Brock To Return???

gimmick

Not bloody likely by the looks of it.

Source: Wrestlezone.com

Wrestler grapples with WWE barriers

By MICHAEL P. MAYKO mmayko@ctpost.com

BRIDGEPORT ? Brock Lesnar's 6-foot-3, 295-pound frame enabled him to tear through opponents on his way to World Wrestling Entertainment's most coveted title.

Now, Lesnar wants to take on the entire WWE.

On Monday, he challenged the Stamford-based sports entertainment company ? known for Wrestlemania, Monday Night Raw and Smackdown ? to a constitutional rights match that could take place in downtown Hartford.

In a suit filed in Bridgeport federal court, Lesnar claims an agreement he signed when he left WWE is standing in the way of his career. The suit was assigned to the Hartford courthouse.

The war arises over a settlement Lesnar signed in order to leave the WWE last year for a failed bid to join the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings. Lesnar was cut during training camp and was not on the list of players the Vikings recently designated to NFL Europe.

"He really wanted to try his hand at football," said David Bradley Olsen, Lesnar's Minneapolis-based lawyer. "He gave it his best shot but not having played since high school hurt."

As a wrestler, Lesnar became an All-American and captured national championships at Bismarck State Junior College in North Dakota and the University of Minnesota.

He signed his first contract with WWE on June 9, 2000, which led to his making at least $1 million a year.

On Aug. 25, 2002, the WWE made him World Heavyweight Champion in a match in which he beat "The Rock," now star of the movie remakes of "Walking Tall" and "The Longest Yard."

Lesnar, dubbed "The Next Big Thing," captured the championship three times. His tearful farewell performance took place last March 14, when he lost to "Goldberg," a former NFL player.

Olsen pointed out that Lesnar's final booking contract prohibited him from working for any non-WWE wrestling organization in the United States for a year.

But an April 2004 settlement agreement that Lesnar signed to break that last booking contract prohibits him from appearing, participating in or associating with any professional wrestling, ultimate fighting or any sports entertainment enterprise through June 30, 2010.

"So what it's saying is he can't work in his chosen line of profession anywhere in the entire world for the next five years," said Olsen. "That's so broad."

Olsen wants a federal judge to declare the agreement void because it's "overly broad, unreasonable, oppressive, unfair and inequitable."

"As a professional athlete, Lesnar has only a limited window of opportunity during which youth and physical conditioning allow him to maximize his potential earnings," Olsen pointed out in the suit.

"Lesnar is 27 years old and in the prime of his athletic career," he said. "On June 30, 2010, when the purported restrictions on competition expire, Lesnar will be 33 years old, which for a professional athlete is an age at which many consider retirement due to the physical demands of their chosen operation."

But, Wade Keller, editor of Pro Wrestling Torch.com ( www.pwtorch.com , believes Lesnar is "dead wrong."

"The WWE invested a lot of time and money to give him star power and make him a major part of their organization," Keller said. "He could go to work for a competitor like [Total Nonstop Action Wrestling] or one in Japan, where wrestling is huge and WWE is trying to maintain a following."

Jerry McDevitt, WWE's lawyer, said the organization will fight the suit. "We put a ton of money and time into promoting him as a star," McDevitt said, adding Lesnar agreed to the separation stipulations.

These days, Lesnar is "just doing a lot of hunting and fishing," said Olsen.

Keller said Lesnar is preparing for his spring marriage to Rena Mero, the former WWE diva and Playboy centerfold known as Sable.

There is Internet gossip that Lesnar will return to the WWE for a May 22 appearance in Minneapolis.

But Gary Davis, a WWE spokesman, denied that.

"I'll bet if Lesnar agreed to come back under the terms of the contract he had when he left, the WWE would allow it," Keller said. "But I hear he wants less dates and less travel."

If that's the case, Lesnar's next appearance will be the grudge match in the federal courthouse in Hartford. Assigned as the special referee is former U.S. attorney and current U.S. District Judge Christopher Droney.

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and

Here are just some random notes on the Brock Lesnar lawsuit story just to catch some of you up:


Lesnar's lawsuit is defined as a restraint of trade lawsuit.


The suit was actually filed on 2/4.


At the time of Lesnar leaving WWE, they asked him to sign a 6 year no compete clause which he agreed to and signed.


The clause he signed prevented him "from appearing, participating in or associating with any professional wrestling, ultimate fighting or any sports entertainment enterprise through June 30, 2010."


WWE's head legal counsel Jerry McDevitt said WWE will fight the suit.


