WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has been the talk of WrestleMania week. As we have learned by now, Lesnar has re-signed with WWE, leaving any MMA aspirations behind. The deal is said to be really good for Lesnar. It is said that he signed on for another three years for more pay. His last deal was $5 million a year, so we can only assume the current agreement is in line with his previous contract.
While WWE offered Brock Lesnar a deal he couldn’t refuse, UFC was more than willing to pay Lesnar a good amount to come in. Lesnar’s last MMA deal with UFC was really good, as UFC does pay their top fighters well. Plus, you have to add up bonuses and endorsements the fighters can get as well.
According to the Associated Press , UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta did a brilliant job trying to convince Lesnar to come back, and even offered him 10 times his last UFC contract. History proves Lesnar would be worth it. UFC PPV records have not been broken since the biggest Lesnar fights, such as his UFC Heavyweight Title fight and his fights with Frank Mir.
Lesnar continued to bring in big numbers for every fight, and he was the top draw. Arenas were sold out, and fans came from wrestling to see Lesnar, adding cross-over appeal.
WWE made his name even bigger. Lesnar’s first run with UFC was good, but he wasn’t relevant at the time. Coming from WWE, people know who Lesnar is. So the money would have been worth it.
Lesnar claimed, “Lorenzo said to me, ‘Can we sharpen our pencil? Can we double it? I said, ‘It’s not about that. I’m calling you to tell you where my heart is, and it’s not about the money.’ And then in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Well, yeah, it is about the money, but I don’t have to beat myself up for it.’ To prepare for another MMA fight, we’re talking 16, 18 weeks of pure hell, and then the cage door shuts and it’s on.”
Shortly after the talk with UFC, Lesnar appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter to officially claim he re-signed with WWE.
UFC President Dana White claimed he was happy for Lesnar and wished him luck. He went on to say that Vince threw the vault at Brock.
Lesnar said that the deal Vince McMahon offered him was too good to pass up, which is a big deal when you’re involved in pro wrestling. Very few people get to work part-time and get full-time pay. Even those who do are not guaranteed the type of deal Lesnar is getting. However, Lesnar is a draw. WWE knows this, and they knew keeping him would only continue to make money. If WWE was not making the money back and more that they spent on Lesnar, he would have never been given such a deal. The fact that they are means Brock has value. So do not be surprised if we continue to see Brock used in a major fashion in the coming years.
[IMG Credits: Fansided, WWE.com]