Bobby Lashley has option to pursue outside opportunities in AEW

Bobby Lashley

Keeping the door open for outside projects is one of the reasons that Bobby Lashley decided to sign with AEW.

Before making AEW his new pro wrestling home, the 48-year-old Lashley mentioned that he also had offers on the table for MMA and boxing. He told The Lame Guys Podcast that those avenues are still a possibility if he decides to pursue them. Lashley also has a new YouTube series called Phenoms to Legends that he enjoys doing.

“I think part of it was because Tony [Khan] did tell me that I had [the] opportunity to do other things also. So if I do want to really tackle that fight and do another fight — whether it’s boxing, bareknuckles, MMA — I think he’ll give me the opportunity to. Then all my other projects also that I’ve been working on,” Lashley said. “So I think that was part of it, just having the ability to do other things.”

Reuniting with MVP and Shelton Benjamin as The Hurt Syndicate is another reason why Lashley signed with AEW. Lashley believes the faction is good for AEW and can help the wrestlers they work with. He wants to have fun and elevate people in his last few years of wrestling.

Lashley called his new boss Tony Khan a genuinely good person who is great for the wrestling industry.

“I think he’s great for the sport of wrestling — or the business of wrestling, however you want to look at it. But I think he really is a genuine dude. In the wrestling business it’s scary because it’s like, ‘Don’t let your guard down, don’t let your guard down [laughs].’ But he has been, man. I’ve seen the guy go around, and he genuinely loves wrestling and he loves the guys in wrestling. So when you come in, like, he knows about everything that you’ve ever done. He’s like an encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge. And he actually treats people really well,” Lashley said.

“And I’m not saying I didn’t get treated well over at WWE, because by far I was treated really well. I made it to big levels, I held huge titles in WWE, and I was able to learn a lot. It’s just two different companies. And over at AEW — I think in my career where it is right now — I think it’s really good for me.”

Lashley said his initial plan before joining AEW was to work one or two more years with WWE before retiring. He wanted to have The Street Profits eventually turn against him before Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford took him out at the end of his career. Lashley said Dawkins, Ford, Austin Theory, and LA Knight are people he wanted to put over.

In AEW, Lashley is looking forward to having fun, helping the promotion, and having feuds with some opponents that people haven’t even thought about.

Lashley vs. Swerve Strickland is taking place at AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view this Saturday. Last night, Lashley made his AEW in-ring debut on Dynamite by squashing Cheeseburger & Joe Keys.