Bobby Lashley joined AEW back in October 2024 after spending several years in WWE. However, many people constantly criticize AEW for bringing in ex-WWE stars and now Lashley has called out such critics.
While speaking to WFAA, Bobby Lashley was asked if there was much of an adjustment moving from WWE to AEW and what the big differences were. Lashley said that right away he noticed how critics often try to drag AEW down.
Lashley says they do this by acting like it’s somehow negative whenever a former WWE star joins the company. Lashley called out such critics, saying he doesn’t see himself as just a WWE or AEW wrestler; he’s simply a wrestler. He spent a good part of his career in WWE and now he’s wrestling for AEW, and that’s really all people need to know.
“I think right off the bat, I know that the critics try to keep AEW down because they try to do so anytime when they talk about a WWE guy going over, they act like it’s a bad thing. And I keep trying to tell them—I am not a WWE wrestler. I am not an AEW wrestler. I am a wrestler. I wrestled for WWE for a good portion of my career. Now I’m a wrestler for AEW, so that’s all you need to know me by.”
The Almighty also said there’s more creative freedom in AEW. In WWE, they had their own plans that everyone had to follow. But in AEW, Tony Khan lets the wrestlers share their ideas and have some say in their stories.
Lashley says Tony Khan still makes the final decisions, but he listens to the wrestlers and lets them help shape what happens. Lashley thinks that’s a big plus and makes AEW different.
“That’s the one thing. And another thing with AEW—you have a little bit more creative input, I think the guys do. I think with WWE, they had their agenda and what they wanted to do, and you had to stay on course with what they were doing. I think with AEW, Tony Khan gives these guys an opportunity to kind of voice their opinion, kind of run their stories the way they would like to, and they have some say in it. Of course, he’s the final say, so if he says no, no it is. But he gives these guys an opportunity to kinda hear their voice a little bit more and make changes accordingly.”
At the end of the day, Bobby Lashley hopes fans can look beyond company rivalries and simply appreciate wrestling as an art form. Whether fans will eventually see things from his perspective isn’t known but Lashley just wanted people to know what he really felt.
What’s your view on AEW signing ex-WWE stars like Lashley? Do you think it helps or hurts AEW’s growth? Sound off in the comments.
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