wrestling / Columns
The Shimmy 07.27.09: My Name is Andy Clark and I Support Bobby Lashley
Last week was a big week for TNA. First they announced the official signing of one Bobby Lashley.
The announcement of his arrival was made at the Victory Road PPV and then on Impact the newly dubbed”God of Thunder” made his first official appearance as a member of the TNA roster. Yes, Lashley had walked out on the ramp and stared at Kurt Angle twice a few months back, but this past Thursday was his real debut. In that debut we witnessed the swerve that many of us called from the moment Lashley arrived at Lockdown as he turned on his “friend” Kurt Angle. As of yet we aren’t exactly sure why Angle and Lashley had some sort of alliance. Was it their amateur wrestling background or MMA aspirations? The fact that Lashley was a former WWE superstar like Angle? Or was it just because Lashley was a former World Champion and would fit in well with the Main Event Mafia?
With that turn I think some pieces may have started to fall into place in the minds of many wrestling fans. Unlike WWE, TNA is said to have their storylines planned out well in advance. In fact it has been reported that they have known for months what direction they would be heading at Bound for Glory, their self-proclaimed biggest show of the year. For some reason there is a pretty strong contingent of fans that expected Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Title to headline that show. I suppose the thought behind that idea would be that it would be the payoff of the Main Event Mafia vs. TNA Originals storyline. However there have been no real in roads made to that match and it is a matchup that was done to death a year ago anyways. If AJ Styles were to somehow find his way in the Bound for Glory main event I would have expected it to be in a Triple Threat Match against Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels, bumping the classic X-Division feud up to World Title status. That possibility seemed to have died when Angle won the TNA World Heavyweight Title at Slammiversary, seemingly giving credence to those that supported the Angle-AJ match.
With Lashley’s turn on Angle though I believe the light bulbs are starting to come on. With only one unspoken for TNA PPV in the way of Bound for Glory the writing is on the wall for Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Lashley. This is a match that will probably annoy, and in some cases drive away many wrestling fans. I, however, think that it is a great move and fully support Angle-Lashley as the main event of Bound for Glory.
Now the biggest gripe that people have about pushing Lashley is that he is yet another former WWE superstar that is being pushed at the expense of TNA’s so-called “homegrown” stars. While it is indeed true that Lashley had a pretty well documented WWE run there is a big difference between Lashley and the other big name free agents TNA has brought in. The other former Main Event Mafia types have all been on the tail end of their careers. The reason they were so expendable to WWE is that while they have accrued recognizable names and long resumes they have also taken a tremendous beating and are probably nearer to retirement than the veterans WWE currently employs.
Lashley on the other hand is pretty much nothing but potential. He was pushed hard early in his career so the name he made for himself was largely due to a quick rise. While most of TNA’s veterans are trying to maximize what talents they have left, Bobby Lashley has nothing but potential on his side. Lashley relatively short stint in WWE is also a unique quality that he brings to TNA. Lashley was a focal point of what was up till recently the largest grossing non-boxing PPV event in history, WrestleMania 23. He rubbed shoulders with iconic figures Donald Trump, Vince McMahon, and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the biggest stage in all of professional wrestling.
His involvement in the WrestleMania 23 press conference was covered on national sports and entertainment shows like Pardon the Interruption and Entertainment Tonight. And yet, even with that publicity Lashley was only a part of WWE for a short time, and was only a major act for less than a year. This means Lashley has the name value and notoriety of being at the big show without necessarily having the mark of being a “WWE guy.” He’s a former WWE main eventer that TNA could actually brand as one of their own. This is a very unique quality.
Another knock on the Lashley signing is that he is not fully committed to wrestling. Lashley has made it well known that his true focus is on his burgeoning MMA career and that wrestling for TNA is just what’s paying the bills. In fact that’s why we had such a long break in between Lashley’s first TNA appearance and his most recent one, because he decided to focus solely on his upcoming fight with Bob Sapp.
While in theory I do agree with the sentiment that a wrestler should be all in, I think this dual occupation could get TNA the one thing that they are always searching for: mainstream attention. And really it’s best that Lashley took his time coming to TNA because if he had started with the company back in April he wouldn’t necessarily have been a source of mainstream curiosity. But TNA has one man in particular that they can thank for making Lashley a potential mainstream curiosity. That man is the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.
Since Lesnar’s big win at UFC 100, MMA has suddenly become a hot topic on sports networks across the country with Lesnar being the posterboy, for both good reasons and bad. It is even rumored that a deal between UFC and ESPN is imminent and you have to believe the success of the UFC 100 PPV had a lot to do with getting that deal done. Regardless of whether or not people hate or love Lesnar as champion one of the biggest questions out there is who will be able to beat this guy. While MMA experts have bandied around some of the lesser known (by mainstream standards) names that might potentially match up with Lesnar in the future, the Jim Romes of the world have latched on to the name Fedor. Fedor Emelianenko, once someone that only MMA fans probably heard of due to his lack of affiliation with UFC (the WWE of its brand), has actually become the dream opponent on the tips of even casual fans tongues. A Lesnar-Fedor fight would be the proverbial impossible force meeting the immovable object.
While that fight is certainly a big deal it’s curious to think about what would be next. Who’s the, pardon the pun, next big thing that can come around and look unstoppable to take on whoever the true champion of the heavyweight division is? Whether he has the talent or not Lashley will likely at least be discussed. Thus far Lashley has been smart about the fights he’s chosen and he is slowly building himself up into a legitimate fighter instead of rushing into the big money matches just for the payday and the glory. This allows the fight world, and perhaps the sports world, an opportunity to acquaint themselves with this rising star.
The spotlight will get even brighter if it is indeed still Brock Lesnar sitting on the top of the mountain. Make no mistake about it, Brock Lesnar has been a PPV powerhouse for UFC mostly based on his former experience as a professional wrestler. The storyline of two former WWE superstars battling it out in a “real” sport will be too juicy for the sports media, Dana White (who despite claiming otherwise would love to have an actual storyline for his fights), and the paying customer. While a jump to UFC would mean the end of Bobby Lashley’s TNA career I am sure that TNA would be able to use that to get their name out there and become a part of the “Bobby Lashley Story” when it is told prior to the fight.
And that brings us back to this year, this October. TNA has a history of doing a good job of building up intriguing matches and then never paying them off in any sort of fulfilling manner (see: Jeff Jarrett-Monty Brown, Christian-Sting, Christian-Tomko, the initial Sting-Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett-Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett-Mick Foley). Giving all of the things Lashley and Angle share in common that I mentioned at the beginning of the column the match makes sense. Following last week’s Impact the storyline is there. And considering all of the benefits Lashley brings to the table as well as being a potential mainstream superstar and I’d be hard pressed to find a better main event for TNA’s big show. If TNA wants Bound for Glory to be their WrestleMania then they need an epic main event. While I can not guarantee anything I think the signs are pointing to Angle-Lashley being just that.
The Shimmy Likes it Raw!
What’s on tap for tonight’s show?
Well that does it for this week’s column. I’ll see you all next week. Until then, don’t die. Clark…out.
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