5 potential opponents for WWE star Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 40
WrestleMania XL is fast approaching, and so far, two-time former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley isn't announced to appear at The Show of Shows. Last year, Lashley went without a match at WrestleMania 39, but he did win the 2023 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the go-home edition of SmackDown before the grand spectacle. In 2024, what will Lashley and the rest of The Pride be doing when WrestleMania comes to Philadelphia?
For months, Lashley and The Street Profits have been locked in a feud with The Final Testament. On the most recent episode of the blue brand, a distraction from Karrion Kross and Scarlett led to the Profits losing their spot in the six-pack ladder match at WWE WrestleMania XL. Members of both factions are currently without a match at this year's Showcase of the Immortals.
Currently, 12 matches have been announced for the 40th installment of WrestleMania. However, according to a report from WrestleVotes, the working plan within WWE is that there will be seven matches taking place for each night of 'Mania, totaling 14 bouts across both nights. If this report is correct, that would suggest that there are two available slots open when it comes to WrestleMania XL matches that have yet to be announced.
Will the Almighty compete at The Show of Shows in 2024? Without further ado, let's take a look at five potential opponents for Bobby Lashley at WWE WrestleMania 40.
#5. WWE SmackDown's Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross has made it clear that if The Final Testament isn't going to WrestleMania, neither will Lashley and The Street Profits. However, there's still a chance both factions could be booked to settle their score at The Granddaddy of Them All in April 2024.
The last time Kross and Lashley fought one-on-one in a singles match, the bout ended in a 'no contest' on the March 8, 2024, episode of WWE SmackDown. The Almighty did earn a victory over the two-time former NXT Champion during a special 'Tributes to the Troops' edition of the blue brand in December 2023.
After the most recent attack by Karrion Kross and The Final Testament, the old Bobby Lashley is reportedly coming back to destroy everyone who gets in his way. The Almighty has his sights set on Kross and The AOP, and he's looking for violent retribution against the tandem that has been targeting him and his allies for months.
It's possible Kross could face off against Lashley once more in singles competition, this time at The Show of Shows. However, considering the ongoing rivalry involving The Authors of Pain and The Street Profits, it seems that Kross and Lashley are more likely to face off in a multi-person match instead.
#4. Akam and #3. Rezar from The Authors of Pain
The Authors of Pain are the heavy-hitting henchmen of SmackDown's heel faction known as The Final Testament. Ever since their official return to television at SmackDown New Year's Revolution in January 2024, Akam and Rezar have been looking to inflict violence on Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.
During their time on the black-and-gold brand almost a decade ago, The Authors of Pain held one reign with the NXT Tag Team Championship. They would also win the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. When they were called up to the main roster in 2018, the duo secured one reign with the RAW Tag Team Titles. They would be released from WWE in September 2020, but they were reportedly secretly re-signed by the company in 2022.
Karrion Kross and The Authors of Pain have yet to make their official in-ring WrestleMania debut. But that can all change if they're booked to battle Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits in a six-man match at The Show of Shows. Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, and The Almighty could potentially bring their war with The Final Testament to Philadelphia.
There is a report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter founder Dave Meltzer that the current plan is for The Pride and The Final Testament to face off in a six-man Philadelphia Street Fight. This match, which has yet to be officially announced, will reportedly feature Lashley, Dawkins, and Ford battling Kross, Akam, and Rezar.
#2. Scarlett Bordeaux
Scarlett isn't too shy to directly involve herself in the rivalry between her husband's faction, The Final Testament, and Lashley's stable, The Pride.
Considering that The Almighty's group has a female member who has a violent history with Bordeaux, it's possible that wrestling fans could witness an eight-person tag team match between both groups sometime in the future, possibly at WWE's 40th edition of WrestleMania.
B-Fab officially joined The Pride in February 2024 and got physical with Scarlett, flooring her with a bicycle kick. Neither woman has competed at WrestleMania, but that could all change if they're booked to compete against one another in an eight-person encounter.
#1. Legendary manager Paul Ellering
If a match is booked between The Pride and The Final Testament at WrestleMania 40, there's a good chance the 70-year-old Paul Ellering will accompany Kross and his cohorts as a ringside manager. While he wouldn't be involved in the match as a professional wrestler, Ellering could still be considered an opponent of Lashley, considering that the legendary manager would be looking to assist his villainous team in victory.
Paul Ellering was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 alongside The Road Warriors, a tag team he is most famously known for managing. From June 2016 to April 2018, he managed The Authors of Pain. Under his tutelage, Akam and Rezar quickly ascended to the top of the black-and-gold brand.
Ellering has been with The Final Testament since the faction's introduction a few months ago. Wrestling fans could be seeing the legendary manager making his presence known in Philadelphia during WWE's WrestleMania XL this coming weekend.