The Rise And Downfall of Bobby Lashley's WWE Career

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Check out Sportskeeda's brand new game, BrainBuster! Can you become the undisputed quiz champion? Play now to find out - https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brainbuster-wwe-player-guessing-game  Explore the incredible journey of Bobby Lashley, one of WWE's most dominant and charismatic superstars. From his explosive debut and meteoric rise to championship glory, to the challenges and setbacks that led to his dramatic fall, this video covers it all.  You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe  #bobbylashley #hurtbusiness #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling

Transcript

00:00On the March 1st, 2021 episode of Money at Raw, Bobby Lashley faced The Miz for the WWE

00:07Championship.

00:08Although The Miz attempted to escape and manipulate the situation to his conniving advantage,

00:13the almighty Lashley was impatient and eventually got his hands on the now not-so-awesome A-Lister.

00:21He absolutely destroyed The Miz and locked in his devastating, muscling-down, hurt-lock

00:28submission hold.

00:29The Miz had no choice but to submit, and Bobby Lashley was declared the winner, capturing

00:34the WWE Championship for the first time in his career.

00:38It was a monumental moment in Lashley's long, enduring pro-wrestling career, solidifying

00:44his position as one of the top superstars in WWE.

00:48His alignment with MVP and the Hurt Business faction was one of the main reasons for his

00:52success.

00:53He had a dominant title reign and feuded with wrestlers like Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman,

00:58and Goldberg before losing the title for the first time to Big E.

01:02After this, Lashley didn't achieve the same level of success.

01:05Also, WWE broke up that Hurt Business faction that was built around him for apparently no

01:10clear reason, which negatively impacted his momentum.

01:14Now in 2024, it seems like he could be on his way out of WWE, at least by the last time

01:21we checked when we recorded this.

01:23Whether he will resign or pursue other opportunities in the world of combat sports and pro-wrestling,

01:28is unclear, but he still has much to offer to the world of professional wrestling and

01:33WWE.

01:34Stand back, there's a new wrestling quiz coming through.

01:38Check out Brain Buster, the daily quiz that tests your WWE knowledge with winning strengths,

01:44stats, and more.

01:45It's time to see if you're up for the challenge.

01:49Let's get into it, the rise and dominating power that is Bobby Lashley.

01:54This is Sports Key to Wrestling, I'm Kevin Kellum.

01:57What is your take on Bobby Lashley?

02:00Let us know in the comments below.

02:02Lashley was born into a United States military family and competed in collegiate mat wrestling,

02:07winning national titles.

02:08He was pursuing the biggest stage for any legitimate wrestling competitor, the Olympics.

02:13In L3, he was training to potentially represent the United States in the 2004 Summer Games,

02:19but he witnessed an armed bank robbery, where evading the armed assailants, he unfortunately

02:24injured his knee, and that would basically take out his Olympic dream.

02:28After healing from the knee surgery, WWE great Gerald Briscoe came calling for the formidable

02:33grappler to take on the show business side of pro wrestling.

02:38Lashley made his debut with the WWE Developmental Territory Ohio Valley Wrestling as Blaster

02:44Lashley in January 2005.

02:47Quickly he made it to the main roster of WWE.

02:51Brock Lesnar may have left the WWE around this time, but the company found someone within

02:55the same mold, a collegiate wrestler who had a standout look in Lashley.

03:01Lashley looked like the perfect guy to be maybe that next Lesnar.

03:05Both of them had similar backgrounds, Lesnar was a collegiate wrestling champion as well

03:09as Lashley, who was a three-time NAIA national champion.

03:14Upon arriving on the main roster, Lashley quickly established himself as a dominant

03:18head-turning force, with his impressive physique and amateur wrestling background.

03:24His powerful in-ring performances and just natural charisma on camera made him a standout

03:30right away.

03:31One of his first big moments came at the Royal Rumble in 2006.

03:35Upon entering, Lashley immediately showcased his strength and agility.

03:39He quickly overpowered several competitors, eliminating Sylvain and quickly making his

03:44presence felt in the big multi-man match.

03:47During this same match, Lashley faced off with several established WWE names, including

03:52other fellow big men like Kane and The Big Show.

