This week's column is about one man. A man who was the most agile heavyweight in professional wrestling. A man who could overpower you, out wrestle you, and outrun you. A man who many thought was going to be a legend, and lead the WWE into a new 'boom' era. He was quite close to doing that, too. This guy also is still the youngest WWE Champion in history. Brock Lesnar was born on July 12th, in the year 1977. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Excuse my lack of knowledge for his history before wrestling, but as many know, he was a farm-boy. Raised on a farm, worked on a farm, and groomed to be a farmer. That last part's probably not true, but that doesn't matter.

Brock got into amateur wrestling in high-school. He was a great amateur wrestler, and he even got a scholarship to go to college on it. In college, he had a roommate who went by the name of Shelton Benjamin. Hmm. I wonder what happened to that kid"

Since Brock's fan site has been taken down, I'll just have to clue you in on what I know. Brock won the NCAA Wrestling Championship, and then he did something, and went to OVW. He started training with the OVW folks(most likely Doug Basham, Nick Dinsmore, etc.), and while training, he hurt his knee, and was put out of action for a few months. But Brock wouldn't give up, oh no, that wasn't his style. Well, it wasn't his style at the time, but that story's later on...

By the time Brock's healthy, some kid named Shelton Benjamin gets a WWF Developmental contract. I think Brock knew this kid or something... Anyways, Shelton formed a team with Brock known as the Minnesota Stretching Crew. I guess since Shelton went to a Minnesota college, that makes him from Minnesota. The MSC became one hell of a team, and went on to dominate in OVW. On February 13th, 2001, Brock was given a Valentine's day present; his first taste of gold. The MSC won the OVW Tag titles from The Disciples of Synn, which didn't include Big Dave at the time, unfortunately. The MSC and the DOS had a nice sized feud, with the DOS regaining the titles in April of 2001, but losing them back to the MSC less than a month later. 2 months after becoming 2 time Tag teams champions, the MSC have to forfeit their tag titles, because Shelton gets injured.

In October of 2001, Brock begins wrestling dark matches for the WWF, and some house show matches. But soon, Brock would go back with Shelton for a little. Brock and Shelton defeated Rico and John Cena for the vacant OVW tag titles on October 19th. But soon enough, Brock would get called up to the WWE, and Shelton would be left without a partner. Of course, Shelton chose a man who's just as talented as Brock to replace him.

Shelton chose Rodney Mack.

So that's why Shelton stayed in OVW so long...

It's March 18th, 2002. People are still trying to get over the huge WrestleMania the night before, where Hulk Hogan and The Rock faced off. So they're treated to Maven, Al Snow, and Spike Dudley. Great job, Vince. So these guys are fighting for the hardcore title, when all of a sudden... a guy shows up that JR and King are calling the Vanilla Gorilla! Vanilla Gorilla" Well, he does look like an ape...

So Brock destroys the 3 hardcore wrestlers. But Brock isn't alone. No, because with Brock is one of the best managers, if not the best, in the history of professional wrestling; Paul E. Dangerously Heyman. Or Paul Heyman, if you want to call him that.

From that moment on, Brock Lesnar was truly my favorite wrestler. First night I saw him, bam! Favorite wrestler right there. He had something about him that other wrestlers didn't have. I still can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was my addiction to Heyman" I don't know, but it must've been something.

Over the next week, Brock would destroy such high profile wrestlers as Hurricane, Rikishi, and...Molly Holly. Truth be told, they're still better wrestlers that 90% of the current roster. A week after his debut, though, is the draft lottery. He's chosen by the Nature Boy as number 8 for RAW. Just being drafted meant something for a guy who had only been there a week. Mr. McMahon followed up by drafting...Mark Henry. Great job, Vince.

In April, Brock and his wife then had the birth of his first child. What's her name" I honestly don't know, but I know she's a she. What was the wife's name" I don't know.

