The Pride

Early life

Franklin Roberto Lashley was born on July 16, 1976, in Junction City, Kansas, the son of a U.S. Army drill sergeant. Lashley is of Panamanian descent through his mother, and is of Afro-Caribbean descent through his father, who also was born and raised in Panama and immigrated to the USA before Bobby Lashley was born. Bobby grew up in a single parent household with a mother who barely spoke English and struggled to secure a good job, while his father was in the military. He has three older sisters, one of whom is still on active service in the U.S. Air Force as of 2015. The family occasionally moved from one military base to another. While his father was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, Lashley attended Fort Riley Middle School, where he was introduced to amateur wrestling in seventh grade as an off-season alternative to football. He later graduated from Junction City High School, where he continued to wrestle.

He attended Missouri Valley College, where he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Wrestling Champion in the 177 lbs category in 1996, 1997, and 1998, and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in human-service agency management and recreation administration.

He followed his father into the United States Army after college, and continued to compete in amateur wrestling in the Army's World Class Athlete Program. During his three years in the Army, he won a gold and silver medal in the International Military Sports Council senior freestyle wrestling event. In 2003, while living and training in Colorado Springs with the goal of qualifying for Team USA to wrestle at the 2004 Olympic Games, Lashley witnessed a bank robbery and was forced to dive for cover to avoid gunfire; this resulted in a knee injury that required surgery, ending his amateur career.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment (2005–2008)

In January 2005, Lashley made his debut for Ohio Valley Wrestling a WWE developmental territory working as Blaster Lashley. In mid-2005, Lashley appeared at four live events for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling in dark matches for both Raw and SmackDown!. On September 23, 2005, he made his televised debut as a face on SmackDown! under his real name, and was introduced as a three-time National Amateur Wrestling Champion, four-time All-American, two-time Armed Forces Champion, and a 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championship. In his first match, he defeated Simon Dean, whom he also defeated in his pay-per-view debut at No Mercy on October 9. On the November 11 episode of SmackDown!, Lashley defeated Orlando Jordan in a qualifying match for a place on Team SmackDown! at Survivor Series on November 27, where he was the first to be eliminated by Shawn Michaels, but his team eventually won the match.

On January 6, 2006, Lashley became the first SmackDown! wrestler to qualify for that year's Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, Lashley was the eighth wrestler to enter the match, in which he eliminated Sylvan, but was eliminated by the combination of Raw's then World Tag Team Champions Big Show and Kane. Following the Royal Rumble, Lashley began a feud with John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), leading up to a match at No Way Out on February 19, where Lashley suffered his first loss in singles competition, largely due to interference from Finlay. This prompted a feud between Lashley and Finlay, which lasted throughout February and March, and it notably included a lumberjack match on the March 17 episode of SmackDown!, which Finlay won after using a shillelagh.

After winning a "Last Chance" battle royal on the March 24 episode of SmackDown! by lastly eliminating MNM, Lashley competed at WrestleMania 22 on April 2 in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Rob Van Dam. Lashley next entered SmackDown!'s 2006 King of the Ring tournament, making it to the finals as he defeated Mark Henry and Finlay. However, in the final round – held at Judgment Day on May 21 – he was defeated by Booker T with help from Finlay. As Booker T was being crowned during his coronation, Lashley speared Booker T into the throne. These acts developed into a feud with the newly named "King Booker" and the other members of his court (Queen Sharmell, Finlay, and William Regal). During this feud, Lashley won his first professional wrestling championship by defeating JBL for the United States Championship on the May 26 episode of SmackDown!, which he lost to Finlay a little less than two months later on the July 14 episode of SmackDown!. Shortly after losing the title, a physician declared Lashley unable to compete, stating that during an annual exam, Lashley was found to have elevated enzymes of the liver and therefore, would not be cleared to wrestle until further evaluation. Lashley returned a couple of weeks later to the SmackDown! roster to continue his feud with the Court and went on to earn his first match for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Mercy on October 8 against King Booker. The bout was subsequently turned into a four-way bout, also including Batista and King Booker's ally, Finlay. King Booker won the match after pinning Finlay.

Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and independent circuit (2008–2009)

After leaving WWE, Lashley began wrestling on the independent circuit in May 2008. In June 2008, he appeared in Mexico at Lucha Libre AAA World Wide's flagship event, Triplemanía XVI, where he, Kenzo Suzuki, and Electroshock defeated Chessman, Silver King, and La Parka, Jr.. In July 2008, Lashley wrestled in Puerto Rico at the World Wrestling Council's 35th anniversary show, defeating Rhino. In August 2008, Lashley appeared in Japan for Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation, defeating The Predator.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–2010)

Lashley made an appearance at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lockdown pay-per-view event on April 19, 2009, and he also later appeared on that week's episode of TNA Impact!, both times pointing and smiling at The Main Event Mafia, thus appearing as a heel. On July 15, TNA announced that he had signed an official contract with the company. On July 23, Kurt Angle introduced Lashley as the newest member of the Main Event Mafia. Lashley entered the ring and hugged Angle while the rest of the Mafia held a beaten and battered Mick Foley upright. Angle then told Lashley to finish off Foley but as Lashley prepared to spear Foley, he turned on Angle and cleared the Mafia from the ring, thus making him a face.

On the July 30 edition of Impact!, Lashley made his in-ring debut for TNA in a tag team match as he and Mick Foley wrestled against World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and Legends Champion Kevin Nash, where if Angle or Nash was pinned, whoever defeated them would win their respective title. It started out as a handicap match due to the Main Event Mafia attacking Lashley before the match, but Lashley entered the match and helped Mick Foley pin Nash to win the match for his team and become the Legends Champion. On the edition of August 27 of Impact!, Jeremy Borash interviewed him and TNA President Dixie Carter in which she said their goal was to make him a World Champion in both MMA and TNA. At No Surrender on September 20, he beat Rhino with a knockout punch.

After No Surrender, Lashley began a feud with Samoa Joe. After teaming with Team 3D in a winning effort against Rhino and The British Invasion (Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus) on the edition of October 1 of Impact!, Joe assaulted Lashley and choked him out with a rear naked choke. The following week, Lashley cost Joe the X Division Championship in a match against Amazing Red. At Bound for Glory on October 18, Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match. At Turning Point on November 15, Lashley's winning streak came to an end when Scott Steiner pinned him in a Falls Count Anywhere match following a shot with a steel pipe. On November 26, Lashley defeated Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, and Robert Roode to win the TNA Championship Series tournament and earn himself a future World Heavyweight Title shot. At Final Resolution on December 20, Lashley avenged his prior loss and defeated Steiner in a Last Man Standing match with a pipeshot.

On January 4, 2010, the Monday night edition of Impact!, Lashley and Kristal turned heel after requesting their immediate releases from TNA in order for Lashley to fully concentrate on his MMA career. Lashley went on to attack random wrestlers until he was granted what he wanted. On the January 21 episode of Impact!, Lashley suddenly apologized to new executive producer Eric Bischoff for his actions, saying he just wanted to compete, but was nevertheless fired by him the following week. This was Lashley's last TNA appearance until 2014. On February 10, Lashley's profile was removed from the official TNA website. In an interview with Heavy Sports, Lashley claimed that the release was legitimate and had been done in order for him to fully focus on his MMA career.

Return to Japan and independent circuit (2010–2014)

Lashley returned to Japan on September 25, 2010, for a tag-team match with Bob Sapp against Kendo Kashin and Tamon Honda. Bob and Bobby were defeated. Since then, Lashley regularly performed in IGF. In 2011, he participated in the IGF Championship tournament. He won the first round match against Keith Hanson, but was defeated in semifinals by Josh Barnett. On June 26, 2013, Lashley signed a two-year contract with IGF, after winning the promotion's general election.

On October 20, 2012, Lashley wrestled Jay Bradley and Robert Anthony in a three-way match for the vacant Resistance Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Anthony. On December 27, 2014, Lashley defeated Mexx and Tiny Iron to win the IWS Heavyweight Championship.

Return to TNA / Impact Wrestling (2014–2018)

On March 9, 2014, Lashley returned to TNA as a face at Lockdown in Miami, Florida, answering Ethan Carter III's open challenge after his scheduled opponent Kurt Angle could not wrestle due to an injury. On the March 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley and Carter had a rematch that once again ended in a no contest after an interference by Willow attacking Carter. During his second stint with the company, Lashley alternatively went by either his full ring name or the shortened "Lashley" mononym.

