Brock Lesnar’s time with the Minnesota Vikings drew a lot of attention in 2004. His former manager now says the team did not want to release his Combine results to the media. This came while Lesnar, the former WWE superstar, was getting noticed for his performance in training camp.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“He went out for the Minnesota Vikings training camp,” Paul Heyman told Graham Bensinger. “They were reluctant to release to the media his combine numbers because he came out of WWE, and the Minnesota Vikings were concerned that the media would think this is a WWE stunt with these numbers because whether it was the 40-yard dash or the 100-yard dash or the quarter mile or with the standing jump or whatever it was, his combine numbers were of Olympic qualifying time.”
Brock Lesnar hadn’t played organized football since his senior year of high school in 1995. Even so, in 2004 he walked away from a multimillion-dollar WWE contract to chase a roster spot with the Vikings.
WWE also released the statement via WWE.com.
“Brock Lesnar has made a personal decision to put his WWE career on hold to prepare to try out for the National Football League this season. Brock has wrestled his entire professional career in the WWE, and we are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best in his new endeavor.”
The numbers explain the interest. At 6’2″ and 285 pounds, he reportedly ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, jumped 35 inches, and did 30 reps on the 225-pound bench press, according to Pro Football Rumors.
The idea started that spring, when his agent began calling teams about a tryout. Lesnar later told a Minnesota radio show he had “three wonderful years” in WWE, and regarding the NFL, he was blunt.
“This is no load of bull; it’s no WWE stunt. I am dead serious about this. I ain’t afraid of anything and I ain’t afraid of anybody. I’ve been an underdog in athletics since I was five. I got zero college offers for wrestling. Now people say I can’t play football, that it’s a joke. I say I can.
“I’m as good an athlete as a lot of guys in the NFL, if not better. I’ve always had to fight for everything. I wasn’t the best technician in amateur wrestling, but I was strong, had great conditioning, and a hard head. Nobody could break me. As long as I have that, I don’t give a damn what anybody else thinks.”
At least six teams were interested, Minnesota included, but then he crashed his motorcycle in April and injured his groin. Nobody knew if football was still possible.
Two months later he was healthy again and went back to the Vikings. He asked for another chance, and it paid off. They invited him to camp as a defensive lineman.
“I’m a fortunate person to even get this opportunity,” Lesnar said in a phone interview between practices with the Vikings. “I’ve worked hard, and whatever happens, happens. I hope I don’t hear my name called. More than likely, it will.”
Lesnar’s NFL attempt ended on August 30, when the Vikings let him go after he’d signed and played a few preseason games.
After the release, the Vikings offered him a spot with NFL Europa as their representative. He said no because he wanted to stay in the States with his family.
So football ended up being a side trip. He moved on to MMA and became the UFC heavyweight champion. His NFL run was short, but Randy Moss, Nate Burleson, and other teammates who grew up watching wrestling were glad to have him around in camp.