These are exciting times in the world of professional wrestling as the same folks who championed different brands are gravitating towards the end all-be all of professional wrestling. When the rumor mill is rife with speculation about who WWE’s ambitious scouts will set their sights on next, amidst further talks about WWE purchasing TNA, TNA World Heavyweight champion weighs in on where he stands on the present day issues and the headlines gracing wrestling journals.
On being asked by ESPN whether a move back into the WWE roster is on the cards, Lashley had this to say:
“It does to a certain extent. It would have to be the right deal if it was. I don’t know if there is even an opportunity. There are certain people in the business who may not want you there and that’s why I left the first time. I don’t know if there is even a possibility of going back but their schedule is challenging. A lot of their guys are dealing with that. If I were to go back full-time, it would have to be something we sit down and really piece together and make it make sense...”
Lashley went on to further cite how his family is as much crucial to him as his in-ring career, so he would only be interested in entering the square if Vince and crew have something flexible to sign for on the dotted line. Lashley also added an interesting aspect to the speculation that none had thought of before because, well… Meekmahan rubs shoulders with the likes of Trump!
On asked if the fate of TNA was gasping its last few breath:
“Yes, because one thing people don’t understand is that Dixie Carter is not broke. She was never close to being broke. Her parents are billionaires so it’s not like they don’t have the money. They are just trying to make the right deal and that’s what we have known all along. I think it’s just one of those deals where this is business and it’s going to happen every year. For at least the past five or six years that I have known, around that end of the year point there’s always this, “Oh no, is TNA going to be sold? Is TNA going here? Is TNA going there?”
And then next thing you know, bam, everything is fine and then we run again. And then the next year it’s the same question. I don’t know why it’s the same deal every year and it gets to that point. I think right now they are just trying to make the right deals with the right people. I know a lot of people have their hands in the pot and a lot of people are trying to pitch different things. Whenever the deal is done, it’s done.”
WWE buying out TNA would be the first of its kind actual hostile takeover that my generation, the 90s born Cactus Jacks and Jills that is, would get to witness. We were still too young when the first brand merger occurred at the end of the Monday Night Wars. That was well within the clasp of kayfabe; this, fellas is the real shebang!
If WWE were to buy out TNA, they would gain a roster full of undiluted characters that have been ‘over’ with the crowd long before gracing the big leagues. Case in hand, AJ Styles. How much of an, err, impact, do you think the likes of Lashley, Ethan Carter III or erstwhile WWE favorites Brother Nero [Jeff Hardy], [Broken] Matt Hardy and Aaron Rex [Damien Sandow] have? Wouldn’t a match between Kane and Abyss be a wrestling fan's wet dream?!
To add fuel to fire, now TNA’s roster option has disappeared from the website. Jericho had a few days ago lent a small amount of hope out of his 15, 000-dollar jacket to fans when he said there is a small chance that CM Punk’s tryst with WWE might not be over yet. Here’s what Lashley had to say about Punk’s recent exploits:
“I understand what he was trying to do, I just don’t know exactly if he was prepared for it. I take my hat off to him for going out there but CM Punk really didn’t come from an athletic and competitive background like myself. It was kind of a different situation.”
Bobby Lashley was a revered character and has always drawn comparisons with Brock Lesnar for his in-ring skills and background. He left the roster under disputed circumstances where some claimed he hated the lackluster clichéd storylines his character was getting, while Lashley himself later tried to explain that it was an amicable parting of ways. What remains to be seen is will Lashley bring the fight in-side the hallowed WWE ring one more time?
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