Lashely gone from WWE

Vince135792003

From PWinsider.com:


Former ECW champion Bobby Lashley, who was expected to return from his injuries this month, has parted ways with World Wrestling Entertainment, according to Lashley's official website.

Lashley, who debuted with the Smackdown brand in 2005, moved to the ECW brand in December 2006 with the idea that the brand would be built around him. He received a huge promotional push and won the ECW belt at the December to Dismember PPV.

WWE's push continued featuring Lashley going right into a Wrestlemania 23 headline match against Umaga with Donald Trump and Vince McMahon as their respective seconds which was promoted heavily to the media due to Trump's involvement and the hair vs. hair stipulation that saw McMahon shaved bald in the center of the ring.

The Wrestlemania match led to a feud with McMahon where Lashley lost and regained the ECW title. Lashley was drafted to the Raw brand in June 2007 and vacated the ECW belt. He had been out of the ring since last July, when he finally took time off to have surgery and rehab rotator cuff and shoulder problems that had been nagging him for several months.

On the forum of his official website, www.BobbyLashleyOnline.com, Lashley commented, "Circumstances, which are out of my control left me no decision but to leave the WWE. I can't go into details of this now but like I said before, sometimes people will hate you personally and try to destroy you, which has happened here. Evil has prevailed. However like I said before, if you continue your struggle, doors will open around these people. You have not seen the last of me, so please don't stop your support. Add Bobby Lashley to the list of RECENTLY RELEASED!"

Lashley, a former amateur champion who also served in the Army, originally signed with the company in 2003 and spent time in Ohio Valley Wrestling before being brought up to the main roster.

Lashley teased a potential MMA interest on 1/16, writing, "I am not sure what I will be doing the next few months. I said I am in fighting shape because if I am not wrestling, I will be fighting. Wrestling is my passion but sometimes things are out of your control. The time off I've had was well needed and was not in vain. I had surgery in August, which was pretty serious. I had to have 5 connectors put in my shoulder to repair my torn labrum. I was slated to be out for 6 months but I think that diagnosis was for an average person. I’m ready for action and I have been for some time now. Whatever action that may be, I will be ready."

Lashley noted that he had just purchased a home in Parker, Colorado and that he expected WWE to acknowledge the release by the end of the week. Word of his departure made its way around the WWE locker room at tonight's Smackdown and ECW taping. As of this writing, he is still listed on the Raw brand's roster page.

I'm sure more will come out but this is a bolt out of the blue.

chopperbyrne

He was certainly getting better in the ring and was young enough to work on his mic skills.

Very surprising really, he was being pushed to the moon.

Vince135792003

I'd veer on the side of caution with this until other sites like the observer and torch report it. This could be a hoax.

nacho libre

In a thread on the message board of the official web site of former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley where fans were speculating his return date, an administrator account claiming to be Bobby Lashley posted the following message at 9:04 PM on January 21, 2008: �I'm sorry all but there will not be a Bobby Lashley return to the WWE.�

Few fans were taking the message seriously as they accused the poster of covering up for a return storyline. The person who says they are Lashley reassured fans that he was serious yesterday morning (January 22, 2008) in the following message that was posted at 9:48 AM: �I am sorry to everyone here but I am serious when I say I won't be back. Everyone wants to come here and hear the real story and I am telling you the real story. Circumstances which are out of my control left me no decision but to leave the WWE. I can't go into details of this now but like I said before sometimes people will hate you personally and try to destroy you which has happened here. Evil has prevailed however like I said before if you continue your struggle doors will open around these people. You have not scene the last of me so please don't stop your support. Add Bobby Lashley to the list of RECENTLY RELEASED!�

The person claiming to be Bobby Lashley became frustrated with fans that refused to believe that he was telling the truth. The following message was posted under the account 6:04 PM yesterday evening: "I feel like there is no reason to come to this chat room any more if nobody listens to me. People this is Bobby Lashley and I am serious, no surprises. I just wanted to be the first to tell all the people who supported me." Just three minutes after posting this message the person claiming to be Lashley wrote, �My release from the WWE will probably be online soon, maybe by the end of the week.�

Shortly after the forum administrator to the official message board of Lashley�s web site told readers to listen to Lashley, that he was telling the truth. Yesterday at 7:09 PM the account claiming to be Lashley wrote the following in the same thread regarding his future: �Thanks for the nice words Jess (the forum admin) and everyone else. Like I said before I will be doing something big really soon. You can't keep a real fighter down. PS

In what I found as a very odd message, making me doubt the entire thing was true, the following was posted from the account claiming to be Bobby Lashley at 1:08 AM this morning: �I am pretty torn on what to do next. Please can i get some input from all of you�

At this point we are unable to confirm or deny anything. From everything that we have heard, Lashley is due to return to WWE sometime this month from shoulder surgery. However, these messages from the person claiming to be Bobby Lashley indicate otherwise. As of the time of this writing there are no mentions on the official WWE web site nor has any official announcement been made. We will keep you updated as this story continues to develop.

