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Bobby Lashley seems to be on an unstoppable run in WWE since WrestleMania. No WWE Superstar would want to mess with him in the form that he is in. Lashley had a forgettable WrestleMania but on the subsequent episodes of RAW that have been aired, he has been portrayed as a force to be reckoned with.
Even though Lashley couldn't qualify for the Money in the Bank Ladder match, he had a dominating performance in the gauntlet match that took place to decide Apollo Crews' spot in the ladder match. At the Money in the Bank PPV, Lashley made a surprise appearance when he replaced MVP in a match against R-Truth.
Lashley took out R-Truth in less than two minutes at MITB, giving the WWE Universe signs that he would align with MVP. On the following episode of RAW, it seemed like MVP would get Lashley a shot at the WWE Championship that is currently held by Drew McIntyre.
One has to dig up the history books to remember that last time when Bobby Lashley was the number one contender for WWE's top prize. It has been a long wait indeed, but even if Lashley is named as McIntyre's challenger in the coming weeks, it would be premature. And here's why.
#5 Drew McIntyre's story and popularity
Drew McIntyre's journey in the WWE is one that makes you feel like nothing is impossible to achieve in the world. A man who was introduced as Vince McMahon's Chosen One in 2009 wasn't accepted by the WWE fans. No matter how hard WWE tried, the fans didn't accept McIntyre as the future of the business. This led to a tepid run that ended with him as a part of 3MB.
McIntyre took this as a lesson and went on to wrestle all over the world to only return to the WWE four years later and prove the WWE fans, the same that wouldn't give him a second look, wrong. He was repackaged and depicted as a monstrous heel and the rest is history.
Two years since his second run in WWE, Drew McIntyre is the WWE Champion. Compare this story to Bobby Lashley's. It isn't that Lashley hasn't achieved insurmountable feats in his career, but WWE hasn't given the fans a chance to act on them.
Putting Lashley in a match against the WWE Universe's beloved McIntyre would see Lashley losing the match, making him an afterthought. Even if WWE do decide to go with Lashley as the Champion, it is too early for the fans to get behind him and leave McIntyre's side.
#4 The WWE fans aren't sold on Bobby Lashley yet
Bobby Lashley is a beast in the ring and his talent hasn't been restricted to the Pro-Wrestling world. He has been a dominant MMA fighter as well. He is a single crew-wrecking machine and WWE needs to show its audience how destructive Lashley can be.
Lashley's matches in the WWE right now aren't anything the fans would be glued to. When he made his return on the RAW after WrestleMania 34, the crowd was excited to see him face then Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Here we are two years later and neither has Lashley had a match against Lesnar nor has he even challenged for the WWE or Universal Championships.
Lashley has run through many opponents but when it comes to giving him the main event feud that would make fans notice him, WWE has dropped the ball. The fans were all over him when he returned but somewhere down the line, the fans lost that fire they had for him.
#3 Bobby Lashley hasn't had a major feud since his return
Bobby Lashley made his return to WWE in 2018 to roars of the WWE fans. But sadly, he hasn't had a major rivalry since then. On the night of his return, he interrupted and beat down Elias while the WWE Universe chanted, "Welcome back".
He was a part of many tag team matches that led to a feud with Sami Zayn that wasn't well-received by the fans. The feud ended up as a comedy act that did nothing good for neither Lashley nor Zayn. After his feud with Zayn ended, it looked like WWE was building him up to challenge for the Universal Championship when he beat Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules 2018. This didn't lead to much as he lost to Reigns in a number one contender's match at SummerSlam.
He has, however, captured the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions but his reigns lasted for a miserly 34 and 27 days, respectively. Just when you'd think Lashley was one who would take WWE to newer territories, he is put back in unconvincing storylines.
#2 No depth in Bobby Lashley's character
Bobby Lashley deserves a run that puts him forward as a formidable contender for the WWE Championship. He was closing in on that spot when he had Lio Rush on his side. Rush made Bobby Lashley interesting outside the ring. Lashley's promos weren't the best and WWE took note of that and put Lio Rush on his side.
With Rush on his side, Lashley got more time in front of the WWE fans and captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice. After Rush was removed from Lashley's corner, The All-Mighty hasn't done much that is worth of note.
WWE included him in a feud with Rusev that turned Lana and Rusev's marriage into a love triangle. None of the WWE fans were sold on this angle. But WWE rolled with it for over two months.
Now, finally, that Lashley has MVP on his side, it may be a good time to build Lashley's character from scratch and make him relevant in the eyes of the fans. WWE must build Lashley as a monster who would be a legitimate threat to Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship reign.
#1 A loss will send Bobby Lashley spiraling down
Bobby Lashley's career in the WWE since his return hasn't peaked yet. Some may say that giving him a shot at the WWE Title would be the right path to elevating him to the main event scene. But on the contrary, pitting Lashley against a fan favorite, such as Drew McIntyre, who has an emotional connect with the audience, would only spur bad news for Lashley.
Even if Lashley does contest for the WWE Championship and loses, he will become an afterthought and will be lost in the mix again. Now that he has MVP on his side, Lashley can look to grabbing the attention of the audience and reinventing himself as a monstrous heel, like Brock Lesnar.
A face-off between Lashley and McIntyre would garner more views and would be a more riveting contest than what it would be now. This seems to be the only way that WWE can build the feud of these two behemoths and milk its payout when the time is right.
Who do you think should challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship next? Let us know in the comments section below!
