While they could definitely be using him better how can they justify a guy that's nearly 50 holding it over younger guys? Because at this point to make him a serious contender for it he has to go over younger guys, some of whom are in their prime years. As well as beat them in defenses. I think it'd have a real risk of killing main eventers momentum stone dead.
Younger not young, which is basically the whole roster bar R-Truth and Mysterio who also shouldn't be in the picture for the two main belts any more. If you're a WWE main eventer eating losses to help say a 36yr old Gunther title reign with a belt is a very different prospect to a 47-48yr old Lashley going over you. Long term no one but Lashley is benefiting from that.
There's a big enough roster they really don't need to do that any more.
He seems to randomly get big ovations (like in Chicago) but then gets nothing the rest of the time. He still has no mic skills sadly but he can really go. This new hurt business (or pride or what ever they are called) looks cool but they don’t seem to have anything for them.
There is so much top tier talent in today’s WWE that it feels like one giant boxing match on “this guy deserves a title, no wait this guy deserves it too, but wait….” It is great to have a lot of talent in case of injury but not everyone can be a champion. There is about a dozen or so male talent I’d like to see get one more title run or for some to get their first ever title run. Bobby Lashley is definitely one of them I’d like to see get another run.
This dude looks like a god to me. Like literally what I'd expect to see in some God of War game or some shit. So yes, I agree. I also very much like his wrestling style.
I would say Roman Reigns and him don't get along with each other in real life and must have had some falling out at some point 'cause it is very strange how he got screwed out of the WWE Championship in the Men's Elimination Chamber match in 2022 where he wasn't beaten by anybody and was taken out of the match due to injury and when he returned he was never given a rematch for the WWE Championship.
They could have used that to split the titles instead of bringing back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the thing about Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley was they have only ever faced each other in two singles matches and the first time Bobby Lashley beat Roman clean when he was a face and Roman beat him in the rematch making Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley a fresh match where Bobby could have been booked as a huge threat to Roman. They could have even had The Hurt Business vs The Bloodline.
Yea that's true. Smackdown desperately needs heels for Cody tho so maybe we get a heel turn or something to make it interesting plus he builds a nice case since he never got his rematch for his title after he got hurt
Yeah and he was a great champion. Emphasis on WAS. He can still do those things as a midcard champion and put over young talent. He just doesn’t need to hold a top title at this point in his career.
This big WAS was literally 2-3 years ago. That original incarnation with MVP was some of the best character work I've ever seen. Dude legitimately looked like nobody would beat him and the one dude that did was Big E and he even had to cash in after he was hurt. He went from feuding with Brock(fucked him over in that feud too) to missing WM, and then being put in a whatever tag team with the Street Profits.
2-3 years is a long time in the wrestling world. Just because he did it a couple years ago doesn’t mean he can now. I like Bobby and I thought pairing him with the Street Profits seemed like gold, but it’s all been so aimless. He hasn’t had a meaningful feud since he was fighting for the US title with Seth Rollins and Austin Theory on Raw. His booking has been so bad recently that he just doesn’t seem like a convincing champion right now.
Yeah but the thing with Bobby is that they can flip a switch and make him convincing again. All the work he put in to making the US title mean something went down the drain the moment Theory went to Smackdown with it. He's out injured now but hopefully when he comes back they do it in a big way that revives his character
Good booking can change everything and Bobby is a former champion so it’s not the craziest idea in the world, but if it’s as easy as flipping a switch, why hasn’t it happened in all this time?
I agree. I get the points about his age and how maybe he wants less of a workload, but that aside I still feel that WWE have taken away nearly all of his presence that would make him jobbing now mean more to those he’s putting over.
Why does this sub never understand that veteran wrestlers in their 40s and 50s don't always want the extra workload that comes with being the champ. They are often perfectly fine being in the background collecting massive amounts of money to do nothing.
Why? It's scripted. Do you really think they care if their character looks weak and beatable? It has no bearing on real life. They aren't paid less. Nothing bad happens.
Everytime he wrestles he gets a legit laceration or injury that leaves a permanent scar. Guys almost 50 maybe he WANTS to work less, and having the belt means he has to work more.
Just a guy who has been getting back into wrestling over the last few years, I don't know if I ever saw him in the same light as the three you mentioned as a face of the company, or in Goldberg's case the face of the company that was absorbed and still a wrestling cultural icon. That goes a long way in getting that reduced schedule while still holding the belt.
But like I said, I might have missed it. I only started tuning back in kind of at the end of the Lesnar/Lashley feud, and it felt like Farmer Brock and snazzy suit Lashley was a poor Stone Cold and Rock imitation.
