Brock Lesnar’s Controversial Early Days: A Mix of Respect and Disrespect

Brock Lesnar began his career at Ohio Valley Wrestling under the tutelage of Jim Cornette and Danny Davis.
On the whole, Lesnar was respectful towards anyone who had any authority in the company. However, if Brock felt people were below him, it was another story altogether. He once made a referee cry, and in another instance, Lesnar squeezed Jim Cornette’s wife inappropriately after she had asked him not to. Cornette was not at all impressed and reacted accordingly.
Brock Lesnar Disrespects Jim Cornette and His Wife

Jim Cornette explains on his podcast The Jim Cornette Experience what Brock Lesnar did for a [firearm] to come into the equation.
“They [Brock and Shelton] were working with the Disciples of Synn, and my lovely wife, who was Synn, managed a stable consisting of Damien, Slash, and Payne. They were veterans who could work with these young greenhorns and hopefully teach them timing and something in the ring.”
Brock Lesnar’s Memorable Matches with Synn: A Controversial Highlight

“Well, anyway, one of the big highlights of their matches was that Brock would give Synn a press slam. She loved to take bumps and took them great, and she got so much heat that even though it was a man, a 280-pound man taking this 5’4″ diminutive woman and press slamming her, the people threw babies in the air because she was just that good at getting heat with people, especially live.”
Brock Lesnar’s Unforgettable Press Slam of Synn

“She gets heat with me at my house. And it brought the house down at Freedom Hall when they had their dark match at a WWE taping. It was sold out, 18,000 people, and one of the big reactions of the night for the entire show was in the dark where Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin defeated the Disciples of Synn after Brock gave her this giant press slam.
Jim Cornette’s Reaction to Brock Lesnar Press Slamming His Wife

“So having said that, I called it on an OVW TV one night, I said [to Brock], ‘You press slam her and blah blah blah.'”
Stacy’s Plea for Gentleness Due To Some Recent Body Modifications

“Stacy (Synn), and she wouldn’t mind me saying this because she’s open with everybody, had just had certain parts of her anatomy pierced… and these certain parts would be where Brock’s right hand went when he picked her up for the press slam, so you can do your own math on that.
“So she told Brock earlier in the day, ‘Hey, when you give me the press slam, watch out, take care of the nether regions down there cause I just had these piercings done.'”
Brock Lesnar: The College Jock Turned Wrestling Star

“Now, before this, we used to have problems with Brock. While he was always very respectful to me and Danny Davis because we were his coaches, he was one of these college jocks pushed through college because he was a major athlete and had always been catered to.”
Brock Lesnar: From Ring to Referees, His Intimidating Attitude Prevails

“He would bully the referees, and he’d bully the ring crew. He even made one of our referees cry one time.”
Brock Lesnar’s Intimidating Behavior: Bullying and Confrontations

“He also went at my best friend Kenny Bolin one time because he was flirting in an innocent way with Brock’s girlfriend at the time, not Sable, but you know, Brock comes out and cuts a promo on him and cusses him and shoves him and just makes a [fool] out of himself because anyone that was a coach or had some standing, Brock would respect.
“Still, anybody that he felt was below him, the water boy on the team, you get the idea, a college jock, he would belittle and berate.”
Jim Cornette Recalls Brock Lesnar’s Unwanted Advances Towards Stacy

Jim Cornette elaborates further, “He’s telling Stacy all day, ‘I’m gonna, when I getcha, I’m gonna squeeze it.’ And she’s like, ‘Brother, don’t do that!’
“So what happens when you know who won the pony, he goes and gives her the press slam, and he clamps down and squeezes with his right hand! Now she’s got an incredible tolerance for pain.”
Stacy’s Courageous Performance: Leads to Confrontation with Brock Lesnar

“In California, she actually broke her ankle in both bones to the point that it turned sideways but still finished the [rough] match. But she came in [completely] crying and squealing, and when he got back, there was more crying and squealing and yelling, and they were cutting a promo on each other.”
Confrontation Erupts: Jim Cornette Steps In

“She doesn’t mind telling someone what she thinks of em’; that’s why we’re married. So she’s cussing him, and he’s cussing her, and I hear all this hoopla, so I go back there, and I’m like, ‘What the [heck]?'”
Brock Lesnar and Stacy Exchange Heated Words

“And she tells me, ‘He’s been saying he’s gonna do it all day, and he [totally] did it. I asked him not to and to take care of it, and he [went ahead] did it anyway. [Forget] this guy.’
“And he’s saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t do it, I didn’t mean to do it, I was just kidding, blah blah blah.’ And in the process, he says ‘[forget] you’ to her in front of me.”
Jim Cornette’s Intense Intervention: Warning Brock Lesnar