Double C

Wow. Didn't see that coming but I can't say I'm particularly upset about it. Wonder who the evil is he speaks of!

krudler

eh its either a hoax,genuine or a work and he'll show up as a surprise Rumble entrant, cant say im bothered if he is gone to be honest, makes more room for guys like Jeff to be pushed not have some roided up guy being pushed to the moon

Vince135792003

I just went on his forum now. It doesn't look legit at all.

Mr.Nice Guy

"Circumstances, which are out of my control left me no decision but to leave the WWE. I can't go into details of this now but like I said before, sometimes people will hate you personally and try to destroy you, which has happened here. Evil has prevailed. However like I said before, if you continue your struggle, doors will open around these people. You have not seen the last of me, so please don't stop your support. Add Bobby Lashley to the list of RECENTLY RELEASED!"

I refuse to believe this is legit for the simple fact that I can't imagine Bobby Lashley articulating his feelings so well. If Lashley were to quit it would be something like:

"I'm gone guys. WWE are bathturds."

To quote my thoughts during an original ECW match...

*clears throat*


BULLLLLLSHIIIIIIIIIT

BULLLLLLSHIIIIIIIIIT

BULLLLLLSHIIIIIIIIT

Y2J_MUFC

Nothing on WWE.com, and surely that would be a front page of his site worthy story... he wouldn't just post it on the forum?

Minto

I wish!

I doubt it's legit though. If it is, I'll celebrate like VR when Cena got injured, lol!

Source: WrestlingNewsWorld.com

After breaking the news earlier this morning that Bobby Lashley is gone from World Wrestling Entertainment, there are new details to report regarding this developing story.

In a phone call placed this afternoon to internet wrestling journalist Ryan Gray of WrestlingNewsWorld.com, Bobby Lashley confirmed that is gone from the company. While Lashley would not give any specifics, he made it clear that he did not want to leave but had to because of circumstances beyond his control.

Lashley told Gray that he was training hard for a potential career in Mixed Martial Arts. The former ECW Champion said that despite the fact that he wanted to pursue an MMA career, it would not be with UFC.

Lashley would not comment on whether or not he would be interested in going to TNA Wrestling. He said that WWE has granted his release but it would not be announced until the paperwork was finalized.

Vince135792003

Update from pwinsider

Dave Scherer wrote:
Here is the latest on the Bobby Lashley-WWE situation. Lashley has definitely informed WWE that he wants to leave the company. There are a lot of reasons for him wanting to do so. The word we have gotten is that part of it has to do with how his girlfriend Kristal Marshall was treated by the company when she balked at being paired with Edge and doing the Lita gimmick, and was then quickly released. Let's just say that there is a line of thought that at least part of why she didn't want to do the angle was fear of a racial element being added to the storyline by the Smackdown creative staff.

I have also heard of other issues behind the scenes where Lashley reportedly feels like he hasn't been treated well himself while he has been out rehabbing. There is said to have been little communication between Lashley and Vince McMahon and no firm plans in place to get him back on TV now that his injury has healed and this was frustrating to him.

At this point, Lashley needs to negotiate an official release from WWE as he is still under contract (and thus is still listed on the company website). As always in this business, things can change at the drop of a hat but for now, his plan is to move on from WWE and then plan the next phase of his life.

Very strange.

fatal

Its certainly a surprise but I cant say that I will miss him.
At one stage when Brock signed with UFC I did think that Lashley may in the future look to make the same move to MMA.It was only a thought at the time and now it seems like its true
However I dont understand what hes referring to when he says "circumstances beyond his control"

Vince135792003

fatal wrote: »

Its certainly a surprise but I cant say that I will miss him.

I'm with you. I always never really cared about him but I thought he had potential. The whole situation is just very weird though.

Dean820

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I refuse to believe this is legit for the simple fact that I can't imagine Bobby Lashley articulating his feelings so well. If Lashley were to quit it would be something like:

"I'm gone guys. WWE are bathturds."

lmfao!

No big loss. He will either do MMA or TNA will pick him up like they do with every guy who used work for WWF(E)

Vince135792003

Dean820 wrote: »

No big loss.

Well it means that the amount of tv time they invested in him in 2007 was a total waste of time.

Just on his message board now. It's absolutely ludicrous. Booby Lashley (fake or real I have no idea) is telling people to PM them their phone number and he'll ring up to confirm his identity. At least half of dozen people are swearing that they talked to him. It's crazy.

Fozzy

Vince135792003 wrote: »

Booby Lashley (fake or real I have no idea) is telling people to PM them their phone number and he'll ring up to confirm his identity. At least half of dozen people are swearing that they talked to him. It's crazy.

Haha! His voice is pretty easy to imitate though

If it's true then there's a lot of strange elements to it. One being that he phoned up Ryan Gray, who as far as I know is just some guy who rips articles off the Observer, Figure Four, PWInsider and the Torch. Why wouldn't Lashley contact one of the more reputable reporters?

