"The next big thing" has arrived: with a championship belt, big-time feuds, and a slot at Wrestlemania, Lesnar has landed in the limelight - Interview: Brock Lesnar - Interview

BROCK LESNAR, "THE NEXT BIG Thing," is now just "the Big Thing." Lesnar, a former NCAA wrestling champion, has clearly arrived. A little over two years into his pro career, he already has captured the first of what figures to be multiple WWE titles, taking the belt from the Rock on a major pay-per-view. Just 25, Lesnar has clearly established himself as the young wrestler the company plans to ride.

Perhaps Lesnar's crowning moment as a pro, though, was hitting his dreaded finishing move, the F-5, on the 7'2", 500-pound Big Show. Even more remarkable, Lesnar was able to finish his gargantuan opponent off, even though he was suffering from a broken rib.

Growing up on a farm outside Webster, S.D., Lesnar showed early on that he had skills in the ring. In 1998, Lesnar won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship at Bismarck State College. He then transferred to the University of Minnesota, where he was the Big 10 champion and NCAA runner-up in 1999. As a senior the next year, he repeated as conference champ and then went on to win the NCAA title.

After leaving school, Lesnar signed with WWE and learned the ropes in the Ohio Valley Wrestling. It was clear early on that he was a gifted performer. At 6'4", 295 pounds, and with the dexterity of a cruiserweight, Lesnar quickly caught the eye of the WWE brass. Though he has only been a part of the company for two years, Lesnar's look, outgoing personality, and amateur background make him an easy choice to take the WWE into its next generation of stars.

We recently sat down with Lesnar to discuss his meteoric rise to the top of the federation, his feud with fellow amateur star Kurt Angle, and how he lifted all 500 pounds of the Big Show over his head.

WRESTLING DIGEST: At Survivor Series you wrestled Big Show and suffered several injuries. How are you feeling now?

BROCK LESNAR: I'm OK. I'm just dealing with it. This is just like amateur wrestling: You get hurt and you move on. I took a weekend off, but then I was right back at it. If I had to fight tonight, I could do it. You just got to fight through it. Right now, I've got a torn PCL in my knee. I've got a broken rib, but it doesn't matter. I got to keep going. I'm young. I still heal quickly.

WD: Is your willingness to deal with injuries a result of what you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis in the amateur world?

BL: It's totally my amateur attitude. I was 91-6 combined during my two years as an amateur at a junior college and two years at Minnesota. In that world, you had to put up, shut up, and get going. It didn't matter what was wrong with you. That's just the attitude. You've just got to do it I did it because I wanted to be out there competing and also because I didn't want to lose. I wanted to win every time I went out there, so I just sucked it up.

WD: Kurt Angle also comes from an amateur background. He opened a lot of doors for wrestlers in that area. What are your thoughts on Kurt blazing the trail for amateur guys in the professional ranks and on taking on Kurt from a story line perspective?

BL: Kurt and I could have an hour-long match, and I would like to do that with Kurt. There's no question he opened a lot of doors for amateur guys. As an amateur wrestler you have to make sure you get your degree, because there isn't an NFL, NBA, or NHL for us. There's really only the Olympic route for amateur guys. I didn't finish my degree because Vince McMahon made me a hell of an offer, and I couldn't pass up. I would have been dumb to have passed it up. But I got that opportunity because Kurt was the one who came in and had success making the switch from amateur to WWE.

WD: You and Angle have finally met in the ring. Did you want to wrestle him in a scripted match or did you want to work a legitimate match with him?

BL: My days as a shoot-fighter are done, except for every now and then when someone makes me really mad in the ring.

WD: Have you ever wrestled Angle behind the scenes for fun?

BL: We've messed around a little before. He'd probably tell you that if we went best of three, he beat me every time. It wouldn't happen. Kurt's old and brittle, and I'd break him in half if we did that. He's tiny. He's lucky if he's 220 pounds. I'm 290 pounds. I'd throw him around the ring without any problems. No contest.

WD: For the most part, wrestling is a business where you pay your dues for a while before getting a shot at the top of the card. You went straight up from the time you came on the main shows. Do you think any of the older wrestlers have a grudge because of that?

