Bobby Lashley is one of the biggest names to walk away from the WWE in a while, and I think many saw it as a tremendous loss. Lashley was honored by former wrestlers and fans when the news became official. Around that same time, there was a lingering rumor regarding what led to one of the company's former main-eventers doing very little in the new era of wrestling. Lashley just made some pointed comments, partially in regard to his Gunther feud pitch, but there's more to this situation than meets the eye.
It seemed like ever since Bobby Lashley missed out on a match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 39, he lost all the momentum he had as a top performer. Eventually, the performer decided he was tired of waiting for a shot at upcoming WWE events and wanted to pursue endeavors elsewhere. Lashley spoke about that during an appearance on The Lame Guys Podcast. Unfortunately, I feel like the quote many fans are seeing sounds much worse without context. So let's talk this out.
Via The Internet, The Wrestling Community Is Criticizing Bobby Lashley's Rejected Pitch For A Gunther Feud
During the interview, Bobby Lashley talked about how he was underutilized on the main event scene in the final chunk of his run. The star also recalled how he didn't seem to be getting the same matches against like Cody Rhodes and other champs that AJ Styles and others were getting. In an attempt to get worked into a prominent storyline, Lashley had a thought as to how he could insert himself into a feud with Gunther:
I was like, 'I want to roll up on him, and I want Gunther to say, 'People like you don't deserve a chance at my title.'' People would have been like, 'What did he say?' We would have toed that line. If you think about the German and these black dudes. 'Is there a little bit of racial tension there?' We didn't have to go there, 'What do you mean by 'People like you.'' He could be like, 'Older guys in wrestling.' The crowd would have been like, 'Uhhh, did he say that?' Then I was going to say, 'I think you look familiar,' and do one of these [Holds his thumb, indicating a mustache]. There it is! I don't know if we could have went there, but if we could have.
This quote is making rounds on the Internet, with many likening it to a racially and culturally insensitive angle that the WWE might've done decades ago. Here are some of the reactions on X to people who saw the quote:
- Bobby Lashley must’ve been losing his mind for the past 2 years in WWE because since he left we’ve learned that he wanted to shoot fight karrion kross and have gunther be racist to him on screen. - @collixioncowboy
- Bobby Lashley in AEW will be great as long as he doesn't get a crazy amount of creative freedom. - @WrestlingHumble
- Congrats to Bobby - That is a Gobbledy Gooker level of cringe! Tony, don't let this man have creative control over his character. - @Wes_Macc
That's just a small sample size of many wrestling fans who agreed Bobby Lashley's angle wasn't right for the WWE, or modern pro wrestling in general. It seems pretty wild at face value but, in context, I think it's not as bad as people believe.
Bobby Lashley's Angle Was Audience-Implied Racism, But Innocent In Character
I feel like it's easier to understand hearing Bobby Lashley actually explain the idea, because it sounds more like a comedy bit than an offensive angle. Basically, the angle hinged on the audience assuming both characters were being racist, but there was actually not any racial tension between them at all.
Ultimately, I'd still speculate it's a risky enough angle that the modern WWE would not pursue it. However, it's far removed from other racially charged angles the organization had done previously.
Bobby Lashley Was Desperate To Get Back Into WWE's Main Event Scene
The real story here is that Bobby Lashley was desperate towards the end of his run in WWE to get a main event feud, and he felt the company wasn't interested in putting him into that position. It seems logical, since he hadn't had a super meaningful feud since taking on Brock Lesnar, and his faction, The Pride, had very little momentum.
While wrestling fans may not agree with his ideas to get over, I don't think many would disagree that it was strange to see "The Dominator" not in the spotlight ahead of his departure. We had him in CinemaBlend's Top 7 to dethrone Roman Reigns when he still was still in the middle of his massive title reign. It's disappointing to how his run ended and, hopefully, we'll see him return to wrestling at some point.
Check out some of Bobby Lashley's past matches with a Peacock Premium subscription and keep tabs on what his next move is regarding pro wrestling. I'm assuming we'll see him in AEW soon, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.
