WWE Raw: Seriously, What the Heck is Up With Bobby Lashley?

When Bobby Lashley defeated Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, it seemed he was in line to be one of the biggest stars on WWE Raw. But a devastating loss last week raises questions about future plans.

On WWE Raw the night after WrestleMania 34, Bobby Lashley interrupted Elias. It was Lashley’s first appearance in WWE in over a decade. And frankly, the segment should have told us everything we needed to know about Lashley’s path upon his return. But most of us ignored the warning signs, and are only starting to question his future now.

Look, I like Elias, probably more than most. But Lashley, a former ECW Champion and perennial world title contender throughout his career, surely deserved a bigger “welcome back” moment than preventing the greatest musician of our generation and hitting literally two wrestling moves. Didn’t he?

For the next two months or so, Lashley spent his time feuding with Sami Zayn. And we all know how wonderful that particular program was, right? Some of that time was spent in tag team matches, with Lashley teaming with Braun Strowman. The rest was nothing more than a placeholder for a big name superstar with literally no plans.

How can I be so certain there were no real plans for Lashley? Look no further than last week on WWE Raw. In a rematch from Extreme Rules, Lashley faced Roman Reigns. At the ostensibly more important event — the pay per view — Lashley was victorious. It was a hard fought, entertaining, and (most importantly) clean victory.

But because Roman Reigns has been sent from heaven above to be the savior of WWE Raw by being the only one noble enough to dethrone Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion, that match at Extreme Rules was immediately rendered meaningless. In the rematch a mere eight days later, Reigns won — in another hard fought, entertaining, and clean victory.

Conspiracy theorists might say that the only reason Lashley won at Extreme Rules was to instill doubt in the minds of the WWE Universe. If Reigns isn’t this infallible challenger, maybe it wouldn’t be him in the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam. Maybe Lashley could pull out another surprising victory.

These same conspiracy theorists might also say that the Lashley victory via spear was meant just to build to the moment when Reigns kicked out of said spear in the rematch. It makes a bit of sense, but personally, I think the truth is simpler, less sinister, and much more mind-boggling:

No one knows what to do with Bobby Lashley.

Now that he’s lost his chance to challenge for the Universal Championship, just what does he do at SummerSlam? His interactions on Raw have been basically limited to Elias (once), Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens (injured and otherwise occupied for SummerSlam), and Roman Reigns. Well, there’s The Revival, but WWE wouldn’t dare do a handicap match at SummerSlam, right?

With next to no history with anyone else on the roster who hasn’t explicitly been booked into a match yet, there’s not a whole lot left for Lashley. Notable names without a match yet are Finn Bálor, Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, and Bobby Roode. You can make a case for Mojo Rawley, too. But with three weeks left, what would WWE want to rush into? (Plus, several of these superstars are almost guaranteed to end up in a match with someone not named Bobby Lashley.)

The prevailing theory is that Lashley will somehow end up in the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam, making it a triple threat. If that is indeed the plan, the journey has been the dumbest one imaginable.

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It’s like trying to drive from New York to Florida, but stopping for gas in Oregon. Why the convoluted trip to get there?

And, if Lashley does make a play for a spot in that match, he’s going to come across as a whiny baby in my eyes, and probably the eyes of a bunch of fans. “Waaah, I lost the match that counted, but won a different one. It’s NOT fair!” Does that sound like a noble babyface fighting with honor for his family? Not to me.

Whether WWE is once again signing big names to contracts just to add them to their trophy case or not, this is becoming a common thread. New superstars joining Raw or SmackDown Live — whether returning, debuting, or called up from NXT — seem to immediately end up as afterthoughts. Ever buy a couple of new books, read the first few pages, and then pick up one of your old favorites because you’re familiar with it? Here we are.

Bobby Lashley is the latest superstar on WWE Raw to end up in this boat. There’s still time to fix it, but I don’t think it can be done before SummerSlam. If it is a quick fix, what exactly is the plan for Lashley?