On the May 15 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley made his return after running out to the aid of Eric Young, but instead hit Young with a spear and allying himself along with MVP and Kenny King, turning heel in the process. At Slammiversary on June 15, Lashley defeated Samoa Joe to earn the right to challenge Young for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match involving Austin Aries, but lost the match. Lashley defeated Young on the June 19 episode of Impact Wrestling to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, his first title in TNA, making him the first African American in TNA history to win the title, as well as his third world championship reign overall. He successfully defended the title on July 3 against Young. On June 25 (aired July 17), Lashley retained the title against Jeff Hardy. At Impact Wrestling: Destination X on July 31, Lashley successfully defended the title against Austin Aries, who had forfeited the X Division Championship for a title shot. At No Surrender on August 7 (aired September 17), Lashley successfully retained his title against Bobby Roode. On September 18, at the tapings for the October 28 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roode.

Lashley regained the championship on January 7, 2015, after interference from MVP, King, Samoa Joe and Low Ki, as well as Eric Young, all of whom formed a new group known as the Beat Down Clan, with the latter turning on Roode. When the group was established, MVP attempted to present Lashley as the centerpiece of the Clan as well as a "founding member" alongside King and himself. However, Lashley turned on them and the Beat Down Clan attacked him. This established Lashley as a face once again.

On the June 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley defeated Eric Young after Chris Melendez distracted Young. At Slammiversary on June 28, Lashley teamed with Mr. Anderson against Ethan Carter III and Tyrus in a losing effort. On the August 12 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley defeated Jessie Godderz in a qualifying match for the King of the Mountain match for the vacant TNA King of the Mountain Championship, which was won by PJ Black. On the August 26 episode of Impact Wrestling, Lashley competed in a four-way match for a shot at King of the Mountain Championship, which was won by Bobby Roode. On the September 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, Team TNA (Lashley, Drew Galloway, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and Bram) defeated Team GFW (Jeff Jarrett, Eric Young, Chris Mordetzky, Brian Myers and Sonjay Dutt) in a Lethal Lockdown match. On October 4 at Bound for Glory, Lashley unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Roode for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship. During October and November, Lashley began competing in the TNA World Title Series for the opportunity to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship, where he ended second in his block to successfully advance to round 16 where he defeated Drew Galloway to advance into the quarterfinals and Mahabali Shera to advance the semifinals, but he failed to qualify for the finals when he was defeated by the eventual winner Ethan Carter III.

Return to WWE (2018–2024)

On the April 9, 2018, episode of Raw, the night after WrestleMania 34, Lashley made his return to WWE after a 11-year absence, becoming a member of the Raw brand once again, where he confronted and attacked Elias with a chair. The first month of Lashley's return saw him in a number of tag-team matches, teaming with the likes of Braun Strowman, Bobby Roode, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, all being in victorious efforts against the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, The Miz, Curtis Axel, and Bo Dallas. This marked his first WWE match since 2007. Lashley later teamed with Braun Strowman at Backlash on May 6 in a victorious effort against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Following Backlash, Lashley entered into a feud with Sami Zayn, culminating with Lashley facing Zayn in a victorious effort at Money in the Bank on June 17. Lashley then entered a feud with Roman Reigns, where both men believed that they were the rightful challenger to the Universal Championship. This led to a match between the two at Extreme Rules on July 15, where Lashley defeated Reigns. The following night on Raw, two triple threat matches were set to determine who would face Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on August 19, with Lashley and Reigns won their respective matches, setting up a number one contender's match between the two the following week, which Reigns won.

On the September 17 episode of Raw, Lashley introduced his new manager, Lio Rush. On the October 8 episode of Raw, Lashley defeated Kevin Owens before viciously attacking him post-match, turning heel. At Survivor Series on November 18, which was won by Team Raw, Lashley was among the sole survivors along with Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre. He then reignited his feud with Elias, which included a ladder match with a guitar hanging above the ring at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, which Lashley lost, but after the match used the guitar on Elias. This sparked a Miracle on the 34th Street Fight type of match between the two, in which Lashley was defeated by Elias.

