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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"I locked myself in the basement of the house that we were living at for a whole month, because I knew the WWE wanted me. I didn’t know what to do. I just made that decision. When I was digging in my pockets to chase my buddies out to go grab a beer and a steak, or something, and I was digging deep and there was nothing in [them], I said, ’It’s time to open a new chapter and see what happens.’...
I had to go in with an open mind, keep [my mouth] shut and my ears open. They just didn’t stick me out in the ring. I trained for a year–and–a–half, every single day. I committed to myself. I committed to Vince McMahon and I wanted to be a pro wrestler. From the day I signed on the dotted line, I turned that switch, and I just wanted to become an entertainer. I got the same feeling out of it as I did as an amateur wrestler.
The only regret that I would ever have is not doing something. I can tell my grandkids and my kids –– I mean, I might not have made the team. I was on the practice squad, but how many kids from Webster, S.D., have got a football card in a Minnesota Vikings jersey? I’m man enough to admit that I wasn’t ready for that, either, but I just threw myself in there. There’s only one way I know, and that’s full throttle and to the wolves."
-These quotes are from a Brock Lesnar interview with the Bismarck Tribune in 2005, discussing the reasons he went to the WWE out of college instead of trying to make it in the Olympics as a wrestler or as a football player with the Gophers.
Penick's Analysis: It's really interesting to look back on these quotes, as it opens a door into the mindset of Lesnar. While he realized that both the WWE and the NFL weren't for him, that he wasn't going to cut it in those fields for the long haul, he's found his calling and his passion in MMA. His dedication to training and the way he goes about developing his skill set can attest to that. But it again remains clear that had there been real money in the sport when he was weighing these options, Lesnar may have come right into MMA and wouldn't have the stigma of being from the WWE that so many fans hold against him.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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