WWE Rumors: Former Impact World Champion Could Debut At ‘Royal Rumble’ Tonight, Feud With Brock Lesnar
The wrestling world has their eyes on WWE and tonight’s Royal Rumble, but there are many things which are rumored or uncertain and this one could be huge. Last night at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia, former Impact Wrestling World Champion Ethan Carter III returned to the company, but another former champ could follow him. Gigantic rumors are swirling that Bobby Lashley could return and make his debut tonight and move onto a feud with Brock Lesnar later this year.
There have been a lot of rumors going around before this weekend, and last night, one came true when EC3 returned to the company. After the NXT event, the official website of WWE confirmed that Ethan Carter 3 had signed with WWE and was going to debut in NXT soon.
Now, there is a very good chance that Bobby Lashley will sign with WWE very soon and could even return as soon as this evening. Dave Meltzer said on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, by way of Wrestling Inc., that Lashley is expected to sign with WWE “imminently.”
Lashley was apparently negotiating with both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), but the latter is now out of the picture. Meltzer was not sure just when Lashley would make his return debut to WWE, but it is now said he is “contractually clear to start with WWE immediately.”
It seems as if his contract with Impact Wrestling not ending until the end of Jan. 31 is no longer an issue.
There are reportedly people in both NJPW and Impact Wrestling who believe Bobby Lashley is going to appear in WWE right away.
Meltzer was not sure if Lashley would be the one to answer Bobby Roode’s U.S. Title open challenge tonight at the Royal Rumble or not. What is known is that Lashley could end up starting a program with Brock Lesnar later this year, but it is also just rumored.
As things currently stand, Brock Lesnar’s contract with WWE expires right after WrestleMania 34, but he could stick around until August. Lesnar is also supposed to be told of all opponents and programs ahead of time, but he has not been advised of anything with Lashley as of this time.
It is obvious that WWE would love a program between Lesnar and Lashley with the ability to sell their MMA backgrounds.
As reported by Metro and many other outlets back in December, Bobby Lashley has been rumored for a WWE return for a while now.
Bobby Lashley was last with WWE in 2008 and left on pretty bad terms with some people in the company, but he has confirmed that all is fine now. With his contract done at Impact Wrestling and negotiations with NJPW coming to a halt, it is only a matter of time until he returns to WWE. Now, will he show up tonight at the Royal Rumble or will his second debut be held off a while until he can feud with Brock Lesnar? Those are the rumored questions that need some answers.