Brock Lesnar now goes into a high profile feud with... the Hardyz. Wow, and people say they pushed him fast" He went into his first PPV, and destroys the Fat Chick Thriller (no, not Mike Awesome) Jeff Hardy, until the ref calls for the bell. Destroying Jeff Hardy - I love that guy.

The next night on RAW, Brock destroyed Matt Hardy, in the same fashion he did to Jeff. But the Hardyz didn't get up. They defeated Brock in a Handicap match by... DQ. Damn, they really didn't book this feud too well. 6 days later, Paul Heyman teamed with Brock Lesnar, and they defeated the Hardy Boys at Judgement Day. Thank God that feud's over.

Brock goes into a mini-feud with Bubba Ray Dudley, the reason behind it" I think Heyman, but I forget. The feud comes to an end when Brock Lesnar defeats Bubba in a KOTR qualifying match on June 10th, 2002. Later on in the night, Brock helps Mr. McMahon defeat Ric Flair, and Mr. McMahon becomes 100% owner.

Brock wasn't done. He wanted to win the (last) KOTR, and prove he really is the Next Big Thing. So he mows down Booker T (with the help of the nWo), and then goes to the KOTR PPV. He defeats Test in one match, and then defeats Rob Van Dam in the finals to become the 2002(and last), King of the Ring. This now guarantees him a title shot at SummerSlam. A week after destroying RVD the night after KOTR, Brock Lesnar gives out an open veterans challenge, challenging any veteran in the back. One big "WOOOOOOOOOO!" and out comes the Nature Boy. Brock gets his biggest win to date by defeating the Nature Boy.

Brock's feud with RVD wasn't over, though. So at Vengeance, they settled their differences. Kind of. RVD beats Brock by DQ AGAIN, and retains his IC title. The next night, Brock Lesnar faces Tommy Dreamer in a Signapore Cane match (does every ECW guy hate Heyman" Oh, yeah, they do.), and after the match, the Undertaker comes into the ring, and beats the hell outta Brock. Later in the night, Brock leaves the arena in a limo with Steph, and he's now on SmackDown!.

First night on SmackDown!, Brock interferes in an Angle/Mark Henry match, destroying Henry. Like I said at the draft part, great job Vince. Afterwards, Angle confronts Brock, and Brock tells Kurt he's the 'new top guy' on SmackDown!. Didn't lie, either. Later in the night, Brock interferes in an Un-American/Hogan & Rock tag title match.

2 weeks after, Brock destroys Hogan, making him bleed internally with the then-Brock Lock (Bearhug). Two days later, Brock Lesnar and Triple H met for the very first time in a Triple Threat match at Global Warning with The Rock, which The Rock won. The Brock/Rock feud continued up until SummerSlam, where The Rock and The Brock put on a great match, that Brock came away from winning. The next night, we find out the Undisputed title is exclusive to SmackDown!, so Eric brings back the Big Gold One(aka the WCW/REAL NWA title), and awards it to Trips, but that's another story.

For the next month, Brock destroyed guys such as Hardcore Holly, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Rikishi, while having an intense feud with the Undertaker at the same time. At Unforgiven, Brock and the Undertaker went to a double DQ in the main event, but continued the feud. Brock brings in Tracy, who claims she had an affair with the Undertaker, and that storyline kept going until No Mercy, where Brock Lesnar beat Undertaker in a brutal Hell In a Cell match.

Brock then goes into a feud with the Big Show (who just came over from RAW), and Big Show dominated Brock throughout the feud. WWE logic usually says if this happens, then Brock should win. That unfortunately didn't happen, as Paul Heyman turned on Brock(thus making him a babyface), to help the Big Show win the WWE title. That was a stupid idea.

Great job, Vince.

Brock then gets the Austin-treatment, and gets suspended, arrested, etc. He becomes friends with Angle, which went sour after Angle turned heel. He was still feuding with the Big Show, at the time. Brock beat Big Show in a match at the Royal Rumble to get into the Royal Rumble match itself, and then won the Royal Rumble, to go onto WrestleMania XIX to face Kurt Angle for the WWE title.

