It was Oct. 23, 2010, an electric Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif. Cain Velasquez dismantled Brock Lesnar with striking that showcased precision that would make Bas Rutten proud to claim the UFC Heavyweight Championship and write his name in history as the first Mexican heavyweight champion at UFC 121.
Some say Velasquez wrote his name in the books with ink. Looking at the Octagon post-fight, it’s safe to say it was with Lesnar’s blood. It was an incredible moment. Velasquez just defeated the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet. The Honda Center was electric. Everything turned out just the way UFC President Dana White had wanted it to—great fights, great gate, huge buyrates.
Then, it happened.
AOL Fanhouse’s Ariel Helwani, an acclaimed MMA journalist and beloved pro wrestling fan conducted a rare, out of character interview with World Wrestling Entertainment’s most elusive superstar, The Undertaker.
What started out as a novel interview due to Taker’s er…non-deadness, became infamous. Mark Calaway plays a deadman on WWE television, but that night, he served as the ghost of Lesnar’s pro wrestling past—the grueling travel, fantasy, money, and the personal conflicts.
Allow me to present you the most intriguing moment of UFC 121.
Now allow yourself to let what you just viewed to sink in.
Ready?
There have been many takes on this staredown between former WWE rivals Lesnar and Undertaker. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer and Yahoo Sports reported that WWE had contacted Lesnar regarding a possible bout with Undertaker at WrestleMania 27 in 2011.
Many have said this staredown was a “work” or in English, pre-planned, as in the tension is fake. But that may not be the case.
TNA Wrestling star and former WWE superstar Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson once stated in an interview with The UK Sun that he was honored to have Undertaker allow him to gain credibility during their on-screen feud on Friday Night Smackdown and PPV. It was not just because Undertaker is one of the most respected wrestlers of all-time.
It meant a great deal to Anderson because he had heard that when Undertaker helped take Brock Lesnar in 2002 to new heights by making him Brock Lesnar, the now-ex-UFC Champion promised Taker he would “return the favor.”
Well, let’s just say he never did. Instead, Lesnar left WWE just two years later, seemingly fed up with the travel, politics, and all the other things that can negate a pro wrestler’s enjoyment. Unfortunately for WWE, he left rather abruptly and at the worst possible time—right after their Super Bowl: WrestleMania.
And for those that don’t know the story, here’s the brief version. In his late 20s, Lesnar tried his hand at the NFL, despite not playing football since high school. He just barely missed the cut with the Minnesota Vikings. Rather than play in the Arena Football League, Lesnar opted to wrestle again.
The only problem was he didn’t want to be locked into a seven-plus-year deal he signed with WWE prior to leaving the company. His demands were reportedly outrageous and then came a back-and-forth legal battle between the two parties. A couple of matches in Japan later and Lesnar was free to do what he wanted to do. And that was wrestling on his own terms—until he ventured into MMA.
The rest is history, but the ghost of Lesnar’s past stared a hole right through him Saturday night. And while Vince McMahon got people talking about his WWE as opposed to Dana White’s UFC, a proposed Taker-Lesnar match cannot contractually happen or so Mr. White stated to TMZ and anyone that would listen.
Perhaps, it was just an odd coincidence that Taker and Lesnar crossed paths and that the cameras were rolling. Mr. Helwani thought so and stated on Twitter that he didn’t believe the tension between the two former WWE Champions was fake.
Maybe Undertaker knew Lesnar was looking to get back to WWE, even on a part-time, attraction match basis. Maybe Lesnar was contemplating that WrestleMania match. Maybe The Undertaker stood up to Lesnar and said “You wanna do it?” to give him a cold reminder that WWE is his yard. Maybe it was a reminder to Lesnar that he screwed WWE twice and won’t be allowed to do so again.
Regardless, Lesnar should exhaust all his MMA options while he can. UFC is now. WWE and pro wrestling will be there for him in the future.
But don’t put it past Lesnar to look into all his options. After all, this is the same rebellious badass that dared to stand up to the almighty King McMahon, passing on millions of dollars to pursue his new-found passion on his terms.
As Dana White told Mr. Helwani, the two parties (Lesnar and White) have butted heads. It could have been due to WWE contacting Lesnar. I’m sure White isn’t happy WWE hijacked his company’s spotlight either.
If there is one thing that’s been made clear by both Dana White and Vince McMahon through the eyes of The Undertaker, it’s that no matter what road Brock Lesnar takes from here—there’s no longer an easy pass.
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