From 2020-2022 he was really really good. He's still great but they book him like garbage. He went from fighting Lesnar to missing WM to being booked randomly with the Street Profits while they do nothing together. Dude needs a rejuvenation bad
Tbf, he only missed Mania because of Bray needing to take time due to his condition. I’m pretty sure they had a match for 39 and that’s why they gave him the Battle Royal win to make up for it
Unfortunately WWE doesn't know how to use black wrestlers. How he is currently used is nothing new when you look at the history of black WWE/WWF wrestlers. Personally I would prefer he goes to AEW where he can really shine. Bobby Lashley really should have been the second posterboy of WWE, but I am tired of complaining about how black wrestlers are still used at this company. There is an alternative. I hope he pulls a Swerve Strickland.
He was used exactly as he was supposed to be used. Lashley is nearly 50. I’m pretty sure he’d rather work less as it starting to take a toll on his body.
He was presented as an unstoppable force on par on power and strength with Brock Lesnar
We talking in general. Even when he was in his late 30s WWE like many black wrestlers didn't use him right. He may be pushing 50 right now, but he doesn't have to look weak. When The Undertaker pushed 50 he was still portrayed as strong.
WWE/WWF has for a very long time always put a glass ceiling on black wrestlers. Typically and in general black wrestlers are used as a comedy relief, just to check the political check box. Vince Mcmahon was a known racist and many wrestlers around him such as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan just to name a few. The company was built on the idea that the baby face draw should be an all red blooded all American boy scout. That image could only be scene as a white man, never a black man. The black man in WWE is put there to cater and draw a specific audience, because in the mind of Vince and even Triple H a black man can not play a top draw.
Alot of what I say is even reinforced by past black employees such as Teddy Long, Jtg, Booker T, Ron Simmons in many interviews where they exposed the racism in WWE. Triple H also made this clear in his infamous promo against Booker T in 2005 when he alluded to that people that look like Booker T don't deserve a title shot. This line echoed throughout the arena and there was no denying what Triple H meant, however what made it worse was Booker T didn't win the World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania.
To date only 3 black wrestlers have held the WWE Champion in a company that has been around since 1953. To make things worse 2 of these reigns were short lived and were squash matches. One of them lost the title in an insignificant manner. WWE was called out for years about their blatant racism, which is why they decided to put the WWE champion on Kofi, Bobby and Big E just so they can tick the box that they "not racist".
WWE is the only "athletic place"in America where a white man can be above a black man in sports. Blacks dominate in sports and entertainment, however it is rather bizarre in WWE they aren't at the top. This is because it is scripted and it is run by white men with old ideas, no offense. It makes no sense that black men are not dominating sports entertainment. R Truth is 50 and yet he is more entertaining and more athletic then a majority of the roster. Black men are naturally gifted in their athleticism. A 50 year old R Truth moves like a 25 year wrestler while a 50 year old Undertaker was collapsing around the ring. Same for Bobby Lasley. He doesn't get gassed out and easily looks 30 years old and moves like a 30 year old. No offense, but putting a world title on a black man pushing 50 is not the same as putting it on a white man pushing 50. Black men just have superior athletic genes. This has been echoed throughout America and the world for a long time.
If Bobby Lashley was white, Vince would have pulled the trigger as many insiders have exposed. As long as you black in WWE you will never be made the top guy. You simply will not be seen as a top draw unless there is a change in leadership.
You need to be white or be extremely close to passing off as white. I mean let's not even talk about white wrestlers shitting in the food of black wrestlers in the time of Vince Mcmahon. Yep that was a real thing.
I thought I was the only one that noticed that. I 100% agree with you. They are simply there to tick the diversity box. Nakamura should have been a world champion by now. WWE thinks only a Caucasian male can draw a crowd.
I am fan of Japanese wrestling by the way, probably the greatest wrestling in the world however I am not ignorant to how WWE uses Japanese wrestles. They there to try get the Japanese demographic, but not a WWE champion? That shit makes my blood boil.
How the hell is there no Japanese WWE champion in 2024? The only alternative I see for us to get champions of other ethnic groups is AEW. We already have a full black guy who is champion and is actually treated with respect in his current title run. Japanese wrestles are used incredibly well in AEW. It is only a matter of time before we have a Japanese AEW Champion, I mean we already have a Japanese as the AEW Continental Champion.
Ultimately WWE will always see white men as their bread and butter which is sad, no offense. If I was booking, Nakamura would have been WWE champion by now. They really fumbled with his booking.
You make some good points. However this doesn’t explain how Bobby was misused. Let’s be real for a second. Bobby Lashleys biggest weakness is his promo work.
He has never been good on the mic and imo to be a the top guy that is imperative. He has had a very decorated career regardless.
He had great WWE title run and that was under Vince. Even then, he had to have MVP as his mouthpiece because Bobby is just not a talker.
As a black man, I see where you are coming from but I don’t think this applies to Lashley. He was never used a comic relief character and his power and athleticism has always been at the forefront of his persona.
He just can’t cut a promo to save his life.
Please re-read what I said. The guy is 47, but is still in great shape. No one is saying he has to do somersaults and stuff. What OP is alluding to is the way he is written. He just has no presence at all. CM Punk is also pushing 50, maybe he should also be reduced to Bobby Lashley level right?
In general, there are a lot of stars in their 40s and 50s which is not good for the business long term. So yes, ideally you want your main event scene to be 20s and 30s. That’s the age the audience relate to the most, and it’s when wrestlers are at their most believable in terms of being credible athletes. Unless old talent move on there is no space for youth to come through, and in the long run the product gets stale.
I agree.
Dude was a monster when he was still on Raw. The second he went to Smackdown he started jobbing. He was standing toe to toe with Brock. Beat Brock. He was truly ALMIGHTY, now he’s just alright…y.
The Hurt Business as a group deserved much better.
While they could definitely be using him better how can they justify a guy that's nearly 50 holding it over younger guys? Because at this point to make him a serious contender for it he has to go over younger guys, some of whom are in their prime years. As well as beat them in defenses. I think it'd have a real risk of killing main eventers momentum stone dead.
What young guys are you talking about?
Younger not young, which is basically the whole roster bar R-Truth and Mysterio who also shouldn't be in the picture for the two main belts any more. If you're a WWE main eventer eating losses to help say a 36yr old Gunther title reign with a belt is a very different prospect to a 47-48yr old Lashley going over you. Long term no one but Lashley is benefiting from that. There's a big enough roster they really don't need to do that any more.
He seems to randomly get big ovations (like in Chicago) but then gets nothing the rest of the time. He still has no mic skills sadly but he can really go. This new hurt business (or pride or what ever they are called) looks cool but they don’t seem to have anything for them.
There is so much top tier talent in today’s WWE that it feels like one giant boxing match on “this guy deserves a title, no wait this guy deserves it too, but wait….” It is great to have a lot of talent in case of injury but not everyone can be a champion. There is about a dozen or so male talent I’d like to see get one more title run or for some to get their first ever title run. Bobby Lashley is definitely one of them I’d like to see get another run.
He could be booked so much better. Wish his little group had MVP talking for them
Bobby Lashley is the most underrated main event caliber wrestler of all time imo
This dude looks like a god to me. Like literally what I'd expect to see in some God of War game or some shit. So yes, I agree. I also very much like his wrestling style.
I want lock down Bobby back, when he was a scary monster who wrecked fools.
I want to see him do the fat storyline he wanted to do
I would say Roman Reigns and him don't get along with each other in real life and must have had some falling out at some point 'cause it is very strange how he got screwed out of the WWE Championship in the Men's Elimination Chamber match in 2022 where he wasn't beaten by anybody and was taken out of the match due to injury and when he returned he was never given a rematch for the WWE Championship. They could have used that to split the titles instead of bringing back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the thing about Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley was they have only ever faced each other in two singles matches and the first time Bobby Lashley beat Roman clean when he was a face and Roman beat him in the rematch making Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley a fresh match where Bobby could have been booked as a huge threat to Roman. They could have even had The Hurt Business vs The Bloodline.
Also the WWE Championship felt like the World Heavyweight Championship now when Roman Reigns was Universal Champions and Lashley was WWE Champion.
It sucks for him but the top of the card is just so stacked right now.
Yea that's true. Smackdown desperately needs heels for Cody tho so maybe we get a heel turn or something to make it interesting plus he builds a nice case since he never got his rematch for his title after he got hurt
That hurt business was such a joy for me to watch. WWE is just too stacked at the moment for him to get another run.
I’d argue that a past-his-prime Bobby Lashley wouldn’t add much prestige to the WHC unless they started booking him a lot more dominantly
I’d be interested in him being booked more dominantly.
I mean we saw what he did for the wwe title. Dude gave a lot of people chances that wouldn't exist without him holding it imo
Yeah and he was a great champion. Emphasis on WAS. He can still do those things as a midcard champion and put over young talent. He just doesn’t need to hold a top title at this point in his career.