So Kurt and Brock feud for the next month, mainly Brock feuding with Team Angle. No Way Out comes around, and as we all know, that's the last stop before WrestleMania. So a match is made; Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Edge Vs. Kurt Angle, Charlie Haas, and Shelton Benjamin(hey, he got out of OVW! So that's why I remember this kid...). When No Way Out came, Edge gets 'attacked' by Team Angle(he was wrestling for awhile with an injury), and Edge is taken out of the match. So, Benoit and Lesnar take on Team Angle in a handicap match, and Benoit and Lesnar win.

The SmackDown! after No Way Out, Brock defeats Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin in a handicap match, and gets to face anyone next week. So he chose Paul Heyman, and the match is made a Steel Cage Match. The next week comes, and Brock defeats Heyman inside the cage, despite interference from Team Angle. And as a stipulation(to a match that was made by a stipulation...great job, Vince), next week Brock gets an early title shot against Kurt Angle Live(but not really) on SmackDown!.

Brock went into this match ready to beat Kurt, and become champion again, and out comes good ol' Kurt. Brock beats up Kurt, and in seconds hits him with an F-5. Brock goes for the pin, but then realizes something; it's not Kurt. It took him too long to realize it, but it's not Kurt. It's Eric Angle. So Kurt sneaks up from behind Brock, and defeats him. Afterwards, Eric gets his ass kicked some more.

The feud becomes ever more intense, until the match finally happens; Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar. A match in the making since Brock jumped to SmackDown!. It had a great storyline, and two of the greatest wrestlers in the business. It was going to be, to quote Tazz, a Rocket-Buster. And it was.

Brock and Kurt fought in a vicious match, and IMO, a very overlooked match. Too many people look at Jericho/HBK from that night, but it wasn't near as good as Brock/Kurt. The end came when Brock botched a Shooting Star Press, and screwed himself up pretty good, but continued on. Brock hits the F-5, and defeats Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at the Grand Daddy Of 'Em All. The Botched SSP was so bad, though, that there were rumors in the night that Brock died from a brain haemorrhage . Those were obviously false.

There weren't any challengers left for Brock. Kurt was injured, and his feud with Big Show was stale. Not wanting to turn Brock heel yet, Vince thought of the next best thing; push someone. He pushed John Cena. At the time, to me, this seemed like a great idea. I was digging Cena's character, and he was still putting on decent matches. So Brock Vs. Cena was going to be good, and it was.

Backlash came, and Backlash went, and so did John Cena. I don't even remember exactly what happened to him for the next few months. But this story isn't about Cena, this story is about The Next Big Thing. So Brock comes out the next night, and challenges the Big Show, and even though this feud has always sucked, it still went on. Great job, Vince.

So Show/Brock continues, again, and Brock/Show fight in a Stretcher Match at Judgement Day. Brock won thanks to a forklift. Finally, Big Show and Brock Lesnar are done facing each other!

Or not.

Big Show and Brock keep feuding, which involved such memorable storylines as the ring breaking, the F.B.I. getting squashed by the Undertaker, the one legged wrestler, and Mr. Freaking America. But, oh, they throw in someone new to the feud! They throw in...Kurt. So Kurt, Brock, and Show(the only three guys to challenge for the Undisputed title besides Cena and 'Taker since SummerSlam) go at it one more time at Vengeance, and Kurt Angle defeats both guys. The following SmackDown!, Brock turns WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too early on Kurt.

Over the next few weeks, Brock made his heel status clear by beating a one legged man and a guy named Spanky. Way to build up Brock's heel status. SummerSlam finally came around, and in a great match Kurt Angle defeated Brock Lesnar.

The next SmackDown!, Undertaker defeated Brock Lesnar and Big Show in a Triple Threat match for a #1 contender's match against Kurt Angle...or so we thought. And Brock was outta the title picture...or so we thought. The next week, Kurt Angle and Undertaker did face off(too early, by the way), and the match ended when Brock interferes. The week after, Brock goes to F-5 Stephanie into a ring post, but Kurt saves her.

