Entertainment
WWE star Bobby Lashley felt ‘pressured’ by other wrestlers because he hadn’t come through independent scene-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The All Mighty has many strings to his bow.
Bobby Lashley has been honing his craft over the years (Picture: WWE)
Bobby Lashley admits he felt judged by some WWE stars because he hadn’t made his name on the independent scene.
The All Mighty – who will defend his United States Championship against Theory at SummerSlam on Saturday night (July 30) – has reflected on his own journey, which saw him excel as an amateur wrestler in the US military before first signing with WWE in 2005.
Reflecting on the transition, he exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘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. I’ve put the training in, it’s just showing that transition.’
He pointed out that WWE has ‘something for everyone’ across its diverse roster, while he put in his reps on the indie scene after leaving the company back in 2008.
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‘That was something that I didn’t know. When some of the guys were saying, “I did these indies, I did these indies”. When I left the WWE, I went and did all those things,’ he smiled.
‘I did some independents all the way around. I went down to Mexico and wrestled in some of the lucha organisations, I went over to Japan, wrestled some of the shoot fights, I went to the UK.
‘I just toured around everywhere and I wrestled a lot of these independents so I could see a different style of wrestling and humble myself going from a big organisation like WWE to wrestling in gyms.’
The All Mighty will try to hold onto the United States Title against Theory at SummerSlam (Picture: WWE)
He confessed part of the motivation behind taking that route was to prove he had more to his game than just being a powerhouse, or his amateur background.
‘I did it in a different way, but I did it in a way to kind of give some respect back to the guys who said, “Well you didn’t do the independents”. Well, now I did,’ he added. ‘I showed I wasn’t a one trick pony.’
Lashley noted he’s carried that work ethic throughout his career, whether it’s been performing for WWE or fighting in Bellator, Strike Force and beyond.
He said: ‘I have no problem with putting in the work and earning the respect from people in any business.’
WWE SummerSlam airs Saturday (July 30) at 1am on the WWE Network.
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