WWE Raw: Ranking the Debuts and Returns From Post-Mania Show

4. Bobby Lashley

Short, sweet, and to the point. Bobby Lashley’s return to WWE after a decade was everything it needed to be to reintroduce him to the WWE Universe.

As Elias serenaded the crowd with his latest hit, “New Orleans is Filled With Nothing But Scumbags (Remix),” a powerful guitar riff echoed through the arena. The big screen revealed that Lashley had indeed come back, and he marched down to the ring to confront Elias.

It’s not like Lashley hasn’t been busy over the past ten years. He’s wrestled for TNA/Impact (who I hear is hiring, by the way), winning the world title while there. And he is a fairly accomplished mixed martial artist, with success in both Strikeforce and Bellator.

So when Lashley hit the ring, it was as if he had just left WWE yesterday. A neckbreaker gave way to a tremendous stalling vertical suplex — one handed, to boot — and left the former WWECW standout standing tall.

If that’s how Lashley returned, why is he not even in the top half of the list? Honestly, he’s a multiple time world champion, and he returned to ambush a guy he’s got no history with and who’s never won a championship in the company. Despite holding wins over John Cena and Braun Strowman, Elias hasn’t yet ascended to the top of cards just yet. He may get there, given his recent feud with Cena. But as it stands right now, Elias is a step down for Lashley’s career accomplishments.