Line #14 YMMV/BobbyLashley


1	* AudienceAlienatingEra: Despite the initial anticipation (see below), his 2018 WWE return has quickly descended into this in the eyes of a lot of fans, with his initial [[MediaNotes/ProfessionalWrestlingJargon heat]] being largely toned down thanks to a combination of factors, almost all of which are down to [[ExecutiveMeddling corporate decisions]].
2	** Being instantly used as a regular placeholder tag team partner for Wrestling/BraunStrowman.
3	** The awkward pacing and motion in his matches while trying to reacclimate himself to the WWE style.
4	** Being unable to use any of his finishing moves due to either not being safe enough (Dominator) or already being used by two current top guys ([[Wrestling/BraunStrowman Running Powerslam]] and [[Wrestling/RomanReigns Spear]]).
5	** A sit-down interview with Renee Young in which he seemed to be putting over his sisters as being more badass than himself for subjecting him to a HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood.
6	** The subsequent feud with Wrestling/SamiZayn in which Zayn's attempts to mock Lashley as well as his sisters wound up being [[CringeComedy groan-worthy]].
7	** And then he got stuffed into a terrible LoveTriangle storyline with Wrestling/RusevAndLana.
8	** It would take MVP's return to WWE and the formation of The Hurt Business to pull Lashley [[RedemptionQuest out of the funk]], eventually leading him to the [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap WWE Championship]] in March 2021.
9	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtB9c3L1sAo Hell Will Be Calling Your Name]], his last entrance theme of his first WWE run.
10	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Downplayed and very brief, but initially, Lashley's 2018 return to the WWE was fairly received. Fans would even ''expect'' Lashley to claim the Universal Title from Wrestling/BrockLesnar at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2018'' (if the recent reports were true). Part of this is due to them wanting Wrestling/RomanReigns to pull his first-ever solo FaceHeelTurn first before winning the Universal Title at ''[=WrestleMania 36=]'' instead of immediately winning against Lesnar at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2018'' because it's "bad for business", although Lashley being the most likely (and realistic) candidate to actually beat Lesnar for the title based on attributes and credentials was a more prevalent factor.
11	* FanNickname:
12	** [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar "Black Lesnar"]], [[Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} "Blackberg"]]. Which Bobby reportedly [[BerserkButton despises]] due to its racist undertones. He has admitted, however, that part of his motivation to re-sign with WWE in 2018 was a dream match feud with Lesnar for the Universal Championship. His #1 contendership win over Wrestling/RomanReigns at ''Extreme Rules 2018'' was going to set that for that year's ''Wrestling/{{Summerslam}}'', but got overrode in the episode ''Raw'' after the event. He finally got the one-on-one dream match he wanted four years later, at ''Wrestling/{{Royal Rumble}}'' ''2022''.
13	** His PowerTrio with Wrestling/BaronCorbin and Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre has been given the nickname of "The Midcard of Evil" by the guys of [=WrestleTalk=].
14	* HarsherInHindsight: Lashley's cuckolding of Rusev and becoming a heel couple with Lana was ''never'' a popular storyline to begin with and before Bobby Lashley found his groove with the Hurt Business, his love triangle with Lana and Rusev was considered one of his lowest points. Fast forward to 2024 and Wrestling/VinceMcMahon is forced to resign from the company because of a highly publicized sexual assault lawsuit. And one of the disturbing details we find out about the upcoming trial is a sleazy text where Vince allegedly told the woman now filing the lawsuit that he wanted to watch black men performing carnal acts with her. So in retrospect, one might not be able to shake off the creepy feeling that through this storyline, Vince was quite possibly using poor Bobby as a vehicle for his own sordid fantasies, ''especially'' in conjunction with long-lived allegations that he didn't like the idea of Rusev and Lana being together in real life and kept trying to break them up in real life by having them break up in {{Kayfabe}} that predate but include that storyline.
15	* HilariousInHindsight: One of Lashley's accomplishments in his first WWE run was being the first man to break Chris Masters' "Master Lock" full-nelson submission. As of his return to WWE, he now uses the full-nelson (which he's dubbed "the Hurt Lock") as his main finisher.
16	* JustHereForGodzilla
17	** Counted on with Spike TV, first by sending mixed martial artists to TNA and then Bobby Lashley to Bellator, as pro wrestling and mixed martial arts fan bases don't crossover all that much in the US. Lashley's second heel run literally crossed over both pathways at once with the storyline involving American Top Team.
