Bobby Lashley reveals top WWE Superstar "explained the business" to him during their rivalry
An argument can be made that Bobby Lashley is one of the most underappreciated WWE Superstars on the roster today.
During his first stint with the pro-wrestling juggernaut, The All Mighty had a prolonged feud with Hall of Famer Booker T, who even became the World Heavyweight Champion on SmackDown during their on-and-off program. Speaking on WWE's The Bump last week, Lashley praised Booker for taking him under his wing.
Before joining World Wrestling Entertainment in 2005, Hall of Famer Kurt Angle spotted Bobby Lashley during one of the practice sessions at the Olympic training center. This is what ultimately led to his WWE tryout. Lashley has now added Booker to the list of people he looked up to:
"Definitely, when I first came in, one of the people I looked up to was Booker. And the reason why is because me and Booker feuded for a while when I was here [in WWE during his first run] when I first got in. He was one of the guys that kind of explained the business to me, kind of took me under his wing, and we had some great matches. I think Booker is definitely one [that helped him in pro wrestling]." [H/T: WrestlingInc.]
Booker T pinned Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day 2006 in the King of the Ring tournament finals. At No Mercy in October of that same year, the Hall of Famer successfully defended the World Heavyweight Title against The All Mighty, Finlay, and Batista.
Bobby Lashley wants The Animal to be unleashed for major WWE program
Batista was one of the top stars of the company during the Ruthless Aggression Era, along with John Cena. Eventually, they had an on-screen rivalry in which The Animal explained his disdain for the company as they moved to a more family-friendly product and favored Cena over him.
After a brief run in 2014, Batista ended his career with a one-off match at WrestleMania 35 against Triple H. When asked about returning to the squared circle, he reiterated that his wrestling career is truly behind him.
"I love where Dave is and I never try to drum up any controversy or any kind of friction," Bobby Lashley stated on the PERFORM Podcast last year.
However, The All Mighty urged The Animal to come out of retirement. Despite their encounters on SmackDown in 2006, the two never got to lock horns in a high-profile program:
"Dave is definitely somebody I would love to have a match with. It would be something that would do some huge box office numbers. Dave, since he's left WWE, his whole entire career has exploded to another level. Of course you want to bring somebody like him back. If we can, I know it would be a great match up. I never say that one person is going to win in a competition like that. I'm always betting on myself, but at the end of the day, the fans would win that," said Lashley on Perform Podcast.
Another match many wrestling fans deem as a missed opportunity is Batista vs. Brock Lesnar. Veteran Bruce Prichard recently revealed why WWE did not book the contest that had the potential to draw big numbers.