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Brock Lesnar has done it all. From being billed as "The Next Big Thing" to breaking The Undertaker's legendary streak, only a few can achieve what Lesnar has in the wrestling business. As if that wasn't enough, The Beast transitioned into a successful MMA career, winning the coveted UFC Heavyweight Championship. Given Lesnar's ability to captivate the crowd with his explosive performances and pull in many casual fans, it is no surprise that Vince McMahon is willing to pay him millions of dollars.
Given that his personal life is very private, it makes us wonder who the real Brock Lesnar is, what makes him the way he is and what more he has tried to do. So buckle up and get ready for one amazing ride as we give you an insight into the Brock Lesnar we see on television with amazing facts people seldom know.
#10 Brock Lesnar is a “Farmer” at heart
Brock Lesnar was born in Webster, South Dakota on his father’s dairy farm. Webster is a small town and it was here that Brock grew up as a farm boy, milking cows. He later developed an interest in wrestling and strength building, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Despite raking so much moolah now, The Beast considers wrestling to be a clock-in/clock-out day job because at heart he’s really just a South Dakota farmer who happens to be good in a fight. WWE Management knows this quite well and Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, even spoke about it:
“Brock Lesnar wanted to come back and be involved but he didn’t want to be here full-time and traveling every day. He didn’t want to be in the ring every single day. I’ve said this many times but Brock is a simple guy. He’s a farmer, that’s what he is. I know that doesn’t look like what he is, but right now he’s probably harvesting crops somewhere on his farm. That’s the reality of who he is. Brock Lesnar likes to go home, sit, drive a tractor and harvest crops. It just so happens he’s a badass on the weekend.”
#9 Was roommates with Shelton Benjamin
Brock Lesnar, for his college education, attended Bismarck State College, winning the National Junior College Wrestling Championship during his sophomore year. He later transferred to the University of Minnesota on a full wrestling scholarship.
It was here that he met his fellow roommate Shelton Benjamin, who would later become his assistant coach. Benjamin would also go on to have a stint with the WWE. Lesnar and Benjamin seemed to form a very close friendship during their days in university as when WWE signed Brock Lesnar, he coaxed them to sign Benjamin as well. Former WWE commentator Jim Ross revealed what Lesnar said:
“The only catch was that we needed to also recruit and offer Brock Lesnar's Minnesota teammate, Shelton Benjamin, as well… Benjamin was an amazing athlete, and signing the South Carolina native was a blessing as he had a solid WWE career, arguably underutilized in the opinion of some. Plus, he made Brock's transition from the amateurs to the pros much easier”.
#8 Is a family man
For someone who has stated on TV that he doesn't give a "sh*t" about someone else's kids, it’s hard to believe that Brock Lesnar is a family guy. The former Universal Champion married former WWE Diva Sable (real name Rena Lesnar) in 2006. In addition to their two sons, Turk and Duke, Brock is also the step-father to Rena and Wayne Richardson’s daughter Mariah. Moreover, The Beast also has a daughter Mya Lynn from his previous relationship with Nicole McClain.
Despite being so successful, it is really admirable that Brock always puts his wife and children first before his career and also isn’t keen to risk his health in order to make more money. The Beast constantly shuns the media spotlight and fiercely guards the private lives of himself and that of his family. He also has a brother in Saskatchewan, who owns a farm there and “The Beast” has enjoyed visiting the countryside and the Canadian wildlife.
#7 Had a close shave with death due to Diverticulitis
Brock Lesnar was initially identified as having mononucleosis in November 2009, but it was subsequently determined that he also had a severe case of diverticulitis. Surgery was required right away because the condition was so bad that it was nearly fatal. Surgery is rarely used to treat this disease and is only performed when the danger of infection and other health problems make it necessary.
For those who don’t know what Diverticulitis is, it is a disease of the digestive tract, generally in the large intestine where tiny pouches form in the patient's colon. These pouches are called Diverticula and when they become inflamed, Diverticulitis is diagnosed.
