Bobby Lashley - Is he underrated?

[Mad Scientist 0]

Lashley is probably underrated, but that doesn't change the fact that his current level of talent is not equal to the GODPUSH he's been getting.

 

The guy has some definite amateur credentials. He can put on great matches as long as he is put with experienced wrestlers, but he is too green to get the kind of push he's getting, especially with his personality. He has terrible, I mean TERRIBLE, presence. He has no mike skills whatsoever, and needs to get placed with a mouthpiece quick. Goldberg getting a rookie GODPUSH worked because he had a powerful, intimidating presence in the ring and his promos. He came off as a scary, legit badass; Lashley doesn't come off as anything but awkward.

 

Lashley could work as a big weapon for someone else (Benjamin, MVP, etc.), as long as he doesn't have to talk. Let him run in, lay a big-man beatdown on the guy his boss points at, and walk away smiling. That way, he'd come off as a massive monster threat. Add to the big-man beatdown his actual amateur cred and let him wrestle people into submission. Next, GET RID OF THE STUPID RUNNING POWERSLAM AS A FINISHER. Have him use that falling Dominator, and maybe give him the Torture Rack as a submission. The critical fact here is to put Lashley up against some veterans who can teach him how to carry a good match, play to his strengths in the ring (power and a little amateur flourish), and give him a mouthpiece. I think Lashley could get madly over as a heel if he played an enforcer, destroyed a couple of babyfaces via run-ins and beatdowns, and always walked away from those beatdowns with that eerie smile he gave after pushing Armando's wheelchair into all that scenery on ECW.

[DangerousDamon 0]

Lashley is probably underrated, but that doesn't change the fact that his current level of talent is not equal to the GODPUSH he's been getting.

 

The guy has some definite amateur credentials. He can put on great matches as long as he is put with experienced wrestlers, but he is too green to get the kind of push he's getting, especially with his personality. He has terrible, I mean TERRIBLE, presence. He has no mike skills whatsoever, and needs to get placed with a mouthpiece quick. Goldberg getting a rookie GODPUSH worked because he had a powerful, intimidating presence in the ring and his promos. He came off as a scary, legit badass; Lashley doesn't come off as anything but awkward.

 

Lashley could work as a big weapon for someone else (Benjamin, MVP, etc.), as long as he doesn't have to talk. Let him run in, lay a big-man beatdown on the guy his boss points at, and walk away smiling. That way, he'd come off as a massive monster threat. Add to the big-man beatdown his actual amateur cred and let him wrestle people into submission. Next, GET RID OF THE STUPID RUNNING POWERSLAM AS A FINISHER. Have him use that falling Dominator, and maybe give him the Torture Rack as a submission. The critical fact here is to put Lashley up against some veterans who can teach him how to carry a good match, play to his strengths in the ring (power and a little amateur flourish), and give him a mouthpiece. I think Lashley could get madly over as a heel if he played an enforcer, destroyed a couple of babyfaces via run-ins and beatdowns, and always walked away from those beatdowns with that eerie smile he gave after pushing Armando's wheelchair into all that scenery on ECW.

 

 

He really should get of the Powerslam(and spear) because Batista uses them as transistion spots. I think the Torture Rack Backbreaker could be a good finisher for him, since the crowd seems to pop for it more than the "Dominator Powerslam."

[haVoc 0]

Lashley is probably underrated, but that doesn't change the fact that his current level of talent is not equal to the GODPUSH he's been getting.

 

The guy has some definite amateur credentials. He can put on great matches as long as he is put with experienced wrestlers, but he is too green to get the kind of push he's getting, especially with his personality. He has terrible, I mean TERRIBLE, presence. He has no mike skills whatsoever, and needs to get placed with a mouthpiece quick. Goldberg getting a rookie GODPUSH worked because he had a powerful, intimidating presence in the ring and his promos. He came off as a scary, legit badass; Lashley doesn't come off as anything but awkward.

 

Lashley could work as a big weapon for someone else (Benjamin, MVP, etc.), as long as he doesn't have to talk. Let him run in, lay a big-man beatdown on the guy his boss points at, and walk away smiling. That way, he'd come off as a massive monster threat. Add to the big-man beatdown his actual amateur cred and let him wrestle people into submission. Next, GET RID OF THE STUPID RUNNING POWERSLAM AS A FINISHER. Have him use that falling Dominator, and maybe give him the Torture Rack as a submission. The critical fact here is to put Lashley up against some veterans who can teach him how to carry a good match, play to his strengths in the ring (power and a little amateur flourish), and give him a mouthpiece. I think Lashley could get madly over as a heel if he played an enforcer, destroyed a couple of babyfaces via run-ins and beatdowns, and always walked away from those beatdowns with that eerie smile he gave after pushing Armando's wheelchair into all that scenery on ECW.

