I vividly remember Bobby Lashley’s WWE debut almost 16 years ago. It was 23rd September 2005 on Friday Night Smackdown, which was dominated by Batista, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, MNM, and JBL each and every week. Simon Dean was in the ring doing his usual Simon System schtick when Bobby Lashley – a monster of a man but complete unknown – walked out onto the stage.
I was immediately impressed – he made light work of Dean and the match served as a showcase for his athletic prowess and strength. Michael Cole and Tazz talked up his numerous amateur wrestling accolades, too, so it was obvious this dude was a big deal. With that one squash match victory, Lashley had cemented himself as a fan favourite on Smackdown right away. It was clear that WWE had high hopes for him as a future main event star.
And he would get there as predicted… It just took a lot longer than anyone thought. This past Monday on Raw, he finally captured the WWE Championship when he defeated The Miz in a lumberjack match. If you watched Raw, you’ll know this particular episode wasn’t anything special. But you can’t deny that seeing Bobby Lashley raise the belt above his head after all this time wasn’t a special moment. So, why did it take better part of two decades for him to reach the top of the mountain? With that being said, let’s take a look at the highs and lows of Bobby Lashley’s pro wrestling career…
High: Bobby Lashley debuts – WWE Smackdown, 23rd September 2005
I’ve already covered it, but I can’t stress enough just how great Lashley’s debut was. It set him up super strong and he looked great from the get-go. Batista was the champ at the time, and it seemed he was destined to follow in his footsteps (and maybe even face him for the title somewhere down the line).
High: Winning the United States Championship – WWE Smackdown, 26th May 2006
After months of impressive showings but falling just short of big victories, Bobby Lashley won his first singles title – the United States Championship. US Champ JBL had been defeated by Rey Mysterio five days earlier at Judgement Day in a showdown for the World Heavyweight Championship. After a brief confrontation on the following episode of Smackdown, Rey introduced Lashley as JBL’s opponent in an impromptu United States Championship match. He quickly dispatched JBL with a massive spear and picked up the gold. Things were looking good for the up-and-comer.
Low: ECW World Championship victory – ECW December to Dismember, 3rd December 2006
Six months after his victory over JBL, Lashley debuted on the revived ECW. Anyone who was watching at the time will tell you this ECW was already a shadow of its former self, and Lashley’s subsequent win in the ‘Extreme’ Elimination Chamber set the new(ish) third brand on an irreversible downward trend.
The match was the main event of the disastrous December to Dismember pay-per-view (the only PPV WWE’s ECW would ever run). The fallout from the calamitous show would see Paul Heyman leave WWE after a bitter falling out with Vince McMahon. Heyman wanted CM Punk to win the Chamber, but Vince backed Lashley. While this could’ve been seen as a positive for the rising star who walked away that night as a ‘world’ champion, it did little to benefit the ECW brand or endear him to fans.
High: Battle of the Billionaires – WrestleMania 23, 1st April 2007
Eight years before he would announce his run for President of the United States, Donald Trump was just another celebrity. Actually, I’d never even heard of him before this. I thought he was pretty weird and his beef with Vinnie Mac was goofy, but the feud had a certain appeal purely because it was something different. Obviously, Trump was never going to step into the ring for a match with McMahon, so they had to find two surrogates. Vince selected Umaga and Trump went with Bobby Lashley. Given this match got top billing at WrestleMania 23 (despite not actually being the main event), this was a huge spot for Lashley to be in – and alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin, no less.
He went on to win the fight and Mr. McMahon got his head shaved. This WrestleMania turned out to be WWE’s highest grossing PPV ever until the 28th edition, thanks primarily to this bout. And it was Bobby Lashley that got the pin in one of the biggest matches to ever take place on the grandest stage of them all.
Low: Bobby Lashley leaves WWE – 4th February 2008
After the ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ at WrestleMania 23, Bobby Lashley went back and forth with Vince McMahon, his son Shane McMahon, and Umaga. He lost the ECW Championship to Vince but got it back not long afterwards before ultimately being stripped of the title for good. He then moved to Raw where he sought the WWE Championship.
After a couple of shots at the gold, including a one-on-one match with John Cena at 2007’s Great American Bash, Lashley took some time off to heal an injury. He was unceremoniously released seven months later. Rumours about why Lashley walked away from WWE in 2008 persist to this day, but no definitive reason has ever been given. All we know for sure is that he was on the cusp of main event status and left just as his career was catching fire.
Low: Arriving in TNA (the first time) – 19th April 2009
Forgettable is the best way to describe Lashley’s brief initial run with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He showed up at Lockdown 2009 in April but wouldn’t officially join the promotion until July. He immediately entered a feud with the Main Event Mafia and TNA clearly saw him as a major player. He’d go on to battle through rivalries with the likes of Samoa Joe and Scott Steiner but exited the company in February 2010 before he’d been able to make a substantial impact (pardon the pun). This time, there was a clear reason for his departure – he wanted to pursue an MMA career instead.
High: Return to TNA – 9th March 2014
Bobby Lashley was mostly absent from professional wrestling for the four years between 2010 and 2014. He had some minor appearances in Japan but that was about it.
He made his return to TNA at Lockdown 2014 and remained with the company for four years. These years turned out to be some of the best of his career, despite the promotion’s continual decline. He won multiple titles, including four TNA/Impact World Heavyweight Championship reigns, and had memorable clashes with stars such as Bobby Roode, ECIII, Drew Galloway, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, and many more. He began wrapping up his run at Bound for Glory 2017 when he teamed with King Mo to defeat Moose and Stephan Bonnar in a cage match. Lashley left Impact Wrestling once and for all in early 2018.
High: An almighty return to WWE – 9th April 2018
Perhaps what stands out the most about Bobby Lashley’s second run with TNA/Impact Wrestling is that he managed to capture the attention of fans and WWE once again. He’d ironed out many of the flaws in his game, and his promos improved significantly. He was finally ready to make up for the abrupt end to his first go round.
WWE snapped Lashley up just a few short months after his Impact exit. He returned the night after WrestleMania 34 when he took out Elias with a beautiful delayed vertical suplex. And the rest is history. Of course, this run has had its ups and downs. The less said about those feuds with Sami Zayn and Rusev the better. But two Intercontinental Championship reigns, a second US title victory, and his successful allegiance with The Hurt Business is what ultimately propelled him to the WWE Championship. And amid a sea of poorly booked talent who consistently look weak, Bobby Lashley has been one of few protected wrestlers. It was only a matter of time until the company finally pulled the trigger on him, and now they have I can’t wait to see where they go with him next. It’s been a long time coming.
What did you think to Lashley’s championship victory on Raw? Who would you like to see him face as WWE Champion? Let us know in the comment section, and don’t forget to check out our other Pro Wrestling articles. If you’re looking for even more Downtime Bros content, subscribe to our YouTube channel!
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Featured Image Credit: WWE
