During training camp, the Vikings first tried Lesnar out on special teams, using his size and strength to disrupt the receiving team on kick returns. One unverified tale told by wide receiver and future “CBS Mornings” host Nate Burleson claims that Lesnar once sought revenge on behalf of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Burleson said he witnessed Lesnar deliver a German suplex to a Kansas City Chiefs player on the sideline during a joint practice after the player was said to have hit Culpepper in the back.

Lesnar then made his first official NFL appearance during the 2004-2005 preseason. He played in several games ahead of the regular season but did not survive the brutal series of cuts leading up to the final roster announcement. The Vikings organization offered Lesnar a spot in the developmental Europa league that the NFL was working on reviving, but Lesnar declined.

Though his NFL stint flopped, Lesnar didn’t immediately return to WWE. Instead, he joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling and later began training in mixed martial arts. He’d eventually go on to find success in the UFC before staging a return to WWE. He’s been a recurring presence there on a part-time basis over the last decade. Though WWE officials opted not to use Lesnar for a period of time after his name came up in the Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal, Lesnar made another return to the company at WWE SummerSlam 2025 before going on to defeat John Cena in one of the latter wrestler’s final matches.