Bobby Lashley

At 48 years old, Bobby Lashley has this physical status:

Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.

He is currently signed to WWE, where he appears on the Raw brand under the ring name Bobby Lashley. During Lashley's first stint with WWE, he was a two-time ECW World Champion and a one-time United States Champion.

Lashley is also known for his wrestling action in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling, where he was a four-time TNA/Impact World Champion and a one-time X Division champion and the tenacious King of the Mountain Champion.

Lashley will be a two-time Intercontinental Champion after returning to WWE in 2018.

Lashley has won a total of eleven titles, six of which were world championships, and has also headlined multiple pay-per-view tournaments.

Early life

Franklin Roberto Lashley was born in Junction City, Kansas, on July 16, 1976, the son of a US Army drill sergeant. Lashley is of Panamanian descent. He grew up in a single parent household with a mother who barely spoke English and was having trouble finding a good job. As of 2015, he has three older sisters, one of whom is still serving in the US Air Force. The family will often change from one military base to another. Although his father was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, Lashley attended Fort Riley Middle School, where he was introduced to amateur wrestling in seventh grade as an off-season alternative to football. He later graduated from Junction City High School, where he continued to wrestle. He attended Missouri Valley College, where he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Wrestling Champion in the 177 lbs class in 1996, 1997, and 1998, and 1999, and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in human-service agency leadership and recreation administration.

After college, he joined the United States Army and continued to participate in amateur wrestling in the army's World Class Athlete Program. He won a gold and silver medal in the International Military Sports Council's senior freestyle wrestling competition after three years in the Army. Lashley experienced a bank robbery and was forced to duck for cover to avoid gunshots during his 2004 Olympic Games; it ended his amateur career.

Personal life

Kyra, Lashley's first daughter, was born in 2005. Kristal Marshall, a former WWE wrestler with whom he had a son named Myles in 2008 and a daughter named Naomi in 2011.

Lashley has been involved in various business ventures. In 2007, he opened a health smoothie store. He announced the creation of the Lashley Network of websites in July 2009, which included his official gym, nutrition store, and social media pages. He said in a press release announcing the launch that he wanted to keep his name and brand in the public eye so he could continue to be the best MMA fighter in the game.

Source

Professional wrestling career

Lashley made his WWE debut in January 2005, when he was called Blaster Lashley in a WWE developmental territory. Lashley appeared at four live events for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), competing in dark matches for both Raw and SmackDown in mid-2005. He made his television debut on SmackDown on September 23, 2005. Under his real name, he was announced as a three-time National Amateur Wrestling Champion, four-time All-American, two-time Armed Forces Champion, and a 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championship. He defeated Simon Dean, whom he also defeated in his first match at No Mercy on October 9, who fought him in his pay-per-view debut. Lashley defeated Orlando Jordan in a qualifying match for a spot on Team SmackDown on November 11 of SmackDown! On November 27, he was the first to be banned, but his team eventually triumphed the tournament.

Lashley was the first SmackDown on January 6, 2006. The wrestler will qualify for the Royal Rumble in that year. Lashley, the eighth wrestler to audition for the Royal Rumble on January 29, but was disqualified by the combination of Raw's then World Tag Team Champions Big Show and Kane. Following the Royal Rumble, Lashley formed a rivalry with John "Bradshaw" Layfield, leading to a match at No Way Out on February 19, where Lashley suffered their first defeat in singles competition, largely due to Finlay's intervention. This resulted in a feud between Lashley and Finlay, which lasted throughout February and March, and Finlay's victory over a lumberjack contest on the March 17 episode of SmackDown!

On the March 24 episode of SmackDown, the royal defeated a "Last Chance" battle royal. Lashley defeated MNM for his first WrestleMania (WrestleMania 22) in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Rob Van Dam.

Lashley next entered SmackDown!

