10 Wrestling Matches That Led To Massive Lawsuits

7. Brock Lesnar Vs. Kazuyuki Fujita Vs. Masahiro Chono

Brock Lesnar NJPW
NJPW

When: NJPW Toukon Souzou New Chapter (8 October 2005).

How about some Brock Lesnar drama instead?

After leaving the WWE nest in 2004, Brock tried out for the NFL. When his sudden career change failed and he was cut by the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar was left dangling, and he decided to go back to his bread and butter, cash in on some big pay days and return to wrestling. There was just one problem: WWE had an agreement with Brock saying he wouldn't wrestle anywhere else for the remainder of that six year contract he'd torn up.

Sh*t really hit the fan when Lesnar showed up to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title at New Japan's Toukon Souzou event in October 2005. WWE were furious, so much so they took Brock to court and sued him for breaching the prior agreement. Both their counter suit and Lesnar's earlier one (a bid for freedom decrying the agreement as unfair) were thrown out in 2006.

All's well that ends well, but Brock's seven-match tour of Japan remains the most curious portion of his career.

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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.