Foley Shares His Thoughts On Brock Lesnar's Rise To Fame
The following is an excerpt from the latest "Foley Files" blog on the official TNA Website:
Brock Lesnar - UFC Champion, NCAA Wrestling Champion, WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
I can't claim to be a huge MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan, unlike some of the guys in WWE and TNA who follow all the big fights, know the big rivalries, seem even a little disappointed in themselves that they chose to travel down the pro-wrestling road instead of giving MMA a try themselves.
So, while I'm not a huge fan, I am a fan of sorts. I watched a couple seasons of "The Ultimate Fighter," order the occasional pay-per-view, and appreciate the guts and talent it takes to make a dent in that very difficult business. I tried to incorporate a little of the early stuff into my matches in 1996, (which I probably should have done a little more of in my late nineties hey-day) and even went back to that well for a couple of MMA inspired moves in a recent match or two.
I'm not a real big fan of seeing guys being pummeled on the ground, cringe at joint dislocations that occur when discretion is not the better part of valor, and worry a little for the guys who have been on the end of one too many knockout blows. Hopefully, the guys who practice and love competing in MMA understand that sometimes, the greatest move they can make, is stepping away as soon as their faculties show signs of slipping.
With that being said, I love Brock Lesnar as UFC Champion. He's great for UFC, great for business, and great for me as well - I mean I get to brag that I know and used to work with the baddest man in the world. I didn't actually know Brock that well; I'd stop by for that occasional WWE cup of coffee while he was in WWE, but even then, I was a Raw guy and he was on Smackdown, and so I really had only met him on a handful of big pay-per-view occasions.
I truly thought he was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars in the business when he seemed to tire of the travel and the entertainment aspect of what we do in pro-wrestling. Guys from amateur wrestling backgrounds tend to be ultra-competitive (although I'm not sure whether it's the wrestling that makes them that way, or whether the sport itself draws athletes of an ultra-competitive nature) and I think Brock probably saw pro-wrestling itself as an incredible challenge, up until he got really good at it.
Then, it was time to pursue other dreams; pro football, then MMA.
I remember back at Wrestlemania in 2004, Brock's final match with WWE; when I told Brock that he'd actually inspired a character in my first novel. I mean, I actually saw Brock while I was writing this kid, Clem Baskin. In the book Baskin's dad was even named Brock, and played a pretty big part in a fairly memorable scene.
"Thanks, Mick, I appreciate it" Brock said, when informed of his contribution.
"Actually, the kid is kind of a jerk," I said.
Five years later, I'm at UFC Fight Night in Fayettville, North Carolina, at the Crown Coliseum, making my way through the crowd with my TNA colleague A.J. Styles, who is one of those previously mentioned huge MMA fans. The arena is packed with American service members (all the funds from the evening are donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, for service members suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury) and A.J. and I are waving, smiling, shaking hands and patting backs as we try to make our way around to our front row seats on the fan side of the ring.
I see Randy Couture - and say hello as I pass by, paying respect to a veritable MMA legend.
A.J. and I sit down, and I look across the UFC Octagon at Coutore sitting in the front row directly across from us.
"Hey A.J.?" I say, noticing a large, menacing figure sitting next to Couture.
"Yeah, Mick," A.J. says.
"Was Brock Lesnar sitting next to Randy when we walked by?"
"Yeah, he was, Mick," A.J. says.
"Did you say hello to him?"
"Yeah, I did."
"And I walked right past him?" I asked; pretty much rhetorically, as I thought I knew the answer to this one.
"Yeah, you did, Mick," A.J. said. He's got a very soothing style, that A.J. Styles.
"So, do you think it looked like I was disrespecting the UFC Champion in front of thousands of people?"
"That's the way it looked to me, Mick."
"Do you think I ought to go over there and try to fix that?"
"I would if I were you."
That, indeed is just what I did, moving faster than I had in many years in the process.
Check out the complete "Foley Files" blog at www.TNAWrestling.com.
WZ