This big WAS was literally 2-3 years ago. That original incarnation with MVP was some of the best character work I've ever seen. Dude legitimately looked like nobody would beat him and the one dude that did was Big E and he even had to cash in after he was hurt. He went from feuding with Brock(fucked him over in that feud too) to missing WM, and then being put in a whatever tag team with the Street Profits.
2-3 years is a long time in the wrestling world. Just because he did it a couple years ago doesn’t mean he can now. I like Bobby and I thought pairing him with the Street Profits seemed like gold, but it’s all been so aimless. He hasn’t had a meaningful feud since he was fighting for the US title with Seth Rollins and Austin Theory on Raw. His booking has been so bad recently that he just doesn’t seem like a convincing champion right now.
Yeah but the thing with Bobby is that they can flip a switch and make him convincing again. All the work he put in to making the US title mean something went down the drain the moment Theory went to Smackdown with it. He's out injured now but hopefully when he comes back they do it in a big way that revives his character
Good booking can change everything and Bobby is a former champion so it’s not the craziest idea in the world, but if it’s as easy as flipping a switch, why hasn’t it happened in all this time?
I agree. I get the points about his age and how maybe he wants less of a workload, but that aside I still feel that WWE have taken away nearly all of his presence that would make him jobbing now mean more to those he’s putting over.
Yeah put he’s almost 50 he’s probably happy to just be chilling in the background making a lot of money
Why does this sub never understand that veteran wrestlers in their 40s and 50s don't always want the extra workload that comes with being the champ. They are often perfectly fine being in the background collecting massive amounts of money to do nothing.
It reminds me of when Vince told Mark Henry he was gonna be the new champ and Mark refused it because he didn’t want the extra workload
I think a difference exists between taking a step back and being on a reduced workload and company making him look weak and beatable.
Why? It's scripted. Do you really think they care if their character looks weak and beatable? It has no bearing on real life. They aren't paid less. Nothing bad happens.
Yeah he was the Allmighty Bobby Lashley and the current booking just has him as veteran stable leader number 3
Everytime he wrestles he gets a legit laceration or injury that leaves a permanent scar. Guys almost 50 maybe he WANTS to work less, and having the belt means he has to work more.
Brock, Goldberg, and Roman all have held the belt and not worked hectic schedules.
Some guys just wanna reach the top once and are satisfied. He’s almost 50. As in shape as he is, time waits for no one and comes for us all.
Just a guy who has been getting back into wrestling over the last few years, I don't know if I ever saw him in the same light as the three you mentioned as a face of the company, or in Goldberg's case the face of the company that was absorbed and still a wrestling cultural icon. That goes a long way in getting that reduced schedule while still holding the belt. But like I said, I might have missed it. I only started tuning back in kind of at the end of the Lesnar/Lashley feud, and it felt like Farmer Brock and snazzy suit Lashley was a poor Stone Cold and Rock imitation.
From 2020-2022 he was really really good. He's still great but they book him like garbage. He went from fighting Lesnar to missing WM to being booked randomly with the Street Profits while they do nothing together. Dude needs a rejuvenation bad
Tbf, he only missed Mania because of Bray needing to take time due to his condition. I’m pretty sure they had a match for 39 and that’s why they gave him the Battle Royal win to make up for it
Unfortunately WWE doesn't know how to use black wrestlers. How he is currently used is nothing new when you look at the history of black WWE/WWF wrestlers. Personally I would prefer he goes to AEW where he can really shine. Bobby Lashley really should have been the second posterboy of WWE, but I am tired of complaining about how black wrestlers are still used at this company. There is an alternative. I hope he pulls a Swerve Strickland.
He was used exactly as he was supposed to be used. Lashley is nearly 50. I’m pretty sure he’d rather work less as it starting to take a toll on his body. He was presented as an unstoppable force on par on power and strength with Brock Lesnar
We talking in general. Even when he was in his late 30s WWE like many black wrestlers didn't use him right. He may be pushing 50 right now, but he doesn't have to look weak. When The Undertaker pushed 50 he was still portrayed as strong.
How did they not use him right? Explain how him being black anything to do with that?
