Brock Lesnar has had a glorious career in the world of combat sports. Performing for various promotions, The Beast often landed himself in trouble. One such incident happened at WrestleMania XIX when he performed a Shooting Star Press on Kurt Angle that ended in a botch.
Back in 2003, amidst the WrestleMania match, Brock Lesnar climbed onto the top rope. He went ahead to perform a Shooting Star Press on Kurt Angle, who lay in the ring. However, his range fell short to reach Kurt and he landed himself in an awkward position, almost breaking his neck. But why did Lesnar plan to make such a risky move?
Shelton Benjamin once sat with Chris Van Vliet, where he discussed growing up with Brock Lesnar. Discussing their time in OVW, Benjamin recalled Lesnar nailing Shooting Star Press. “I don’t know who brought it up, and Brock just said, I can do that,” he said. Soon after, Brock went ahead to surprise all the people present with the skill that he had for the maneuver.
Did Shelton Benjamin train Brock Lesnar?
Shelton Benjamin and Brock Lesnar have shared a deep bond of friendship since the early years of their careers. After completing his graduation from the University of Minnesota, Benjamin went ahead to serve as an assistant coach, training budding pro wrestlers, including Brock Lesnar.
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However, after spending time together, their bond grew even stronger and they went on to become great friends. The duo also shared an apartment together. Brock and Shelton grew to be so close that Brock dropped his on-screen persona whenever the two used to be together.
Why did Brock Lesnar stop doing the Shooting Star Press?
The night of WrestleMania XIX left a deep impact on the hearts of the WWE Universe. While Lesnar showed signs of extreme perfection while performing the Shooting Star Press during his training, presenting it in the ring ended in a drastic failure. He landed himself in such a spot that he could have broken his neck.
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Speaking on The Michael Kay Show, The Beast blamed himself for making such a decision. Kurt Angle had already told him not to go ahead with the move, but he nevertheless listened to his heart. “Thankfully, I didn’t break my neck or anything like that. But I shouldn’t have done that move,” said Brock Lesnar.
The former UFC star was, however, able to win the match with an F5. Later, he suffered a concussion after the match. Brock Lesnar had learned his lesson the hard way and eventually, he stopped doing the Shooting Star Press.