IT was a moment that changed my entire professional career. Tazz ran up to me and said: "You need to get involved in this."
I was talking with Chris Benoit at the time.
Vince McMahon's plan for post-WrestleMania 18 in 2002 was for Benoit to turn heel, and for me to go back in front of the cameras as his on-air agent.
Vince was frustrated because he felt Chris possessed all the tools, but was missing that one last connection with the audience.
Tazz led me to the ring, where WWE Developmental Program Ohio Valley Wrestling’s most promising prospect was in the ring.
There he was. Brock Lesnar.
Jeeeesh, he was just so big, so massive, so huge. And he moved like a cat. There's no way a man that size should be able to move so quickly and with such agility.
The man who would one day become the first individual to win both the WWE and UFC world heavyweight championships was working out his non-televised match with Funaki.
He was also getting some really bad advice from veterans who were obviously threatened by what Lesnar could potentially bring to the table.
"Nikita Koloff got over just being big," one old school NWA vet told Lesnar. "Be more like Goldberg," another person suggested. "Someone your size shouldn't move too much. Look at tapes of Sid when he first started," advised a third.
Some of the bad advice was clearly intentional. Some of it was based on the fact a lot of people have a hard time accepting change.
Tazz pulled Lesnar aside and advised him to talk with me. Lesnar listened intently, thanked me profusely, and said: "You know, I'm very coachable."
Truer words were never spoken.
Brock Lesnar's greatest strength is not physical.
It's a great athlete's mentality and acceptance of instruction. Brock understands that no man can simply use his size and strength and bull-headedly (is that a word?) take over a sport.
The amazing physical gifts that Lesnar possesses need to be channelled, directed, produced, refined, and implemented in smart game plan.
Does anyone believe Muhammad Ali would have achieved his success without Angelo Dundee or Bundini Brown?
Would Mike Tyson have made it out of his teenage years without Cus D'Amato? And what happened to Tyson without D'Amato's guidance?
How great would legendary teams have been without Vince Lombardi, or Pat Riley, or Billy Martin, or Mike Ditka, or Al Arbour?
Brock Lesnar brings the tools, but the trainers and advisors on the best team in UFC that comprise "Team Lesnar", and Brock's willingness to listen to their sage wisdom, is what led Brock to his victory over Randy Couture for the UFC title on Saturday night.
From trainer Greg Nelson to former University of Minnesota wrestling coach Marty Morgan, to the different experts like BJJ guru Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros and wrestler Cole Konrad, Lesnar has assembled a winning team designed to break down their next opponent's strengths and weaknesses, assess Brock's improvement, and force Lesnar to improve at a pace that even friends would categorise as ambitious to say the least.
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Lesnar accepts the fact he cannot embark on this Ultimate Fighting journey alone.
Brock understands his team is there to guide him, and can see things Lesnar will not see, notice things Lesnar will not notice, observe from a vantage point Lesnar does not share.
For all the talk about "Size does matter" and "Youth and power prevailed over age and experience," the secret to Brock's success is his intense drive to be the alpha male, to be number one at what he does, to be dominant against all competition ... and his willingness to simultaneously be humble enough to accept the advice of others that he trusts, listen to their guidance, and implement their game plan.
By the way, I never ended up being Chris Benoit's on-air agent.
After spending two days with Brock behind-the-scenes working on his non-televised matches with him, I was asked by Vince McMahon to take on a new project.
“Take this raw clay and mould him into a money maker,” Vince growled in that half-Vince, half-Mr. McMahon voice. "This kid's got every physical gift you could ask for."
It was one of those rare times Vince and I absolutely agreed with each other. "He's got it all, Vince," I told the WWE Chairman. "Brock Lesnar is The Next Big Thing!"
Oh yeah.
To say Vince despised that moniker at first would be a gross understatement.
But that's a story for another day.
Ihan naturaalilta poika näyttää tällä hetkellä. Tosin eipä noissa karkeloissa kukaan ainakaan HW;ssä ilman roinaa pärjää, mutta kuullostaa jotenki kornilta toi "ei paljoa"...
Event oli kokonaisuudessa erittäin viihdyttävä. Kenflo yllätti nopealla voitolla, vaikka ajattelin matsin kestävän sen kolme erää, oli kyllä upea suoritus:hyvä:
