Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley
Lashley in 2017
Birth nameFranklin Roberto Lashley
Born (1976-07-16) July 16, 1976 (age 48)
Junction City, Kansas, U.S.
Alma materMissouri Valley College (BA)
Children3
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Blaster Lashley[1]
Bobby Lashley[1]
Lashley[1]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2][3][4]
Billed weight273 lb (124 kg)[2]
Billed fromColorado Springs, Colorado[2]
Trained byOhio Valley Wrestling[1]
DebutJanuary 2005[5]
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1999–2002
Rank Sergeant

Franklin Roberto "Bobby" Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As of September 2024, he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate. He is best known for his two tenures in WWE, from 2005 to 2008 and 2018 to 2024, as well as 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, 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.

  1. ^ a b c d "Bobby Lashley Profile". Cagematch.net. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Bobby Lashley". WWE.
  3. ^ "Bobby Lashley". ImpactWrestling.com. Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  4. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bobby". Sherdog.
  5. ^ "Career 23 time WWE champion - Bobby Lashley". Cage Match. Retrieved April 13, 2021.