While vacationing in Canada in 2009, Lesnar was rushed to the hospital in excruciating pain and was required to have surgery to set things right. However, that wasn’t the last of it as he underwent surgery once again in 2011. In his book Death Clutch, Brock described what it felt like to have such an illness:
"I have a high threshold for pain, higher than most guys, and I couldn't deal with it. It felt like I had taken a shotgun blast to the stomach, and then someone poured in some salt and Tabasco and stirred it all up with a nasty pitchfork".
UFC President Dana White summed it up the best when he said, “It's interesting. He became a champion with diverticulitis. What would he have done without it?"
#6 Is the youngest WWE Champion ever
It took Brock Lesnar two long years to be called up to the main roster after joining WWE, but the wait was worth it. Being accompanied by Paul Heyman to the ring, "The Next Big Thing" went through most of the roster and made a statement by defeating Rob Van Dam to win the “King of the Ring”.
The win gave him a direct shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship, which The Rock held. The two legends faced off at Summerslam 2002 where The Beast Incarnate beat The Great One to win the championship, crowning himself as the youngest WWE Undisputed Champion ever at 25.
#5 Tried his hand at American Football
After a four-year run in WWE, Brock Lesnar was fed up with the constant travel that was a part of the wrestling business. Post the infamous WrestleMania XX match against Goldberg, Lesnar decided to take a break from wrestling to try his hand at American Football with the NFL.
He spent time training in Arizona with hopes of making it to the practice squad. All this seemed to be going in his favour when he was lapped up by the Minnesota Vikings. Lesnar, being an athlete himself, knew the tricks of the trade and was realistic regarding his chances of making his dream a reality:
"I'm not stupid. I know the NFL is a difficult world to crack...But I'll play in defensive line to left out. I'm fighting every fu*king play. I can fight for real”.
Lesnar was quite daring in his style of play and didn’t think twice about bringing on his legendary skills in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs:
“I’ve got to prove myself. If it’s fighting and clawing and whatever, then that’s what I’m going to do. I haven’t had this much fun since… I can’t remember. I have only one speed."
Unfortunately for Brock, that was all to show in his football career, as he was cut from the team at the end of the season.
#4 Was the highest paid MMA Fighter for 2011
After a not-so-successful run in the NFL, Brock Lesnar went on to sign for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2008. Even though he lost his debut match against Frank Mir, he would go on to record multiple victories, capture the UFC Championship and defeat Frank Mir in a rematch. He was sidelined due to Diverticulitis, but would return to defeat interim champion Shane Carwin to become the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
With these victories, Lesnar gained prominence and it wasn’t a surprise when he was announced as the highest earner among MMA Fighters in 2011 raking in an impressive $5,300,3000.
#3 Attempted to sue WWE
Generally, wrestlers who either had personal issues or did not have a great run in WWE tend to blame and sue the promotion. Thus, Brock Lesnar's attempt to sue Vince McMahon's promotion comes as a surprise, given how he had already carved out a Hall of Fame worthy career when he decided to take a hiatus from WWE in 2004.
However, the parting was less than amicable. WWE decided to play dirty by trying to block him from fighting for other promotions until June 2010. Unhappy with this, The Bearded Butcher filed a lawsuit against the wrestling behemoth in February 2005.
What followed was a lengthy tug-of-war, but ultimately WWE decided to settle. Brock’s lawyer commented, “Although the settlement with WWE does not give Brock the clear-cut court victory he was looking for, it does provide him with the certainty he needs to pursue new ventures while he is still in his athletic prime”.
#2 Political stance
Brock Lesnar seldom speaks, but has some strong views when it comes to politics. He identifies himself as a ’Conservative Republican' and had a clear dislike for former President Barack Obama’s Obamacare policy. His views became even more apparent while speaking in interviews regarding the care he received from Canadian doctors while battling Diverticulitis, when he expressed his satisfaction with the American healthcare system and spoke against Obama’s agenda for reform.
#1 Other passions
Lesnar’s passion for hunting is pretty huge. He is such an avid fan that he is a member of the NRA and attended their annual meeting in 2011. He often visits Alberta, Canada, to hunt deer and also fell into trouble with the law after admitting to a hunting infraction in 2011. The former MMA fighter pleaded guilty and was fined 1725 USD. He was also banned from hunting for a period of six months.