King of the Ring tournament 2006, he defeated Mark Henry and Finlay in the finals, making it to the finals. However, Booker T was defeated by Finlay in the final round, which took place on May 21. Lashley speared Booker into the throne as Booker was crowned during his coronation. These acts developed into a feud between the newly named "King Booker" and other representatives of his court (Queen Sharmell, Finlay, and William Regal). Lashley won his first professional wrestling title by defeating JBL for the United States Championship on May 26 episode of SmackDown!, a few months later after losing to Finlay on July 14 on SmackDown! Lashley's doctor told the Lashley family that they were unable to perform shortly after losing the championship, stating that during an annual examination, the liver enzymes were found to be elevated and therefore, would not be allowed to wrestle until further study. Lashley returned to SmackDown a few weeks later. No Mercy's roster continued his court feud and gained his first match for the World Heavyweight Championship against King Booker on October 8. Batista and Booker's ally, Finlay, was later turned into a four-way match. After defeating Finlay, King Booker took the match after defeating Finlay.

Lashley became part of the ECW on November 14, 2006. He debuted on the website by making a surprise appearance at sign-up for the final spot in the Extreme Elimination Chamber tournament for the ECW World Championship in December to Dismember. Lashley, the fifth person to be able to compete in Test and The Big Show by pinfall, making him the first African-American to win the title and the third overall African-American world champion in WWE history. Lashley went on to win the ECW World Championship, then went on to win the title defenses against Big Show competitors Rob Van Dam, Test, Hardcore Holly, Kenny Dykstra, and Mr. Kennedy. Lashley became the first and only person to crack Chris Masters' Masterlock hold on March 19, 2007, making him the first and only person to ever beat the Masterlock Challenge.

Lashley was chosen by Donald Trump in early 2007 to appear as the guest referee in a "Battle of the Billionaires" match against Vince McMahon's representative, Umaga, which also featured Vince's long-time rival Stone Cold Steve Austin as the guest referee. In a hair vs. StrestleMania 23 on April 1st. Lashley's hair was shaved off, and afterward, they helped Trump and Austin cut McMahon's head, helping the match's losing stipulation, saving Donald Trump's hair from being shaved off. Mr. McMahon, who booked himself, his son Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a 3-on-1 handicap match against Lashley at Backlash on April 29, the ECW World Championship. Mr. McMahon tagged himself into the match and pinned Lashley to victory after two high-impact diving splashes from Umaga. Lashley suffered his shoulder during the match, and after an investigation, it was discovered that he had a bad rotator cuff but not need surgery at the time. Lashley defeated Vince, Shane, and Umaga in a 3-on-1 handicap match on May 20, but did not win the tournament because he pinned Shane rather than Vince; as a result, Mr. McMahon retained the title. Lashley defeated Vince McMahon in a street fight for a second term, making Lashley the first man to win the ECW World Championship since WWE reactivated the title twice since WWE reactivated the sport.

Lashley was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 11 episode of Raw as part of the 2007 WWE draft. Lashley was kicked out of the ECW World Championship by Vince McMahon as a result of the change. On June 24, Cena defeated Mick Foley, Randy Orton, King Booker, and John Cena in a challenge match for the WWE Championship at Vengeance: Night of Champions. Lashley defeated the WWE Championship by defeating the "Beat the Clock" challenge on Raw's July 2nd episode. He lost to Cena on July 22 at The Great American Bash, and after the match, they shook hands as a mark of honor. Lashley was defeated by Mr. Kennedy on the 30th episode of Raw on July 30, according to Mr. Kennedy. Lashley was "injured" during the match after Mr. Kennedy pushed Lashley's shoulder into the ring steps, allowing Lashley to recover from surgery for the legitimate injury he sustained at The Great American Bash. WWE announced that Lashley was fired from his WWE contract on February 4, 2008, following a six-month absence.

Lashley began wrestling on the independent circuit in May 2008 after leaving WWE. He appeared in Mexico in June 2008 at Tripleman XVI, where he, Kenzo Suzuki, and Electroshock stunned Chessman, Silver King, and La Parka, Jr. Lashley competed in Puerto Rico for the 35th anniversary show of the World Wrestling Council in July 2008, defeating Rhino. Lashley qualified in Japan in August 2008 for the Inoki Genome Federation of Antonio Inoki, defeating The Predator.

