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Bobby Lashley will be walking into WrestleMania as the WWE Champion for the first time in his career. In the main event of Night 1 at WrestleMania 37, he will defend the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.
It will only be a little over a month into Bobby Lashley's reign as WWE Champion. The Almighty Era began on March 1st when Lashley submitted The Miz - who turned out to be a transitional Champion with an 8-day WWE Title reign.
There are a lot of different arguments on both sides as to whether Bobby Lashley should retain the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Here are a few reasons from both sides of the coin.
#3. Why Bobby Lashley should retain: Setting up a potential Brock Lesnar match for SummerSlam
Bobby Lashley vs Brock Lesnar is the match virtually all fans want to see. Bobby Lashley even admitted the primary motive for his 2018 WWE return was to have the dream match against Brock Lesnar.
The timing hasn't been great for Bobby Lashley. Brock Lesnar is set to miss his first WrestleMania since returning to WWE in 2012 and there hasn't been much news about his WWE status.
Having taken a full year away from WWE, over half a year has passed since Brock Lesnar's contract expired. WWE simply opted not to re-sign Brock Lesnar, not knowing when crowds will return.
While the argument of not wanting to utilize Brock Lesnar for "smaller" shows without fans is understandable, WrestleMania 37 would have been a perfect time for his return.
WWE seems confident Brock Lesnar is done with the UFC, and if crowds are to return post-WrestleMania, then it's a good reason to keep the WWE Championship on Bobby Lashley.
A reign until SummerSlam at the very least would set up a dream match between the two superstars at the second biggest show of the year.
#3. Why Bobby Lashley shouldn't retain: Fans may get bored of his title reign fast
There are a few superstars who benefited from the lack of crowds in WWE's COVID-era, and Bobby Lashley is one of them. Bobby Lashley's run in WWE post-WrestleMania 36 has been a huge success. It started from an alliance with MVP, bloomed into him becoming a faction leader, progressed with him having a long run with the United States Championship, and peaked with his WWE Championship reign and a spot in the WrestleMania 37 main event.
However, Bobby Lashley's promo ability and overall character still wouldn't be as strong with live crowds, and there's a high chance of the aura of his WWE Title reign wearing down post-WrestleMania. One great way to keep momentum as the World Champion is to have excellent PPV matches.
Drew McIntyre had that throughout both his WWE Title reigns in 2020-2021, but Bobby Lashley may not be able to do the same. This could play a role in negatively affecting WWE's ratings and the subsequent decision to take the title off of him. Drew McIntyre is a safer option from a PPV-quality and ratings standpoint.
#2. Why Bobby Lashley should retain: A fresh heel WWE Championship run
In the last few years, only a handful of superstars have had reasonably lengthy reigns as WWE Champions. Bobby Lashley should be one of them. When looking at the heel WWE Champions in the last few years, Jinder Mahal and Brock Lesnar stand out.
Jinder Mahal's reign wasn't highly-revered, but it set-up a year-long reign for AJ Styles, where he went on to become the longest-reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.
Brock Lesnar's run as WWE Champion between 2019-2020 was a long but ordinary run that culminated with the coronation of Drew McIntyre. Bobby Lashley has what it takes to be a truly dominant heel WWE Champion. With Drew McIntyre having enjoyed possession of the WWE Title for most of last year, perhaps a heel WWE Title run is what RAW needs.
It will also help elevate Bobby Lashley to the next level if he is to face a superstar of Brock Lesnar's caliber.
#2. Why Bobby Lashley shouldn't retain: He isn't as powerful without The Hurt Business
WWE made a controversial decision by splitting the original line-up of The Hurt Business, as Bobby Lashley seemingly fired Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. The Hurt Business was not only the best faction WWE has seen in years, but it helped elevate the careers of three men - with Bobby Lashley benefiting the most.
While the decision to disband the original Hurt Business line-up is unpopular, the move was likely made to get more heat on Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 37 when crowds will be present. There was a high chance of Bobby Lashley getting cheered over the babyface Drew McIntyre.
However, it's a decision that could hurt Bobby Lashley, especially heading into WrestleMania 37. The Hurt Business played a huge role in elevating Bobby Lashley to WWE Championship level, and King Corbin is a less-than-suitable replacement for Benjamin & Alexander.
Even if Bobby Lashley's WWE Title reign continues post-WrestleMania, his momentum will likely come to a halt.
#1. Why Bobby Lashley should retain: He deserves more than a transitional WWE Title reign
While Bobby Lashley's momentum could halt post-WrestleMania, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a long Championship reign. Bobby Lashley has been in the wrestling industry for well over a decade-and-a-half and left WWE in 2008.
In his decade away from WWE, Bobby Lashley accumulated an impressive résumé in the world of MMA and wrestling. In MMA, Bobby Lashley has a record of 15-2, winning all five of his bouts with Bellator.
Bobby Lashley even won the TNA/Impact World Heavyweight Championship four times - making him a 5-time World Champion in his wrestling career. This WWE Championship reign shouldn't be similar to Mark Henry's run with the World Heavyweight Title in 2011, where WWE seemed to reward him only for his loyalty to the company.
Bobby Lashley deserves a legitimate run as WWE Champion. Even if this will be his only World Title reign in WWE, it should be a good and long one.
#1. Why Bobby Lashley shouldn't retain: Drew McIntyre deserves a coronation in front of a crowd
As great as Bobby Lashley's resurgent run in 2020 was, it paled in comparison to the importance Drew McIntyre had for WWE. While Drew McIntyre would have likely received a big coronation at WrestleMania 36 if crowds were present, he had his moment taken away from him.
Instead, Drew McIntyre's dream WrestleMania moment happened behind closed doors with no crowd present. Despite this, he didn't dwell about it and went on to become one of the best World Champions WWE has seen in years. He delivered in every single PPV match he was a part of - including one against Bobby Lashley at Backlash 2020.
Bobby Lashley's reign as WWE Champion might be transitional just to give Drew McIntyre his moment at WrestleMania. Drew McIntyre certainly deserves his big moment in front of a crowd, and after the year he had in 2020, Bobby Lashley may have to take a step back.
