Brock Lesnar is able to do many impressive things, but defying the laws of physics is not one of them.
A frightening blend of power and speed, The Beast has shown feats of strength and athleticism that very few possess. Who else can pick up a 500 lb opponent with ease and perform a picture-perfect Shooting Star Press? As Lesnar’s abilities have found him success in the squared circle and the octagon, The Beast has come a long way from his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling [OVW], where a mistake on day one of training could have been a lot more painful.
Randy Orton was also a part of the legendary OVW class of 2002, which also included John Cena and Shelton Benjamin. While appearing on the Impaulsive podcast, Orton recalled his first impressions of The Beast:
““I remember the day he [Brock Lesnar] came [to OVW], we were all like ‘what the f*ck.’ So, we’re all talking shit, you know under our breath, and here he comes and back then there wasn’t all this [the Performance Center]. We had one ring in a sh*tty warehouse and there was like 12 of us.
Orton continued and described a crucial mistake that Lesnar made while performing a practice drill, resulting in the future World Champion tumbling out of the ring and receiving a rough landing in the process:
So here comes Lesnar, we knew he was coming. We get in practice, start doing the rope running drills where you just burn, you just go, and he [Brock] didn’t hook the first rope. As I’m sure you’ve been told, make sure you get the arm over that top rope otherwise you’re gonna end up in the bleachers. Sure enough, that mother*cker, he leapt out the ring between the second and third rope and took out like 20 metal chairs and then just popped up, dusted himself off and was like ‘HaHa…I bet you’d all like to see that again…’”
Brock Lesnar Nearly Fought Major Combat Sports Star
Although Lesnar has fought some of the biggest names in professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, there were plans for The Beast to face a Heavyweight Champion in a different sport. Back in 2002, there were discussions for Brock Lesnar to fight Lennox Lewis.
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