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Jim Ross has recalled how Brock Lesnar was not a fan of wrestling before he signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2000.
Ross worked in various roles for WWE during his combined 22 years with the company between 1993 and 2019. He has recruited dozens of high-profile WWE Superstars over the last three decades, including Lesnar.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said Lesnar did not watch WWE or any other professional wrestling on television when he was growing up. The veteran announcer added that The Beast Incarnate wanted to join WWE’s main roster long before he debuted in 2002.
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“Lesnar had no background in pro wrestling,” Ross said. “He wasn’t a fan, he didn’t watch it on TV. He didn’t know how cyclical it can be and how that manifests itself. He wanted to get called up much earlier than we called him up, so I compromised with him and brought him to TVs [television tapings]. Then he could meet the guys, hang around the guys, learn how that locker room interacted, et cetera, et cetera, and then we’d send him back to Louisville [WWE's developmental HQ] on Wednesday.”
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Brock Lesnar spent the first two years of his WWE career in the OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) developmental system in Louisville, Kentucky. He made his main roster debut in March 2002 on the post-WrestleMania 18 episode of RAW.
Jim Ross on Brock Lesnar’s off-screen WWE role earlier in his career
Jim Ross has previously spoken on his podcast about Brock Lesnar’s role as the leader of WWE’s ring crew.
On this week’s podcast, he reiterated that Lesnar was not afraid to work his way through the WWE ranks by driving ring trucks.
“He was the foreman of the ring crew,” Ross added. “He drove the ring truck, helped put the ring up, and he was probably the highest-paid ring guy in history. But he needed to learn what everything was about, and he wasn’t afraid of hard work and manual labor. He grew up on a farm, for God’s sakes.”
Brock Lesnar has gone on to become one of WWE’s biggest stars over the last 19 years. The 44-year-old has main-evented WrestleMania four times and won eight WWE World Championships.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