On April 19, 2009, Lashley attended Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lockdown pay-per-view event, as well as later appearing on TNA Impact!, both times pointing and smiling at The Main Event Mafia, thus ending up as a heel. TNA announced on July 15 that he had signed a formal deal with the firm. Kurt Angle introduced Lashley as the newest member of the Main Event Mafia on July 23. Lashley stepped into the ring and hugged Angle, while the rest of the Mafia retained a bruised and battered Mick Foley upright. Angle then ordered Lashley to finish off Foley, but as Lashley was poised to attack Foley, he turned on Angle and removed the Mafia from the ring, making him a celebrity.

In a tag team match against World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle or Legends Champion Kevin Nash, Lashley made his in-ring debut for TNA, where if Angle or Nash was pinned, the winner of their respective titles would win their respective titles. Due to the Main Event Mafia attacking Lashley prior to the match, Lashley was able to win the match for his team and become the Legends Champion, but Lashley took the field and made the match a handicap match. Jeremy Borash starred alongside TNA President Dixie Carter in an interview on August 27 of Impact!, where she said their aim was to make him a World Champion in both MMA and TNA. On September 20, he defeated Rhino by a knockout punch at No Surrender.

Lashley's feud with Samoa Joe erupted after No Surrender. Joe assaulted Lashley and choked him out with a rear naked choke after teaming with Team 3D in a winless fight against Rhino and The British Invasion (Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus). In a match against Amazing Red, Lashley cost Joe the X Division Championship the following week. Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match at Bound for Glory on October 18, which was a match between Bound for Glory and Glory. Following a shot with a steel pipe, Lashley's winning streak came to an end. Lashley defeated Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, and Robert Roode to win the TNA Championship Series tournament on November 26, earning him a future World Heavyweight Championship shot. Lashley recovered from his previous defeat and defeated Steiner in a Last Man Standing match with a pipe shot at Final Resolution on December 20, 2010.

The Monday night edition of Impact!, Lashley, and Kristal turned heel after demanding that Lashley's immediate release from TNA in order for him to fully concentrate on his MMA career. Lashley continued to assault random wrestlers until he was allowed what he wanted. Lashley had previously apologised to new executive producer Eric Bischoff for his behavior on January 21, but was nevertheless dismissed by him the following week. This was Lashley's last TNA appearance before 2014. Lashley's profile was taken off from the official TNA website on February 10, 2010. Lashley said in a lengthy interview with Heavy Sports that the release was legal and that it had been done in order for him to fully concentrate on his MMA career.

Lashley returned to Japan on September 25, 2010 for a tag-team match against Kendo Kashin and Tamon Honda. Bob and Bobby were defeated. Lashey has been playing in IGF regularly since then. He appeared in the IGF Championship tournament in 2011. He won the first round match against Keith Hanson, but Josh Barnett defeated him in semifinals. After winning the promotion's general election, Lashley signed a two-year deal with IGF on June 26, 2013.

Lashley defeated Jay Bradley and Robert Anthony in a three-way match for the vacant Resistance Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, which Anthony won by Anthony on October 20, 2012. Lashley defeated Mexx and Tiny Iron in the IWS Heavyweight Championship on December 27, 2014, defeating them in the IWS Heavyweight Championship.

Lashley returned to TNA at Lockdown in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2014, defeating Ethan Carter III's open challenge after his scheduled opponent Kurt Angle couldn't wrestle due to a bruise. Impact Wrestling's March 20 episode featured Lashley and Carter, who lost in a no contest after Willow intervened Carter. Lashley could have gone by either his full name or the abbreviated "Lashley" mononym during his second stint with the company.

