Brock Lesnar enlisted the help of a WWE Hall of Famer to join TNA before becoming a UFC star

Brock Lesnar is one of the best athletes in the history of combat sports, and his success through the UFC and WWE proves it. The Beast achieved just about everything in both promotions, and it helped him achieve legendary stature among other superstars from both of these industries.

Lesnar is known mostly for the success of his second stint with the Triple H-led promotion, but before that he was part of the company in the early 2000s. At that time, Brock was presented as the next big thing by the organization, but in 2004, he left the promotion to join the NFL; however, things didn’t go according to plan, and then he started fighting in the UFC.

Even though he achieved a lot in the company led by Dana White, WWE Hall of Famer reveals that Brock Lesnar asked him for help to join TNA before becoming a star in the UFC. It was revealed by Kurt Angle on a 2022 episode of his podcast, as he shared that The Beast Incarnate wanted to join the organization in 2007.

Speaking about the conversation they had, Kurt said, “Brock is calling me. He is not in the WWE. Listen man can you get me in TNA. I probably shouldn’t say these things. He said, hey, what are you doing, and I told him what I was doing. He said: If you can get that to me, I will come. And I contacted TNA, they said, No, we’re not going to give him that kind of money.”

In this way, Angle revealed that the company wasn’t ready to give Lesnar the kind of money he expected, and that’s why things didn’t work out. Because of this, the WWE legend was unable to reach the promotion, but he chose different paths after that, which have now established him as one of the biggest draws in the combat sports world.

Brock Lesnar’s UFC career made him a combat sports megastar

After being declined an offer by TNA, The Beast shifted his entire focus towards mixed martial arts and was trained at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. Brock then entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a one-fight contract at UFC 77 on October 20, 2007. Just months after the deal, the WWE star made his debut with the promotion at UFC 81: Breaking Point against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. .

The Beast lost the bout when Frank forced a submission at 1:30 of the first round, but due to his strong performance, he was offered a new contract by the company. After that, Hall of Famer Mark Coleman was announced to fight Lesnar at UFC 87, but Mark was later replaced by Heath Herring, and Brock was able to secure victory in the fight by unanimous decision.

In his third match in the promotion, Lesnar faced Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 91 on November 15 and went on to become the new champion, thus making a name for himself early in his career. After that, Brock fought Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009, and it was eventually won by The Beast Incarnate in a dominant manner.

Following this victory, Lesnar took a hiatus, but in January 2010, he revealed a UFC return in the summer. In the midst of this, a match between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin took place to determine Brock’s next opponent. After Shane won, Lesnar and Carwin fought each other at UFC 116 to unify the titles. In their fight, he secured the victory and became the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. That victory also tied a record for the most consecutive successful UFC Heavyweight Championship defenses.

Lesnar’s next bout was against undefeated top contender Cain Velasquez at the Honda Center at UFC 121. Even after a good start, Brock lost the match when Cain ended the bout with a TKO. After that, in 2011, Brock Lesnar made his comeback at UFC 141 against Alistair Overeem. But he wasn’t the same inside the cage, and after losing this bout, he announced his retirement due to health-related issues.

Even though he retired from UFC with a loss, the way he dominated the industry through his viciousness inside the cage, Brock was able to make a lasting impact. In addition, his career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship made him a megastar in the combat sports world and later helped in his career in the professional wrestling industry.

Brock Lesnar returned to professional wrestling in 2012

After retiring from the UFC, Brock Lesnar returned to professional wrestling in 2012, when he faced John Cena on the RAW after WrestleMania 28. Since he initially left WWE for a different career, his return to the company was unexpected, and that is why the return of The Beast was an absolute shock to everyone.

Making a strong statement with his heel tactics, Lesnar immediately made a huge impact when he attacked The Cenation Leader in the debut of his return. After that, he never looked back, and fought some of the biggest names in the Stamford-based promotion. Brock was involved in feuds with John, Triple H, Randy Orton, and CM Punk, which again made him one of the biggest names in the organization.

At WrestleMania XXX, The Beast did the unthinkable by defeating The Undertaker, thus breaking his 21-year-long streak. At SummerSlam 2014, he defeated John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and continued it until next year’s WrestleMania, where Seth Rollins won the title by cashing in his MITB contract during the match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

Over the next decade, the former UFC star continued to be a major draw as he was constantly involved in top-tier feuds in the promotion. In addition to that, The Beast was able to have multiple reigns with the Universal Championship and WWE Championship, and he had one of the longest-running rivalries in history with The Tribal Chief.

In his last feud in the company before going on hiatus, Brock Lesnar had a trilogy of matches with Cody Rhodes that later ended at SummerSlam 2023. Even though Brock was rumored to be returning to the promotion around Royal Rumble 2024, the Vince McMahon. trial made things pretty bad for him.

After the allegations against him, the Stamford-based promotion tried to end their association with The Beast by doing a few things, such as replacing him from the SmackDown video package. But when The Game was asked about it in a press conference, he suggested that things had improved. Thus, it is possible that we might see Brock Lesnar returning to the WWE sooner than expected.