Bobby Lashley may be the baddest man on the WWE roster

Bobby Lashley has opened up about a potential return to combat sports in an idea that could be the angle to valut him to stronger status on the WWE roster.

Combat sports and professional wresting are odd cousins, regardless of what fans of both industries may say. Professional wrestling looks to emulate the sporting aspect while mixing in the storytelling found in soap operas.

Look across the wrestling industry today and many of the biggest stars have a history with MMA in some fashion. Names such as Brock Lesnar, Shayna Baszler, Ronda Rousey immediately come to mind, but Thunder Rosa and Kushida also show just how ingrained the two industries are.

Bobby Lashley is yet another name that has dabbled in MMA and his recent desires to take a bare knuckle boxing match show that WWE has a competitive and talented professional on their hand that could be much bigger than his current placement on the roster.

More from Daily DDT

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline

Lashley’s track record is well known. He’s held wrestling championships in organizations like the WWE and TNA. Back in 2007, he reached the number seven position in the PWI 500, a kayfabe but still intriguing annual listing of the top men and women in the industry.

Not only has Lashley found success in the scripted fighting world, but he’s fought for major mixed martial arts organizations like Strikeforce and Bellator. He may not have the credentials of Lesnar, Rousey or Shayna Baszler, but the respect for his MMA career is truly there.

But it seems like his journey into combat sports isn’t over. While appearing on The Bump, a WWE-talk show on the WWE Network, Lashley hinted that he has interest in competing in a bare-knuckle boxing match.

“Man, I’m very basic. I’m a fighter, I love to fight, I love to compete. I wrestled my entire life, amateur wrestled my entire life,” Lashley said. “I’ve been fighting, I mean, I just met with the bare-knuckle guys and talked to them about possibly doing a bare knuckles fight, maybe next year if Vince allows me to do it. I like to fight, I like to train, I like to fight, and I like to wrestle.”

For those unaware, Bare Knuckle FC is a young promotion that books two fighters in boxing matches with nothing more than hand wraps. The brutal contests have slowly gained popularity but is still a marginalized space in combat sports.

Lashley’s desire to find another way to challenge himself shows that he has much more to offer than what is shown on WWE content each week. Instead of being bogged down in pointless love affair angles with Lana, Lashley could easily be booked as a true threat to the top men in the organization like Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns and others.

Unfortunately, the decision makers behind who gets pushed to the top or not haven’t pulled the trigger on Lashley, even though he’s shown he can carry a promotion. Just look back to his time as a champion in TNA where he developed a character and put on strong performances in the ring.

The WWE is continually looking for a “star” that can draw in fans. At this time, Lashley isn’t the draw he should be, but that could be repaired through thoughtful booking. Will we ever see Lashley step back into the world of real fighting?

Don’t count that idea out, but the WWE should leverage that and his history in combat sports to elevate him now before its too late. It would be a sad story if he’s yet another wrestler that’s potential was left untapped for all the wrong reasons.