10 Interesting WWE Facts About Brock Lesnar In Madison Square Garden
8. Had MSG Debut On Same Night As Randy Orton
WWE fans today know NXT as the companys developmental system, where the superstars of the future are groomed. Right now, there is a glut of talent on the verge of debuting. Brock Lesnar was part of a similar situation in the early 2000s in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWF/Es developmental territory back then, with he, John Cena, Batista and Randy Orton coming through OVW at the same time. Orton and Lesnar actually would have their Madison Square Garden debuts on the same night January 7, 2002 in dark matches before Monday Night Raw. Lesnar defeated Rico Constantino (who would achieve notoriety as the stylist for Billy & Chuck), and Orton beat Ron Waterman. The following night before the Smackdown tapings also in MSG the four would trade dance partners, with Brock defeating Orton and Waterman beating Rico. Interestingly, Lesnar and Orton have squared off five times only one match televised and Brock has won all five contests, though four occurred before either man officially debuted on WWF/E television.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
