WWE News: Bobby Lashley Opens Up About Alleged Racism And Bullying Over Current Storyline
Bobby Lashley and Lana’s onscreen love affair on Monday Night Raw has not been a very popular storyline for a lot of WWE fans. But while most of these people may dislike the angle because they see it as tacky or tasteless, a number of individuals have apparently taken issue with the fact that it features an African American man and a Caucasian woman in a romantic relationship, as Lashley suggested in a recent interview.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso in an interview published on Monday, Lashley touched base on several topics but mostly discussed his on-air wedding with Lana, which he described as the “biggest thing that has ever happened on TV” ahead of its airing on this week’s episode of Raw. Prior to that, however, Barrasso asked the Lashley if he’s received any negative attention for being in a fictional interracial relationship with Lana, who, in real life, is still married to fellow Raw superstar Rusev.
While Lashley admitted that he has received a “tremendous amount of hate” over his role in the storyline, including several racist comments from fans, he stressed to Barrasso that he doesn’t let the negativity affect him.
“It’s from the fact that this is interracial, because I’ve had guys saying the n-word to me and, ‘I’m going to kill you, we’re going to get you when you come down south.’ I just kind of sit back and laugh about it. I’ve even experienced some people that are in the business of wrestling — tweeting things and posting pictures, and I just sit back and laugh.”
IT'S RUSEV DAY AFTER ALL!!!!!#RAW #LanaLashleyWedding @RusevBUL pic.twitter.com/TfGWdku7XZ
— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2019
Further elaborating on how these fans have purportedly mistreated him, Lashley added that bullying victims don’t necessarily have to be “frail.” This, he said, is evidenced by how someone of his impressive physical stature and someone as “gorgeous” as Lana have both been picked on in recent weeks.
As noted above, Lashley made those comments before his storyline with Lana took another unexpected turn, one where the long-absent Liv Morgan interrupted the wedding to reveal that she was in a relationship with “The Ravishing Russian” before getting unceremoniously dumped. Recent rumors suggest that there may be even more controversial twists to follow, as WWE owner Vince McMahon might keep the angle running until WrestleMania 36 in April.
Prior to Lashley’s interview with Sports Illustrated’s Barrasso, Lana also opened up about the abuse she has been receiving from fans, revealing last month that she and her onscreen lover have both gotten death threats via email, including one which she shared on her Instagram stories.
