Heyman Hustle on Yahoo Sports: Meet the hustle behind the muscle

The “Heyman Hustle” and Yahoo Sports have partnered up to provide wrestling fans with exclusive content during WrestleMania week on The Turnstile blog. In his first blog post, Paul Heyman introduces himself and explains why Brock Lesnar is still must-see TV.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman, and it is my honor to serve as the #ADVOCATE for the single most decorated athlete in the history of sports entertainment, Brock Lesnar.

For those of you familiar with my work, that's pretty much how I start most of my interviews on WWE’s “Monday Night RAW” or “SmackDown” (which airs on the USA Network in the United States, and all over the world). I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I, Paul Heyman, have the easiest job in the world. I get to extoll the virtues of someone for whom I have the utmost personal AND professional respect. Brock Lesnar is, indeed, all that I hype him up to be. He is the only being in history to hold the NCAA Division I heavyweight championship, the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship and the WWE World heavyweight championship. Two of those titles were won with supreme athletes trying to stop his rise to the top. The other was won with a plethora of backstage politicians and manipulators plotting against him.

Yet, in the world of mainstream media, one could make the argument that Brock's greatest accomplishment occurred at WrestleMania XXX, when The Beast conquered The Undertaker's undefeated streak. On that night, during the very first WrestleMania ever broadcast on the WWE Network, Brock Lesnar stepped into the ring against The Undertaker, arguably WWE's greatest all-time legend. The Undertaker, the heavy favorite, was 21-0 at WrestleMania. Legends, Hall of Famers, superstars, Gods of the Squared Circle like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Randy Orton, Edge and CM Punk, had all been matched up against The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Each and every single one of them were defeated. Beaten. Pinned or tapped out. The Undertaker was 21-0.

And then came Brock Lesnar.

He's not a legend. He's not a superstar. He's not a WWE Hall of Famer. He's not like all the others. He's unique, alone (and comfortable that way) at the very top of the food chain. Brock Lesnar is a beast. He's a conqueror. And just like he CONQUERED the NCAA Division I Heavyweight Championship while at the University of Minnesota ... just like he CONQUERED the WWE roster in his rookie year to become the youngest champion ever ... just like he CONQUERED the greatest UFC heavyweight title holder, Randy Couture, to become the undisputed champion ... Brock Lesnar had a mission, a vision, an accomplishment that stood before him. And he CONQUERED it.

Brock's victory over Undertaker is, in many ways, his greatest accomplishment simply because it happened on "The Grandest Stage of 'em All," WrestleMania. WWE's annual mega-event attracts fans from more countries than its even credible to claim, and has become a pop-culture phenomenon that transcends the genre of sports entertainment, professional wrestling, or even WWE itself. Much like the Super Bowl is its own brand separate and distinct from the NFL, WrestleMania has taken on a life of its own.

All this leads to this Sunday night, April 3, when Brock Lesnar once again provides sports, entertainment and sports entertainment fans around the world the rare opportunity of seeing an once-ever athlete, in his prime, perform at a level no one can match. This Sunday, Brock Lesnar will face Dean Ambrose in a No Holds Barred Street Fight at WrestleMania 32. I'd spend the time to explain to you what a No Holds Barred Street Fight is, but I am under the impression people pay to see Brock Lesnar because ... well ... he's BROCK LESNAR! It doesn't matter the rules, nor even the platform. When Brock Lesnar steps into the ring, it's a rare and significant occurrence. When that event will be streamed live from a sold out AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, filled with an audience screaming at the top of its lungs, and has been branded WrestleMania ... you can count on Brock Lesnar doing something no one else can do. You can go ahead and set your expectations for this match as high as you want. Brock Lesnar will CONQUER them, too!

PODCAST: Paul Heyman talks Reigns, Ambrose, Wrestlemania 32, and more:

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