Brock Lesnar lost it with WWE following his loss to Goldberg at WrestleMania 20 in 2004, according to Jim Ross.
On April 3, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ will collide with Roman Reigns in what WWE are describing as the ‘biggest match-up of all time’. The pair of sporting juggernauts will headline the most significant event on the wrestling calendar for the third time, and fans can’t wait.
The two legends will go into battle with the WWE Championship and Universal Championship on the line, with the winner further solidifying their remarkable legacy.
The match has an additional hint of spice thrown into the mix because of Paul Heyman‘s abandonment of his former long-time accomplice in favour of ‘The Tribal Chief’. Fans are intrigued to see what part Heyman plays in the match.
Brock Lesnar: One of the most popular wrestlers in WWE
Lesnar always attracts eyeballs, but his recent character change has skyrocketed his popularity. He’s switched up his image. Furthermore, Lesnar has started to express his love for farming and hunting, as well as cracking jokes. He’s showing off an entirely new side of his personality, which has really resonated with the fans.
His new character is highly welcome by fans. It’s leaps and bounds different to the Lesnar we’ve come to know and, let’s face it, fear. The 286-pound monster is undeniably one of the scariest men ever to set foot on the ring. So we wouldn’t want to end up on his bad side. But in 2004, WWE did.
Read: The WWE fan reactions to Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s ‘streak’ are gold
Brock Lesnar flips out after WrestleMania 20
Lesnar and Goldberg received awful receptions after rumours circulated that both men were about to leave the company when they collided at Madison Square Garden. Even a refereeing appearance by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin couldn’t help turn around the jeers.
Read: ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin looks in incredible shape ahead of his WrestleMania comeback
Ultimately, Lesnar lost the match, and to rub salt in the wounds, he didn’t get anywhere near the paycheque he wanted. He received a payment of $250,000 into the bank accounts, which left the 6ft 3in powerhouse furious.
To put this into some context, it is reported that Lesnar walked away from a contract worth an eye-watering $6.4 million a year to depart WWE in 2004. Therefore, those circumstances could possibly explain his anger at the WrestleMania fee.
Jim Ross, who was WWE’s Head of Talent Relations at the time, recalled an angry phone call he received from the intimidating wrestler.
Speaking on his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast last year, he said: “I remember, the pay-off for WrestleMania 20, he [Lesnar] made $250,000, and so did Goldberg. I remember sitting in my office in Stamford when Vince’s assistant said, ‘Brock Lesnar is on the line. He wants to talk to Vince, and Vince wants him to talk to you’. So that was my prep for that conversation.
“I got on the phone to him, and he’s in a foul mood because he thought he got screwed with his pay-off. I said, ‘What are you basing this on? Did you do a forensic study of the finances of this event? Or did one of your buddies tell you that you got screwed with your pay-off? You have to give me something here. You didn’t like it?’
“And he said, ‘I just think the guys screwed me’. I said, ‘well, we didn’t screw you, and I’m sorry you feel that way’. He hung up on me. He’s a very unique guy.”
JR makes admission about Lesnar call
JR added that he felt lucky to have only had to talk to Lesnar via the phone: “I didn’t have a problem with him hanging up on me. He heard his answer: ‘You’re not getting any more money. We think we paid you fairly’.
“Thank God he was on the phone and not staring me down the gullet! He’s a little intimidating. We were a little bit shocked it came to that.”
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