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Bobby Lashley On Brock Lesnar, Shaving Vince McMahon's Head, Kurt Angle, AEW, Hurt Syndicate
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Bobby Lashley (@fightbobby) is a professional wrestler currently signed to AEW. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Dallas, TX to discuss signing with AEW, how Kurt Angle got him into pro wrestling, representing Donald Trump in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, shaving Vince McMahon bald and the rivalry that followed, the Rusev and Lana love triangle, jumping through the cage onto Umaga, how close he came to fighting in the UFC, finally getting the match against Brock Lesnar in WWE and more!
Quote I'm thinking about: "So turn the page, get off the ride. You are the author of the book of your life." — Matthew McConaughey
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"I think I fell in a little time warp, the 10 years of my life kind of just fused together when I was fighting and everything like that. It kind of links me up so I don't feel any older. I feel in great shape, I've never stopped working out, it's like an addiction. That's my addiction. So I'm just that guy. I take it easy, I have fun, and my kids keep me young. When you're running around with kids, my son's like, all right, Dad, we gotta go throw a football. You know you got to be ready. You got to be there for your kids. So that's what it was all about. For me, is being able to do things with my kid and stay active because of that. And I think if you are around kids, and you allow yourself to just have fun with kids, I think that's what keeps you young."
"We would joke about it, there’s show muscles and go muscles. And I would say I had go muscles. Because I enjoy doing a lot of other things, I enjoy boxing, and you can't box if you're a bodybuilder. So I've always kept kind of flexibility, stayed loose, and everything like that. I enjoy yoga. I enjoy being able to explore all kinds of different fitness avenues, not just pumping weights, lifting weights. When people ask me what my training regimen is I'm like, I don't know, because I really just go to the gym as mental clarity. I go to the gym because I like to challenge myself. I always talk about challenges. I really just go up there because I have different challenges, from my pull-up challenge to my push-up challenge and different things like that. And I do it, and then it's like, I set a number for myself. It's like, alright, you did this amount of push-ups or this amount of pull-ups, and that's where you're at. Then the next time I go there, I want to be able to beat that. So there's a series of things that I have to do in order to be better at that challenge."
"So amateur wrestling and pro wrestlers kind of have this [animosity] before, the relationship has been different. It's been changed up to now. But, when Kurt came, I was at the Olympic training center training. We were getting ready for World Team trials. So it was a big event that we were getting ready for. Kurt was doing a vignette with WWE, he came down, and when he was doing it, he wanted to just go through practice with us. So he was running with us, drilling and everything like that, off to the side. Then Kurt was just kind of like going around some of the people he knew. I never met Kurt, but I was a pro wrestling fan, and sometimes in the amateur rankings, you gotta be little quiet with that. But I knew Kurt, because the cool thing about Kurt was when I was in high school, he was in college, and when I was in high school, I watched his video where he wrestled Sylvester Terkay. And it was big, it was on TV. All they were doing is talking about Sylvester Terkay, how great he was. And they were talking about Kurt Angle is the underdog in this match and it was a great match. It was one that I recorded on VHS tapes, if you look up far back that was. I remember watching it then. So I knew Kurt then, and I looked up to him because how tough he was and how hard he fought and how much he trained. They talked about his story a little bit, and I was like that's me. I'm a workout trainingaholic. I love to train and get ready for things. It motivates me. So I was a big fan of his when I was in high school, and he was in college wrestling. Then I moved up to college and he moved to WWE. Then I watched him and I saw some of the matches he was doing. I was a pro wrestling fan before, and when I watched him come up, he was doing amateur wrestling in a pro wrestling world, but he was able to mix the two. And I was like he's incredible. Some of the matches he had with Eddie Guerrero and some of the other people that he wrestled with, Brock and some of the other big matches that he had. I was like I love the style. So now, when he was out there, I'm at the Olympic Training Center, he comes back and I was like, this is the kid. I was a huge fan of him for 10 years ago. So I was like this is awesome. And then he came to me, and he said, you got a pretty good look and I see, he said, you watch pro wrestling? [I said] Absolutely, man, I'm a huge fan of yours. And he was like, I'd love to be able to maybe introduce you to some people in WWE, because it might be a good opportunity for you. He said, I've already talked to coach Kevin Jackson, and Kevin Jackson said, yeah, just go talk to him. So we exchanged numbers then. What Kurt told me at the time, he said, if you would have accomplished what you accomplished in amateur wrestling in basketball, football, baseball, you'd be probably a multi-millionaire playing in the pros. He said, pro wrestling is our pro sport, so you might want to look into it. And I was like, noted. So one thing led to the next, and then I ended up in WWE."
