Brock Lesnar On ESPN Recap: The Beast Talks Ronda Rousey, Daniel Bryan And Wrestlemania
As WWE heads into Fastlane, the last pay-per-view before Wrestlemania, Brock Lesnar was a guest on the most recent edition of ESPN’s Off the Top Rope segment hosted by Jonathan Coachman on SportsCenter. Lesnar is involved in the main event Sunday against Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in a triple threat match with the winner receiving a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Triple H in the Wrestlemania main event. Brock and The Coach briefly discussed Fastlane, but the interview focused more on the hot topics of sports entertainment and combat sports.
Brock Lesnar, of course, is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, so the conversation naturally gravitated towards MMA and its most popular star, Ronda Rousey. No Longer undefeated in MMA, Rousey recently revealed on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she became suicidal after her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193. Lesnar reacted to that news with empathy (as transcribed by FOX Sports), but encouraged her to find a proper balance.
“I’m a big fan of Ronda’s and have been since the beginning. One thing that I learned and she should have learned a long time ago was that you have to learn how to lose before you can actually win. That was one thing my coach taught me at a very young age because I was a bad loser whenever I’d get beat. You’ve got to be able to get back on the horse and this life is very precious and very short. One fight isn’t going to make or break her career. She’s just got to get back on the horse again and figure it out and she will.
Brock Lesnar is an in-demand competitor, but his appeal outside the ring pales in comparison to that of Rousey’s. She has appeared in several movies with more on the horizon, hosted a January episode of Saturday Night Live, and most recently, Ronda graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Lesnar believes that she may need to concentrate on fighting to regain the proper focus inside the octagon.
“She can do whatever she wants to do and I think she’s proven that. I think she’s got a lot on her plate. You can’t be a fighter and be in 10 movies a year. She’s going to have to step back and find out what Ronda wants to do moving forward.”
One dream match that fantasy bookers have been conjuring up for a couple years has been a David vs. Goliath battle between Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan. However, Bryan’s recent retirement will now preclude that match from ever taking place. Lesnar believes Bryan made a wise choice in stepping away. The Beast Incarnate said he can’t count the number of concussions he’s probably had and didn’t even know because that is the nature of the wrestling business. He comments on Bryan stepping away and putting health before pride and understanding there’s more to life than wrestling, fighting or football. Lesnar says he tips his hat to Bryan and says he made the right decision.
With Wrestlemania less than two months away, Brock Lesnar was asked to recall his most memorable Wrestlemania moment. Lesnar brought up his failed shooting star press against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 19 but said he prefers to look ahead to make the next memorable moment rather than look back. He seemed rather confident that he would win at Fastlane and go on to main event this year’s Wrestlemania against Triple H.
Brock Lesnar has accomplished a lot in his career. He has been the WWE World Champion on several occasions, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he was given a training camp tryout with the Minnesota Vikings. But Lesnar said the most difficult accomplishment to achieve was winning the NCAA wrestling championship while at the University of Minnesota. You can catch Brock Lesnar on Smackdown! this Thursday in what will be the Beast’s first appearance on the show in 12 years.
[Image via WWE]
