Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut in 2002 and has dominated combat sports ever since. After becoming the youngest WWE Champion in history at that time, "The Next Big Thing" moved on to UFC, where he ruled the Octagon.
Lesnar, 48, spent a couple of years on the sidelines after being dragged into Vince McMahon's legal troubles. He's back in WWE now, though, and on a collision course with rising star Oba Femi at this April's WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.
In a rare interview, The Beast was asked about his WWE future and confirmed that the clock is ticking on his in-ring wrestling career.
"I’m the old guy now," Lesnar started. "I went back to work [for WWE] so I could feed my kids. You guys should see my grocery bill. I had left the company years ago, and I’m grateful that I’m back for a short time here. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had in my life."
It's previously been reported that Lesnar will retire at SummerSlam in Minneapolis this August. Based on these remarks, that's looking highly likely, and it seems clear that this latest run will probably be his last.
Asked how he perceives today's locker room as a veteran Superstar, Lesnar later said, "I was a shooter, an amateur guy. I had a lot of credentials to my name. Of course, I got tested along the way by the old timers. You have to pay your dues. Back then, you paid your dues, and you had to get your respect. It’s different now, obviously."
"Things have gotten a lot softer. There isn’t no more kangaroo courts. It’s different now, but I go there, I’m the old guy now."
Lesnar, who rarely talks about his personal life, also shared some fascinating insights into the time he now spends with his children and why they're vastly more important to him than anything he's achieved in WWE.
"For me, none of my championships or none of my accolades, they all mean nothing," he said. "It means nothing to me. My kids are my legacy. I mean, in today’s dark-ass world that we’re living in, if you can come out and have good kids, I take a lot of pride in that. When parents come to me and say, man, your boys are really respectful, that pumps my tyres, you know?"
"People see the entertainment Brock Lesnar, and they think that that’s who I am, but it’s not who I am," Lesnar continued. "I don’t let people into my circle enough to know. It’s been a mystique for a long time. But I’m still, I can be an a**hole when I want to be."
You can hear more from Lesnar in the player below.