Bobby Lashley says Olympian Gable Steveson will ‘never make it’ in WWE without Hurt Business

The All Mighty has some words of wisdom (Picture: WWE)

Bobby Lashley has insisted joining the Hurt Business is the only way Gable Steveson can succeed in WWE.

The All Mighty – who is defending his WWE Title against Goldberg tonight at SummerSlam – has spoken out after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic wrestling gold medallist confirmed he’ll also be at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas after being heavily linked a potential move.

He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I think the best thing that he can do for his career if he came to WWE is to give me or give MVP a call. He’s hurt people on the world level.

‘So, if he joined the Hurt Business we can help tailor his career to get him exactly where he needs to go.

‘Anywhere else, he’s gonna drown in this business and he’ll never make it to where he needs to be. The Hurt Business is probably his only option of success in the wrestling business.’

Lashley – who has his own amateur wrestling background and has fought in MMA – acknowledged Steveson’s credentials and pointed to the likes of Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin and Kurt Angle as perfect examples of transitioning to the WWE.

‘He does have the building blocks. An amateur wrestling background is something that is definitely, I believe, respected in our business,’ Bobby said.

‘His only transition is to get the respect of the guys who took a different route… He’s been wrestling for a long time.

‘I hope that when he does come over, some of the guys that did the independents all growing up can help embrace him and help him learn the professional wrestling side, and know that he did put in the work and has respect for the business of wrestling.’

It’s a scenario Lashley knows all too well, having come into WWE from the amateur wrestling world instead of plying his craft on the independent scene like plenty of the company’s roster over the years.

He admitted: ‘When I first came in, I felt a little bit of pressure from some of the guys who just did the independents.

‘They were like, “Oh where’s this guy from? He just came from an Olympic training centre, he didn’t go travel around the states in different independents and work for 20 or 50 dollars”.

‘I was like, you know what? I kinda did! I travelled around the entire world and I wrestled for a medal. As far as the grind and the sacrifice, the sacrifice is done.’

Lashley found the transition itself ‘easy’ in terms of the skills, and he’s sure Steveson will be able to follow in those footsteps – and he’s clearly got plenty to offer.

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‘we’re such a medley and we try to have something for everyone. To have somebody with an amateur wrestling background come in is good for the business and good for the sport,’ he admitted.

‘Gable Steveson has a lot of fire behind him, everybody wants to know him. He’s been hit up by the NFL, the UFC, the WWE.

‘To have someone like him coming up, you’ve gotta respect what the guy brings to the table.’

*WWE SummerSlams airs tonight (August 21) at 1am on the WWE Network.

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