Lashley returned to the wringing of Eric Young on May 15, but the team was eventually struck Young with a spear and allying himself with MVP and Kenny King, turning heel in the process. Lashley defeated Samoa Joe on June 15 to earn the right to face Young in a steel cage match involving Austin Aries, but lost the contest. Lashley defeated Young on June 19th on Impact Wrestling's first appearance in TNA, making him the first African American to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and his third world championship appearance overall. On July 3 against Young, he defended the title. Lashley retained the title against Jeff Hardy on June 25 (which aired July 17). Impact Wrestling: Destination X X on July 31, Lashley successfully defended the title against Austin Aries, who had forfeited the X Division Championship for a title shot. Lashley retained his title against Bobby Roode at No Surrender on August 7 (which aired September 17). Lashley lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roode on September 18, at the tapings for Impact Wrestling's October 28 episode.

On January 7, 2015, Lashley regained the championship after interference from MVP, King, Samoa Joe, and Low Ki, as well as Eric Young's appearance on Roode. Lashley defeated Eric Young after Chris Melendez distracted Young on the June 3 episode of Impact Wrestling. Lashley teamed with Mr. Anderson against Ethan Carter III and Tyrus in a losing proposition at Slammiversary on June 28, a losing bid. Lashley defeated Jessie Godderz in a qualifying match for the vacant TNA King of the Mountain Championship, which was won by PJ Black on August 12th. Lashley defeated Byron Roode in a four-way match for a shot at the King of the Mountain Championship, which was won by Bobby Roode on August 26. Team TNA (Lashley, Drew Galloway, Eddie Edwards, Bram) defeated Team GFW (Jeff Jarrett, Eric Young, Chris Mordetzky, Brian Myers, and Sonjay Dutt) in a Lethal Lockdown match on September 16 in a Lethal Lockdown match. Lashley unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Roode for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship on October 4 at Bound for Glory. Lashley began competing in the TNA World Championship Series between October and November, where he finished second in his block and advanced to the quarterfinals and Mahabali Shera, but he didn't qualify for the finals because he was beaten by eventual winner Ethan Carter III.

Lashley defeated Kurt Angle in Angle's farewell match with the firm on March 8th episode of Impact Wrestling. After the match, he continued to assault Angle until Drew Galloway, Eddie Edwards, and Ethan Carter III came to block him, turning heel once more. Josh Mathews and D'Angelo Dinero were both stabbed by Lashley this week. Lashley competed in a scramble tournament to select the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on March 22, but he was disqualified by an interfering D'Angelo Dinero. Lashley defeated Dinero in a street brawl on April 5 in a series of Impact Wrestling. Lashley defeated Jeff Hardy and Mike Bennett in a three-way match on May 3 to guarantee a spot in the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Drew Galloway. However, Lashley lost the title in a lumberjack match on May 15, after a disqualification. Lashley triumphed Galloway by knocking out in a Tap Out or Knockout match, beginning his third appearance as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion on June 12. On July 12, Lashley defended his title against Eddie Edwards with Edwards' X Division Championship also on the line. However, when Mike Bennett and the debuting Moose struck him, the match came to a no contest. Lashley defeated Edwards in a dramatic contest on July 21 on Impact Wrestling's Winner Take All Six Sides of Steel to keep the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and win the X Division Championship. Lashley defeated James Storm in August 11 to keep the TNA World Heavyweight and X Division Championships and TNA King of the Mountain Championship, despite being confronted by TNA's new acquisition Aron Rex, who watched Lashley from the ramp, during the TNA World Heavyweight and X Division Championships.

Lashley lost the title in a three-way match involving Ethan Carter III after interference from Davey Richards on January 5's Impact Wrestling.

At One Night Only: Live!

Lashley defeated Richards on January 6, 2008, who was defeated by the team on January 6. In a Last Man Standing match, he defeated Ethan Carter III to become the top contender in the TNA World Heavyweight Championships this week. Lashley defeated Edwards in a 30-Minute Iron Man match on January 8 (aired January 27), his fourth TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He retained his position over fellow mixed martial artist Josh Barnett on the January 12 episode of Impact Wrestling. Lashley lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Alberto El Patron on March 2nd. The championship was rescheduled to Lashley, but El Patron's tumultuous win had the tournament resurgent, extending his reign unbroken. On Slammiversary XV, he would however change the name to El Patron, but not before on July 2.