03:56These confrontations allowed him to display his ability to go toe-to-toe with some of

04:01the biggest big men in the business, and he felt like a superstar immediately, on par

04:06with people very quickly, and WWE knew they had something special.

04:11His performance in the Rumble elevated his status within WWE.

04:15At WrestleMania 22, the showcase of the mortals, he competed in the Money in the Bank ladder

04:22match in Chicago.

04:24He was one of the favorites to win, but it was Rob Van Dam's night to take the briefcase

04:28down from the ladder.

04:29Despite the loss, Lashley maintained the momentum, as WWE kept him strong, advancing him to the

04:36final round of the King of the Ring tournament.

04:39He then went on to win the United States Championship from JBL, but lost it to Finlay

04:44just two months later.

04:45This was done because bigger and better things were in store for Lashley.

04:50In November of 2006, Lashley moved to the rebooted ECW brand under the WWE banner, and

04:57went on to win the ECW Championship in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at the December

05:03to Dismember pay-per-view.

05:05Yeah, now overall, a lot of people don't fondly remember that match, but it was certainly

05:10a big breakthrough moment for Bobby Lashley in retrospect in his story.

05:14Although it was a controversial event, Lashley benefited a lot from this big win.

05:19He successfully defended his title against the likes of Big Show, Rob Van Dam, Test,

05:24Hardcore Holly, Kenny Dykstra, and Mr. Kennedy.

05:28Then he became the first person to break Chris Master's Master Lock.

05:32WWE was giving him these special moments, a lot of TV time, to tell the fans that he

05:37was going to be the next big star, and he was going to be a part of one of the biggest

05:41and most lucrative angles that WWE would do around this time.

05:46In 2007, future U.S. President, yes, we're serious, Donald Trump selected Bobby Lashley

05:54to represent him in the Battle of the Billionaires against another billionaire, Vince McMahon.

05:59Mr. McMahon, who chose Umaga.

06:02The weeks leading up to WrestleMania 23 were filled with intense promos and hypes and just

06:08all-out outlandish things to get people excited about this big celebrity-driven match.

06:13Both McMahon and Trump engaged in verbal battles, with Lashley and Umaga playing supporting

06:18roles.

06:19At WrestleMania 23, though, the bell had to ring, and it was about Lashley and Umaga facing

06:23off in a hard-fought match where Stone Cold Steve Austin was the special guest referee.

06:30Both wrestlers displayed their overwhelming strength in numerous high-impact moves and

06:35intense moments.

06:36As expected, the match saw interference.

06:39McMahon and Trump's involvement at ringside, of course, escalated things, and Austin's

06:43unpredictable nature added to it.

06:45It was a pure spectacle.

06:47Lashley defeated Umaga with a powerful spear.

06:51And of course, what was online in the match?

06:53Well, the losing billionaire got their head shaved.

06:57Yeah, Lashley was involved in one of the craziest moments in WWE, where McMahon was forced to

07:02have his head shaved bald in the middle of the ring with the Battle of the Billionaires

07:06brought a significant mainstream level of attention to WWE around this time when some

07:11people feel they weren't a part of that, and many people credit, you know, Donnie Trump

07:15for all of it.

07:16Still, Lashley was a key part of the most talked-about thing at that year's WrestleMania,

07:22and he had been on the main roster of WWE for less than a few years.

07:26The match drew considerable media coverage, and Lashley came out as a highlight.

07:31This elevated his status within WWE and solidified his reputation as a top-tier talent and key

07:36player in major storylines.

07:38The magic of mania kept going for Bobby Lashley, and he started feuding with Mr. McMahon.

07:44Yeah, they even screwed him out of the ECW Championship, with Mr. McMahon winning it

07:48himself.

07:49Yeah, the boss wants to work with you, it's not a bad thing, you're doing pretty good.

07:54He won the title back from McMahon in a street fight, and became the first man to win the

07:58ECW title in WWE twice.

08:01Yeah, twice.

08:02However, not too long after this, he was drafted to Monday Night Raw, therefore he was stripped

08:08of the ECW Championship, and it was time for him to move on to the next level.

08:14Lashley was getting huge reactions from fans, and it felt like WWE was ready to pull the

08:18trigger with him.

