Is Bobby Lashley Torn Between Two Professions?

[2TheMax]

The interview that Lashley had with Mike Tenay a couple weeks ago got me thinking about something for a while. Since supposedly he's making "history" by working as an MMA fighter and TNA wrestler, I always questioned how long that'll last to consider that to be history-making. For example, look at The Rock; The guy was a wrestler and actor around 2001 and then to 2003, he ultimately chose to become a full-time actor. So his time of having two careers only lasted a couple years. I'm also pretty sure that there's been other athletes outside of wrestling have been in that kind of situation as well.

Do you guys think Lashley would last as both MMA fighter and wrestler or would his true passion make his dual-career short-lived?

 

[My$terio_Fan]

I don't think he is torn, as much as creating a safety net. There is not a 100% guarantee that Lashley will make it in the MMA game. And even if he does, you can only be a "top dog" in that sport for a limited time, before injuries and all the new guys, make you step aside.

So I think it's smart for Lashley to get into TNA and establish himself there. If his MMA thing doesn't work out, I could see him having a successful run there. But if the MMA thing does work out, and he becomes a star in that proffession, I think he would gladly kiss TNA goodbye. The UFC pays alot more than TNA does, and it's more exposure.

So I don't see this "dual careers" lasting, he'll either drop TNA once he's a huge star, or once he fails at MMA, he'll come back to TNA. But at the mean time, he'll probably do both while testing the waters(like the rock did with his movie career).

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I agree with mysterio_fan that he's not "torn."

Lashley is taking advantage of an opportunity few have. First off TNA will promote his MMA fights so thats a bonus for him, but more importantly it gives me a steady check and continues to make him relevant in case his MMA career doesn't turn out or he doesn't make it to UFC for the big money. If he gets up to the UFC level and continues to win I'm sure he'd choose MMA over TNA, probably because UFC wouldn't allow him to also wrestle, and he would likely make more money in UFC (potentially).

Right now, with him in the "lower levels" of MMA him being in TNA probably only helps everyone involved.

 

[klunderbunker]

A lot like what M_F said, I'd think he's just trying to capitalize while he can. He's not a huge MMA star, but he's beaten what's been set in front of him so far, so he's done as well as possible. However, in MMA, even two losses in a row and your career can be thrown into reverse. With Lashley, if he loses to any low level fighter, he's going to be downgraded tremendously. His time is shorter there as like MF said, the window is simply smaller. In professional wrestling, he could go for years. Look at people like HBK or Undertaker who are wrestling in their mid 40s. I'd assume Lashley is in his late 20s to early 30s. If he sticks around, he could go for almost 15 more years. That's a very long time and a lot of paychecks he could get. He's being very wise by trying to make a big name for himself in MMA but also being in TNA. If nothing else, he's a name in TNA now. He's got a reputation there, which means that if he can't fight anymore, he's got something right there to fall back on. TNA wins as if he becomes a big MMA star, they can point to him and say look at what we have. If he joins UFC for say 3 years and TNA is still around, I can't imagine they wouldn't accept him with open arms. It's a win/win situation.

 

[The Gribbler]

Yeah he is only 33 which in the wrestling game means you still have a whole lot of time. All I can do is reiterate because pretty much all the posters above have nailed it. He is making sure that he has a viable source of income no matter what happens in the next few years.

 

[gd]

I don't know if he's torn, TNA is more of a backup plan. Lashely hasn't really done much in MMA thus far. Sure he's won a few matches, but they weren't against anyone great. I bet he will continue to focus his time and efforts on MMA while working in TNA to get a paycheck.

If he is ablet to make it big someday, as a star in the UFC or something, I doubt he will continue as a pro wrestler. I don't think any major MMA promoter, especially Dana White, would allow Lashely to do so. However, since he's in a smaller promotion, they welcome the publicity from him being in TNA.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Nah, he's not torn I don't believe. TNA is, at least for now, just something of a side project for Bobby Lashley. It's something for him to do in between MMA fights. Now, since it's common for a lot of MMA fighters to fight only a few times a year, Lashley's presence in TNA means a steady paycheck. To be honest, I doubt that TNA ranks all that high among Lashley's priorities at this time when compared to the MMA.

Lashley isn't all that big of an MMA star right now, but he very well could be if he lands with the UFC. If that happens, I very much expect him to tell TNA and pro wrestling in general goodbye for the next few years, depending on how well he does. The MMA already rags on Lashley and Lesnar for their pro wrestling backgrounds for some reason. Both are great athletes and have proven to be dominant MMA competitors as well. Brock Lesnar is probably the single biggest thing to happen to MMA and hardcore MMA fans absolutely despise him for that. Plus, if Lashley went to the UFC and reached a level of success comparable to Brock Lesnar, then he'd probably wind up making somewhere in the realm of $500,000 bucks a night. I think that's what Lesnar's payout was during his last fight against Frank Mir. If Lashley gets to the point where he can make six figures in one night, he definitely doesn't need TNA.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I'm not sure if Bobby is just a smart guy, or if he has the right people in his ear, but this turned out to be a smart move. It's a win win, either he succeeds in MMA and waves bye bye to Pro Wrestling, or he fails and has a pretty solid career to fall back on. But you know, there is a slight chance he really does love wrestling, just not very likely. He has the opportunity to be a star in what the general public considers to be a real sport.

 

[Freddy4190]

I've seen some of Lashley's fights. He's not that bad of a fighter, very green.. but what do you expect? Lashley's a great wrestler imo, he may not have had a gimmick, or his character very flashy or whatever, or been able to cut a amazing promo but he got the job done. We know he can perform well in wrestling, maybe give him a formidable opponent in MMA to see what he can really do.