Lashley revealed on August 17 that after losing a top-one contender's match to Matt Sydal and then struggling to recapture the gold medal in a Gauntlet for the Gold match, he was (kayfabe) focusing on his MMA career. Where the American Top Team was concerned, this erupted into a feud against Moose. In a Six Sides of Steel match against Moose and Stephan Bonnar, Lashley and King Mo defeated Moose and Stephan Bonnar in Bound for Glory on November 5, a Bound for Glory match. Lashley's first months of 2018 saw small rivalry with ove and Brian Cage, all of which were taped prior to his departure.

Lashley returned to WWE after a ten-year absence, becoming a member of the Raw family once more, where he confronted and assaulted Elias with a chair on April 9, 2018. In a bravable fight against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, The Miz, Curtis Axel, and Bo Dallas, the first month of Lashley's return to action saw him competing against Braun Strowman, Bobby Roode, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. In a triumphant fight against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, Lashley teamed with Braun Strowman at Backlash on May 6 in a triumphant attempt against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Following backlash, Lashley became embroiled with Sami Zayn, culminating in Lashley's victory over Zayn in a triumphant bid at Money in the Bank on June 17. Lashley then became embroiled in a feud with Roman Reigns, where both men believed to be the rightful challenger to the Universal Championship. Extreme Rules clashed between the two teams on July 15, where Lashley beat Reigns. On Raw, two triple threat matches were set to determine who would face Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on August 19, with Lashley and Reigns winning their respective matches, setting up a top-one contender's match between the two teams the following week, which Reigns defeated.

Lashley's new boss, Lio Rush, was introduced on the September 17 episode of Raw. Lashley defeated Kevin Owens for the first time in his WWE career on the October 8 episode of Raw, turning heel for the first time in his WWE career. Lashley was one of the only survivors of the Survivor Series on November 18, which was won by Team Raw, alongside Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre. He revived his rivalry with Elias, which included a ladder match with a guitar hanging above the ring at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, which Lashley lost, but the guitar was used on Elias after the match. On the 34th Street Fight match between the two teams, which saw Lashley defeated by Elias in the battle.

Lashley defeated the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career, from Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match that also involved Seth Rollins, beginning his first title appearance in WWE since June 2007. Lashley accepted the Royal Rumble match as the 26th entrant on January 27, but Seth Rollins, the eventual winner, was disqualified in thirteen seconds. At the Elimination Chamber on February 17, Lashley lost his title to Finn Bálor in a handicap match involving Lio Rush after Rush was pinned, ending his reign at 34 days. Lashley defeated the Shield in a losing bid at Fastlane on March 10, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre teamed with Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. On Raw, Lashley defeated Finn Bálor following Lio Rush's interference in the Intercontinental Championship, thereby beginning his second reign. Lashley's teamed with Jinder Mahal on March 25 in a losing effort after Mahal was pinned, but as per the match's rule, Bálor wins an Intercontinental Championship rematch against Lashley. Lashley lost the title to Bálor on April 7, ending his reign at 27 days.

Lashley defeated the Shield in a losing bid at The Shield's Last Chapter event on April 21, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. Lashley clashed with Braun Strowman, culminating in a match between the two teams at Super ShowDown on June 7, which Lashley lost. Strowman eliminated Lashley from a five-way elimination match for a chance at the United States Championship on June 17; Lashley in turn helped remove Strowman from the game; Strowman saved the United States Championship. After losing a tug of war match, Lashley assaulted Strowman the following week. After Strowman tackled Lashley through the LED video wall of the entrance, a no-match was declared on the July 1 episode, all four teams were admitted to a local hospital. Following this, the two players were supposed for a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules on July 14, which Lashley lost, effectively ending their feud.