08:19He became the number one contender for WWE's championship, which was held by the most overman

08:26in the business, John Cena.

08:28But unfortunately, he would lose in that Great American Bash main event match.

08:34It faced strong reviews, four stars from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and if you

08:39wrestled Cena around this time, you had to be a villain.

08:41But Lashley remained a big, bold, muscle-bound babyface who got the Test-C Nation and get

08:47respect and admiration along the way.

08:50Following this, he was taken off television, and injured at the hands of Mr. Kennedy, so

08:55he could heal from a legitimate injury he reportedly suffered during that big match

08:59with Cena.

09:00He was one of the biggest babyfaces in WWE at the time, and fans were clamoring to see

09:04him return in a big way.

09:06But it simply wasn't going to happen.

09:09He was taken off TV for several months, and then surprisingly, in February of 2008, it

09:14was announced that he was released from his contract.

09:17This shocked everyone in wrestling.

09:19No one expected him to leave, WWE was so much hype behind him, and so much surging popularity.

09:26He was on the verge of superstardom, and now he was suddenly gone.

09:31So what happened?

09:32A bad fallout?

09:33There were reports that Lashley was frustrated with his creative direction in WWE.

09:37He was also unhappy with how the company had fired his then-girlfriend, Crystal Marshall.

09:43But that's also been debated.

09:44So what was the next move for Bobby Lashley, who was truly a big, big name in WWE?

09:50He began his MMA career in 2008, a sport that was blowing up around this time.

09:54He debuted with a victory against Joshua Franklin.

09:57He signed with the Strikeforce promotion in 2009, and won his debut fight there against

10:01Wes Sims.

10:02He then joined and leveled up to Bellator MMA in 2014, where he enjoyed significant

10:07success, going on an impressive winning streak, defeating notable opponents like Karl Etherton

10:12and Josh Appelt.

10:14Over his MMA career, Lashley showcased his versatility with his size, and an overall

10:19record of 15 wins and 2 losses.

10:22Lashley was able to utilize his legitimate combat sports skills, a 78-inch reach, and

10:27truly test a lot of opponents.

10:29But Lashley is a lover of all things combat.

10:32He maintained his presence in pro wrestling, with various independent promotions, including

10:37in Japan, and on a massive platform with TNA Wrestling, where he aligned himself with MVP

10:43and Kenny King, forming the powerful faction known as the Beatdown Clan, which became a

10:48highlight of TNA around this time, adding a new layer to Lashley's character.

10:53We would come back to him in MVP in a little while.

10:56Lashley won the TNA World Championship, and feuded with many big-time names there, including

11:01Drew Galloway, you now know as Drew McIntyre.

11:04They would have several big matches, including a tap-out or knockout main event for Slammiversary's

11:10pay-per-view in 2016.

11:12Lashley maintained his presence as a true crossover superstar between pro wrestling

11:16and MMA, staying in promotions like AAA in Mexico, smaller independent promotions across

11:21the United States, Europe, and Japan, and his appearances helped draw significant eyeballs

11:26to every promotion he would hit.

11:28Finally, in 2018, 10 years after he left WWE, he decided to come back to the company.

11:35Lashley made a massive return, and in as big a way as you could.

11:39Timing in showbiz is everything, and he got the time when he interrupted the guitar-strumming

11:45heel Elias in a concert on the night after WrestleMania, with absolutely no one in the

11:50wrestling world seeing it coming.

11:52To chants of, welcome back, welcome back, no words were needed, Lashley wrecked Elias

11:59with an impressive delayed vertical suplex where he basically posed while slamming a

12:04full-grown man.

12:06Lashley was pushed as a top-tier superstar from the get-go, he even got to beat Roman

12:11Reigns in a singles match at Extreme Rules clean down the middle.

12:16However, he would not maintain all of the babyface good guy stuff, and would lose an

12:21opportunity a few weeks later against Reigns to elevate to the Universal Championship.

12:26Following this, Lashley won the Intercontinental title and took on a new, more heelish persona

12:32with Lio Rush at his side.

12:34This turned out pretty well, pretty well, yeah, he got to do those posing segments,

12:38you know, where Lio Rush hyped up Lashley's favorite pose.

12:42It was hilarious.

