Bobby Lashley and Ethan Carter III (EC3) both finished up their Impact Wrestling commitments in January at the television tapings, and both men seemed headed to the WWE. While EC3 surprisingly showed up in the audience at the NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia , there was no word at the time on Bobby Lashley. The WWE rumors indicated that he was weighing his options between Impact Wrestling, the WWE and continuing to fight in Bellator MMA. Lashley has made his decision. BodySlam.net reported that Lashley has come to terms with the WWE, although his debut date is still unknown.
Bobby Lashley And His History With The WWE
While Ethan Carter III had previously worked with the WWE in their developmental territory as Derrick Bateman, Bobby Lashley was a massive star for the company. As a matter of fact, Lashley was in a huge match at WrestleMania 23 when he beat Umaga, a match that allowed future President Donald Trump to shave the head of WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
In the WWE, Bobby Lashley held the ECW world title twice and the WWE U.S. Championship once, although his most significant moment was the WrestleMania match involving Donald Trump.
When he left the WWE, Bobby Lashley became a four-time Impact Wrestling champion. He also holds a 15-2 record in MMA and is an undefeated 5-0 since entering Bellator. Lashley has won eight MMA fights in a row since his last loss by decision in 2012 at the Super Fight League in India.
Bobby Lashley and His WWE Future
Fans can still watch Bobby Lashley on Impact Wrestling, as the company taped weeks worth of matches in advance. He teamed with Eddie Edwards this last week, but EC3 was also on the most recent TV show, and he made his WWE debut in the audience at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia in January.
With the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view taking place tonight, and no other Monday Night Raw pay-per-view coming before WrestleMania 34 , fans shouldn’t expect Bobby Lashley to show up in the WWE until after WrestleMania .
The WWE could pull the surprise appearance the night after WrestleMania 34 on Monday Night Raw , which could be a massive moment for what is usually the hottest crowd of the year for the WWE. It could also set him up for a major feud, and possibly a monster sendoff match with Brock Lesnar if the current Universal Champion chooses not to re-sign with the WWE.
Dave Meltzer (via Sportskeeda ) reported that the WWE would love a Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar feud if Lesnar chooses to stay with the WWE as well.