Lashley performed on Raw on September 30 by interrupting Rusev, and Lana kissed Lana, Rusev's wife. Rusev and Rusev became involved in several intimate situations, including having a (storyline) marriage ceremony on Raw's December 30 episode. He defeated Rusev in a table match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, despite a distraction from Lana. Lashley defeated Rusev and Humberto Carrillo on February 17, 2020, putting an end to the feud. Lashley took part in the Tuwaiq Trophy's gauntlet match on February 27, but he was unable to win due to R-Truth's dismissal. Lashley lost to Aleister Black on the second night of WrestleMania 36 on April 5.

Lashley enraged Lana on the May 11 episode of Raw, aligning himself with MVP. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre's match from the stage was broadcast on Raw, and McIntyre said he wanted to face Lashley at Backlash. Following Lana's interference, Lashley lost the WWE Championship on June 14. Lashley blamed Lana for his Backlash and asked for a divorce, putting an end to the romantic storyline. After turning down MVP's invitation to join them, Lashley attacked Apollo Crews and put him in complete nelson hold on June 22. Shelton Benjamin and MVP joined Lashley and MVP to form The Hurt Company as they feuded with Crews, with Cedric Alexander later being recruited. He defeated Crews to win his second United States Championship at Payback on August 30. On September 27, Lashley retained the title at Battle of Champions against Crews, who were defeated in a Cell against Slapjack. In a champion versus champion match at Survivor Series on November 22, Lashley defeated Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn. Lashley qualified in the Royal Rumble match on January 31, 2021, but multiple wrestlers disqualified it.

He lost the title to Riddle in a triple threat match involving John Morrison, ending his reign at 175 days at Elimination Chamber on February 21, 1991. Drew McIntyre was beaten by Lashley later that night, enabling The Miz to cash in his Bank briefcase and become WWE Champion. Lashley's assault on McIntyre was revealed to be part of a deal that he and MVP made with The Miz, and Lashley defeated Braun Strowman to become the WWE's top contender for the WWE Championship. Lashley defeated The Miz in a lumberjack match on March 1 for the first time in Raw. Lashley defended the title against Miz on the March 8 episode of Raw. On the 29th episode of Raw, Lashley attacked Alexander and Benjamin due to their defeat to McIntyre in a 2-on-1 handicap match, effectively knocking them out of the competition. On the second night of WrestleMania 37, Lashley defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre, also including Braun Strowman, and in a Last Chance Hell in a Cell match on June 20, effectively ending their feud.

When a match for the WWE Championship was played between the two teams at Money in the Bank, Lashley and Kofi Kingston feuded. He defended the title against Kingston at the event on July 18. Goldberg made his return to face Lashley for the WWE Championship on the following episode of Raw on Monday. Lashley finished first, but Lashley accepted Goldberg's challenge on August 2nd, and the match will be declared official for SummerSlam. After Goldberg's appearance, Lashley retained the WWE Championship due to referee stoppage after the match was postponed, Lashley retained the WWE Championship.

Lashley lost the WWE Championship to Big E after successfully defending the title against Randy Orton on September 13, the Bank's briefcase. Lashley's fought in a losing cause against The New Day at Extreme Rules on September 26, AJ Styles and Omos. Lashley's On Raw, the night before, the WWE Championship was on Raw, but the match ended in disqualification after Benjamin and Alexander assisted Lashley in defeating The Hurt Company, apparently reuniting The Hurt Business. Big E defeated Lashley in a steel cage, and WWE official Adam Pearce announced a rematch.

Goldberg called out Lashley, and in reaction, Lashley was beaten by Goldberg to a No Holds Barred match at Crown Jewel. Goldberg beat Lashley 2-1 on October 21, putting an end to their feud. Lashley defeated Dominik Mysterio on November 8, taking his place on Team Raw in the Men's Survivor Series match. While Team Raw was defeated by chance, Lashley was still championed, with Seth Rollins being the sole survivor of the Survivor Series on November 21, but Team Raw was still winning with Seth Rollins being the sole survivor. He defeated Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and WWE Champion Big E in the same night, making the triple threat match for the WWE Championship at Day 1 a deadly four-way match. He failed to win the title in 2022 when Brock Lesnar was admitted to the match and captured the title. On January 29, he defeated Lesnar at the Royal Rumble for his second WWE Championship, but lost the match at Elimination Chamber on February 19 due to a concussion during the match.