12:43It would also play into The Shield's final feud in WWE, having a very entertaining main

12:47event at Fastlane 2019 before a fun little program with Braun Strowman which saw him

12:53have a meaty, chaotic Last Man Standing match.

12:57While some aspects were positive, there were also some negatives.

12:59He got entangled in a feud with Sami Zayn, where Zayn introduced Lashley's three sisters.

13:06The segment featured three male wrestlers cross-dressing as women and pretending they

13:11were Lashley's sisters.

13:13It was supposed to be funny, but it was just sad.

13:17It wasn't good.

13:18Then there was the infamous Lashley-Lana-Rusev love triangle.

13:23The storyline revolved around Lana, the ravishing Russian, who was married to Rusev and cheated

13:31on him with Bobby Lashley.

13:33This angle included several provocative and sensational segments that pushed the limits

13:38of TVPG, with Lana kissing Lashley in front of Rusev, leading to a public humiliation

13:45of Rusev.

13:47Week by week, the segments became more and more controversial as Lana and Lashley continued

13:52their on-screen romance and were featured in risque segments intended for shock value.

13:59Instead of being presented as a dominant, serious, powerful athlete, Lashley was involved

14:04in soap opera storylines that leaned too much into the sports entertainment side of

14:09things which didn't exactly align with his previous persona as a legitimate tough man.

14:14After Rusev got released from WWE, the storyline was cancelled, and soon, Lana and Lashley

14:19parted ways.

14:20This is when the good days of Lashley's career started under some very odd circumstances.

14:26The pandemic had just begun around this time, MVP had recently made his way back to the

14:30company and a partnership was created between him and Lashley.

14:34MVP's promo skills complemented Lashley's imposing premise, making them a formidable

14:40duo together.

14:42Now he was seen as a dominant, no-nonsense powerhouse.

14:47This transformation was key in changing the perception of Lashley as a mid-card reliable

14:53performer back into a main event star.

14:58He was also winning championships, winning the US title, and went on to have a dominant

15:03run with it.

15:04Soon, MVP also started managing the talents of Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.

15:10Along with Lashley, they would form The Hurt Business.

15:13Yes, they also revived the careers of multiple superstars, giving them renewed purpose in

15:19the company and a collective effort.

15:21It provided a platform for all the members to shine and showcase their talents.

15:26And they were doing this during a very tough time for WWE, yeah, through all the Thunderdome

15:31stuff and beyond.

15:33Fans were now ready to see Lashley be on top once more, and he was already proving himself

15:39as the mantle of a performer who could truly display power at that level.

15:44He held the US title for around a year before dropping it to Matt Riddle at Elimination

15:49Chamber 2021.

15:51On the same night, Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship in a brutal Elimination

15:56Chamber match.

15:57After the match, Lashley attacked McIntyre and left him laying, allowing The Miz to cash

16:03in his Money in the Bank contract as we mentioned earlier.

16:07Although fans were not present for this big title change as it happened in the Thunderdome,

16:12everyone was excited for it.

16:14It moved the needle online, and it felt like a truly legitimizing moment for Lashley.

16:20However, what happened next just is unthinkable.

16:23WWE broke up the Hurt Business faction for no clear reason.

16:27While MVP stayed with Lashley, Shelton and Cedric went their separate ways.

16:32The group that made him popular and revived his career to some degree were no more.

16:38At first, it didn't seem to hurt The Almighty all that much.

16:40He went on a successful run, defending the championship against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania

16:4536 with a shocking win, where a lot of people thought Drew was going to leave the title.

16:50Lashley left Florida with the title.

16:52Lashley continued to reign on, defeating Braun Strowman, Kofi Kingston, and Keith Lee while

16:58still being the WWE champion.

17:01He also had an interesting feud with Goldberg.

17:04Yes, fans were missing the Hurt Business and wanted them to reunite, but for some reason,

17:09it never really happened.

17:11Lashley spent after a strong title defense against Randy Orton had to go on an empty

17:16battery against a Money in the Bank cash-in at the hands of Big E.

17:20Big E overwhelmed Lashley to take the title off him, becoming the WWE champion.

17:26That was in the fall of 2021, but Lashley would be back in the title hunt by the time

17:31we got to Royal Rumble in January of 2022.

