What If Lashley Stayed?

[Shawn]

to the Mod's, i hope i put this in a good place it was hard deciding where it belongs.

Anyways, this is my first post, so eveyone be easy on me. So i have been thinking about Bobby Lashley's run with WWE. Now i heard the reason he left was because of some racial comments made to him. I dont know about that really but, what if he stayed where would he be today.

So we know that he was getting a push. He was a former US champ, and ECW Champ. He participated in Wrestlemaina 23 in a big way. He was caught up in a storyline where he was fighting for billionaire Donald Trump against Umaga and Mr. McMahon. Now if McMahon has the confidence to put a man in the ring with him, shave him bald, and compete for the ECW championship with him, then Lashley was a special man. He also started competing for the WWE title with Cena and a 5 man WWE title match. He had a great match with Cena might i add. Then he left all of a sudden, seemingly in the prime of his WWE career for MMA.

I know he wasnt real great on the Mic but still was finding sucess with WWE. He is actually on the cover of my limited edition of WM 23 with Cena and Batista. So my question to you is where would he be today if he didnt leave. Would he on the same level as Orton and Cena?

i personally see him playing a Batista role and be one of the biggest stars in WWE. So do you think he would have kept excelling or would have WWE dropped the ball with him?

 

[♠Spades â™]

I don't about racial comment because there is a wide variety of races in the WWE but I'll be sure to look into that. As for everything else you said, I agree for the most part, he must've been on his way to greatness if was involved with VKM at WM. I honestly do not know if he did stay would he have been elevated to Cena//Orton status because anything could have happened from then to now. So I have no definite answer for you my friend.

 

[This Is My Name Thank You]

I have always wondered this thought myself an was a fan of lashley when he was in WWE. (Not so much as in TNA as he was used in such bad ways it ruined who he was, an im a TNA fan too)

But i think lashley was ment for success in the wwe. He was getting a very nice push an he made the ECW title seem important at the time. He was Just intimadating for his size, power, speed an his strength. I think he could have been in a Batista typle rool but better since he was better then tista. (not a fan of batista)

I believe Bobby would of been a WWE an WHC title holder an among holding the titles for a good length of time just destroying the competition in his way. I was a fan of his version of the spear an actually gave it to my CAW in the SvR games. Lashley would be in ME probally to this day an would of had great matches with anyone.

Im sure people will say he cant talk which he cant an that would hold him back but i doubt that as the op said he fought against VKM.

An i think lashley left to maybe politics in the back or he woke up an said my heart isn't for this. I know he was always intrested in MMA an the E's schedule probally took away the time to train.

SO as i said lashley would be a former WWE an WHC an be in ME feuds an headling a few WM an SS.

 

[BASSER911414]

lashley probably would have been a good replacement for batista. maybe he could have been the face of the wwe with cena right now.

but he needed a bigger push than he was getting. let him have the win against cena. at least he wouldve looked like a big deal then. he was just treated like another person for cena to run through. make him the thing he was against umaga. fighting in the audience. jumping through cages. stuff like that.

hes doing just ok in mma. if u see his matches his first few were good. last two frankly sucked.

he wouldv done good in wwe. i can easily say that he wouldve been big. like bigger than orton big.

 

[mr. jomo risin]

I always wondered about this too. WWE really pushed three guys in 06/07 timespan: Lashley, Kennedy and Umaga, and MVP to a lesser extent and all they all got away. I feel this is a large reason why the company was so strapped for talent the following two years after the vets started to leave.

Anyway, Lashley had the biggest push and would have destined for Heavyweight gold. His one on one with Cena is still one of Cena's best matches I think. Lashley was a monster and would have held the belt multiple times I feel until he attempted to go the way of Lesnar.

I remember reading that he was unhappy with his payday from WM23, getting like 200K and feeling he was much more deserving (but dont quote me), this along with time off for an injury and an MMA opportunity. As for the racist comments, its not a stretch. He was on SD! for some time and Ive heard other stories about Michael Hayes making inappropriate comments towards the talent and stuff.

