Wrestling Executive Confirms If Brock Lesnar Was In Talks To Join TNA

Brock Lesnar did actually have talks with TNA many years ago, according to a former executive with the company.

Scott D’Amore is a man who wore many hats in TNA Wrestling over the last 20+ years. He wrestled, he was a manager on screen, he was an agent/producer behind the scenes, a key member of the creative team, and he was the TNA President most recently before being let go in early 2024. These days, D’Amore is the owner of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling in Canada.

While in TNA, Scott worked closely with Kurt Angle, which led to the retelling of a story involving Brock Lesnar potentially going to TNA.

The WWE & TNA Hall of Famer Kurt Angle left WWE in the summer of 2006 to go to TNA due to a lighter schedule, among other things. A year later, Kurt Angle told the story that Brock Lesnar reached out to him about joining him in TNA. At the time, Lesnar was three years removed from quitting WWE in March 2004 due to being burned out after just two years on the main roster.

“Brock calls me. He is not in the WWE. He says, ‘Listen, man. Can you get me in TNA?’ I probably shouldn’t even be saying this now. But you know what? Brock doesn’t care. He said, ‘Hey, what are you making?’ And I said what I was making. He said, ‘If you can get me that, I’ll come.’ I approached TNA, and they said, ‘No, we’re not going to give him that kind of money.’”

Angle went on to say that a money issue is the main reason why Lesnar didn’t sign with TNA.

“I think they were at the top of their budget, where they couldn’t really give any more money out. I was making a lot of money. Sting was making a good bit of money, and then you had a bunch of guys on the roster. You know, TNA, the Carter family funded it for a long time, and then TNA started making their own money, but it just wasn’t enough to bring in another guy for seven figures a year. I don’t think they were capable enough to do that.”

Brock Lesnar Nearly Joining TNA In 2007 Is “Absolutely True”

Writing on Yahoo’s Uncrowned, Scott D’Amore backed up what Kurt Angle said about Brock Lesnar nearly joining TNA.

“Kurt Angle revealed this week that Brock Lesnar was in talks with TNA back in 2007. This is absolutely true — I was the producer of almost all Kurt’s early matches in TNA and he came to me saying Brock wanted to come over. Kurt was very excited about this and, obviously, it would have been a huge, maybe trajectory-altering signing for TNA.

I passed it on to Dixie Carter, who owned TNA at the time. But, as you already know, it didn’t happen

It’s a huge what-if, not just for TNA, but for Lesnar. If he came to TNA on a big contract in 2007, would he have still debuted in MMA that year? Would he have felt the need to go fight in the UFC in 2008 and help usher in a legion of new fans for the UFC?”

As mentioned by D’Amore, Lesnar went on to have his first MMA fight in 2007, and then he made his UFC debut in February 2008, which led to Lesnar becoming UFC Heavyweight Champion in just his third fight with the company.

At WWE Wrestlepalooza on September 20th, Brock Lesnar will compete in a WWE ring for the first time in over two years when he faces John Cena for the final time. The Lesnar-Cena match will open the show.

Also read: Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE was a WWE decision, and not necessarily something that ESPN pushed for.