Former WWE Champion is gaining weight to face Brock Lesnar
Bobby Lashley plans to put on extra weight ahead of his first one-on-one match against Brock Lesnar at the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble.
Lashley, who is billed at 273 pounds, has repeatedly spoken in media interviews over the last few years about his desire to face Lesnar. The All Mighty recently defeated Big E, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins to become the number one contender for Lesnar’s WWE Championship.
Two weeks before the Royal Rumble, Lashley explained on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast how he intends to prepare for the much-anticipated match:
“I’m gonna prepare, putting a little bit of weight on, because over the last few months I was kind of cardioing up a bit more. We’ve already talked about putting a little bit of weight on and just kind of get our striking down.”
LESNAR. LASHLEY.
FIRST. TIME. EVER.
@BrockLesnar @HeymanHustle @fightbobby @The305MVP #RoyalRumble https://t.co/850XZRgBBC
Lashley claimed on the latest episode of RAW that Lesnar has been “ducking” him for the last two decades. The former WWE Champion believes his rival had plenty of opportunities to face him, both in wrestling and MMA, but chose not to.
Bobby Lashley expects a physical match against Brock Lesnar
Can @fightbobby become the NEW #WWEChampion at #RoyalRumble?
#WWERaw https://t.co/MgY99dJSlb
A former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar is not afraid to get hurt when he steps inside a WWE ring. In 2018, he legitimately punched Braun Strowman after the former WWE Superstar caught him in the jaw with a strong knee strike during a match.
If a similar incident occurs at the Royal Rumble, Lashley wants to ensure he is ready to fight back:
“When you see what Brock does in the ring, we’ve seen what he does. If Brock gets mad, Brock starts throwing punches. And if Brock starts throwing punches, we’ve gotta be prepared. So that’s what it’s about. I think at this point it's the calm before the storm, but we’re into the preparation phase of things.”
Lashley added in the interview that he believes he is the only person on the WWE roster who possesses the ability to “break” Lesnar.
Please credit After The Bell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.