On the January 14, 2019, episode of Raw, Lashley won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career, from Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match that also involved Seth Rollins, beginning his first title reign in WWE since June 2007. At Royal Rumble on January 27, Lashley entered the Royal Rumble match as the 26th entrant, but was eliminated in thirteen seconds by the eventual winner Seth Rollins. At Elimination Chamber on February 17, Lashley lost his title to Finn Bálor in a handicap match also involving Lio Rush after Rush was pinned, ending his reign at 34 days. At Fastlane on March 10, Lashley teamed with Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre against The Shield in a losing effort. The following night on Raw, Lashley defeated Finn Bálor following interference from Lio Rush, to capture the Intercontinental Championship, thus beginning his second reign. On the March 25 episode of Raw, Lashley teamed with Jinder Mahal against Finn Bálor in a losing effort after Mahal was pinned, and as per the match stipulation, Bálor earned himself an Intercontinental Championship rematch against Lashley. At WrestleMania 35 on April 7, Lashley lost the title to Bálor, ending his reign at 27 days.

All Elite Wrestling (2024–present)

In September 2024, Lashley signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He made his debut at Fright Night Dynamite on October 30, where he attacked Swerve Strickland and reunited with former Hurt Business members MVP and Shelton Benjamin, who reformed the group under the new name "The Hurt Syndicate", establishing himself as a heel in the process. On the November 20 episode of Dynamite, Lashey made his AEW in-ring debut, where he defeated Cheeseburger and Joe Keys in a two-on-one handicap match. On November 23 at Full Gear, Lashley defeated Strickland.

On the January 22, 2025, episode of Dynamite, Lashley and Benjamin defeated Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This marked Lashley's first ever tag championship in a major promotion. On the February 12 episode of Dynamite, Lashley and Benjamin defeated The Gunns (Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) in their first title defense. On March 9 at Revolution, Lashley and Benjamin successfully defended their titles against The Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd). On April 6 at Dynasty, Lashley and Benjamin successfully defended their titles against Big Bill and Bryan Keith of The Learning Tree after assistance from MJF, who had been trying to join The Hurt Syndicate in the weeks leading up to Dynasty. On May 14 at Dynamite: Beach Break, Lashley, Benjamin, and MVP accepted MJF as a member of the group. On May 25 at Double or Nothing, Lashley and Benjamin successfully defended their titles against Sons of Texas (Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara). On July 12 at All In, Lashley and Benjamin successfully defended their titles in a three-way tag team match against JetSpeed (Kevin Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey) and The Patriarchy (Christian Cage and Nick Wayne). On the July 23 episode of Dynamite, The Hurt Syndicate (minus MJF) would turn into tweeners as they would be briefly hired by Cope to assist him in his feud with FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood). After weeks of tension, The Hurt Syndicate kicked MJF out of the group due to his selfish attitude on the August 6 episode of Dynamite. On August 24 at Forbidden Door, Lashley and Benjamin lost their titles to Brodido (Bandido and Brody King) in a three-way match, ending their reign at 214 days.

After losing the tag titles, The Hurt Syndicate then began a feud with The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona), losing to them at All Out on September 20 in a regular trios match, but defeated them in a rematch at Dynamite: Title Tuesday on October 7 in a Street Fight and on October 12 at WrestleDream in a tornado trios match to become the number one contenders for the AEW World Trios Championship, but failed to defeat The Opps (Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Katsuyori Shibata) for the titles after Ricochet interfered. In December 2025, it was reported that Lashley had suffered an injury and would miss "substantial time".

Professional wrestling style and persona

Lashley uses the spear and the swinging full nelson submission hold, known as the Hurt Lock, as finishers. Former WWE wrestler Chris Masters commented on his former finisher being used, stating: "It's funny when he first started using it. All the mentions of people saying 'That's The Master Lock, not The Hurt Lock.' I'd be lying if I didn't say it didn't create an opportunity, even if it was small. You know, who's got the best Full Nelson in professional wrestling." His nicknames are "The Dominator" - as he was known during his early WWE career, during this point he used an inverted powerbomb and then a front powerslam as finishers referring to each as the Dominator respectively - and "The All Mighty", coined by then-manager Lio Rush, which would continue to be used during his first WWE Championship reign.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career (2008–2009)