 

[The Future Rises]

I think he would have been the first ever African American WWE Champion by now if he stayed. He had the look. And that's all Vince cared for. That's why he got pushed to the moon. His in ring skills were mediocre. And his mic skills were down right awful. But like I said Vince liked him anyway cause he thought Lashley had "It".

 

[vthokie8]

I think Lashley would have had a promising career. He was talented and had a good look. I think he would have been a major player on SmackDown possibly still to this day. I would like to have seen how he would have played as a heel. I think for his limited mic skill and his size a heel would have been a better fit for him, but yeah I could see him still being a major player in WWE had he stayed.

 

[holdingholder]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QSkmzZQEg

I think his lack of promo skills is an overused myth. Sure his voice wasn't the manlyist (thats not a word is it) but he had personality and could definitely cut a promo. He definitely had the look and was improving greatly over his time in WWE. If he would have stayed no doubt he would have been a main event staple.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

hmmm its tough idk where he would be i think he might have won the wwe title atleast once but i think the fact he didnt really have mic skills would have ended up killing his career and by now he either would have been fired or he would be mid card level idk thts just me

 

[drobs85]

I agree with the guy who said he took the route of Lesnar. Yes Lashley was bad on the stick but anybody would be who doesn't get a-lot of mic time. But he made up for that in all other aspects, the guy was definitely good in the ring esp for his size and bulkiness, his moves looked painful, he was huge, had the look, and he was over big. I think his run ironically was about the same as Lesnar's length wise maybe 2 years. But Lashley would have easily been WWE champion maybe multiple times. The guy would be extremely big now, he'd have maybe 5 years under his belt by now. I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO NOW, HE WOULDN'T MAKE MUCH OF NOTHING IN TNA, AND HIS MMA CAREER SEEMS TO BE STALLING. MAYBE WWE CAN TALK HIM INTO COMING BACK.

 

[Azane]

Lack of mic skills hurts superstars in the entertainment era.
I unfortunately think he'd be sitting around upper midcard, but never a world class champion, simply because he has Mike Tyson voice syndrome.

His TNA stint was pretty nice to see him as a top guy, but then he sold out to MMA and basically became another TNA statistic. I just can't see him being above a Sheamus level at best, probably would of held a real world title once or twice, but never really amounted to much, since he can't entertain like Cena, Miz, or Orton.

 

[Harthan]

I sincerely doubt Lashley was going anywhere major. Sure, he was getting involved with Cena at the top of the card, but it's not as if he was ever going to end that title reign. His match at the Bash was nothing but a placeholder as the WWE went into its new big program of Cena vs Orton. More or less the same thing as the Cena/Truth feud that went down a few months back. Lashley was pretty much a black Chris Masters (old version, that is, new Masters is awesome). Untalented on the mic, general power meathead in the ring.

If Lashley was still around, he'd probably have bounced between SmackDown and Raw a few times as a general upper midcarder. A few title challenges here and there, doubtful he'd ever have gotten a run with a world title. Definitely a possible IC or US Champion. In today's WWE, he'd be more or less on the level of a Rhodes or Barrett type, methinks. I think he'd have stayed featured (never been regulated to Superstars or ECW, that is) if only because of his look but I can't see the WWE ever making him anything more than a midcard champion.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Some guys you look at and know that if they had stuck around that could have been huge. Take Brock Lesnar. The guy was already a big deal, winning the WWE title and going over greats like the Rock, the Undertaker, Big Show, and Kurt Angle in the process. But if he had stuck around, how different would things be today? You don't shove a force like that down the card and have him job to Santino...