 

I must have missed those great matches.

 

[Taker666 0]

One small thing that annoys me about him is his name. Bobby Lashley. That name sounds like some 5th grade nerd who gets his ass beat up everyday.

 

I don't know when this trend started of keeping newer wrestlers their actual name but they could of at least came up with a more intimitating/catchier name than fucking Bobby Lashley.

[razazteca 0]

Goldberg worked because:

 

1. The entrance was awesome

2. He grunted alot thus looked intimidating

3. 100+ squashes

 

Bobbly Lashley sux because:

 

1. His entrance is nearly the same damn thing as Batista among others

2. Babyface, literally

3. Powermoves do not have the "OMG WTF" shock factor at all

4. Poor choice of name, sorry but it is too girly no pro wrestler should use the name Shannon, Lashley, Shelley unless they are Divas!

[The Niggardly King 0]

He has potential to be Mike Awesome like with all of his athletic ability. I call for more planchas

[Mad Scientist 0]

I don't mind "Lashley" so much. Just never use his first name.

 

I gotta agree that Lashley, as a powerhouse, needs more power moves to round out that side of him. Right now he has the following power moves that he uses with any regularity:

 

T-Bone/Exploder Suplex (good for what it's worth, but Tazz did this one so an awesome power move it ain't)

Powerslam (can be done by anyone, so again no "WOW" factor - terrible finisher for someone pushed as "The Next Next Big Thing")

Stalling Vertical Suplex (pretty good, but still not thrilling - now if he did this as a superplex, as a finisher maybe, it would reek of awesomeness)

Spear (this is done by everyone, and nobody does it as well as Rhyno or Goldberg, so now it just seems to be a generic finisher for people with little imagination)

Dominator (good power move, but no WOW factor to it - makes a decent enough finisher)

 

Some moves that should be added to make Lashley wrestle more like an unstoppable powerhouse:

 

Press Slam/Spinebuster (Goldberg used this at the end of his WWE run, and it looked really good)

Chokehold/Press Slam (another Goldberg power move)

Standing Gordbuster (used by several folks, most notably by Ron Simmons - hoisting the victim into the vertical suplex, then just dropping him forward onto his face while the attacker remains standing)

Gorilla Press Drop (Ultimate Warrior style - the contemptuous dropping of the smaller guy on his face is always good)

Stalling Superplex (see above...I think this would make a great new finisher for Lashley if he could pull it off - it would add that Holy SH*T/WTF factor to his arsenal like nothing else could)

 

My two cents (more).

[Jingus 0]

The really annoying thing about Lashley is his inconsistency. When he started out in late 05/early 06, he... sucked. Really, really green, and it showed. But then he worked with Finlay and Regal and co. a whole bunch, and seemed to get a LOT better. And then... went to ECW, and went back to sucking. Hard. But ever since he came to Raw, he seems to have improved again.

 

I like Lashley's matches a lot more when he actually uses all that amateur wrestling knowhow, like in the bout he had with Benoit Benjamin. But when he just does the punch-punch-punch-spear-slam Superman bullshit, I can't fast-forward quick enough.

[Angle-plex 0]

We love ya Bobby. Don't we all love Bobby?

[razazteca 0]

 

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Plain and simple: Lashley does not have any X factor that makes me want to see any of him. No exciting moves, not technically sound, can't really work a crowd, shit on the mic = me not giving a rats ass about anything he does

[mfn 0]

He has potential to be Mike Awesome like with all of his athletic ability. I call for more planchas

More planchas, great matches with japanese wrestlers, atleast 5 table spots per match, and one really small guy to just man handle every now and again.

[Kristianna 0]

Lashley is just straight-up boring.

 

Did anyone else read the thing they have on WWE.com with him and Cena answering the same questions? Cena does the typical baby-face answers, but it almost sounds like they're going to turn Lashley heel at the PPV with answers like he's giving.

 

Which would be fine, as long as he doesn't ever do his own promos again.

[luke-o 0]

He needs what Lesner had with Heyman. Lesner couldn't cut a promo either, but Heyman sure can. Give Lashley a decent mouth peice that can build him up and he could be good.

 

Much better than his "my mummy says I can be a champion" promos we get from him now anyways.

[Guest joshtothemaxx]

One thing that really struck me is how short Bobby actually is. I always had it in my head that Jeff Hardy was you know, a small high flyer type, well because he is. But the other week when Bobby and Jeff teamed up, they were about the same height. Even with all the super muscle mass Bobby has, he's just not scary. At all.

 

Having said that, I have no idea what the WWE could do with him other than FORCE him to learn to talk like they're doing now, or package him with a manager. He's way too athletic and impressive physically just to let him waste away on the undercard really.

