William Scott ("Bill") Goldberg (born December 27, 1966 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American professional wrestler and retired American football player.
Goldberg is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between September 1997 and January 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment between March 2003 and March 2004. In addition to his sporting pursuits, he is also an actor.
Contents [hide]
1 American football career
2 Professional wrestling career
2.1 World Championship Wrestling
2.2 World Wrestling Entertainment
3 Acting career
3.1 Filmography
3.2 Television appearances
4 MMA career
5 Wrestling facts
5.1 Finishing and signature moves
5.2 Championships and accomplishments
6 Personal life
7 Books
8 References
9 External links
[edit] American football career
Goldberg attended the University of Georgia from 1986 to 1989, earning a degree in psychology. While at university, Goldberg played college football as a nose tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was named an All-American. He started every game for three years. [1]
Bill Goldberg
Position(s) Defensive tackle
College Georgia
NFL Draft 1990 / Round 11/ Pick 301
Statistics DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1992-1994 Atlanta Falcons
After graduating, Goldberg declared for the NFL Draft where he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the eleventh round. After he did not make the team in 1989 and 1990, Goldberg went on to compete in the World League of American Football, winning the World Bowl as a nose guard for the Sacramento Surge. [2] In 1991 he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive lineman and played for them until 1994, when he suffered a torn abdominal muscle. He attended the first Carolina Panthers training camp in 1995 and was given a contract, but became the first player cut by the Panthers in team history after failing to fully recover from his abdominal injury. He later successfully sued the Panthers for misdiagnosing his abdominal injury and for loss of earnings. With his football career cut short, Goldberg worked as a personal trainer while considering his future career options.
[edit] Professional wrestling career
[edit] World Championship Wrestling
Goldberg had met several employees of the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) professional wrestling promotion while living in Atlanta, Georgia, and decided to pursue a career in wrestling after meeting WCW employees Sting and Lex Luger in a gym. He was quickly signed to a contract by WCW and sent to the WCW Power Plant, a professional wrestling school owned by WCW and operated by former wrestlers such as Dwayne Bruce. [3]
After training in the Power Plant for several months, Goldberg debuted on June 24, 1997, defeating Buddy Landell in a dark match under the ring name Bill Gold [4] (he had originally considered wrestling as "Mossad"). [5]
He made his first appearance on WCW television on the September 22, 1997 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, defeating Hugh Morrus as Goldberg. [6] This match marked the first victory of Goldberg's "streak"—a series of 177 consecutive victories that took place on WCW television, pay-per-views and at house shows.
Goldberg as WCW World Heavyweight Champion.With his bald head, goatee and utilitarian black trunks, Goldberg was often compared to Stone Cold Steve Austin, a prominent wrestler in the rival World Wrestling Federation (WWF). However, WCW President Eric Bischoff later claimed that the original character of Goldberg was based not on Austin but on Ken Shamrock, another WWF employee and famed mixed martial artist. During his "streak" Goldberg also became known for his ring entrance, which saw him walk from his locker room to the stage with a police escort, exit the "tunnel" with pyrotechnics exploding around him while he screamed and proceed to walk to the ring while fans chanted "Goldberg, Goldberg".
Goldberg's succession of wins saw him quickly advance up the card, and he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on April 20, 1998, defeating Raven. He vacated the title after winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Hollywood Hogan on July 6, 1998. His reign, along with his streak, lasted until December 27, 1998, when he suffered his first defeat, losing to Kevin Nash at StarrCade 1998 after Scott Hall interfered, electrically shocking him with a taser. [7] At the same time, the WWF began lampooning Goldberg with the character Gillberg, a perennial jobber who dressed similarly to Goldberg and mocked his signature entrance and mannerisms.
Goldberg became a two-time United States Heavyweight Champion on October 24, 1999 at Halloween Havoc by defeating Sid Vicious via referee stoppage. Later that evening, he answered an open challenge from WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting, and defeated him within minutes of the opening bell. However, on the next night's episode of Nitro, commissioner J.J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void. Goldberg lost a second title that same evening when Bret Hart defeated him for the United States Heavyweight Championship. Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship on December 7, 1999. One week later, they lost the titles to The Outsiders. [8]
At StarrCade 1999 on December 19, 1999, Goldberg challenged Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. In the course of the match, which was won by Hart, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately concussing him and tearing a muscle in his neck. This injury, combined with the various injuries Hart had suffered in the course of his lengthy career and the additional blows to the head he absorbed before being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, forced Hart into retirement several weeks later.
