When Bobby Lashley returned he was a victim of suspect booking against Sami Zayn. At Extreme Rules, Lashley stole the show with Roman Reigns. The dominator is proving he is a star.
11 years ago Bobby Lashley was putting on 5 star matches with a prime John Cena. Although he was on the losing end of the equation, it was clear he was a stud. Unfortunately, Lashley did not stick around in WWE to reach his full potential in the mainstream company.
Fans never got to see his peak form at a main event level in the number one wrestling organization. His latest victory over Roman Reigns has legitimized his return. More importantly, it has kick started his path to proving he is a main event star.
Pro wrestling is a very visual business. The undersized performers do not stand out like the freaks of nature because they look regular. However, the larger than life appearances catch the casual observers attention faster. Lashley is 6’3 260 pounds.
It always helps that Vince McMahon sees the value in freakish size. Lashley posses that aura of a big deal that can dominate anyone in his path. You can’t teach being larger than life.
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The former MMA fighter is not all size and nothing else. He has the speed and explosion that helps make him stand out from other powerhouses. Similar to Brock Lesnar, his MMA background reinforces his persona inside the ring. This is something WWE should consider emphasizing. Per Sherdog Lashley has a 15-2 record in MMA. This makes him one of the most believable athletes on the roster.
The haters will say that he lacks mic skills. Yet during his recent back and forth with Reigns shows that he has an edge on the mic that matches himself. In other words, Lashley is not supposed to come off eloquent on the microphone.
The promos are at their best when his words are straightforward, serious, and intense. Just because a performer doesn’t have a fancy catch phrase, doesn’t mean the verbal skills aren’t there. It can already be argued that Lashley is one of Reigns most effective rivals.
Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter
Given that Lashley has all the attributes and momentum on his side. Logical storytelling says that he is the challenger for Lesnar at SummerSlam. The match would be a first of its kind. The two hard-hitting performers would provide a fresh scenario for the biggest party of the summer. In fact the best way to establish Lashley fully is to have him beat Lesnar.
On the July 16 edition of Raw, Lashley defeated Elias and Seth Rollins in a triple threat. This puts Lashley on a collision course with Reigns. Next Monday is Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley part 2. Win, lose, or draw the priority should be to keep both performers protected. Reigns never loses two big matches in a Lashley can’t afford a big loss slowing him down.
Next: WWE SmackDown Power Rankings
It will be interesting to see what direction WWE takes. The safe move at this point is have the match end in a draw. Then at SummerSlam it can be Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley. The three heavyweights can battle it out to see who really is the alpha male of Raw.