by Brian Phelps
At TNA Lockdown, Bobby Lashley returned to accept Ethan Carter's open challenge. A great surprise return for TNA, but it lacked any real pomp and circumstance. With the return of Lashley, the question on a lot of people's minds is can he make a difference in TNA?
The answer is yes. Lashley is just what the doctor ordered for TNA. He's a guy who never reached his full potential in WWE, and it helps that Bobby Lashley has one of the greatest all-around looks in the history of professional wrestling. The guy looks like he was sculpted out of stone by Michelangelo himself. In terms of appearance, he's as visually marketable as John Cena or The Rock. He looks like a legitimate movie star.
The big question mark about Lashley has never been his talent or appearance though. The big "if" about Lashley is whether or not he'll stick around. To me, Lashley has developed a reputation for not sticking with anything for more than a year or two. He spent about 2 1/2 years on WWE TV between 2005 and 2008. He joined TNA and was going to do both MMA and TNA simultaneously, but didn't even last a full year in TNA and only wrestled a few matches. Let's call it what it is. His initial TNA run was a dud. He then bounced from one MMA promotion to the next for a few years. Between pro wrestling and MMA over the last 5 years, Bobby Lashley has signed with TNA, IGF (Inoki Genome Federation), Maximum Fighting Championship, Strikeforce, Titan Fighting Championships, Shark Fights, and the World Series of Fighting. That's 7 different contracts in 5 years. Now, that's not all Bobby's fault. Some of the companies went under, and some of them jerked him around but still.
It seems like Bobby never sticks with anything long enough to become the very best, and its crazy because he should be the face of WWE or TNA right now. I don't know if Bobby just gets bored after a year or two, has a bad business manager, or if he just has weird luck. From TNA's perspective, Bobby Lashley is a HUGE pick up... but he's a risky investment because he's so far proven unreliable for the long run. The one thing TNA has going for them this time around is that Bobby Lashley is now 37 years old. That means unless he's the second coming of Randy Couture that his window to become an MMA Superstar is starting to close. However, in pro wrestling, a 37 year old still has 5 to 7 more prime years left, especially if your work schedule is managed correctly which it would be no problem for Bobby working a TNA schedule.
The other great thing is that Lashley still has untapped potential in pro wrestling. He is a former ECW World Champion and WWE United States Champion, but he never won "the big one" (WWE Championship or WHC). It's still mind boggling to think about that given his amazing look and solid wrestling ability. I always said that Bobby Lashley could've been not only the greatest and most marketable African American superstar of all-time, but one of the greatest of all-time PERIOD.
I sincerely hope that Lashley is going to stick with TNA for the long haul. He needs to be for TNA what John Cena is for WWE, now more than ever. He needs to prove that he's more than a flash in the pan in pro wrestling. More than a "what could've been" story. Lashley is the perfect face of the company for TNA. He has all the credentials, the look, and has a good reputation in the business. He's the perfect guy to promote the TNA product especially in the media. In return, TNA could promote Lashley's nutrition business. It could and SHOULD be win win for both parties. Fingers crossed that Lashley stays.