Throughout 2000, Goldberg feuded with members of the nWo and the Millionaires Club. In October 2000 he began a new undefeated streak, with Vince Russo threatening to "fire" him if he lost. The streak was broken after thirty five straight victories on January 14, 2001 at WCW Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer, Dwayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buff in a tag team match after a fan maced him, enabling Totally Buff to pin him. The angle was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, with Goldberg still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW employees, and so he was not involved in the WWF "invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout.
Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during a celebrity car racing event in April 2002, but in August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Satoshi Kojima on August 30, 2002. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in Yokohama in a match for the W-1 promotion, and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK in Tokyo. His success in Japan led to the World Wrestling Federation - now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment - beginning contract negotations with him.
In the course of his WCW career, Goldberg suffered only six official singles defeats, three of them to Bret Hart.
[edit] World Wrestling Entertainment
Goldberg was signed to a one year contract by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003. He debuted in WWE on the March 31, 2003 episode of RAW, the night after WrestleMania XIX, and immediately began a feud with The Rock by spearing him. His feud with The Rock culminated in a match at Backlash 2003, which was won by Goldberg. His first match on RAW saw him defeat Three Minute Warning in a handicap match.
Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, feuding with Christian and Chris Jericho. He first challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship on August 24, 2003 at SummerSlam 2003 in the second Elimination Chamber match, but was pinned by the defending champion, Triple H, thus ending his undefeated streak. On September 21, 2003 he defeated Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven 2003. He successfully retained the title in a match with Triple H at the 2003 Survivor Series on November 16, 2003, but lost the title to Triple H at Armageddon 2003 on December 14, 2003 when Triple H pinned him in a triple threat match which also included Kane. [9]
Goldberg entered the 2004 Royal Rumble in an attempt to regain the World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated after Brock Lesnar entered the ring and hit Goldberg with the F-5, enabling Kurt Angle to eliminate him. Goldberg gained revenge by attending No Way Out 2004 the following month and costing Lesnar his WWE Championship by interfering in a match between Lesnar and the challenger to the title, Eddie Guerrero. This led to a match between the two being scheduled for WrestleMania XX. Goldberg was not seen on WWE television for several weeks before the event, as he had already worked the maximum number of dates (bar one, his WrestleMania appearance) stipulated by his contract and would have had to have been paid a supplementary salary in order to make extra appearances. This may have hurt the build to the WrestleMania match, with the last episode of SmackDown! before WrestleMania featuring a confrontation between Lesnar and Stone Cold Steve Austin, the guest referee of the match, not Lesnar and Goldberg.
At WrestleMania, Goldberg defeated Lesnar, with both men receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin after the match. Lesnar and Goldberg had both gone undefeated for long periods of time, leading many fans to label a match between the two a "dream match". However, as both Lesnar and Goldberg were known to be leaving the company immediately after WrestleMania, the match was poorly received by the audience, who soundly booed both competitors (in subsequent video releases of the show the sound has been "sweetened" to make the crowd seem more into the match). On March 31, 2004, Goldberg's contract expired and, following a short period of negotiations, was not renewed.
Since leaving WWE, Goldberg has primarily focused on his acting career. He has commented on his year with WWE in a highly critical fashion, arguing that his character was poorly utilised. In February 2006, several media outlets reported that Goldberg was in negotiations with the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling; possibly in response to these rumors, semi-retired wrestler Warrior commented on his website that he would be interested in wrestling Goldberg in TNA should TNA approach him with such an offer. In a series of interviews conducted in June 2006, Goldberg stated that he was mildy interested in working for TNA, particularly since his friend Sting had joined the promotion by then, but had several reservations.