BL: I don't think anyone's really angry about it It's the way it works. If new talent comes in and is doing well, then we're all making money and that's all we're hoping for. I haven't seen anyone treat me any different Everyone's been good to me. If the question comes down to me paying dues, well, I was in amateur wrestling for 19 years. Then I went through [the WWE development territory] OVW. I came up the best way I could have. It's just one of those things that I'm lucky to be where I am today, but I did work hard to get it.

WD: When you look at some of the new talents that OVW has produced who are now working in the WWE, do you think there is a concentration on the younger guys?

BL: We're the future of the business and you're always looking to bring in guys to help you out. There are a lot of great athletes working down in OVW I was just hand-picked to be a guy that came in and went to the top. Vince put his finger on me, said I had a great look, and said, `Let's see what we could do with him.' He gave me the ball and I ran with it and didn't drop it And I've been scoring touchdowns ever since.

WD: At SummerSlam you worked with the Rock, one of the best in the business, and won the WWE title for the first time. Describe working that match, which was the turning point in your career.

BL: That was the first stepping stone. That match with the Rock and working with the Rock meant a lot to me. He is one of the best ever. When he says that he's the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, he's right. That was a great night and I enjoyed working with Rock.

WD: Now, look at Survivor Series, where you lost the title. How difficult is it to switch to work a style with a guy the size of the Big Show?

BL: Big Show is a legit 7'0" and he weighs 500 pounds. He doesn't move like he's 250 pounds like the Rock is. Big Show is two people in there. He's just that big. I don't want to say Big Show is slow because he moves well for how big he is, but it's different than working with someone who's half that size.

WD: How did the two of you work out your finishing move where you had to lift him up and spin him?

BL: There was no working anything out I just hoisted him up and did it. I just got under him and squatted his 500 pounds up.

WD: People who have followed you have seen you do a gainer off the top turn buckle--a Shooting Star Press--on to an opponent Is that something we will see in WWE?

BL: I don't think so. First of all, I'm a 290-pound human being. People that weigh 290 pounds shouldn't be able to do that If I want longevity in this business I won't do the Shooting Star Press. When I was doing that, it was when I was doing whatever, whenever to get ahead. You might see it once or twice at a big pay-per-view, but to tell you the truth I don't want to do it.

RELATED ARTICLE: Flashback.

IN OUR DECEMBER 2002 ISSUE, WE RAN AN interview with Kurt Angle, and of course the subject of Brock Lesnar came up. Here's what Angle had to say at the time about Lesnar:

WRESTLING DIGEST: YOU get asked a lot about Brock Lesnar because both of you come from amateur backgrounds. While WWE really played up your amateur credentials coming in, it doesn't seem like they've done as much with Lesnar. Why is that?

KURT ANGLE: YOU probably won't see his credentials come into play until Brock and Kurt Angle come into play. In the company's eyes, that's the most anticipated match, for many reasons. Not just because of our background, but because of our ability, characters, etc. I think we'll stay away from each other for a while and that's the way I want it to be. I think Brock has proven himself in a short period of time. I have the utmost respect for him. Here's a 25-year-old guy that has been in company for three years and has two years of training. They haven't shoved his credentials down fans' throats like they did me. I think it's better to save that for Kurt Angle. When that does happen, I don't think there will be any comparison for Brock vs. Angle. I don't write the scripts, but hopefully we'll meet at Wrestlemania next year. In the meantime we need to stay away from each other.

WD: Where did your desire to return to the Olympics come from?

KA: One day a bunch of the wrestlers were talking about me and Brock facing off in an amateur match. Some guys set it up and we got in the ring and wrestled around a little bit one day before a show. That really sparked my interest again. It was for pride, but it was competitive. I believe if Brock had stuck with wrestling he would have made the 2004 or 2008 team. But to step in there again and compete with him really got me going. I did very well against him and that made me start thinking about it. But. I will tell you this: I couldn't believe how quick and athletic Brock is. He runs the 40 in 4.6. is 6'2", 300 pounds, and he's every bit as quick as I am.

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