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What’s the story?
It finally happened; Bobby Lashley turned heel this past Monday on Raw. It was a welcome boost to a superstar who was brought back to the company with much fanfare only to be fed to Roman Reigns.
Anyway, according to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the decision to turn Lashley heel was taken only hours before this week’s Raw went on air and there was a good reason behind the same.
In case you didn’t know…
Lashley was brought back into the company’s fold after almost 10 years and it seemed like the time was right for the former ECW Champion to steamroll his way to the top of WWE. However, all the hype faded away owing to underwhelming feuds with Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns.
In recent weeks, Lashley’s character itself had gotten stale and a reboot was the need of the hour. WWE paired him up with the loudmouthed Lio Rush and predictably pulled the trigger on a heel turn. And the reason isn’t just because of Lashley’s floundering WWE run….
The heart of the matter
The WWE Creative had a lengthy meeting on Monday to discuss Lashley’s immediate future and whether he would fare better as a heel or a face going forward. The Wrestling Observer states that due to the unforeseen injury sustained by Kevin Owens, the roster is lacking top credible heels. To make up for the loss, WWE sanctioned Lashley's turn and did so by having him attack Owens himself. This solved two problems: introduce a new heel and also write off KO from TV in the process.
Owens suffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action for four months. The lay-off period could be extended to eight months that is if the Prizefighter is forced to undergo a major surgery.
Owens’ loss is Lashley’s gain, who has been given a new lease of life. Wait, it gets better. Vince McMahon seems to be specifically interested in this new direction as he was said to be in Lio Rush’s ear via an ear-piece on the recently concluded Raw episode. So whatever you heard coming out from Rush’s mouth were the boss’ words!
What’s next?
The sky is the limit for Lashley from here on. All he needs is some solid booking and the support of the WWE Creative. Too much to ask? Hopefully not!