“That’s where I had to say, ‘Look, ************, you need to know this now. Don’t say **** you to her in front of me ’cause I won’t fight you; I will shoot you!'”
Jim Cornette’s “Wisdom” For Brock Lesnar

“Here’s what he didn’t realize. Because he had been protected and pampered and made over for so long, nobody is gonna fight Brock Lesnar if he mouths off and runs his [tongue] about people or two people or whatever – nobody is gonna fight him. They’re just gonna pull out a [firearm] and shoot him.”
How Jim Cornette Would Handle The Beast Brock Lesnar

Would you fight Brock Lesnar? No! He’s a beast, he’s a genetic freak, and nobody’s gonna fight him.
“But, if he said the wrong thing to the wrong person, they’re gonna shoot him. I don’t care how tough he is; he ain’t gonna nip up after a [firearm] shot to the head.”
Unprofessional Conduct: Brock Disrespects Colleague

So I said, ‘Don’t say **** you to her in front of me, or I will shoot you.’ He was disrespecting somebody in the wrestling business that he was supposed to take care of.
Jim Continues His Beratement of Brock’s Actions

“I also said, ‘If you’re gonna rib somebody and tell em’ all day you’re gonna do something, you better make [completely] sure you don’t do it because why would they believe that you didn’t mean to do it when you’ve been telling em’ all day that you’re gonna do it?'”
The Importance of Learning Respect in the Wrestling Business

“I then said, ‘And thirdly, don’t disrespect me by telling my girlfriend,’ at the time, now my wife, ‘in front of me **** you because then you’ve brought me into it and this is not business, this is personal. I will not fight you, I will shoot you.
The sooner you learn these things, the better off you’re gonna be in the wrestling business because nobody’s gonna fight you. But if you [upset] somebody off bad enough and you’re in an outlaw locker room or an independent show or wherever you may end up, you’re very liable to get shot.’
Related: The Inseparable Bond Between BROCK LESNAR and PAUL HEYMAN
Danny Davis Responds to Brock’s Unwise Decision

“So then he goes to Danny Davis, he said [whiny upset voice], ‘Jim said he was gonna shoot me blah blah blah,’ and Danny said, ‘Well, what did you think was gonna happen?’
The Aftermath and Reconciliation

So anyway, I called them together at Six Flags the next week and called em’ over in the locker room in the corner, and they apologized to each other and shook hands for the good of the locker room.
There couldn’t be any two people any more different than me and Brock Lesnar. I recognize his talent, and I recognize his athletic ability, but we used to call him ‘Block Lesnar’ down here in OVW for a reason cause he’s a meathead, and I don’t like him as a person.”
Jim Cornette’s Candid Opinion on Brock Lesnar’s Personality

Those days in OVW had many talented wrestlers who have gone on to become some of the biggest stars in the business, including Batista, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Who knows what other stories there are featuring these young talents on the rise.
It would’ve been an exciting locker room down there in Louisville, that’s for sure!
The Secret History of WWE’s Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes never had the physique of a wrestling god, but his charisma and innate ability on the microphone more than made up for that. When his name is mentioned, words of kindness and a lispy impression always ensue.
But what was the American Dream like when the cameras weren’t around?
Read: Dusty Rhodes: Secret History on the American Dream
Rick Rude: A Ravishing Man with a Tragic End

“He refused to budge.”
Rick Rude was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime kind of wrestler. He went by the nickname “Ravishing” — and rightfully so. He had a solid moveset, great looks, and unbridled arrogance with the in-ring skill to back it up. He played hard in the ring but even harder out of it.
Mr Perfect Curt Hennig – A Great Life with an Unfortunate End
On camera, Curt Hennig was arrogant, and he backed up his Mr. Perfect persona brilliantly. However, outside of the ring, it was a different story.
Learn the story of an extraordinary life with an unfortunate end.
Katie Vick – Behind WWE’s Most Shameful TV Segment

Bruce Prichard: "Vince McMahon was like, ‘I love it! That’s perfect!’ I lost a couple of crew members because of this shoot that were highly offended at the subject matter."
In 2002, Katie Vick was introduced to the WWE audience. Many consider what followed one of the most tasteless segments in television history!
Learn more: Katie Vick: Behind WWE’s Most Shameful Storyline
Wrestlers Who Live Unique Lives Outside of the Ring
The lives these wrestlers live outside of the ring may surprise you! Learn more here!
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