On the other, with somebody like Bobby Lashley, I just have no idea. He was receiving a lot of special attention from Vince McMahon. Obviously he was given tremendous faith and opportunity by the WWE brass. But it's really hard to tell with him, mostly because his mic work was so shotty. Not only was he awkward, but his voice in no way matches his physique. He was dominating, until the second he opened his mouth. Honestly, I wasn't really impressed by him. I know he had some good matches and was a force to be reckoned with, but he didn't do it for me. He wasn't the "total package", and if a guy can't talk I have a hard time investing in his character. That's just me though... A lot of people don't really care about a guy's promo ability.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Lashley would have for sure won the World Title and maybe even WWE title if he had stayed. WWE seemed to really be trying to push him. He knew how to wrestle, having actually been a wrestler in college and he had the look. His downfall was that he could not talk or he couldn't make himself sound believable.

Here's this huge, intimidating black dude, but then he's got a high-pitched voice almost to the point where it became laughable.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

If Lashley had stayed with WWE I believe he would've been in and out of the World Title picture kind of like Mysterio now. I think he would've won a World Title one or two times and would of won the IC or US title a few times. But mainly he would've been a filler in matches like Elimination Chambers, Championship Scramble matched etc for the World Title and would of been in upper mid card feuds. He had a look that Vince is known to love but his mic skills were poor so that would of held him from being up there with guys like Orton and Cena.

 

[Layne22]

Without a shadow of a doubt, I think Lashley would be a world champion at least once. His involvement with the Trump storyline shows to me that the company did have faith in him. At some point, he would have been given the ball to run with.

At the very least, I see him positioned where Sheamus is currently at on Smackdown. Always a threat to be taken seriously without having the title.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Lashley was likely in line for a huge push. He would have made an awesome WWE or World Heavyweight Champion because he had both the size and the skills. Mic skills would have improved over time. I remember hearing he only left because of how his girlfriend was being treated or something. If he had stayed then I think he would have become an upper card heel destroying everyone in his path, ending up back on Smackdown as the World Heavyweight Champion. A rematch against Cena could also have been a good potential Wrestlemania or Summerslam match. Lashley should have come back to WWE instead of going to TNA where he did absolutely nothing.

 

[The Crock]

Had he stuck around I'm sure he would have been a World Champ, at least once. He was a huge wrecking ball type of character, when he beat people down it was actually believable. Sure, he stunk on the mic, but he didn't need to be good. Goldberg wasn't amazing on the mic either, same goes for Lesnar, but they left a path of destruction behind them that was good enough to compensate for that, Lashley did the same.

He was destined for more success, he was fast-tracked to the top, but on the flip side, he was fast-tracked down too. Guys like Lashley don't have a long shelf life, they're entertaining for a while and then it's over, so it's probably for the best that he's gone.

 

[123Garrett]

I was such a HUGE Lashley fan. I think he would of been at least a 2 or 3 time
World Heavyweight/WWE Championship. He wasn't to great on the mic, as we all know. BUT! He was good in the ring.

I preferred him on Smackdown! rather the RAW. He practically carried ECW in the first half of 2007. I was thought he should of returned at the 2008 Royal Rumble and have a World Championship match at Wrestlemania. Him instead of John Cena.

But yeah, enough about that. If Lashley would of been WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. 2 or 3 times.

 

[makeitvab]

I remember it irked me when he said he wasn't being treated right because he was black...

Uh...

ECW Champ for quite a while, a top billed match at Wrestlemania where he got to shave Vince bald and then feud with the Mcmahons for most of the summer while they made his life a living hell..

After losing the strap to Vince he goes and faces Cena at The Bash (I thought it was a decent match, think that show also had the surprisingly great Umaga/Jeff match) He may have had other title shots after that but I believe Kennedy injured him around that time (fucking HATE that douche Kennedy..he also was the one the injured Cena, so 2 top stars in a month or two+all his own injuries) and Lashley never came back.

Oh woe is you Lashley, a lengthy title run, a feud with the boss that included one of the 4 MEs at WM23, and facing the companys top dog. Cry moar Lightning God.

Edit: To stay on topic, I believe he would have had a run or two with the belt, maybe after turning heel simply so they could give him a mouthpiece. Also I feel I should say, I did enjoy him as a powerhouse guy but between his odd voice and his supposedly playing the race card I don't mind him gone.