17:34A much-anticipated match, one that people had wanted for a long, long time on a massive

17:40stage.

17:41Lashley vs Lesnar.

17:43Two guys that were cut from the same type of cloth to become legitimate wrestlers who

17:48became pro-wrestling entertainment superstars.

17:51But the match was more or less an angle than it was a dream match.

17:55Yeah, disappointing as it was, as it would just set up things later on in the night.

18:00The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, made a surprise appearance and cost Lesnar the match, setting

18:04up a match between Lesnar and Reigns later on.

18:08Lashley just played a supporting role in the whole thing, but you know what he did do?

18:11He won the match and became WWE champion once again.

18:15He wasn't the focus, but he was the champion.

18:18Lashley continued to serve a supporting role even though he was the champion, losing the

18:22title back to Lesnar at the Elimination Chamber due to suffering a concussion during the match.

18:28After returning, he started a feud with the gigantic Omos, beating him at WrestleMania

18:3438 in Texas.

18:36An impressive match, but unfortunately, even with the big man vs big man selling point,

18:41it didn't have a lasting place.

18:43However, on Raw after WrestleMania 38, MVP turned on Lashley and aligned with Omos.

18:51Everything that made Lashley cool was not really there.

18:54There was no Hurt Business, there was no MVP.

18:57Lashley was all alone.

18:58Still legitimate, but alone.

19:00You could argue that he did not need them as a group to become the superstar that he

19:05has become.

19:07Lashley went on solo again, winning the United States Championship once more before losing

19:11it to Seth Rollins.

19:13This was done to reignite his feud once more with Lesnar.

19:16He eliminated The Beast Incarnate at the Royal Rumble 2023 and defeated him via disqualification

19:22not clean after Lesnar performed a low blow on him.

19:25Yes, another unfortunate match between Lesnar and Lashley that didn't meet those perceived

19:31dream match standards fans gave it before the bell ever rang.

19:36Fans wanted to see the big blowoff match between them at WrestleMania, but it never happened.

19:42Lesnar went against Omos at WrestleMania 39 in LA, while Bray Wyatt started targeting

19:47Lashley.

19:48Bray had made a big return to WWE and was using all of his spooky magic to counteract

19:53Lashley's legitimacy.

19:55A match between Lashley and Bray was supposedly set for WrestleMania 39 in LA, but Bray pulled

20:03away due to suffering an undisclosed illness at the time, leaving Lashley with no opponents

20:08on the grandest stage of them all.

20:11Later, he started recruiting The Street Profits, cheering them on during their matches.

20:16Soon, B-Fab would also join the group, forming what was known as The Pride.

20:22This could have worked if WWE booked them as a stronger force, much like the Hurt Business,

20:27but their appearances and presentation were inconsistent on WWE television.

20:33They were really never seen as a threat beyond a certain level on the WWE radar.

20:38They started feuding with Karrion Kross and his Final Testament group, beating them in

20:42a very fun match at WrestleMania 40.

20:46On April 12, 2024, Lashley faced LA Knight and Santos Escobar in a match where he would

20:52lose.

20:53This was the final televised match of Bobby Lashley in WWE so far at the time of this

21:00recording.

21:01According to reports, Lashley might be leaving WWE, but it's not 100% confirmed.

21:06If that indeed does happen, it would be a big blow to WWE, as Lashley is truly a significant

21:13name who has always had a level of credibility attached to everything he does.

21:18Sometimes more, sometimes less, but it's Lashley, you know you're going to get something

21:22special.

21:23While he has accomplished so much in his career, it feels like he still hasn't reached his

21:27peak.

21:28Despite being 48 years old, he is in this condition.

21:33He looks that good, and doesn't seem to be slowing down at any point.

21:37He can easily wrestle for several more years in this level of competition.

21:42We feel there is one more big run left in Big Bobby Lashley.

21:47Also, WWE never booked that big blow-off match between him and Lesnar.

21:52What are your thoughts on Bobby Lashley's career?

21:55Should he stay with WWE, or explore other opportunities with other wrestling companies?

22:01TNA Wrestling?

22:02Maybe Lashley goes All Elite?

22:04Let us know in the comments below.

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