"That was crazy. When you first get into the business, you don't really understand how quick that machine moves. Some of the people that are in there right now, they're in there, and they just don't understand the magnitude of that machine. They don't understand it."
"It was funny all the way through, because you just watching these two powerhouses talk to each other, so they're going back and forth, and they're on top of everything. I remember there was an iconic photo that we had where Vince and Trump were sitting down on a chair, and then we were standing above them. Austin was in the middle. I think everybody was in there in this picture. And I remember it was something so small. But you saw these two, Vince and Trump, and both of them, they want to be leaders here. And we were trying to figure out how we were going to sit. Because they initially had it, which I don't think made any sense. Somebody put it down on paper that me and Umaga were supposed to sit in the chairs and have those guys standing with their hands on our shoulders and and then Stone Cold in the middle, and them looking at each other. So little things like that are huge. And then Trump was like, No, I don't think we should do this. I think we should sit down and based on the way this angle is right here, it makes me look old, so it catches this. I don't want to see that. Let's go here. Vince was like I want to do this. I was like, I'll stand wherever you guys want me. So when we put it all together with these two guys, they were able to work together. And then we put it together, and the picture came out perfect. I think it was right the way it should have been."
"No. But I can tell you. I remember the backstage, I think Vince was saying it. Because Trump wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to do something. He was like, I want to beat somebody up or something like that. I think Vince's whole thing was like, Haha, when he starts punching me, I'm gonna put my head down so he could punch my head. That's the hardest part of my head, so it's gonna hurt his hand. And I think there was something in there. But those guys, I think everybody wanted to do something in that match and be a part of that match. So I don't know who told him to do it. I don't know when they told him to do it, but leading into that match, there wasn't supposed to be any altercation. But I guess they may have talked, or somebody talked, and they figured out, okay, we'll do a little clothesline, because that could be easy, and then jump on top of him and do the punching I don't know where it came from, but that's what they decided to do."
"I was just telling somebody about this two days ago and he said the same thing. So certain things you can't practice, you know you're not going to be able to practice. It was, again, Vince, because he was knee-deep in that role, that was his role. So since it was his feud, he wanted to make sure everything was moving in the right direction. We were having that cage match against Bob Holly. And there was something where they wanted me to do something with the cage, or throw it on top of him, or something like that. And then I was like I'll just jump into it. They were like, well, that might be hard to do, because if you think about it, we have a match in there, so we're going to be throwing each other against that cage anyway. We can't just keep it loose so you touch it and it falls, so they have to buckle it. So he was like, Okay, you're having a match first off. Then in order to jump this thing, you have to jump over the top rope and hit it. I was like, Okay, you got to hit it hard. I was like, okay, all right, okay, what are you saying here? And then Vince comes out. Vince was like, you can jump over that top rope? I was like, yes, yes, I can. So I was like I don't see what I could do wrong, I can jump over the top rope and if I have to jump hard, I probably have to hit this one and build up speed to be able to do it. They said, Well, when we go out there, it's on you, because that thing is latched. So if you don't knock it over and go, you're just gonna jump up and hit it, which would have been horrible. And I think I would have been in a whole different place in my career if that would have happened."
"I didn't know. I mean, because I've always been like that, you could talk, and most people know me through wrestling business. I'm not one of the people to call the office throughout the week and fight for everything. I'm like I'm just going to make whatever we do work. So when I came in there, I knew I was in a feud with Vince, and I knew every week it was going to be something where he's getting at me. But the one thing he said, He's like haha, don't worry, you'll get it all back. I never understood what he was saying at the time. I was like, you'll get it all back, what are you talking about? You guys have me down. You guys were slapping me, beat me up, and I had to fight through and get away. But that was a great story, and he taught me a great story. He was like that heel that's just getting you, getting you getting you, just can't get him back, and then when you do get him back, then the crowd's gonna blow up. And that's what we did. Because there was a time that I almost got him back in a tag match where it was with Shane, Umaga and Vince. And it was like, Shane came in, I got rid of him. Umaga came in and I low roped him, and then Vince was there by himself. And he was like, the whole crowd, just like, kill him. And then the minute I grabbed Vince, boom, they were on me. So it took it away. So it was that little roller coaster that we like to play with people. So that story was great, but then again, you're working with the boss, so he has the versatility to do whatever he wants, to make the story as big as he wants it. And we had a lot of heat with that story. Of course when he won the ECW title and he came in wearing a do-rag."