One week after, it was a 60 Minute Iron Man match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, and it was sure to be a classic. It was extremely exciting, I'll admit that, and I loved Brock but...giving him the title AGAIN" Anyways, Brock and 'Taker keep feuding, which leads up to a Biker Chain match at No Mercy. I know some folks didn't like it, but I enjoyed it.

Over the next month we were treated to a Survivor Series storyline. Team Angle(Kurt Angle, Bradshaw, Chris Benoit, John Cena, and Hardcore Holly) Vs. Team Lesnar(Brock Lesnar, The A-Train, Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones, and The Big Show). The feud comes to an end when John Cena and Benoit are the sole survivors of the 10-man Elimination match. It seems like there's some new blood in the WWE title hunt with the likes of Benoit, Cena, and (unfortunately)Holly. Benoit and Cena win a #1 Contender's battle royal, and face off the next week. Benoit wins, and goes on to fight Lesnar in the night, which Lesnar wins.

Over the next few weeks, we were treated(notice the sarcasm) to the Lesnar/Holly storyline. That feud all came to an end at the Royal Rumble...in 6 minutes. 3 months for 6 f***ing minutes!" Oh, well, at least now that Lesnar beat Holly, he can go back to mid-card hell. Later on at the Rumble, though, Lesnar came out and cost Goldberg the Royal Rumble match, thus setting up Lesnar/Goldberg.

But before Brock/Bill can take place, Brock must drop the title. With no one worthy of a shot on SmackDown, they push Eddie Guerrero to the stars, and hopes it works out. As you all know, it didn't work out in the end, but it was fun for a little while. Anyways, No Way Out comes, and Eddie beats Brock in a terrific match, after Bill interferes, setting up their WrestleMania XX encounter. Eddie's the next champ, and Brock Lesnar's getting upset with travelling; so the b**tard buys a $400,000 dollar place that he'll use for the rest of his career. All 30 days of it.

Things were going fine, though, at the moment. Brock was feuding with Austin/Goldberg (I forget, why exactly was Austin in this storyline"), and everything seemed like it was in place. Brock/Goldberg was set for 'Mania, and it was going to be Goldberg's last match. Then some news came along; it was Brock's last match, too. 5 days before 'Mania, Brock quits. This shocks the whole IWC, and ticks them off beyond belief. And as a huge Lesnar-mark, I was equally pissed off and saddened by this news.

It's WrestleMania XX; the biggest stage for wrestling ever. Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg is planned, with Austin as the special ref. People are anticipating this match beyond belief, or, well, they would've been if 90% of the arena wasn't full of Smarks. The IWC diss both Goldberg and Lesnar beyond belief, to the point that Brock flips off the whole crowd. The only excitement this match had was Austin stunning both men at the end, but this match is a guilty pleasure of mine. I loved every minute of the "Goldberg sucks!" chants.

Brock Lesnar was in the WWE for 4 days less than two years. He accomplished more than most wrestlers do in 20 years. He had everything; size, wrestling skill, look, mic skills. He was the perfect, in my eyes, wrestler, and will always be the perfect wrestler. Sure, now he gave up on not only WWE, but ALSO the NFL. Sure, now he's filed a lawsuit against WWE trying to get out of his no compete clause, but he is still the best wrestler I've ever seen in my life in only 2 years. I can't put him on top 10's, though. Why" Because he spent two years in the business. He made an impact, he had people eating out of his hands, and there were new fans coming in to watch Brock Lesnar; and he screwed up.

So am I mad that Brock left" Yes. Do I hate him" No. He'll never be able to be considered a legend, but that's his own fault. But he will always be the best. So, like him or not, you've gotta give the man his props; he could have, and I do mean HAVE, been the biggest thing since The Rock and Austin. But he screwed that up himself.

by Matt. P ..