Sable Lesnar: UFC Fighter's Wife Shares Past as Former Wrestling Star (Sable Wrestler Pics)

Brock Lesnar's mysterious illness that apparently has him fighting for not just his ultimate fighting career, but his life. And now that his illness has gone public, readers are learning more about Lesnar the man, not just Lesnar the animal who dominated UFC as its Heavyweight Champion in 2009.

Rena Mero, formerly known as "Sable" by fans of World Wrestling Entertainment, married Lesnar in late 2003 after the couple met during their careers in WWE as major stars. Lesnar, with his freakish athletic ability and natural charisma as a star, rose meteorically to the top of the WWE rankings, earning a booking run as its world champion just four months after signing.

Mero, on the other hand, had built her reputation long before Lesnar even completed college as an NCAA wrestling champion. She debuted at Wrestlemania XII in 1996 as a valet, and from there became the biggest female star in the industry, gracing the cover of Playboy in April 1999, again in September that year (making her the first woman to grace two covers in the same year) and again in March 2004. Aside from Trish Stratus, she is perhaps the most successful female star in the history of WWE.

Mero quit WWE in 1999 and sued for sexual harrassment, which was later settled in August of that year. She would return in 2003 and vault straight back to the top of the women's ranks in the company. It was during this time that she and Lesnar met.

Here's a PG-rated photo of Mero as Sable from her early WWE days, probably from when the company was still known as the WWF (if you want something more risque, they are not hard to find!):

So even though Mero is ten years Lesnar's senior (Lesnar was born in 1977, Mero in 1967), they share similar pasts and both quit WWE to get out of the fast-lane, grinding year-round schedule that has likely contributed to all of the premature deaths we see from professional wrestlers.

Prior to Lesnar's illness, he and Mero were on top of the world, as Lesnar skyrocketed to the top of UFC and also had a daughter with Mero. Between his time in WWE and UFC, Lesnar was a family man, taking care of his daughter from a previous relationship as well as his new child with Mero, son Turk. Now, his life could be in jeopardy, but he can at least know he has a kindred spirit by his side.