The comparisons with Brock and doing MMA are a bit premature I think. Lashley's older than Brock and he wasn't quite as talented a wrestler as him. Maybe he's being honest when he says he wouldn't go to the UFC

And if this is all true, I wouldn't be surprised to see the topic of steroids pop up somewhere

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote: »

Haha! His voice is pretty easy to imitate though

Geez, I couldn't imitate it! I did register as Donald Trump (it amused me at the time) on his message board. Maybe I should PM Bobby.

Dean820

That forum doesn't look like the real deal at all.

Minto

Fozzy wrote: »

One being that he phoned up Ryan Gray, who as far as I know is just some guy who rips articles off the Observer, Figure Four, PWInsider and the Torch.

Don't you mean Ryan Clark? If so he does seem to rip a lot of stuff from other sources. But he does seem to work with Wrestlezone.com and they are associated with a good few past and present names of wrestling: Chris Masters, Kevin Kelly, Konnan and Glen Gilberti among others, so he may have a line of communication with Lashley.

fatal

maybe hes just the next apprentice:rolleyes:

Fozzy

Minto wrote: »

Don't you mean Ryan Clark? If so he does seem to rip a lot of stuff from other sources. But he does seem to work with Wrestlezone.com and they are associated with a good few past and present names of wrestling: Chris Masters, Kevin Kelly, Konnan and Glen Gilberti among others, so he may have a line of communication with Lashley.

No, Ryan Gray is what the article someone posted said. http://nodq.com/wwe/202936266.shtml Just copying news off PWInsider

Vince135792003

From the observer update:

--This is what we've been able to ascertain regarding Bobby Lashley. The story is real and Lashley himself has apparently talked with some web sites to confirm it, including saying he's looking at MMA. Friends of his say he is leaning in that direction, but his prime focus now is just getting out of his WWE contract. It will be interesting to see if, because he has a long-term deal, if WWE will attempt to make him sign a non-compete, how long, terms, and if it will include not doing MMA for a time period.

Lashley was training out of San Jose's American Kickboxing Academy to go into MMA when he got the WWE offer in 2004. He has not given any reasons. We're told the release itself hasn't been finalized, which is why WWE hasn't reported on it, but that Lashley does want out. Several sources have confirmed his being upset at the way Kristal Marshall's firing went down. While some in WWE were aware of it last night at the Smackdown tapings, the word had not spread within the company. Most found out about it this morning from the various stories. Several different people including on the creative side weren't even aware of the fact it had gotten this bad, although there were friends of Lashley's who have seen this brewing for some time. We also know that key people in TNA or UFC who would know if Lashley was looking to go there didn't know anything as of this afternoon.

Minto

Fozzy wrote: »

No, Ryan Gray is what the article someone posted said. http://nodq.com/wwe/202936266.shtml Just copying news off PWInsider

Hmmmm.... thats fairly interesting. I wonder is it the same guy?

EDIT: Sorry Foz, you were right. They are two different people, just did a quick google.

Terry

Vince135792003 wrote: »

Update from pwinsider



Very strange.

Dave Scherer wrote:
Here is the latest on the Bobby Lashley-WWE situation. Lashley has definitely informed WWE that he wants to leave the company. There are a lot of reasons for him wanting to do so. The word we have gotten is that part of it has to do with how his girlfriend Kristal Marshall was treated by the company when she balked at being paired with Edge and doing the Lita gimmick, and was then quickly released.

Hey, Lashley, you're not Jerry Lawler.
Only Lawler can get his job back after quitting over a woman.

Mr.Nice Guy

I won't miss him at all. I liked him during his feud with Finlay but after that they pushed him WAY too much.

Huge potential in the ring but couldn't talk at all and I don't see that ever changing.

A poor man's Brock Lesnar really.

MikeHoncho

Goodbye Black Lesnar. I wont miss you.

Cactus Col

I'm slightly shocked, he was pushed beyond belief, and was destined to be a main eventer in no time. Basically, the chap had huge potential.

But that said, wwe has only improved since he left, so I'm not too pushed either.

Fozzy

And it's official: http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/lashleyreleased

MikeHoncho

They also released: George "G-Rilla" Murdoch (FCW), Antoni "Roadkill" Polaski (former ECW star who was in OVW), Shawn Osborne, Robert Anthony, Ace Steele (former ROH star), Cassidy Riley (former TNA star), Michael DiPaolo and Shawn McGrath

Double C

There goes any chance of the Second City Saints in WWE :mad:

Bubs101

Was Colt Cabana Released?

orestes

Any conclusive info on Lashley left the company?

callaway92

Ya Fozzy gave a link from WWE.com.....http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/lashleyreleased

orestes

It just says they have come to terms on his release, I was wondering about the reasons behind it? After all the time and effort they put into pushing him last year it seems to just let him go so easily, and it mentioned something earlier in this thread about Lashley mentioning circumstances beyond his control or something like that, was just wondering what the reasons behind it are?

Double C

Bubs101 wrote: »

Was Colt Cabana Released?

No but Ace Steele was a member of the Saints. Colt will be on TV soon. Well he better be.

Now if we can only get rid of Cena , everything will be perfect :cool: