The following is an excerpt from the latest "Foley Files" blog on the official TNA Website:
Brock Lesnar – UFC Champion, NCAA Wrestling Champion, WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
I can’t claim to be a huge MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan, unlike some of the guys in WWE and TNA who follow all the big fights, know the big rivalries, seem even a little disappointed in themselves that they chose to travel down the pro-wrestling road instead of giving MMA a try themselves.
So, while I’m not a huge fan, I am a fan of sorts. I watched a couple seasons of "The Ultimate Fighter," order the occasional pay-per-view, and appreciate the guts and talent it takes to make a dent in that very difficult business. I tried to incorporate a little of the early stuff into my matches in 1996, (which I probably should have done a little more of in my late nineties hey-day) and even went back to that well for a couple of MMA inspired moves in a recent match or two.
I’m not a real big fan of seeing guys being pummeled on the ground, cringe at joint dislocations that occur when discretion is not the better part of valor, and worry a little for the guys who have been on the end of one too many knockout blows. Hopefully, the guys who practice and love competing in MMA understand that sometimes, the greatest move they can make, is stepping away as soon as their faculties show signs of slipping.
With that being said, I love Brock Lesnar as UFC Champion. He’s great for UFC, great for business, and great for me as well – I mean I get to brag that I know and used to work with the baddest man in the world. I didn’t actually know Brock that well; I’d stop by for that occasional WWE cup of coffee while he was in WWE, but even then, I was a Raw guy and he was on Smackdown, and so I really had only met him on a handful of big pay-per-view occasions.
I truly thought he was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars in the business when he seemed to tire of the travel and the entertainment aspect of what we do in pro-wrestling. Guys from amateur wrestling backgrounds tend to be ultra-competitive (although I’m not sure whether it’s the wrestling that makes them that way, or whether the sport itself draws athletes of an ultra-competitive nature) and I think Brock probably saw pro-wrestling itself as an incredible challenge, up until he got really good at it.
Then, it was time to pursue other dreams; pro football, then MMA.
Continued on page two …