18	** Although he did not catch on quickly in the company, Lashley's perservence seems to have paid off. With most of the TNA originals and The Broken Hardy clan gone, a lot of fans watching Impact Wrestling through the (post-)Global Force era would do so just for Lashley.
19	* {{Narm}}: For a former US Army Captain with the physique of an Olympian, the man is practically a treasure trove of Narm.
20	** His supposedly badass character being routinely described as "soft spoken" to the point of it being in his entrance video? All the various amusing nicknames smarks have given him? The infamous "I say your name is Finlay, and you're a bathturd" promo? Or the "No!", or the "old enough to be my dad's uncle" comment? ''Good God'', Lashley is made of Narm.
21	** Much of his Narm stems from one source — his high-pitched, lisping speech. Nothing deflates a massively-muscled, built-like-a-Sherman-tank, military-alumnus ScaryBlackMan like having him open his mouth and sound like the most stereotypical FlamboyantGay guy ever.
22	*** He soon realized this and went into MMA, where he doesn't have to talk and can actually kick ass.
23	*** And then he went to TNA, where he initially had promo time every week for awhile before getting more than one actual match.
24	*** And in MMA, he (or his management) instead gets a reputation for dodging anyone who would be an actual challenge/threat and ''isn't'' the champion (i.e. Alistair Overeem, Strikeforce heavyweight champion) or Fedor Emelianenko.
25	** The absolutely bizarre [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuKWyOKpJM interview]] conducted by Renee Young had Bobby recall fairly traumatic events caused by his sisters with an unnervingly calm smile on his face.
26	** On the other hand, Creator/MikeTyson also has a high-pitched lisping speech but still manages to intimidate people with his strength, skill, and natural talent. With the right booking or presentation, Bobby can overcome this flaw.
27	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Ever since his return, his second run was plagued by bad storylines (Lashley's sisters -Wrestling/SamiZayn-, the marriage angle with [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Lana]]) and stables (the infamous [[FanNickname "Midcard of Evil"]] with Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre and Wrestling/BaronCorbin). This changed in 2020, when he was recruited by [[Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter MVP]] for his new stable, The Hurt Business. Ever since then, his profile steadily rose until in 2021 he managed to win the WWE Championship.
28	* RetroactiveRecognition: One of Lashley's sisters, Francis, was played by [[Wrestling/TheAcclaimed Max Caster]].
29	* RonTheDeathEater: It took TNA fans a long time to realize Bobby Lashley was supposed to be the babyface in his feud with Samoa Joe.
30	* WinBackTheCrowd:
31	** TNA fans were never particularly thrilled to see Lashley until he became the centerpiece of the trio with MVP and Kenny King, due to MVP's injury. Lashley consistently delivered quality opening and main event matches when TNA desperately needed good television, and MVP's promos allowed Lashley's own charisma to shine through without fans actually having to hear Lashley's voice. While this was merely "winning" the crowd for Lashley himself, it also started winning the crowd back for those who had given up on TNA and wouldn't have imagined they'd be turning back in for Lashley.
32	** The Beat Down Clan angle was able to start generating even more good buzz for TNA, again when they really needed it. Unfortunately, while the buzz remained, ratings declined as the fans willing to stick with or return to TNA simply could not keep up with the channel hopping, Destination America and Pop not being as widespread as Spike.
33	*** Lashley ended up having a cooled down but solid high-tier babyface run after rejecting the Beat Down Clan before turning heel again on his own a year later.
34	*** He also ended up with much improved mic skills to the point he was actually able to put some bass in his notoriously soft voice.
35	*** Also, his proper use of his natural talents in the ring still continuing to mightily improve, he became one of the most captivating parts of Impact Wrestling simply by virtue of being a dominant beast.
36	** Lashley's second run in the WWE was received only marginally better than his first. It was bogged down by terrible writing, awkward interview and mic spots, and go-nowhere feuds against Wrestling/SamiZayn and later Wrestling/RomanReigns.
37	*** With Reigns, he was immediately seen by the WWE Universe as little more than a stepping stone to set up for the dreaded third match between Reigns and Wrestling/BrockLesnar. Though Lashley actually ''won'' their first match, Reigns defeated him in a number one contenders' match, thus setting up ''yet another'' Reigns/Lesnar match.
38	*** He also got a FaceHeelTurn towards a going-nowhere association with Lio Rush and a terrible love triangle with Wrestling/RusevAndLana (because Vince breaking them up, putting someone in between them, and ruining everyone involved [[SarcasmMode has never happened before]]).

Context YMMV / BobbyLashley