On the go-home edition of AEW Dynamite before Full Gear, Bobby Lashley treated fans to his first professional wrestling match since leaving WWE back in May, working a quick two-on-one match against Joe Keys and Cheeseburger that got fans in Reading, Pennsylvania, excited about what he can do in the ring, and Swerve Strickland all fired up for their showdown at the Prudential Center.
So far, Lashley looks as advertised; he’s big, he’s still very athletic in his movements, and he looks incredibly imposing when standing in the ring wearing a suit, which has helped in a major way to get over his new faction, the Hurt Syndicate.
Discussing the decision to make the jump to AEW and reunite with MVP and Shelton Benjamin in an appearance on Lame Guys podcast, Lashley explained why he chose to make the jump from WWE to AEW, which includes one that may surprise some fans.
“Part of it is because Tony did tell me that I had opportunities to do other things,” Lashley explained via Fightful. “If I do want to tackle that fight and do another fight, whether it’s boxing, bareknuckle, MMA, he’ll give me the opportunity to. Then, all my other projects that I’ve been working on. That was part of it, the opportunity to do other things.”
You know, while most fans may not have thought about how AEW is more open to outside opportunities, he is correct in that assertion, as plenty of stars, from MJF, to Toni Storm, and especially Samoa Joe, have used their scheduling flexibility to do movies, television, and all sorts of other opportunities inside of wrestling and beyond it. Fortunately, Lashley isn’t only looking to be a part-timer in AEW, as he still has some goals in wrestling that should help out the next generation.
Bobby Lashley wants to help put over the future in AEW
Turning his attention to the career goals he still wants to check off now as a member of AEW, Lashley noted that he’s excited to do the Hurt Business 2.0, especially since it can help a whole new generation of talent get over off of his star power.
“Then, I looked at it, and I was like, ‘Man, we talked about Hurt Business and what we could have done with it, the Hurt Syndicate now.’ I was like, ‘If I’m going to go out, there are certain ways I want to go out.’ I didn’t get an opportunity to go out the way that I wanted to, putting guys over having a feud with those guys. Another avenue I could be happy with is to be able to work with P and Shelton again, being able to run with that and have fun with it,” Lashley said.
“Ultimately, we are a group that is good for the company. We have the ability to be able to build talent. If you go into a feud with us or you’re on the mic against P, you have Shelton, me, whoever else we bring on. You have a lot of obstacles. You don’t have to take out all of us because it’s a lot to take out but you can go in there and battle and box with us, it will raise your value and put you at a different level. Ultimately, the numbers might get you, but if you are that guy, you can possibly beat us all. I want to have some fun for the last few years and help some guys and elevate some guys.”
After getting very over very fast in WWE, the promotion’s decision to shut down the Hurt Business while business was still good and never bring them back has to be one of the weirder decisions of the promotion’s last half decade. Fortunately, Tony Khan knew money when he saw it, and Lashley’s match with Strickland is now being advertised as one of the biggest bouts on the show despite no title being on the line.
The post Bobby Lashley reveals the unlikely reason he jumped from WWE to AEW appeared first on ClutchPoints.
