Monday, August 20, 2012

Brock Lesnar, back in the WWE

[8/20/12] Following a three-year run as one of the biggest draws in UFC history, Brock Lesnar finally returned to his roots with WWE. And similar to his days in the Octagon, Lesnar was the main event Sunday night at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

Flanked with his promoter and real-life friend Paul Heyman, Lesnar stepped inside the squared circle in front of 17,482 fans at Staples Center donning not a traditional wrestling outfit but MMA attire – custom red and black Jimmy John shorts, MMA gloves and a mouthpiece.

In what can be best described as a slobberknocker (a term coined by WWE Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Ross), Lesnar and his opponent, Triple H, brawled inside and outside the ring in an intense nearly 20-minute brawl, with the former MMA star repeatedly attempting to apply the MMA-influenced kimura lock. After several attempts throughout the match, Lesnar was able to slap the armlock submission move that was named after judoka legend Masahiko Kimura in the middle of the ring, forcing Triple H to tap.

“Brock reached out to us when his UFC contract was done and I think he was just sticking his toe in the water to see if there was any interest,” Paul Levesque (aka Triple H), WWE executive vice president, talent and live events, told Y! Sports prior to SummerSlam. “We spoke and the rest is history.”

*** [3/25/15]  Brock Lesnar will stay with WWE over the UFC.

No comments: