The Big Takeaway: “Eat, Sleep, Conquer, Repeat” is a WWE DVD release that gives you little new for your money. Other than most of Brock Lesnar’s fantastic PPV matches from 2012-2016 that are already available on the Network, this is a disappointing new release with no new talking heads, no new sit-down interview, and barely any new insight into the amazing performer that is Brock Lesnar.
*****
When Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in April 2012, it was one of the most high profile and exciting acquisitions the company had made in many years. His return had been considered more a “when” rather than an “if” as Lesnar had been in talks with WWE dating back to at least the summer of 2010 when both sides were trying to put together a WrestleMania match with Undertaker that then-UFC boss Dana White had blocked.
The reaction to Lesnar, then one of the biggest non-boxing PPV drawing acts in the history of the genre, almost overshadowed the WrestleMania 28 weekend, and certainly did the post-Mania Raw in Miami. Fans chanted his name all night once word had gotten out that he was in town.
When he appeared to end the show — albeit noticeably smaller than when he was last seen in the cage a few months prior against Alistair Overeem — the response was uproarious.
Over the next four years, Lesnar would dominate in the ring. He challenged and bested the company’s top stars, often propping up poor PPV cards and making otherwise ordinary events seem relevant and thrilling.
So when news emerged that there was a Lesnar profile DVD in the pipeline for the back-end of 2016, it was pretty stirring. What would Lesnar have to say about coming back in 2012? What would he have to say about some of the talent he’s faced since his return? Would he mention UFC in any detail? Would they let him?
There was even the implausible scenario. Had a camera crew followed him behind the scenes at some point so that we could really see what made him tick, and how he really was with other people?
The fact that none of the above is even remotely the case is hugely disappointing with this new DVD.
Moreover, instead of any new interview material with Lesnar, WWE simply utilized snippets of old interview footage from as far back as 2003. If you saw “Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain”, you don’t need to buy “Brock Lesnar: Eat, Sleep, Conquer, Repeat.”
“Repeat” is certainly the operative word.
The most recent material on display here is from the Stone Cold podcast, but perhaps the most substandard aspect of the whole package is the way that the film of Lesnar is applied. It feels repetitive and often lacks any logical relevance to the match that it precedes.
In 2012, to compensate for Lesnar’s shortcomings as a promo, WWE quickly brought Paul Heyman back into the fold. Yet Heyman is just as absent as Lesnar is here in 2016. Heyman is only used sometimes as a lead-in to precede the matches, and we get no real insight from him at all. A sit-down with Heyman to give a perspective into Lesnar’s work would have undoubtedly been invaluable in the absence of Lesnar himself.
It is really only the matches that will make this at all worth your hard earned money. There are only five matches taken from his first stint with the company, and only two of those are not available on the WWE Network. The first is from 2000 where a very raw Lesnar teams up with Shelton Benjamin in OVW. The other is a non-televised dark match on Raw against Mr. Perfect, who became a mentor that Lesnar held in high regard in early 2002.
Beyond these, we are in PPV territory with all matches being taken from 2012 onwards, and for WWE Network subscribers, it really isn’t worth your time or money beyond having it as part of your collection.
Arguably, the most notable omission is his first match against John Cena on his return at Extreme Rules 2012. The match, aside from the finish, was absolutely tremendous and more than anything really showed another dimension to what Cena could achieve in a main event with another extremely strong and physical opponent.
Perhaps having Lesnar breaking down who he really is right now would be a gimmick-killing move akin to Undertaker doing a shoot interview, but, in a sense, that’s what these DVDs are for. Ultimately, fans want match quality coupled with insight, and when WWE get it right, there are few companies in the world who do it better.
Taking personal disappointment aside, this is a fine collection of matches from one of the most important stars this company has. But even objectively speaking, this is a tepid document to testify who and what Brock Lesnar has become in 2016.