To break it down for you, Brock Lesnar wanted to leave WWE to pursue the NFL after WrestleMania last year. In the back of his head, he really thought he had a legit chance and was going to make it. He had been told by friends and people within the Vikings camp that he had a heck of a shot. At the time, it sounded like a great idea and he went ahead and signed the no compete clause, obviously not realizing at the time his NFL dreams wouldn't come true. It's VERY clear when a wrestler is released or leaves the company that when they sign on the dotted line, it's final. Lesnar was well aware of what he was signing and didn't think it would hurt him because he wasn't thinking about ever returning to wrestling. In the last several months, Lesnar has been calling the WWE offices looking for work. His calls were 'ignored/put aside' at first but have since been answered by people other then Vince McMahon. We're told his travel and money demands were just ridiculous and a deal was not reached. It appears Lesnar is now taking it one step further and pursuing a lawsuit so he can return to the wrestling business'. I guess it all depends on how you look at it, but from my standpoint, the guy signed the dotted line, knew what he was signing, and chose to ignore it to pursue something that didn't work out. Now, he's screwed and wants to take back his no compete clause. The guy also walked out on a number of guys in the business, especially after getting three world title reigns while with the company. It's a big game. Lesnar wants to work for someone other than WWE to 'get them thinking' while WWE doesn't want Lesnar working elsewhere and legally, with a signed piece of paper, they don't have to. Lesnar apparently thinks otherwise.

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Seems he didnt think this one out properly, now goes crying to the lawyers.

Whatever chance there was of his return is well and truly screwed up now.

Stalfos

Feel bad for him not being able to wrestle for 5 more years and i hope he wins.
Still, how did he ever think the NFL would work out for him. Never should have left, he can be blamed for the condition of the WWE today.(well smackdown side mostly)

D-FENS

I always liked the guy, as a performer, and also supported him with his NFL ambition.
I would also welcome his WWE return, after all everyone deserves the right to persue a new goal in life, even if WWE had spent a lot of time and money making him a huge star in '02.
But if he's stupid enough to sign such a contract that stops him performing anywhere else for the next five years, and is refusing to meet WWE's present demands to come back, then he deserves to do a lot more hunting and fishing at home.

I thought him and Goldberg where the closest thing WWE had to replacing Rock and Austin a couple of years ago, but I’ve no time for either of them if they are not willing to do the travel and put in the house show hours. If they were true wrestling fans, they'd be glad to travel the world and perform for fans, especially for the money they are on. Even HHH, spoilt brat that he is, turns up for the majority of the little shows.

FX Meister

Surely he shouldn't have to work all out and destroy his body only to be dumped by Vince in a few years if he doesn't want to. If he can find another way then why not?

D-FENS

FX Meister wrote:

Surely he shouldn't have to work all out and destroy his body only to be dumped by Vince in a few years if he doesn't want to. If he can find another way then why not?

Working all out has always been the requirment of the pro wrestler, unless your The Rock and can drift in and out between Movies shoots.Since Brock has the charisma and acting skills of a turnip i'd say that's not an option for him.

And destroying your body is a risk from the first time you step in the ring, doing less shows over the years does'nt guarentee you'll still be able walk when you're sixty, look at poor Droz.

I know Vince works the guys too hard, but again this has always been a requirment and every guy that signs a contract should know that, unless Vince lied to them.But surely he would'nt do that.

My Point is why should Brock get special treatment and turn up whn it suits him, when people like Benoit give 100 per cent night after night ?

Plus, ask yourself, did Brock want more time off to save his body , or just because, like Goldberg, he has no real passion for wrestling and just wants to do min. time for max. money.

FX Meister

No but having to work shows when injured can't help you recover. As for Brock having the charisma and acting skills of a turnip, the Rock has charisma but acting skills? I've seen better on screen performances from a box of cornflakes

D-FENS

FX Meister wrote:

No but having to work shows when injured can't help you recover. As for Brock having the charisma and acting skills of a turnip, the Rock has charisma but acting skills? I've seen better on screen performances from a box of cornflakes

You're right about the having to work injured thing, that's obviuosly wrong but goes on in other sparts too and a lot of the time the guys wants to take painkillers and work injured.But again, this is something that Brock and everyone else should have put in their contracts from day one, no complain about it two or three years down the line.

As for the Rock, granted he's been stereo typed in his movies so far as the muscle head hero or whatever, but he's now worst than any other meathead action hero through the years, and having a good script helps too, which he has'nt had yet. You may be suprised by his role in "Be Cool" though.