When Brock Lesnar left the WWE in 2004, he made one key mistake: in his eagerness to exit the company, he signed a release form without having his lawyer vet it. It proved to be a huge mistake. Instead of the standard one year no compete clause, he found himself facing the better part of his prime barred from wrestling anywhere else - or competing in mixed martial arts. Even in 2004, the WWE saw promotions like the UFC as competition, even if one is mixed martial arts and the other sports entertainment. What came from all this was arguably the most controversial moment of Brock Lesnar's career: after failing to make the NFL stateside, he went to wrestle in Japan, and later sued the WWE to get out of the no-compete clause. They then sued him for competing elsewhere. In the end, Judge Christopher Droney gave the WWE a deadline to explain why the release, which went far beyond the standard release clause, should be upheld - proving that not every contract you sign is set in stone. The two parties finally settled in 2006. Lesnar went on to wrestle in Japan, and fight in the UFC, and the rest is history.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
