Brock Lesnar’s WWE career is secure at this point, but if he win his match against John Cena at SummerSlam 2014 is it even possible that he could become both a UFC and WWE champion at the same time?
In a related report by The Inquisitr , based upon Lesnar’s WWE schedule it seems possible he could keep the WWE Heavyweight Championship belt all the way to WrestleMania 31. According to Paul Heyman , it’s not a problem Lesnar is a part timer and in fact the manager claims that having to defend the WWE title every month is a nuisance which waters down the championship. This might seem to violate the WWE title 30 day rule so it’s possible WWE creative will work that rule into the storyline somehow, but even if Brock does keep the WHC belt longer than usual he would still have a ways to go to beat CM Punk , who held title from November of 2011 to January of 2013.
The world of UFC and WWE contracts is its own arena that has led to fights in the past between fighters and companies. Back in 2003, Lesnar signed a WWE contract with a no compete clause that lasted up until 2010. But Lesnar hated being a full time wrestler and the weekly travel so he filed a lawsuit in hopes of getting out of the non-compete. The litigation dragged on for months so Lesnar tried to negotiate a new deal but backed out after when WWE management made the deal even worse than before. Long story short, Lesnar breached the contract for New Japan Pro Wrestling and eventually WWE settled the case and allowed Lesnar an unrestricted contract release in April of 2006.
Fast forward to recent times, Brock Lesnar’s UFC contract ended and he now has a WWE contract again:
“Regarding Brock Lesnar possibly doing a UFC fight, word is that his deal with WWE is exclusive to them and doesn’t expire until WrestleMania 31 in 2015. People in the know can’t believe that Vince McMahon would allow Lesnar to sign a deal with WWE that would allow him to do a UFC fight at the same time.”
Wait a minute… did I read that last part right? Lesnar wouldn’t be the first wrestler to get away with not having a non-compete clause but it does seem strange. Regardless, that is not the only source saying that Lesnar may have a more open WWE contract that would allow him to take on UFC fights :
“This is no means official but Brock has the itch to come back last year he said he would not but things have changed… Brock is feeling good healthy strong Brock’s not interested in the title I have been told he wants big money one off fights on a limited part time basis… Brock will not be leaving WWE he is interested in doing both and it seem WWE will give him permission to take fights during how downtime with WWE as Brock is on a pay per appearance deal and has a certain amount of dates too fulfill in a one year term.”
When this rumor broke out late last year, it was assumed that even if Dana White did allow Brock Lesnar to fight for both companies that the wrestler still had one huge obstacle remaining that’s even bigger than him: his diverticulitis. Even Heyman claims Brock was fighting at half strength in the UFC, but now Lesnar switched doctors and has undergone a host of treatments that supposedly may allow a UFC fight to be possible:
“[Brock Lesnar] finally got a clean bill of health. If a change of circumstance happens, and it’s a no-brainer to get Brock back into the cage, I’m sure it’s something he would consider. At this moment, it’s not a topic of conversation because things are going so well in WWE.”
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Lesnar does win the WWE Heavyweight Championship and his WWE contract allow him to apply for a UFC fight. Back in 2010, Dana White was pretty adamant about UFC contracts not allowing fighters to compete elsewhere, but this Lesnar and a pile of money we’re talking about here if they give the big guy a shot at becoming a UFC Champion again.
In general, non-compete agreements allow a company to safeguard proprietary information, intellectual property and trade secrets from competitors. In the case of the WWE and UFC, the only reason the contracts stipulate the non-compete is because they’re safeguarding their large investment into marketing a fighter. While some may object to these restrictions, those under contract are typically well compensated under the assumption they will stick with the company.
But, as we all know by now, Brock Lesnar isn’t exactly a company man and as a name brand he pretty much does his own marketing at this point just by showing up. Even White will admit that he sees the UFC as needing to find ways to compete with other major sports brands:
“Not to mention the fact that I also feel like we compete against other sports leagues. We look at other sports leagues and say, “Ok, we can be this big or bigger. How do we do it? How do we get up every day and work and push the envelope and take it to the next level?’ My competition is the NFL. My competition is Major League Baseball. My competition is these other networks.”
So could the enemy (WWE) of my enemy (other competitors) be my friend? This is all speculation, of course, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely impossible.
What would you think if Brock Lesnar became both the WWE and UFC champion?