"I can say this, and I've said this several times before, but then again I'm very positive with everything. But I can honestly say it was 100% Lana that was able to make me feel comfortable doing it, and then to just try to do things, to really further that whole feud. She was on top of everything. She was always like, Alright, I got a photographer over here. We need a photographer over here. We need to walk so the people see us together, so it's not like something where they're just like, oh, they don't care about it. So I was like, alright, but all I'm thinking about is who am I supposed to wrestle or go smash? She's like, No, we need to come over here and take these pictures. We need to go do this. She was like, pulling me in all these different directions. And I was just like are you cool with all this? She's like, yes, because she knows acting and she's able to put herself into characters. Lana is a sweetheart, and I know that some people were hard on her because it seems like she tries too much, she tries too hard, and sometimes it comes as not sincere to people and I think some people kind of jumped on her about it. But working with her, I think she's a sweetheart and she really helped me feel comfortable in that role. I had nothing but respect for her for going through it, because she kept it very respectful. I was working with her and her husband, and she understood what the plan was, so she wanted to play her part."
"So at the beginning, when I first started fighting, I think there were little talks with it and they said, Yeah, we'll give him the opportunity to but he needs to work his way up. And I was just like, okay, and it was a decision that I had to make, because I could fight for some other organizations that were offering more money and I always thought if the situation changes in WWE, I thought that's my calling. That's where I really deserve to be. I just needed time away because the situations and things were going on. So I was like, here's an opportunity for me to just kind of keep it open and then go back. So I didn't want to lock up a contract with them, because I would have had to really just shut off wrestling."
"I wanted to do a lot more with it. I wish we could have really done the things that we could have and should have wanted to do with that. I think people could have really got sold into just us training to fight each other and some of the heat that we could have brought. Brock was a natural bully, but in this sense, he was kind of a babyface, because he was that guy coming back and forth and I was a heel at the time. But it could have showed how we prepared for a fight with each other and it could have showed something different. It could have been so much like the Rocky story. Hell, if they wanted to, they could have put us two together and kind of ran as doggone rogue warriors for a while. I even went to a point where I was like, man, wouldn't it be cool that they would have brought us both back here and then put us together, had Paul Heyman find a way to put us both together, and then the whole time we win tag team titles and he keeps referring to I got the greatest fighter in the world and the greatest tag team. Then it got to a point like, who you keep talking about as the greatest fighter? Because you're only saying one person. So that could have built some natural animosity there. And it's like, hold on a second man, I know you and Brock have this history, but you keep saying you have the greatest fighter and the greatest tag team. So Who are you referring to? And it could have been my ego got in the way, or something like that, whatever it was, whatever it did, but it brought us apart. Because they always said some of the best feuds are the people that were together first, and something brought us apart. Could have been, I don't know if we could have put us two together as a tag team, because it might have been too dominant, but I still see there were some people in there that we could have had great fights with and great matches with if we needed to."
"So I have a good friend that was working with AEW before Dan Lambert. He was American Top Team. He was in AEW for a while. Dan's one of my favorite people in this world. He helped manage me through fighting and everything like that, has always been just a great friend first and foremost. And I talked to Dan, and we kind of discussed different options, and I asked him about Tony, because I didn't know, you don't know anything about Tony if you don't know him. So I was like, Oh, what about this Tony guy? And a lot of things that he told me about him, I was just like, I can respect that. He said he's got kind of like little personality like you, in a sense, where he goes out of his way to be nice to people he really likes. He’s a genuine person. He told me pros and cons and I was like, Man, I'd love to be able to meet him. But at this time, I was talking to MVP, and I was talking to Shelton, and we were like, let's run this back. Let's run the group back. Let's do it. We have that option. We're all out at this time. So let's see if we can go and do this the right way."
"You know a lot of people talk about what they want done in the ring. But for me, if people say Bobby, he was a cool dude, he was a good guy, that's enough for me, and that's across the board. I mean, if they knew me more personally then I would want them to talk about me as a father, as a provider for my kids and the people around me that meant something. That's that's what's really important to me. And like I said before, I understand with wrestling, and some people are so dialed into the wrestling part. But at the end of the day, wrestling is just kicking and punching. There's so much more to it. There's so much more to being on a platform like you are, and being able to influence so many different people around the world. Then another thing, the creative side of it is to be able to have stories, and then to be able to put together stories that are entertaining for people, that people talk about later. So those are the two parts that I love. So I just want to be in the talks of some of the stories of those people, that people look back on, and said, Hey, man, that was really cool."
"My kids, my health and my faith."