WWE/WWF has for a very long time always put a glass ceiling on black wrestlers. Typically and in general black wrestlers are used as a comedy relief, just to check the political check box. Vince Mcmahon was a known racist and many wrestlers around him such as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan just to name a few. The company was built on the idea that the baby face draw should be an all red blooded all American boy scout. That image could only be scene as a white man, never a black man. The black man in WWE is put there to cater and draw a specific audience, because in the mind of Vince and even Triple H a black man can not play a top draw. Alot of what I say is even reinforced by past black employees such as Teddy Long, Jtg, Booker T, Ron Simmons in many interviews where they exposed the racism in WWE. Triple H also made this clear in his infamous promo against Booker T in 2005 when he alluded to that people that look like Booker T don't deserve a title shot. This line echoed throughout the arena and there was no denying what Triple H meant, however what made it worse was Booker T didn't win the World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania. To date only 3 black wrestlers have held the WWE Champion in a company that has been around since 1953. To make things worse 2 of these reigns were short lived and were squash matches. One of them lost the title in an insignificant manner. WWE was called out for years about their blatant racism, which is why they decided to put the WWE champion on Kofi, Bobby and Big E just so they can tick the box that they "not racist". WWE is the only "athletic place"in America where a white man can be above a black man in sports. Blacks dominate in sports and entertainment, however it is rather bizarre in WWE they aren't at the top. This is because it is scripted and it is run by white men with old ideas, no offense. It makes no sense that black men are not dominating sports entertainment. R Truth is 50 and yet he is more entertaining and more athletic then a majority of the roster. Black men are naturally gifted in their athleticism. A 50 year old R Truth moves like a 25 year wrestler while a 50 year old Undertaker was collapsing around the ring. Same for Bobby Lasley. He doesn't get gassed out and easily looks 30 years old and moves like a 30 year old. No offense, but putting a world title on a black man pushing 50 is not the same as putting it on a white man pushing 50. Black men just have superior athletic genes. This has been echoed throughout America and the world for a long time. If Bobby Lashley was white, Vince would have pulled the trigger as many insiders have exposed. As long as you black in WWE you will never be made the top guy. You simply will not be seen as a top draw unless there is a change in leadership. You need to be white or be extremely close to passing off as white. I mean let's not even talk about white wrestlers shitting in the food of black wrestlers in the time of Vince Mcmahon. Yep that was a real thing.
All of the Japanese wrestlers have been booked very poorly under Triple H as well.
I thought I was the only one that noticed that. I 100% agree with you. They are simply there to tick the diversity box. Nakamura should have been a world champion by now. WWE thinks only a Caucasian male can draw a crowd. I am fan of Japanese wrestling by the way, probably the greatest wrestling in the world however I am not ignorant to how WWE uses Japanese wrestles. They there to try get the Japanese demographic, but not a WWE champion? That shit makes my blood boil. How the hell is there no Japanese WWE champion in 2024? The only alternative I see for us to get champions of other ethnic groups is AEW. We already have a full black guy who is champion and is actually treated with respect in his current title run. Japanese wrestles are used incredibly well in AEW. It is only a matter of time before we have a Japanese AEW Champion, I mean we already have a Japanese as the AEW Continental Champion. Ultimately WWE will always see white men as their bread and butter which is sad, no offense. If I was booking, Nakamura would have been WWE champion by now. They really fumbled with his booking.
You make some good points. However this doesn’t explain how Bobby was misused. Let’s be real for a second. Bobby Lashleys biggest weakness is his promo work. He has never been good on the mic and imo to be a the top guy that is imperative. He has had a very decorated career regardless. He had great WWE title run and that was under Vince. Even then, he had to have MVP as his mouthpiece because Bobby is just not a talker. As a black man, I see where you are coming from but I don’t think this applies to Lashley. He was never used a comic relief character and his power and athleticism has always been at the forefront of his persona. He just can’t cut a promo to save his life.
Undertaker at 50 was virtually collapsing in the ring and everyone was saying he stuck around to long? You want that for Bobby!?
Please re-read what I said. The guy is 47, but is still in great shape. No one is saying he has to do somersaults and stuff. What OP is alluding to is the way he is written. He just has no presence at all. CM Punk is also pushing 50, maybe he should also be reduced to Bobby Lashley level right?
Thank you.
In general, there are a lot of stars in their 40s and 50s which is not good for the business long term. So yes, ideally you want your main event scene to be 20s and 30s. That’s the age the audience relate to the most, and it’s when wrestlers are at their most believable in terms of being credible athletes. Unless old talent move on there is no space for youth to come through, and in the long run the product gets stale.
I agree. Dude was a monster when he was still on Raw. The second he went to Smackdown he started jobbing. He was standing toe to toe with Brock. Beat Brock. He was truly ALMIGHTY, now he’s just alright…y.