What's next for Bobby Lashley on RAW? He's taken care of business against Ciampa, dispelled of Theory, and unless his on-again, off-again house show circuit program with The Miz is magically ripe for a big-time televised run following a win over his “Mizion,” it would appear “The Almighty” might have just found himself without an obvious heel opponent for his United States Championship belt.
Could Lashley go toe to toe with A.J. Styles? Potentially so – I mean, it wouldn't be the first time. How about the man who at least attempted to attack the proponent of the “Phenomenal Forearm” after his main event win over The Miz on RAW, Dexter Lumis? That one doesn't quite make as much sense, but could make for an interesting angle if that's what Triple H is feeling.
Heck, why not pull the trigger on getting Kevin Owens back into the title picture and parlay his brutal win over Ezekiel and let him feud with Lashley? Considering how much fun KO had giving Texas a hard time in his lead-up to his match versus “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, one would assume the native of Quebec, Canada would have an absolute field day making fun of the United States on the way to his championship match.
Sidebar: Did you know KO hasn't had a championship in WWE since 2017? That needs to change.
Well, while we don't necessarily know who will be the next challenger for Lashley's belt, or who will eventually take it off of him, the man himself gave fans a pretty good idea of what he may opt to do once his current run comes to an end.
*spoiler alert* it will still probably involve a ring, just maybe not a wrestling one.
Bobby Lashley may have eyes for a bout outside of the WWE.
Bobby Lashley is a fighter.
Outside of his time in WWE and TNA, plus his time in the United States Army, where he rose to the rank of Sergeant, Lashley has competed all over the mixed martial arts world, fighting for Strikeforce, Titan Fighting Championship, Shark Fights – which was apparently a thing – and Bellator MMA, where he amassed a 15-2-0 record. Would “The Dominator” ever give the MMA world another look? Well, when asked by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful during a media session over SummerSlam weekend about whether fans had seen the last of him in the cage, Lashley “punched” back at the question.
“It’s still in me,” Lashley said. “I’m just that guy; I was talking before because I know that we were doing some stuff with the UFC, at the last UFC Vince and all them were sitting ringside, and I was in the stands also, and I’m texting Vince, I was like ‘can I get in there?’ and he was like ‘ahhhhhh come on.’ So um, I still have it in me, I love fighting. Before when I was fighting I was just kind of, stay busy until I get back here. That’s ultimately what it was. Even though I didn’t have the right to get back in here, I just always knew that I was gonna be back. So I was like, ‘let me take some fights, stay active, continue doing what I enjoy,’ and it was something that kept me honest, you know?
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy; factor in Lashley's later comments about potentially boxing Mike Tyson later in the interview and the prospects of a big-time Bobby bout outside of the traditional professional wrestling world look good.
So why, you may ask, is this relevant to the professional wrestling world? Well, easy; Lashley is a certified main eventer who can put in work as part of the mid-card if need be but is at his best with a championship belt around his waist. Unless the WWE wants to bring back the Hurt Business or find an interesting way to get Lashley into another storyline, it's hard to really believe him as a challenger for another mid-card belt – unless, of course, he's booked like his run with Theory. Barring a decision to bring Lashley into the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship picture against Roman Reigns – or, I guess, Drew McIntyre – it might just be better to allow him to take a few fights on the side, garner some positive press, and return in the not-too-distant future when the storyline dictates it. Unless the company opts to fully embrace a Logan Paul-Lashley boxing angle that would make Butterbean proud, giving “The Almighty One” a little leeway to explore his desired values of aggressive self-expression could prove beneficial for all parties involved in the end.
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