Bobby Lashley On How His Impact Run Has Helped Him In WWE, Retirement From In-Ring Action
Bobby Lashley recently spoke with Graham Matthews to promote tonight's RAW main event with WWE Champion The Miz. Lashley said he feels like he fits the bill when it comes to what WWE wants out of its world champions, and that the time is right for him to hold the top prize.
Lashley said he checks all the boxes when it comes to being a WWE Champion.
"Ultimately, with the support, I think a lot of people know that I have paid my dues, and when you talk about a WWE champion and everything you put in there, I think I check all the boxes," Lashley said with confidence. "Can you send this guy around the world and have him represent your company in a very professional manner? If you watch Raw, we come in looking clean. The suits I throw together and the way that I walk—we're trying to steal the show without even wrestling.
"Even what I bring to the table: a military background, I graduated college with honors, single father doing my thing and still being able to train and fight. Every aspect of a champion. I check every one of those boxes, and I think everyone understands that. Even though I walk around and do bad things, people know I'm the man, and I have the opportunity to do some big things in this company."
Lashley had runs with TNA/Impact Wrestling from 2009-2010 and then from 2014-2018. He left the company as a four-time Impact World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time X Division Champion, and a one-time (the final) King of the Mountain Champion. He talked about how his strong Impact run set the stage for his WWE return in 2018. He believes the Impact run helped out tremendously.
"I think [that Impact run] helped out tremendously because once you come into WWE and they say you're going to be a champion, there's going to be some uncertainties and insecurities," Lashley said about his Impact run. "'Am I able to carry that ball? Am I able to do it? Am I able to have those big matches with everyone?' Because that's what you need to do as a champion, and when I was in Impact, I had those opportunities."
He continued on about how his breakout performances in Impact gave him the confidence he needed to thrive at the main event level, "There's no question in my mind whether I should be on top or not. Some people already know it. You see Roman [Reigns] walk out there as the head of the table. He can't even look down his chin is so high up. He has that confidence because he's been in those matches with The Undertaker and Brock and all these different people. Same with Drew. Drew's the same way. Drew can't even see people that are under 6'5" because he's so high up right now, and he knows what he's capable of doing. Not everybody has that."
Regarding his future in the business, Lashley knows he's much closer to the end of his career than he is the beginning. He realizes this could be his last opportunity at cementing himself as a main event player for WWE. Lashley said he has a few more years left in the ring, but a lot left that he wants to accomplish.
"I know with my career that's it's not going to be a thing where I have 10, 15, 20 more years," Lashley said. "Some of these guys do, so mine is kind of a sprint right now. I don't mind that. I don't mind ramping it up a little bit because, like I said, I don't have 10 to 15 more years. I have a few more years left. There's a lot of goals I want to accomplish, so I have to go hard. My body's been able to take the abuse I've given it, and I knew I could keep going, so I knew it was my time."