Lashley returned from injury, responding to Omos' display of domination, setting up a match between the two teams on March 28 for the first time since October 2018. Lashley beat Omos on the second night of the tournament on April 3, putting an end to his undefeated streak. MVP on the Raw after WrestleMania 38, MVP turned on Lashley and aligned with Omos, thereby solidifying Lashley's face turn. On May 8, Lashley suffered to Omos after a distraction from MVP, but they beat him in a steel cage match on May 16 of Raw. On June 5, Lashley defeated Omos and MVP in a 1-on-1 handicap match, putting an end to their feud.

Lashley then began a feud with United States Champion Theory, culminating in a match between the two teams at Money in the Bank on July 2, where Lashley defeated Theory to win his third United States Championship. Theory revealed on the following episode of Raw that he was given a rematch against Lashley for the title at SummerSlam. The Lashley team beat Theory once more at SummerSlam on July 30 to hold the title. Lashley's son, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Seth "Freakin" Rollins all defended the championship over the next weeks. On the October 10 episode of Raw, Lashley lost the United States Championship to Rollins in a rematch after being targeted by returning Brock Lesnar before the match, putting an end to his reign at 100 days.

Mixed martial arts career

On December 13, 2008, Lashley made his mixed martial arts debut at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, at the Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) inaugural "There Will Be Blood." In 41 seconds of the first round, he defeated Joshua Franklin by TKO (cut). On March 21, 2009, Lashley's next match was scheduled. He was supposed to face Ken Shamrock, but Bellator MMA veteran Jason Guida was swapped to Bellator MMA veteran Jason Guida after Shamrock tested positive for steroids. After a unanimous decision, Lashley won the fight. Lashley signed to the Maximum Fighting Championship on May 15 and made his ring entrance against Mike Cook, who wore a Rey Mysterio mask, which Lashley regarded as an insult. Cook was defeated by a guillotine choke just 24 seconds into the first round, and he continued to humiliate Cook with a guillotine choke. Lashley defeated Bob Sapp at the PFP: Ultimate Chaos Festival in Biloxi, Mississippi, on June 27, 2009. In the first round, he defeated Lashley's MMA record of 4–0, defeating him via TKO (strikes).

At Strikeforce: Miami, he was supposed to make his Strikeforce debut against undefeated heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, but Strikeforce: Miami decided against him for unknown reasons. Lashley had planned to face Jimmy Ambriz on January 30, 2010 in Strikeforce: Miami, but the match was later called off. Wes Sims, the former UFC fighter, was defeated by Lashley at the game. Lashley beat Sims in the 1st round of TKO to remain undefeated.

Lashley had already registered an opponent for Lashley and was waiting for sanction from the Tennessee Athletic Commission on April 17, 2010, in Nashville. The match is expected to be the fourth on the CBS televised portion of the contest, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. Lashley revealed on April 5 that he would not be on the card because Strikeforce officials could not promise an appearance on the televised portion of the card due to time constraints. Bobby had intended to appear at Strikeforce: Los Angeles in June, but he had a knee injury and did not qualify, so he did not participate.

