WWE Looks At 10 Random Facts We Didn't Know About Brock Lesnar

As noted earlier, WWE's website has an article up looking at 10 things we didn't know about Brock Lesnar. Here is a recap of the list:

* He's been billed from Minneapolis since his WWE debut in 2002, but Brock Lesnar actually grew up on a dairy farm in Webster, a South Dakota city with a current population of less than 2,000.

* His childhood nickname was Broccoli.

* He was recruited by WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco ? a former college roommate of one of Lesnar's wrestling coaches, J. Robinson.

* He was a former roommate of Shelton Benjamin.

* Before debuting in WWE, he regularly executed the Shooting Star Press.

* Lesnar did not win his first televised WWE match by pinfall or submission. Lesnar vs. Jeff Hardy at Backlash 2002 was won by referee stoppage.

* Lesnar nearly played for the Minnesota Vikings.

* The sword on his chest represents the myriad pressures he felt during a dark period in his life after leaving WWE.

* Lesnar battled the 500-plus pound sumo wrestler Akebono in a one-on-one clash on March 19, 2006, less than one year after Big Show faced Akebono at WrestleMania . Unlike Big Show, Lesnar was victorious.

* Brock Lesnar refused a Japanese rite of initiation from WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki when working for New Japan. It's tradition for most American stars to get smacked when coming to Japan to compete. Lesnar refused.