Lesnar Sues WWE

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press Writer

January 26, 2006, 3:07 PM EST

STAMFORD, Conn. — Wrestling star Brock Lesnar was billed as “The Next Big Thing, “but after a failed bid to play professional football he says he’s banned from performing anywhere in the world until he’s past his prime.

Lesnar, 28, has a lawsuit pending in federal court in Hartford challenging an agreement he reached with World Wrestling Entertainment, his former employer, that restricts him from working in sports entertainment until 2010.

The restrictions apply to many of the areas to which a 6-foot-3, nearly 300-pound man might aspire, from wrestling to ultimate fighting.

“Lesnar now desires to work and earn a living in the only occupation for which he has been trained and which he knows, professional wrestling, and/or the occupation for which his physical gifts and training as an amateur wrestler make him particularly well suited, professional combat sports, “Lesnar’s attorneys wrote in his lawsuit.

The ban stems from an agreement Lesnar reached with Stamford-based WWE in 2004 so he could try out for the National Football League. Lesnar was cut by the Minnesota Vikings in August 2004.

Lesnar contends in court papers that the agreement is unreasonably broad and unfair and prevents him from earning a living anywhere. His attorneys want the judge to declare the settlement unenforceable, arguing it is not reasonably tailored to protect WWE’s legitimate business interests.

WWE says Lesnar pinned himself to the mat by agreeing to the restrictions. The company says it competes around the world and made a substantial investment in promoting Lesnar, a college standout and a world heavyweight champion in the scripted world of WWE.

Lesnar, who made more than $1 million annually, was touted as a potential replacement for stars such as “The Rock. ”

“He didn’t have two nickels to rub together before he met the WWE, “said Jerry McDevitt, WWE’s attorney. “He’s basically asking a judge to rewrite his settlement agreement. We don’t think we’ve been dealt fairly by this man from day one. ”

Like a WWE match, the plot surrounding the lawsuit has thickened since it was filed last year. Lesnar’s side smells a conspiracy, arguing that WWE is waging a campaign of harassment and intimidation by trying to depose his attorney.

Sensing danger, Lesnar’s side attempted to body block the move to let WWE question his attorney. A hearing was planned Friday, but the fight was postponed until next month.

McDevitt would not discuss why he wanted to depose Lesnar’s attorney, other than to say the attorney wrote the terms of the agreement in question.

WWE _ famous for putting on matches in which wrestlers talk trash and slam chairs off each other’s heads _ says Lesnar hurt his own prospects with improper conduct.

“Among other things, Lesnar, in his last match as a professional wrestler with WWE, made vulgar, derogatory and disparaging hand gestures to the crowd in Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2004, at ‘Wrestlemania XX,”‘ WWE wrote in court papers.

Talking trash himself, McDevitt called Lesnar a “prima donna “who wanted his own private plane when he tried to come back to work for WWE after his failed NFL bid.

Lesnar has performed in Japan despite the restrictions, WWE says.

Lesnar’s attorneys and his agent, Ed Hitchcock, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Telephone messages were left for them.

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