Brock Lesnar went on the record and discussed, in great detail, not only the botched Shooting Star Press that became his WrestleMania Moment against then-WWE Champion Kurt Angle, but also the after-effects of the concussion he suffered as result of the mishap. The Baddest Dude on the Planet opens up in his new autobiography DeathClutch, co-written by his former on-air "agent" and behind-the-scenes producer from WWE, Paul Heyman. The book comes out next Tuesday, May 24th, and there’s already a big buzz for it, and rightfully so.
Brock writes about the moment he almost broke his neck:
There I stood, on the top rope, both arms raised in triumph, my head back, letting the crowd take it all in . . . and then I launched the Shooting Star Press. Every wrestling fan knows what happened next. My boot slipped off the wet rope, I under-rotated, crashed in spectacular fashion, and gave myself a massive concussion. I damn near broke my neck. I still had enough sense left to know that I had to win, but I don’t remember finishing the match. I did finish, which meant I was the champion again, but I sure don’t remember it. Not at all.
Can you imagine if I had knocked myself out . . . if that "missed move" had become the finish?
The next morning, I was supposed to do a sponsor appearance, but I couldn’t get out of my hotel bed. After I received a few phone calls to rouse me, I finally crawled out and made it down to the appearance. When the sponsor’s people saw me throwing up from the aftereffects of the concussion, they sent me back to the hotel.
After you play in the Super Bowl or the World Series, you get some time to yourself, or to take your family on a vacation. Not in pro wrestling. You’re right back to work the very next day, doing live TV for Raw the first night, or taping SmackDown! two nights after WrestleMania. Kurt made it through the match, and I was lucky to "only" have suffered a concussion. Kurt went in for the alternative surgery, and I was right back on the road as WWE Champion for the second time.
(Reprinted by permission, Harper Collins Publishers)
This is going to be one explosive book about Brock Lesnar, his life, WWE, Vince McMahon, UFC, Dana White, and a lot more. That excerpt was as open as Lesnar has ever been in public. To pre-order the book from the trusted bookselling source Amazon, CLICK HERE!
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
