Bobby Lashley Returns to WWE

Bobby Lashley is back in the WWE, returning on Monday Night Raw this past Monday, attacking Elias in an in-ring segment.

Lashley had his Impact Wrestling contract expire at the end of January. Coincidentally, due to Impact taping television so far in advance, he was wrestling on Impact up until this past Thursday, when he lost to Brian Cage for a second straight week.

According to a report from Wrestling Observer Radio, Lashley is back full-time with the company after turning down an opportunity to fight for Bellator MMA in their upcoming heavyweight tournament.

Lashley is ready to be a main-event player in WWE. He’s much more mature and more seasoned now as a wrestler than he was during his initial run in the mid-2000s. His run with Impact Wrestling prepared him for a bigger role with WWE. He was “the man” with Impact. Lashley’s promos are far and away better now than they were in 2007, when he first captured the ECW Championship.

There are also plenty of fresh matches for Lashley in WWE, whether he’s on Raw or SmackDown. Lashley vs. Lesnar. Lashley vs. Daniel Bryan. Lashley vs. Seth Rollins. Lashley vs. Finn Balor. Lashley vs. Strowman.

The list goes on.

Even the re-tread Impact matches will be welcome in front of a larger, fresher WWE audience. Lashley had great matches in Impact with Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. Even Bobby Roode and Lashley would be a very good matchup.

Lashley is 41 years old. He’s not young. But, thanks to the lighter Impact schedule over the years, his body doesn’t have the miles on it that other 41-year-old wrestlers typically have.

Lashley isn’t going back to WWE for a 10-year run. But he has, at least, four really good years still left in him. And with the endless possibilities as far as opponents go, WWE is going to have to strike while the iron is hot.