On August 21, 2010, Lashley faced Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston. Lashley came out shooting the takedown, as well as the ground and pounding. Lashley won first place, but Griggs caught him with a string of uppercuts on one of the first round's takedowns, opening a gash under Lashley's left eye. Even though Lashley had monopoly over him on the ground, Griggs was still striking him, but Griggs was still finding openings on the bottom. In the second round, Lashley was able to continue with takedowns and ground and pound. Lashley was eventually able to mount halfway through the second round and unleashed some good punches on Griggs while keeping track. Despite Lashley being in full mount at the time, referee Jon Schorle called for the fighters to stand down due to inactivity. Lashley's eye was later revealed, and referee Jon Schorle had to examine the injury with 33 seconds remaining in the second round. However, when Lashley's decision to continue fighting, controversies was created when referee Jon Schorle did not bring Lashley back to the mount position when he was first suspended. After a desperate takedown by Lashley near the end of round two and a hammer-fisted Lashley's eye that hadn't been cut until the round ended, Griggs stumbled out of a sprawling mess until the show ended. The ring doctor called the fight, resulting in Lashley losing in the second round by TKO. Lashley was arrested on a stretcher after the fight due to dehydration. Lashley was found to be suffering from mono and was unable to train for four months following the war.

The signing of Lashley had been confirmed by Titan Fighting Championship on February 18, 2011. He had been scheduled to debut against James Jack but after missing touch with Jack, officials announced that instead, John Ott stepped in to face Lashley on March 16, 2011. In the second round, the intensity of the match slowed dramatically, with Lashley's showing the same cardio issues that had harmed him in his previous fight. Despite being sick from the side effects of illness, he was able to win a unanimous decision.

Eddie Sanchez was supposed to face Lashley at the Titan Fighting Championships 19. Lashley resigned from the war due to personal reasons on July 22, 2011.

On June 7, 2013, Lashley defeated Kevin Asplund at Titan Fighting Championships 25, winning by keylock submission.

Lashley has signed a three-year contract with Shark Fights and was supposed to make his debut against Darrill Schoonover in November. Schoonover did pull out of the match due to an injury. During that time, Lashley was expected to headline Shark Fights 21 against Tim Hague. But Hague was forced to leave the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Dave Huckaba. The fight with Huckaba had been called off for unknown reasons on November 7, but Lashley was then scheduled to face Mark Martinez, but Martinez was later disqualified due to expired blood work.

Lashley defeated Karl Knothe in the first round by submission on November 11, 2011, becoming the new Shark Fights Heavyweight champion. Knothe was the fifth different opponent scheduled to face Lashley due to a number of fighters who had to cancel due to a variety of reasons.

He then competed in SFL 3 in India's third tournament, against James Thompson. The lame battle was decided unanimously by Lashley.

On June 29, 2013, Lashley was supposed to face Matthew Larson at GWC: The British Invasion: The British Invasion: United States vs. the United Kingdom The British Invasion: The British Invasion: A British Invasion: The United Kingdom vs. The United Kingdom is a war in the United Kingdom In round one, Lashley defeated the team by a back naked choke submission. In a MMA Junkie interview the day before his GWC fight, Lashley revealed that he had two potential fights lined up for August 2013. I have to be up and running. I have to do something important right now. If not, I'd better hang it up and do stuff with my gym. I'm fighting this war, and I believe I have two more in August that were not offered to me. If I don't get hurt, I hope I can stay healthy and keep going."

On November 8, 2013, Lashley defeated Tony "The Rock" Melton, who was undefeated by a majority decision.

Lashley had signed with Bellator MMA in July 2014. On September 5, 2014, he made his professional debut against Josh Burns at Bellator 123. In the second round, Lashley defeated the opposition by a rear-naked choke submission.

Lashley defeated Keith Etherington at Bellator 130 in his second round for the promotion. In the first round, he was able to win by submission due to punches.

On February 27, 2015, a rematch with James Thompson was supposed to take place at Bellator 134; but, Lashley pulled out of the match due to injuries. Lashley signed a long-term contract extension for the promotion in March 2015. Thompson's match was postponed until June 19, 2015; however, an injury forced Thompson out of the match, and Lashley's Dan Charles was then crowned. In the second round, he defeated the opponent via TKO. Thompson's rematch culminated on November 6, 2015 at Bellator 145. In the first round, Lashley defeated TKO in the first round.

Lashley will face Josh Appelt on October 21, 2016, at Bellator 162. In the second round, Lashley defeated by a back-naked choke submission. Lashley's WWE contract was still under control with Bellator after his WWE return, according to Bellator officials in April 2018.

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