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LESNARS LAST DAYS IN WWE
Before losing the WWE Championship to Guerrero, Lesnar had begun a feud with RAW's Goldberg. The feud began at Survivor Series 2003, while both men were champions of their respective brands. Lesnar would attack Goldberg at Royal Rumble 2004, and Goldberg would retaliate at No Way Out in Lesnar's match against Guerrero. This set up an interbrand match for WrestleMania XX between the two. Lesnar, who was angered by RAW's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin having suggested Goldberg attack Lesnar at No Way Out, then attacked Austin, and stole his four-wheeler. Austin was then inserted as the Special Guest Referee for the match. Although it was already known that the match would be Goldberg's last in WWE, it was only a week before WrestleMania that rumors surfaced Lesnar too was leaving, in order to pursue a career in the NFL. As a result, the fans at Madison Square Garden jeered both wrestlers with chants of "you sold out" & "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Good Bye". Lesnar was said to be particularly shaken by this reaction. Because both men were leaving WWE, it was clear that the only man who would go over in the match would be Austin. Sure enough, although Goldberg won the match, both men were given Stunners by Austin on their way out.
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NFL
After his final match at WrestleMania XX, Lesnar sidelined his career in WWE to pursue a career in the National Football League. After playing in a few pre-season games for the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar was eventually cut from the team. Lesnar had suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident during the summer of 2004, which along with lack of football practice prevented him from performing well enough to remain in a Vikings practice squad position. He declined to accept an invitation to play as a representative of the Vikings in NFL Europe. He made no attempts to sign with an AFL or CFL team. Lesnar is listed as a free agent in Madden NFL '06. There was a producer-made model of Lesnar in Madden NFL '06. Despite the name, the model looked almost nothing like the real Lesnar.
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LASUIT WITH WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT
Lesnar had previously signed a no-compete clause in order to be released from his contract with WWE, which prohibited him from working for any other sports entertainment or mixed martial arts companies before 2010. Lesnar had anticipated leaving wrestling entirely, but his inability to secure a career in professional football led to him challenging this ruling in court. WWE responded by demanding damages as a result of Lesnar allegedly breaching the agreement by appearing at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in 2004. In July 2005, the two sides dropped their claims and entered negotiations to renew their relationship. Recently, WWE had offered Brock a contract, but on August 2, 2005, WWE's official website reported that Lesnar has withdrawn from any involvement with the company. Many people questioned the logic of this decision. The lawsuit was entered into settlement on September 21, 2005, but talks broke down.
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NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
On October 8, 2005, Lesnar won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match at a New Japan Pro Wrestling show in the Tokyo Dome, which included the then-champion Kazuyuki Fujita and Masahiro Chono. He won the match by pinning Masahiro Chono after an F-5, which he had renamed "The Verdict", since WWE owns the trademark on the F5 name. After the match, he stated that this name was referring to his lawsuit against WWE. The match was his first pro wrestling match since leaving WWE. On December 6, 2005 WWE filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent Lesnar from continuing to work with NJPW, but the court did not grant it. Lesnar successfully defended his championship on January 4, 2006 against former champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
On January 13, 2006 WWE once again filed an injunction against Lesnar to stop him from defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on February 19, 2006.
On January 14, 2006, Judge Christopher Droney has stated that unless WWE gives him a good argument between now and January 25, 2006, that he will rule in favor of Brock Lesnar, giving him a summary judgment. This would enable Lesnar to work anywhere he wanted and for anyone he wanted immediately. The WWE requested postponing the deadline, and were granted it.
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