Death Clutch - Brock Lesnar [44]
I also guessed that Vince McMahon was going to do everything in his power to stop me from making a living.
BROCK LESNAR VS. WWE
In January 2005, about nine months after leaving WWE, I went to Japan with Rena and Brad. I wanted to see exactly what opportunities I had waiting for me over there, but I had to be very careful not to do anything that would get me sued by Vince McMahon.
My lawyers and I decided it was best for me to pay for my own plane ticket, and sit in the front row. Did I know that this would only drive my price up with New Japan? Of course I did. My mission was to see what kind of show they put on, and how I could see myself making a big impact.
Once I got to Tokyo, the Inokis wanted to get every bit of publicity out of my arrival that they could. It was an interesting game. They were getting press based on me coming over to see their show, and I was becoming more and more valuable because I had not committed to them . . . or even to myself, really . . . that I was going to be a part of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
When I arrived at the arena, the Inokis kept pushing for more and more. They wanted to get as much out of me as they could. They asked if they could introduce me to the crowd. I didn’t have one of my lawyers with me, but how could being introduced to the crowd hurt? I wasn’t getting paid to be there. Yes, I was playing my cards, driving up my price, seeing what buzz I could manufacture before having to make some tough decisions. I’m in Tokyo. I’m not wrestling. I’m not performing. I’m sitting in the crowd, and I am going to be introduced as a celebrity in attendance.
The Inokis suggested that I walk down the big entrance ramp into the arena so the crowd could see me come in, and then be seated. They told me this is what they would do with any big celebrity guest.
The news hit the Internet within a matter of minutes. “Brock Lesnar Introduced at New Japan Show.”
And then all hell broke loose.
WWE’s lawyers were making all kinds of noise about my trip. Vince didn’t want me having anything to do with any other wrestling organization, and the lawyers were making threats about enforcing my noncompete agreement and suing New Japan, too.
Vince didn’t want me back unless I agreed to go right back to life on the road, with no breaks. That’s what drove me away the first time.
But now, if I returned to WWE, I’d have to try to survive that schedule, and not even for the pay I had worked my ass off for that company to earn. No, Vince wanted me to come in and work that brutal, killer schedule for little to no money at all.
WWE’S lawyers were threatening to sue me if I even thought about working for any other wrestling company, anywhere in the world, in any capacity. The sword was at my throat. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m not one to back down from a fight. I wanted to work, and Vince was telling me I couldn’t.
My lawyers were telling me that the noncompete agreement was unenforceable, for far too many reasons than I will bore you with here. You can’t keep a human being from earning a living, and that’s exactly the prison Vince McMahon and his team of attorneys was forcing me to live in. If I decided to work for New Japan, I could expect to get sued by WWE. If I wrestled a damn polar bear on the North Pole, WWE would sue me, if for no other reason than because they could. They love to bully people around that way.
This was a fight, so I decided to strike first.
I filed a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment and asked the federal court in Connecticut to declare my noncompete clause illegal.
Anyone who knows Vince will tell you he loves a good fight, and he wasn’t going to back down from this one. His lawyers countersued me for breach of contract, and wanted me to pay for all the damage I had caused WWE by leaving the company. They wanted me to pay for all their legal fees (I had enough of my own legal fees to pay, thank you) and asked the judge to declare the noncompete agreement to be binding. They wanted to force me to sit out the prime of