Taker to give, and it was time for Brock Lesnar to take it.”
On Undertaker being concussed during the match:
“I don’t know what happened during the match, but Taker was a mentor of mine. I worked with Taker for many years. So now we’re out in this match and Taker got hit left field day-of. He’s coming to his 20th WrestleMania thinking that, oh, he’s going to win. And then two hours before we go on, the rug gets pulled on him. A lot of different emotions there, I’m sure. Then I was excited, but I also felt bad too. Like, I’m the guy and I get to be the guy. And so we’re out in this match and next thing I know, Taker’s not being Taker. And I’m like—so we had to—we’re—it’s a dance out there and you just have to do your best to get through it. and we did. Out of respect, because Taker—I spent a lot of time with Taker and I wanted to make sure that he was all right. And that’s part of the deal. I did go to the hospital and make sure he was okay and that’s just part of the respect thing.”
You can check out the complete podcast below.
(H/T to PWInsider.com for transcribing the above quotes)
