Death Clutch - Brock Lesnar [14]
I can still hear him say the line. Curt knew the pro wrestling business was built on a pile of people who had been used for everything they were worth, and then dumped on the side of the road. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. I’m just saying that’s how it is. Since that’s the score in pro wrestling, Curt came up with the idea that the only way to keep your sanity, or your health, was to “get in to get out.”
I wish he practiced what he preached. Curt got in and really got out. He died in 2003. Nice rib . . .
I really think about him every day. We could have had so much fun together. I miss him so much, because with Curt you were never just passing time. You were enjoying every minute of it.
Why did he have to go and die?
LOUISVILLE
After training with Brad for only a few months and fulfilling my commitments to the amateur wrestling community, I was ready to head to Louisville and enter the WWE developmental system. I had started to watch a little pro wrestling on TV so I could see what I was getting myself into. I bought a pickup truck, loaded all my things into the back, and hit the road.
When I arrived in Louisville, I met up with former Golden Gopher Shelton Benjamin. I followed him as the number one heavyweight at the university, and he stayed on as an assistant coach while I was there. Like me, Shelton had signed with WWE after being recruited by Gerald Brisco. Shelton and I found a two-bedroom apartment to rent, and I was ready to start training.
My first training session was at nine o’clock on a Monday morning. When I got there, I couldn’t believe it. The “OVW training center” was nothing more than a little box in the middle of a warehouse district. I thought, “I’m working for this huge international company, and this is where all the big-time television wrestlers get trained?”
When I walked in the door, Danny Davis came right up to meet me. Danny was the owner of OVW and also the head trainer. I liked Danny from the beginning, and we became pretty good friends when I was in Louisville. I have nothing but good things to say about Danny.
On my first day, he asked me, “Can you hit the ropes, kid?” There I was, NCAA Heavyweight Champion, almost three hundred pounds, ready to take on the world, and Danny wanted to know if I could hit the ropes. I thought to myself, “I’ve done this thousands of times at Brad’s—I’ll show this SOB just how hard and fast I can come off the ropes, and how good I look doing it.”
I got in the ring and, with a full head of steam, threw myself into the ring ropes just like I did every day back at Brad’s camp. But instead of launching my body back across the ring like I was supposed to, I went straight through the ropes and crash-landed on the concrete floor with everyone watching. I nearly broke my ass in the process.
What I didn’t know at the time is that there are different types of “ropes” for wrestling rings. When I trained in Minnesota, Brad had an old-style WCW wrestling ring, with ropes made from steel cable covered by a garden hose with tape over it. Danny’s ropes were made out of real rope (just like the WWE used). Real rope has a lot more give to it than cable. I learned that the hard way.
Looking back, I can see that making a fool out of myself was a good icebreaker, because it showed everyone I was human—I make mistakes and bleed like everybody else. I can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t the least bit funny to me then.
Despite my initial stumble, I progressed quickly and excelled in practice every day. I understood what they were teaching, and I could do the things they wanted me to do in the ring.
In a matter of weeks, Danny Davis decided to put me and Shelton together as a team, and we started going to all the little towns in the area, wrestling in front of tiny crowds in bingo halls, local community churches, high school gyms, you name it. We were working with a number of guys who are pretty well known today, but at the time were just starting out like I was: Batista,