[razazteca 0]

Serious question time: If Lashley is suppose to be NCAA/Army wrestling champion then why the fuck is he stuck working the old 80's muscle bodybuilder boring slug style? I have yet to see any of these so called mat skills being used ever in a match where are the Scott Steiner suplexes/throws where are the armbar/hammerlock spots where are the Kurt Angle ankle picks? MVP, the man with the Harlem Heat bandaid on his nose and scuba diving bodysuit look is perceived to be a better technician! What we get from Bobby Lashley is workrate you would expect from a Barbarian, Warlord, Berzerker, Adam Bomb, Issiak Yankem, Chris Masters, Gene Snitsky, among other boring big men.

[Mad Scientist 0]

Serious question time: If Lashley is suppose to be NCAA/Army wrestling champion then why the fuck is he stuck working the old 80's muscle bodybuilder boring slug style? I have yet to see any of these so called mat skills being used ever in a match where are the Scott Steiner suplexes/throws where are the armbar/hammerlock spots where are the Kurt Angle ankle picks? MVP, the man with the Harlem Heat bandaid on his nose and scuba diving bodysuit look is perceived to be a better technician! What we get from Bobby Lashley is workrate you would expect from a Barbarian, Warlord, Berzerker, Adam Bomb, Issiak Yankem, Chris Masters, Gene Snitsky, among other boring big men.

 

I'm with you here. Lance Storm claims to have trained this guy somewhat, and raves about his ability. I haven't seen anything to warrant that kind of praise. If Lashley started really showing this kind of style...amateur-style takedowns, some decent suplexes, and a technical hold or two, it'd be a godsend to his credibility as this amateur champion. Then add on the raw power moves I mentioned above, or something similar to make him a scary powerhouse wrestler. Combining those movesets would make for some great matches, if not with Cena, then with somebody.

 

I don't know if the WWE is forcing him into this lazy slug style or if it's his own lack of ability. He doesn't even do a decent "explosive powerhouse" due to his lack of good power moves. The only people he's even press slammed are managers or McMahons...hell, Snitsky is a better powerhouse wrestler. And that's just sad if Lashley has the ability that Lance Storm believes he does or if he has those awesome amateur credentials they keep touting to push him.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

You don't think it's because the WWE themselves want Lashley to work this style because they think that's befitting of a guy his size and gimmick?

[Mad Scientist 0]

You don't think it's because the WWE themselves want Lashley to work this style because they think that's befitting of a guy his size and gimmick?

 

It could be...I wouldn't put it past WWE to dictate such a style requirement.

[edgehead69 0]

We love ya Bobby. Don't we all love Bobby?

 

Ugh... Stupid Donald..... How can a guy named Bobby be world champ? (excuse Bob Backlund)

 

As Lashley says, "Your a Bastard!"

[Jingus 0]

He's obviously got the skills and ability, they don't just hand out those awards for nothing. Personally, I think it's a cross between WWE's insistence on the Main Event Heavyweight Style and the fact that he's put on at least fifty pounds of muscle since his amateur days.

[razazteca 0]

You don't think it's because the WWE themselves want Lashley to work this style because they think that's befitting of a guy his size and gimmick?

 

It could be...I wouldn't put it past WWE to dictate such a style requirement.

What exactly sets him apart from the 10-20 powerhouse wrestlers currently employed by the E? Not a damn thing he just looks like, acts like, works like the basic generic WWE Hoss BAWH GAWD! If Bobby Lashley has the so called "amature" skills then let him use them. In the past the smaller wrestlers were called "vanilla midgets" well Bobby Lashley is a "chocolate hershey bar" available at the low low cost of 2 for a dollar at Walmart.

 

Seriously why is there a need for Lashley to work this style when Batista is the same damn thing but better at it.....he looks good in shades and wears a fancy suit!

[Mad Scientist 0]

You don't think it's because the WWE themselves want Lashley to work this style because they think that's befitting of a guy his size and gimmick?

 

It could be...I wouldn't put it past WWE to dictate such a style requirement.

What exactly sets him apart from the 10-20 powerhouse wrestlers currently employed by the E? Not a damn thing he just looks like, acts like, works like the basic generic WWE Hoss BAWH GAWD! If Bobby Lashley has the so called "amature" skills then let him use them. In the past the smaller wrestlers were called "vanilla midgets" well Bobby Lashley is a "chocolate hershey bar" available at the low low cost of 2 for a dollar at Walmart.

 

Seriously why is there a need for Lashley to work this style when Batista is the same damn thing but better at it.....he looks good in shades and wears a fancy suit!

 

There is no need for Lashley to work that style, but there's no need for anybody to work that style, since it sucks. The only reason anybody should ever work that style is because they can't do anything else (like say, Batista, Snitsky, Khali). And then you have the question, why have anybody on the roster who can only work the giant slug style? WWE's static answer is usually as follows:

 

"Big men sell more tickets than little ones, whether they have ability or not. Why have a big man waste his time on silly amateur moves and holds, when we have the cruiserweights and light heavyweights for that? We want the big man to toss people and around and be, well, BIG. And stuff."

