Signed in early-2000, Brock Lesnar was considered one of the hottest prospects to enter the WWF system for years, and a shoe-in to be called up to the main roster sooner rather than later. Similarly, Shelton Benjamin was showing oodles of talent, and it was just about finding the right spot for both men on the flagship shows. Paired together as a tag-team in Ohio Valley Wrestling - the then-developmental league for the company - Lesnar & Benjamin formed The Minnesota Stretching Crew in the farm system, quickly gaining attention from WWF management, and success as a duo. In late-2000, there were discussions held about bringing the tag-team up to the main roster, and promoting them as genuine athletes, similar to how the likes of Kurt Angle had been pushed. Intriguingly, the Stretching Crew was set to be a babyface team, in line with how The Steiner Brothers had been presented in the early-90's. History would have been so different for Lesnar had this happened - it's hard to imagine the man not being successful, but this would have been a different start to his televised wrestling career.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.