Bobby Lashley | |
---|---|
Birth name | Franklin Roberto Lashley |
Born | Junction City, Kansas, U.S. | July 16, 1976
Alma mater | Missouri Valley College (BA) |
Partner | Kristal Marshall (2007–2010) |
Children | 3 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Blaster Lashley[1] Bobby Lashley[1] Lashley[1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2][3][4] |
Billed weight | 273 lb (124 kg)[2] |
Billed from | Colorado Springs, Colorado[2] |
Trained by | Ohio Valley Wrestling[1] |
Debut | January 2005[5] |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1999–2002 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Franklin Roberto "Bobby" Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As of September 2024[update], he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a co-leader of The Hurt Syndicate. He is best known for his two tenures in WWE, from 2005 to 2008 and 2018 to 2024, and his two tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2009 to 2010 and 2014 to 2018. As a mixed martial artist, Lashley competed for Bellator MMA and Strikeforce.
Lashley debuted in WWE in 2005, appearing on the SmackDown brand where he became a one-time United States Champion. After being drafted to the ECW brand the following year, Lashley became a two-time ECW World Champion. During this time, he had a high-profile rivalry with company chairman Vince McMahon, which included representing Donald Trump in the "Battle of the Billionaires" at WrestleMania 23, before leaving the company in 2008.
He subsequently pursued a career in MMA and had his first professional fight in December 2008. After amassing a career record of 10–2, he signed with Bellator MMA in 2014 where he won all five of his career bouts from 2014 to 2016.
In 2009, Lashley began appearing in professional wrestling promotion TNA (later renamed to Impact in 2017), where he became a four-time TNA/Impact World Heavyweight Champion. He was also a one-time X Division Champion and the final King of the Mountain Champion. After leaving Impact in early 2018, he returned to WWE that April, becoming a two-time WWE Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and winning the United States Championship on two further occasions. He left WWE in August 2024 upon the expiration of his contract. He then signed with AEW the following month, making his debut in October at Fright Night Dynamite.
He has headlined multiple pay-per-view (PPV) events for WWE and TNA/Impact, including the 2016 edition of the latter's flagship event, Bound for Glory.