[edit] Acting career
Goldberg was the first-ever guest on the "Pain Clinic", a professional wrestling radio talk show based in Rochester, New York that debuted on November 14, 1998. He made several more appearances on the show, with his final appearance taking place on November 19, 2005.
Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in Universal Soldier: The Return corresponded with him being featured in the music video for the Megadeth song "Crush 'Em," which was featured on the film's soundtrack. He went on to temporarily use "Crush 'Em" as his entrance music.
In 2003, Goldberg appeared on Punk'd, with Ashton Kutcher instructing a stunt performer to run over a replica of Goldberg's motorcycle with a truck while he watched. However, the prank went awry when the stunt performer missed the bike.
In June 2005, Goldberg began hosting a television program on The History Channel called Automaniac. He described the series as "a thirty minute show with thirteen episodes, talking about the history of automobiles and motorcycles, and what's their historical perspective." The series was cancelled in August 2005 after eleven episodes. [10]
[edit] Filmography
The Jesse Ventura Story (1999) as "Luger"
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) as "Romeo"
Ready to Rumble (2000) as himself
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) as "Mr. Smith"
The Longest Yard (2005) as "Battle"
Santa's Slay (2005) as "Santa Claus"
The Kid & I (2005) as himself
Half Past Dead 2 (announced)
[edit] Television appearances
The Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998) in episode "Captains Courageous" as "Lou 'The Pariah' Maguire"
The Man Show (2000) in episode "Holiday Show II"
Yes, Dear (2002) in episode "Walk Like a Man" as "Big Guy"
Family Guy (2002) in episode "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1" as "Angry Bus Passenger" (voice)
Arliss (2002) in episode "In with the New"
Kim Possible (2002) in episode "Pain King vs. Cleopatra" as "Pain King"
Modern Marvels (2004) in episode "Private Collections" as himself
Punk'd (2003)
Desperate Housewives (2005) in episode "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" as "Inmate #2"
Automaniac (2005) as himself (host)
The Contender (2005) in episode "Who's Playing The Game?" as himself (uncredited)
Pros vs. Joes (2006) as himself
[edit] MMA career
On July 22, 2006 Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts promotion World Fighting Alliance (WFA) King of the Streets pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California.
When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don’t see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that." [11]
[edit] Wrestling facts
[edit] Finishing and signature moves
Jackhammer (Suplex powerslam)
Spear
Double underhook suplex
Pumphandle fallaway slam
Single arm choke into gorilla press powerslam or gorilla press drop
Superkick
Roll up into a modified leg lock
Inverted swinging neckbreaker
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Illustrated [12]
PWI ranked Goldberg # 75 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
PWI ranked him #2 in the 1998 PWI 500
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998)
PWI Rookie of the Year (1998)
World Championship Wrestling [13]
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bret Hart
1 time WCW Triple Crown Champion
World Wrestling Entertainment [14]
World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
1998 Rookie of the Year
[edit] Personal life
Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, a graduate of Harvard University, is an obstetrician and gynecologist (they are divorced). In addition to playing the violin, Ethel breeds flowers, and once succeeded in creating an award-winning hybrid orchid which she named after Goldberg. [15] [16] His brother, Michael, owns a cargo plane leasing company with close ties to former President of the United States Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party. [17] His brother Steven owns several restaurants and the Belly Up Tavern music venues in San Diego, California and Aspen, Colorado. His sister Barbara is an accomplished equestrienne. His niece Katie works in the music industry.
Goldberg is Jewish. [18]
On April 10, 2005, Goldberg was married to Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double who he met while filming The Longest Yard. He and Ferraton have a son together, Gage A.J. Goldberg, who was born one month prematurely on May 10, 2006.
Goldberg is an animal rights advocate and an ASPCA spokesperson, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting. [19]
Goldberg owns and operates the "Extreme Power" Muay Thai training facility in Oceanside, California.
