The return of Bobby Lashley to WWE has not been what anyone expected. He spent time at the absolute top of Impact Wrestling, where he earned the nickname Human Kryptonite. He was just an unstoppable force akin to that of Brock Lesnar. Since his return to his roots in WWE, he has had major programs with the likes to Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman, but his biggest storyline has been with Rusev. This storyline has gotten a ton of mixed reactions, as it truly leans into the soap opera side of professional wrestling. The basic of the storyline is that Rusev’s wife Lana has left him for Bobby Lashley.
Bobby Lashley Has Received Lot Of Racially Charged Hate
Lashley had spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about the reaction’s he got from fans due to the current storyline, and they are far from positive.
One major issue many fans have is that Lashley & Lana are portraying an interracial couple on TV, which despite it being 2020, is still an issue for many. Lashley had this to say “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.” as well as “I’m glad I have thick skin. Because if I didn’t have thick skin, some of the things that I’ve had to experience would be very difficult to take.”
On Working With Rusev
One perk of this feud is that we get to see two insanely talented athletes compete. While their matches on TV have been lacking, Bobby Lashley is incredibly happy working with Rusev. Lashley had this to say in his interview about Rusev. “I think he’s incredible. Everything that’s going on has pumped him up a lot more, too. In-ring, it’s been phenomenal working with him.
Looking through the roster, I look for people I actually want to challenge. When I started out in the business, I looked for people ready to fight. Some of the people that I started out with in the business, like Finlay, Booker, JBL, Big Show, it was a fight every day. The good thing is, I can get that back with Rusev.”
I hope we can get a proper classic to finish out this feud, as both men are very capable of pulling that off. They just need a big PPV match with no nonsense. Their tables match at TLC was better than it had any right to be, and that shows a good sign for the eventual final payoff.
Could 2020 Be Big For Both Men?
2020 could be a huge year for both Lashley & Rusev once this angle finishes, as it truly handed them the spotlight and made them back into stars. While the story has been silly, it got two very talented people a lot of time to shine and that is never a bad thing. I feel like 2020 could be the year we finally see them pull the trigger on the Lashley vs. Lesnar match people have been wanting for a while, and maybe we could see Rusev make his way back to the United States championship.
What do you think about how some fans received the storyline and directed it towards Lashley? Let us know down below in the comments.