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Serious question time: If Lashley is suppose to be NCAA/Army wrestling champion then why the fuck is he stuck working the old 80's muscle bodybuilder boring slug style? I have yet to see any of these so called mat skills being used ever in a match where are the Scott Steiner suplexes/throws where are the armbar/hammerlock spots where are the Kurt Angle ankle picks? MVP, the man with the Harlem Heat bandaid on his nose and scuba diving bodysuit look is perceived to be a better technician! What we get from Bobby Lashley is workrate you would expect from a Barbarian, Warlord, Berzerker, Adam Bomb, Issiak Yankem, Chris Masters, Gene Snitsky, among other boring big men.

Don't hate on Barbarian; dude had mad skills...

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Godfish is right about this one. The only instance I remember of a big man starting to showcase his amateur wrestling/technical wrestling skills (after initially being showcased as a power wrestler) is Brock Lesnar, but he had no choice, being paired up with guys like Angle and Benoit and even Eddie.

[Mad Scientist 0]

Godfish is right about this one. The only instance I remember of a big man starting to showcase his amateur wrestling/technical wrestling skills (after initially being showcased as a power wrestler) is Brock Lesnar, but he had no choice, being paired up with guys like Angle and Benoit and even Eddie.

 

I seem to recall Lashley starting to showcase a bit during his feuds and matches with some of the Smackdown technical guys like Finlay and Benoit. Not a lot mind you, as they still wanted him classified and pushed as a powerhouse; you can still tell the push type by the commentary putting Lashley over. They hardly ever mention his background anymore...just how strong and big he is. Sad, really.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Watch The Bash again and that's pretty much your answer. Lashley does a few basic amateur moves on Cena and naturally, because Cena doesn't have the amateur background, he gets for the lack of a better word 'owned' and looks completely out of his depth. Seriously, all Lashley did was shoot low and push him in the stomach a little, Cena didn't have an answer for it. Might have been the whole point of that sequence, sure. But it made Cena look inept as a wrestler. Which is a no-no.

 

Look at who Lashley HAS used the amateur stuff on. Finlay, Benoit, Benjamin... that's about it, all guys who could at least look competitive.

 

Factor in the company's opinion as a whole on pure wrestling and there ya go. It's not like the people in charge don't know who's a good wrestler and who isn't. They just gave Jamie Noble a road agent type job after pretty much doing zero with him as a wrestler, going to prove that it doesn't really matter how good you are, it's about making people who aren't so good look good. Ass backwards logic? Sure. But it's the WWE way I guess.

[Mad Scientist 0]

Watch The Bash again and that's pretty much your answer. Lashley does a few basic amateur moves on Cena and naturally, because Cena doesn't have the amateur background, he gets for the lack of a better word 'owned' and looks completely out of his depth. Seriously, all Lashley did was shoot low and push him in the stomach a little, Cena didn't have an answer for it. Might have been the whole point of that sequence, sure. But it made Cena look inept as a wrestler. Which is a no-no.

 

Look at who Lashley HAS used the amateur stuff on. Finlay, Benoit, Benjamin... that's about it, all guys who could at least look competitive.

 

Factor in the company's opinion as a whole on pure wrestling and there ya go. It's not like the people in charge don't know who's a good wrestler and who isn't. They just gave Jamie Noble a road agent type job after pretty much doing zero with him as a wrestler, going to prove that it doesn't really matter how good you are, it's about making people who aren't so good look good. Ass backwards logic? Sure. But it's the WWE way I guess.

 

Well, there we go. I didn't watch the Bash, so that's why I missed that end of things.

 

Well, again, if they're going to push him as a powerhouse, he needs to start trotting out some nasty-looking power moves, darn it. His current moveset in the power category don't cut it. Either that, or unleash him as this amateur wrestling machine that barrels through everyone. Just pick a direction for him other than large, slow heavyweight punching machine. We have Henry, Snitsky, and company for that, dammit.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

The problem with Lashley's style is that he really hasn't defined his style. He looks like a big, powerful guy, but he doesn't do many "power" moves. He has the amatuer background but he really doesn't utalize that either. Like mentioned above, his mostly a kick/punch/shoulder blocking machine

[razazteca 0]

"Big men sell more tickets than little ones, whether they have ability or not. Why have a big man waste his time on silly amateur moves and holds, when we have the cruiserweights and light heavyweights for that? We want the big man to toss people and around and be, well, BIG. And stuff."

Ya know this is the reason why heavyweight professional boxing is dead. What you have as a result is a bunch of big guys who get tired fast who have no skills other than basic brute strength.