Goldberg owns over 24 vintage cars. [20]
[edit] Books
Goldberg, Bill and Goldberg, Steve (2000) I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superstar, ISBN 0-609-60780-4
[edit] References
^ Handler, Judd "The Hebrew Hulk", San Diego Jewish Journal
^ Powell, John "Goldberg hammers his critics", Canoe.ca
^ Milner, John "Goldberg", Canoe.ca
^ Milner, John "Goldberg", Canoe.ca
^ Handler, Judd "The Hebrew Hulk", San Diego Jewish Journal
^ Milner, John "Goldberg", Canoe.ca
^ Solie's title histories
^ Solie's title histories
^ Solie's title histories
^ Forman, Ross "Exclusive interview", BillGoldberg.com
^ World Fighting Alliance "Bill Goldberg Wrestles with New Gig for WFA", WFA.tv
^ Bill Goldberg at Bodyslamming.com
^ Solie's title histories
^ Solie's title histories
^ Handler, Judd "The Hebrew Hulk", San Diego Jewish Journal
^ Reilly, Rick "Wrestling with Their Son's Career", Sports Illustrated
^ Reilly, Rick "Wrestling with Their Son's Career", Sports Illustrated
^ Kurtzman, Daniels "Jewish pro-wrestling star goes to the mat for animals", Jewish Telegraphic Agency
^ Kurtzman, Daniels "Jewish pro-wrestling star goes to the mat for animals", Jewish Telegraphic Agency
^ Handler, Judd "The Hebrew Hulk", San Diego Jewish Journal
Goldberg at Accelerator3359.com
Goldberg at Gerweck.net
Goldberg at ObsessedWithWrestling.com
[edit] External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Bill GoldbergBillGoldberg.com - the official website of Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg at the Internet Movie Database
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Goldberg"
Categories: 1966 births | American color commentators | American film actors | American football defensive tackles | American television actors | American football linebackers | American professional wrestlers | Atlanta Falcons players | People from Atlanta | Film actors | Georgia Bulldogs football players | Jewish American actors | Jewish American sportspeople | Living people | People from Tulsa, Oklahoma | Professional athletes who wrestled professionally | Sacramento Surge players | SEMA Members | World Championship Wrestling alumni | World Wrestling Entertainment alumni | Family Guy actors | Kim Possible voice actors | Yes, Dear actors
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Brock Edward Lesnar (born July 12, 1977 in Webster, South Dakota) is an American professional wrestler, former professional American football player and aspiring mixed martial artist.
Before entering professional wrestling, Lesnar wrestled at Webster High School in Webster, South Dakota. His coach throughout grade school and high school was John Schiley. He qualified for the state wrestling tournament several times, but was unable to get first place.
Lesnar later attended the University of Minnesota on a full wrestling scholarship, where his roommate was fellow future professional wrestler Shelton Benjamin. Lesnar won the 2000 National Collegiate Athletic Association wrestling championships as a heavyweight after placing second in 1999. Prior to joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Lesnar also wrestled at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Lesnar began wrestling in 2000, and debuted on World Wrestling Entertainment television in 2001. Between 2002 and 2004 he held the WWE Championship on three occasions, main-evented WrestleMania XIX and won both King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble. Following an acrimonious departure from WWE in 2004, Lesnar played several preseason games for the Minnesota Vikings before returning to professional wrestling in 2005, this time in Japan, where he wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling and won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After leaving NJPW in 2006, Lesnar announced his intent to become a mixed martial artist.
Contents [hide]
1 World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
2 National Football League
3 Lawsuit with WWE
4 New Japan Pro Wrestling
5 K-1 Hero's / Mixed Martial Arts
6 In wrestling
7 Championships and accomplishments
8 Personal life
9 Trivia
10 References
11 External links
12 Videos
[edit] World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
Brock competing in amateur wrestlingLesnar went on to form a tag team known as the Minnesota Stretching Crew (a reference to the Minnesota Wrecking Crew) with his former college roommate, Shelton Benjamin. Lesnar and Benjamin won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three occasions before Lesnar was called up to the active roster.
Lesnar wrestled several dark matches in 2001 and 2002 before debuting on WWF television on the March 18, 2002 episode of RAW, attacking Al Snow, Maven and Spike Dudley in the course of a match. He was accompanied by Paul Heyman, who referred to Lesnar as "The Next Big Thing." After the World Wrestling Federation was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, Lesnar was drafted to the RAW brand of WWE.
Lesnar was pushed strongly, squashing his opponents and frequently winning his matches by knockout. He remained undefeated until November 2002, although he lost to Rob Van Dam via disqualification.
Lesnar's first feud was with the Hardy Boyz. Lesnar was seen giving Matt Hardy an F-5 on the steel ramp, which led to an angered Jeff Hardy wanting revenge on Lesnar. In Lesnar's first official televised match, the two squared off at Backlash 2002, where Lesnar was able to kick out of Hardy's finisher. He would go onto to destroy Hardy and win the match by KNOCKOUT. The Hardy Boyz would continue to face Brock over the following months, with Lesnar always ending up victorious, aside from one DQ loss. At Judgment Day 2002 , Lesnar gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz tag team before tagging his partner Heyman in to take the win for the team.
In June 2002, Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Rob Van Dam in the final round. This victory earned him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam 2002.
At the main event of SummerSlam 2002, Lesnar defeated The Rock to become the new and final WWE Undisputed Champion. Lesnar, at age 25, was then the youngest WWE Champion ever (as of 2006, he is still technically the youngest WWE Champion ever, but Randy Orton is the youngest world champion in WWE history, having won the World Heavyweight Championship at 24). Due to the requirements of the Undisputed Champion defending on both shows, RAW general manager Eric Bischoff expected Lesnar to be able to return on RAW the next night. However, SmackDown! general manager Stephanie McMahon announced that Lesnar's contract required that he would defend the title only on SmackDown!, forcing Bischoff to separate the World Heavyweight Championship from the WWE Championship and in turn making the title lose its "Undisputed" name.
Brock battling The Undertaker in Hell In A CellLesnar's rapid rise to the top of WWE in 2002 led to a match between him and The Undertaker at Unforgiven 2002. It ended in a double disqualification leading to Lesnar retaining the title. The next month, at No Mercy 2002, in what some say is the match that "made" Brock Lesnar, he faced The Undertaker again in the Cell. Hype leading up to the match (for the WWE Championship) was tremendous and intense as Lesnar with his manager Paul Heyman broke the Undertaker's hand with a propane tank. Despite begging Stephanie McMahon, then general manager of SmackDown!, not to let The Undertaker use his cast as a weapon, the request was denied and the match would go on as planned. It was a brutal match with both wrestlers "donning crimson masks" - their faces covered in thick blood (Undertaker's blood loss was particularly memorable, as he never stopped bleeding after he had bladed). Even Paul Heyman, who was outside of the cage, felt the Undertaker's wrath as Undertaker beat him up through holes in the cage. At a certain point, after Undertaker had taken advantage of his cast, Lesnar gained control and removed the cast, leaving Undertaker's broken hand at the mercy of the Next Big Thing. This would prove to be the turning point of the match. The match ended when Lesnar reversed an attempted Tombstone into his signature F-5 for the win. After the match, Lesnar climbed to the top of the cell and held his title up high for all to see.
Brock's next opponent was the then 500 lb Big Show. Lesnar's agent, Paul Heyman, was convinced more than anyone that Lesnar couldn't win, as he tried to talk him out of defending the title. Lesnar refused, and went on to lose the championship in November at the Survivor Series 2002 pay-per-view to The Big Show in under six minutes when, after giving an F-5 to the 500-pounder, he was betrayed by Paul Heyman. This was Lesnar's first pinfall loss in WWE.
Following Survivor Series, Heyman made it clear that Lesnar would not get a rematch, even going so far as to sneak a special clause in his contract. Prior to entering the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003, Lesnar faced The Big Show in a qualification match where the winner could enter the Rumble and the loser couldn't. Despite interference from Paul Heyman, Lesnar defeated The Big Show with a F-5. He would go on to enter the Rumble as the #29 entrant.
After winning the 2003 Royal Rumble match in January 2003, Lesnar spent the next two months feuding with Kurt Angle. Angle had Paul Heyman, The Big Show, and Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin, Lesnar's former partner, and Charlie Haas) behind him, but Lesnar overcame all these opponents. The match between Lesnar and Angle going into WrestleMania XIX was considered a dream match by traditional fans, as it marked the first time in WWE history that two accomplished amateur wrestlers (Angle with his Olympic gold medal and two NCAA Heavyweight Championships, Lesnar with his 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Championship) met in a ring. Lesnar regained the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX from Kurt Angle. Toward the end of the match, he botched a shooting star press; despite having landed the move successfully in OVW, in this match he overestimated the distance he was capable of jumping for the move and under-rotated, slamming his head into Angle's side and ribcage. This stunned Brock and forced Angle to improvise the finish of the match. Lesnar suffered a concussion. Later Brock admitted in interviews that this event took away some of his confidence and led to him realizing that he could get seriously hurt in the ring. This realization made him second guess his vocation and eventually helped in his decision to briefly leave professional wrestling and try out for the NFL (particularly the Minnesota Vikings; see the National Football League section).
In August on SmackDown!, Lesnar faced amputee wrestler Zach Gowen in Gowen's hometown. To cement his character's new "mean streak", he "broke" Gowen's remaining leg in front of his little brother and mother and later, Lesnar kidnapped him, and pushed him down a flight of stairs from his wheelchair. This was all an attempt to make Brock a heel to build toward a rematch with Kurt Angle. Despite his newfound aggression, Lesnar would lose to Kurt Angle in a rematch at SummerSlam when Angle made Lesnar tap out to the Ankle Lock. Angle was the first (of two wrestlers) to gain a submission victory over Lesnar. Chris Benoit would be the only other wrestler to make Brock tap out at Survivor Series 2003 (this, however, was a tag-team match where no title was on the line). Brock would get another rematch later on Smackdown! for the title.
The rematch was an Iron Man Match. Brock there defeated Angle five falls to four, making Brock a 3 time WWE Champion. The match, overall, was considered their best and it won PWI Match of the Year honors for 2003. Angle and Lesnar also won Feud of the Year honors for their war over the WWE Championship and their great matches at WrestleMania, Vengeance, and SummerSlam, as well as the Iron Man Match on "SmackDown!"
Lesnar realigned himself with Paul Heyman after Heyman became general manager of Smackdown, and had a brief feud with Hardcore Holly. In this storyline, Holly wanted revenge on Lesnar for (legitimately) breaking his neck during a previous match between the two in 2002. During that match, Brock went for a powerbomb, but Holly, believed by some to be uncooperative with rookies, supposedly became deadweight mid-lift so that Lesnar couldn't get him all the way up. During the struggle, Lesnar (intentionally or unintentionally) planted Holly on his head, leaving him in need of neck surgery and out of action for a year. The feud was closed when Lesnar defeated Holly to retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble 2004. In February he faced Eddie Guerrero for the title at No Way Out 2004 in a match where Lesnar kept overpowering Eddie, until Goldberg interfered and attacked Lesnar, allowing Eddie to defeat Brock for the WWE title.
Before losing the WWE Championship to Guerrero, Lesnar had begun a feud with RAW's Goldberg. Lesnar had called Goldberg, a 'Brock wanna be'. A confrontation between the two had been highly anticipated from Brock's debut, due to the way Lesnar was pushed. Goldberg was regarded as the WCW phenom of 1998, whereas Lesnar was regarded as the WWE phenom of 2002. The crowd even chanted "Goldberg! Goldberg" in some of Brock's early matches. The feud began at Survivor Series 2003, while both men were champions of their respective brands. Lesnar attacked Goldberg at the Royal Rumble 2004, with Goldberg retailiating at No Way Out in Lesnar's match against Guerrero. This set up an interbrand match for WrestleMania XX between the two.
During the feud with Goldberg, Lesnar also was feuding with RAW's Stone Cold Steve Austin (who was shown suggesting to Goldberg that he attack Lesnar at No Way Out 2004). When Lesnar stole Stone Cold's four-wheeler, Austin was inserted as the Special Guest Referee for the WrestleMania match. Behind the scenes, it was widely known that the match would be Goldberg's last in WWE, however only a week before WrestleMania rumours surfaced Lesnar too was leaving, in order to pursue a career in the NFL. As a result, the fans at Madison Square Garden jeered both wrestlers with chants of "you sold out." Neither man was thought to have given his best effort in the match in what was supposed to be a clash of titans, and crowd support was mostly given to special referee Austin. Many critics and fans even go as far as to say this was one of the worst WrestleMania matches ever. Lesnar was said to be particularly shaken by this reaction, and after beeing booed by fans following the match, gave the crowd the finger before leaving the ring. Because both men were leaving WWE, it was clear that the only man who would go over in the match would be Austin. Sure enough, although Goldberg won the match, both men were given Stone Cold Stunners by Austin on their way out.
[edit] National Football League
After his final match at WrestleMania XX, Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League. This move upset many people, as WWE had invested heavily in Lesnar. After playing in a few pre-season games for the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar was eventually cut from the team. Lesnar had suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident during the summer of 2004, which along with lack of football practice prevented him from performing well enough to remain in a Vikings practice squad position. He declined to accept an invitation to play as a representative of the Vikings in NFL Europe. He made no attempts to sign with an AFL or CFL team. Lesnar is listed as a free agent in Madden NFL 2005. There was a producer-made model of Lesnar in Madden NFL 2005. Despite the name, the model looked almost nothing like the real Lesnar.
[edit] Lawsuit with WWE
Lesnar had previously signed a no-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE, which prohibited him from working for any other sports entertainment or mixed martial arts companies before 2010. Lesnar had anticipated leaving wrestling entirely, but his inability to secure a career in professional football led to him challenging this ruling in court. WWE responded by demanding damages as a result of Lesnar allegedly breaching the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in 2004. In July 2005, the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. Recently, WWE had offered Brock a contract, but on August 2, 2005, WWE's official website reported that Lesnar has withdrawn from any involvement with the company.
The lawsuit was entered into settlement on September 21, 2005, but talks broke down.
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney stated that unless WWE gave him a good argument between then and January 25, 2006, he would rule in favor of Brock Lesnar, giving him a summary judgment. This would have enabled Lesnar to work anywhere he wanted immediately. WWE was later granted a deadline postponement. WWE reportedly doesn't want to settle out of court with Lesnar, and didn't want to take any actions that might be seen as "backing down".
On April 25, 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment announced on their official website WWE.com, "WWE and Lesnar have mutually come to a settlement and have decided, due to its confidentiallty, not to discuss the details of the case."
On June 12, 2006, A federal judge dismissed Lesnar's lawsuit against WWE after both parties requested for the case to be dismissed.
[edit] New Japan Pro Wrestling
On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in the Tokyo Dome, which included the then-champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono. He won the match by pinning Masahiro Chono after an F-5, which he had renamed "The Verdict", since WWE owns the trademark on the F-5 name. After the match, he stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE. The match was his first pro wrestling match since leaving WWE.
On December 6, 2005 WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW, but the court did not grant it, and thus Lesnar had two non-title victories against Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. Lesnar successfully defended his championship on January 4, 2006 against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
On January 13, 2006. WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on March 19, but evidently this was not enforced (nor granted), as he would go on to have both a tag team match with Shinsuke Nakamura against Akebono and Riki Choshu on February 19, 2006 which was won after a Verdict to Choshu.
On March 19, 2006, Brock Lesnar retained his championship, defeating Akebono with a DDT and not a Verdict since the referee prevented him after Akebono had been really tired after wrestling Brock for 10 minutes, but while the referee was down on the mat he hit the former Sumo wrestler with the IWGP belt.
Lesnar successfully defended his title against the winner of the New Japan Cup, Giant Bernard, on May 3, 2006 in Fukuoka in a physical match. This was the first American vs American title match in NJPW since Vader vs Stan Hansen in 1990.
On July 15, 2006, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that Brock Lesnar had been stripped of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as he will no longer be returning to defend the title due to "visa issues". A tournament was held on July 16 to determine the new champion, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi, the man Lesnar was originally scheduled to face.
[edit] K-1 Hero's / Mixed Martial Arts
On April 28, 2006, Brock Lesnar appeared inside the ring after the final match of K-1 Hero's Las Vegas and has since signed a deal with the K-1/Hero's. He is currently training with Miletich Fighting Systems under UFC legend Pat Miletich. Brock Lesnar announced on 12 August 2006 in Las Vegas that he has joined the K-1 promotion and will have his first Mixed martial arts match in 2007. Royce Gracie then announced that he will serve as Lesnar's trainer.
[edit] In wrestling
Brock setting Rikishi up for an F-5Finishing and signature moves
F-5 / Verdict (Spinning fireman's carry facebuster)
Shooting star press - in OVW
Overhead belly to belly suplex
Side bearhug
Amateur Wrestling - Pins
Superplex
Spinning powerslam
Gorilla press slam
Double or triple backbreaker
Two handed chokelift
Powerbomb variants
Spinning kneeling powerbomb
Repeated turnbuckle thrusts
Spinebuster
Clothesline
Argentine leglock - In late 2003-2004
Managers
Paul Heyman
Nicknames
The Next Big Thing
The Animal
The Big Thing
The Baddest man on the planet by Tazz
The "Real" Brock Lesnar (during his last heel turn in WWE)
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
Lesnar raising his WWE Championship after defeating Undertaker in their Hell in the Cell match at No Mercy 2002.World Wrestling Entertainment
3-time WWE Champion
2002 King of the Ring Winner
2003 Royal Rumble Winner
Ohio Valley Wrestling
3-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (with Shelton Benjamin)
New Japan Pro Wrestling
1-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
2002 Most Improved Wrestler
2002 Wrestler of the Year
2003 Feud of the Year (versus Kurt Angle)
2003 Match of the Year (versus Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XIX)
PWI ranked him #1 in the 2003 PWI 500
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2002 Most Improved Wrestler
2003 Feud of the Year (vs. Kurt Angle)
2003 Most Improved Wrestler
2003 Best Brawler
[edit] Personal life
Lesnar has one daughter, Mya Lynn who was born on April 10, 2002, with an ex-fiancée, Nicole. He left Nicole in 2003 to begin a relationship with Rena "Sable" Mero. Lesnar and Mero were engaged, separated in 2005, then reconciled later that year and married on May 6, 2006. Lesnar has 1 step-child with Mero: a step-daughter born to Mero and her late husband, Wayne Richardson.
Lesnar has numerous tattoos, with the most prominent being a stylized skull in the center of his back and a large sword on his chest, which he received following his debut in New Japan.
[edit] Trivia
This article's trivia section should be integrated into the article.
Please help by removing unencyclopedic content or integrating content from the trivia section into other appropriate areas of the article.
The video game Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain is named after Lesnar´s catchphrase "Here Comes The Pain".
When Lesnar first lifted The Big Show at Survivor Series 2002 he was the third man who ever lifted the Big Show, the others being Kevin Nash and Bill Goldberg. However, he is the only man to have manhandled Big Show in a match.
In January 2001, Lesnar was arrested for receiving a "large amount of steroids". The charges were later dropped when police found that the pills were really not steroids.
As a kid Lesnar´s idol was Arnold Schwarzenneger
In 2001, 2000 NCAA Champion Lesnar and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle got into a friendly amateur wrestling challenge. Not surprisingly, Angle won but it was an impressive effort by Lesnar given the size of him.
Lesnar is the reason why Stone Cold Steve Austin quit the WWE in 2002 beacuse he didn´t want to job to him since he was a rookie.
Lesnar is known for giving Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker their most convincing defeats in the WWE in 2002.
Lesnar is the one who broke The Rock´s record of being the youngest WWE Champion at age 26 when he defeated him at Summerslam 2002 and became the youngest WWE Champion at age 25.
[edit] References
â Brock Lesnar at Vikings.com
â Brock Lesnar The Next Big Thing
â Brock Lesnar Article
â Brock Lesnar Biography
[edit] External links
OWW Profile
TV.com Profile
Vikings Profile
[edit] Videos
Training video
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Lesnar"
Categories: Articles with large trivia sections | 1977 births | American football defensive linemen | American professional wrestlers | American sport wrestlers | Living people | Minnesota Vikings players | People from South Dakota | People from Minnesota | Professional athletes who wrestled professionally | University of Minnesota alumni | World Wrestling Entertainment alumni
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This page was last modified 17:38, 26 October 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)
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