Bobby Lashley calls out younger WWE Superstars
Bobby Lashley ended his second tenure with WWE back in August thisvyear after his contract expired. He recently debuted for AEW, reuniting with MVP and Shelton Benjamin as The Hurt Syndicate. Lashley has not disparaged his former employer yet, but did just open up on a "strange" backstage atmosphere in WWE.
The All Mighty debuted in January 2005 as a WWE developmental talent on the OVW roster. Lashley's SmackDown TV debut came that September, and the amateur wrestling champion continued his successful career until being released on February 4, 2008. Lashley then hit the indies, Mexico, Japan, and had two big stints with TNA, where he became a four-time eorld champion.
Lashley recently discussed how things are in the modern era compared to when he first started out. The Bellator MMA fighter appeared on The Lame Guys Podcast and recalled debuting as a young talent with top stars to learn from such as The Undertaker, Booker T, Batista, Big Show, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Shane Helms, Eddie Guerrero, Hardcore Holly, Randy Orton, JBL, and Chris Benoit. He remembered there always being someone big to learn from. However, things were a bit different eleven years later when Lashley returned to the company in April 2018.
"Coming back this time, it's been a little different, and it's like the younger guys are coming up, and they already think that they're superstars. So, they didn't want to hear anything, anyway. And some of the older guys are like, 'I'm just doing my thing, I'm just over here.' So, it's kind of like... It was a little strange coming back because it seemed like everybody was kind of like [on] their own," Bobby Lashley said. [From 12:47 to 13:07]
Lashley found significant success in both runs with the Stamford-based promotion. He is a two-time WWE Champion, a two-time ECW World Champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a three-time United States Champion. The one-time Slammy Award winner also won the 2023 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Bobby Lashley to wrestle first post-WWE match
Bobby Lashley debuted for AEW on the October 30 Fright Night Dynamite episode, but still has not wrestled yet. He will make his AEW in-ring debut this Saturday at the sixth annual Full Gear pay-per-view.
Lashley will wrestle another former WWE star Swerve Strickland at Full Gear on Saturday. This will be the former's first match since leaving World Wrestling Entertainment, and the first-ever Lashley vs. Strickland bout.
Lashley has not wrestled since May 5, 2024. He defeated Santos Escobar at the non-televised live event that night. Lashley had just eleven matches for his former employer this year.