WWE Rumors: Bobby Lashley could be done with MMA for good
What's the story?
The pro wrestling faithful may know Bobby Lashley as the muscle-flexing dominator inside a squared circle but the former ECW Champion is also a mixed martial artist who has quite a boast-worthy resume.
Despite having a record of 15-2, Lashley hasn't fought professionally since 2016 and if you are one of the fans who was hoping for him to return to the cage, we've got some bad news. Manager of American Top Team Dan Lambert revealed in a recent interview with Fightful that Lashley's MMA could be done with MMA for good owing to his pro wrestling commitments.
In case you didn't know...
Lashley was largely underutilized in his first WWE stint during which he was expected to be a main event talent. After being released from the WWE in 2008, Lashley went on to make a name for himself in TNA, where he won the World title on four different occasions.
The former WWE US Champion also kickstarted his MMA career as soon as he left WWE in 2008 in a winning effort against Joshua Franklin for Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA).
He lost his first fight in his sixth MMA outing against Chad Griggs for Strikeforce in April 2010. The RAW Superstar won his first MMA title when he defeated Karl Knothe to win the Shark Fights Heavyweight Championship.
He lost his subsequent fight against James Thompson while competing for Super Fight League in India. Ever since the aforementioned loss, Lashley has remained undefeated as he has fought five times for Bellator without tasting defeat. His last win came against Josh Appelt at Bellator 162 in October 2016.
The heart of the matter
Lashley is a product of the renowned American Top Team MMA gym and naturally enough, founder Dan Lambert was questioned about the WWE Superstar's uncertain MMA future.
Lambert claimed that he would be surprised if he was to witness Lashley return to MMA as he has devoted all of his time and energy to pro wrestling.
Lambert explained, “I’d be surprised if Bobby got back. Bobby’s an athletic guy and he’s got some talent, he could win some fights. He’s in a division that isn’t the deepest, and there’s a lot of guys that Bobby could beat if he dedicated himself to it full time."
What's next?
Lashley is one of the few pro wrestlers who has successfully made the transition from pro wrestling to MMA. While Lesnar has flirted with the idea of going back to the UFC, Lashley seems to be content at being a featured name on WWE's flagship show on a weekly basis.
The WWE Intercontinental Champion is currently 42-years-old and as things stand, may never return to the cage despite his freakish athletic capabilities.