Lashley made his mixed martial arts debut at the Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) inaugural event "There Will Be Blood" on December 13, 2008, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. He won via TKO (cut) over Joshua Franklin in 41 seconds of the first round. Lashley's next fight was on March 21, 2009. He was supposed to fight Ken Shamrock, but his opponent was changed to Bellator MMA veteran Jason Guida after Shamrock tested positive for steroids. Lashley won the fight after a unanimous decision. Lashley signed with the Maximum Fighting Championship and made his debut on May 15 against Mike Cook, who made his ring entrance wearing a Rey Mysterio mask, which Lashley took as an insult. He went on to defeat Cook with a guillotine choke just 24 seconds into the first round. On June 27, 2009, Lashley defeated Bob Sapp at the PFP: Ultimate Chaos event in Biloxi, Mississippi. He won the bout via TKO (strikes) in the first round, making Lashley's MMA record 4–0.

Strikeforce (2010–2011)

He was scheduled to make his Strikeforce debut against undefeated heavyweight Shane Del Rosario at Strikeforce: Miami, but for unknown reasons, Strikeforce decided to change his opponent. Lashley was then expected to face journeyman Jimmy Ambriz on January 30, 2010, at Strikeforce: Miami, but that matchup was also scrapped. Lashley wound up facing former UFC fighter Wes Sims at the event. Lashley defeated Sims via 1st-round TKO victory to remain undefeated.

Lashley was expected to fight on April 17, 2010, at Strikeforce: Nashville, as the promotion had already submitted an opponent for Lashley and was awaiting approval from the Tennessee Athletic Commission. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, the bout would likely be the fourth bout on the CBS televised portion of the event. On April 5, Lashley confirmed that he will not appear on the card since Strikeforce officials could not guarantee an appearance on the televised portion of the card due to time constraints. Bobby was set to appear at Strikeforce: Los Angeles in June fighting Ron Sparks however he suffered a knee injury and did not compete.

Lashley faced Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston on August 21, 2010. Lashley came out shooting the takedown, and ground and pounding. Lashley dominated at first, but Griggs caught him with a series of uppercuts on one of the takedowns in the first round, opening a gash under the left corner of Lashley's left eye. Lashley had trouble keeping Griggs from striking him, even though he had dominate control over him on the ground, but Griggs was still finding openings on the bottom. Lashley was able to continue in the second round, continuing takedowns and ground and pound. Lashley eventually passed to mount halfway through the second round and unloaded many good punches on Griggs while maintaining control. Referee Jon Schorle then asked the fighters to stand up due to inactivity, despite Lashley being in full mount at the time. Lashley later complained to the referee about the cut under his eye, and with 33 seconds left in the second round, referee Jon Schorle asked the ringside doctor to inspect the cut. However, with Lashley deciding to continue fighting, controversy was created when referee Jon Schorle did not put Lashley back in the mount position as he was when the fight was originally stopped. Griggs then sprawled out of a desperate takedown by Lashley near the end of round two and hammer-fisted Lashley's eye that was already cut until the round ended. The ring doctor then stopped the fight, resulting in Lashley losing at the end of the second round by TKO. Backstage after the fight, Lashley was taken off on a stretcher due to dehydration. Following the fight it was discovered that Lashley was suffering from mono and was subsequently unable to train for four months.

Titan Fighting Championship (2011, 2013)

On February 18, 2011, Titan Fighting Championship had announced the signing of Lashley. He was expected to debut against James Jack however on March 16, 2011, officials announced they had lost contact with Jack and instead John Ott stepped in to fight Lashley. The pace of the fight slowed down drastically in the second round, where Lashley began to display the same cardio problems that affected him in his previous fight. He was able to win a unanimous decision, despite suffering the effects of illness.

Lashley was scheduled to fight Eddie Sanchez at Titan Fighting Championships 19. But on July 22, 2011, it was announced that Lashley withdrew from the fight for personal reasons.

Lashley defeated Kevin Asplund at Titan Fighting Championships 25 on June 7, 2013, winning via keylock submission.

Shark Fights (2011–2012)

Lashley has signed a three-year deal with Shark Fights and was expected to make his debut against Darrill Schoonover in November, The fight was to be for the heavyweight title. However Schoonover later pulled out of the bout due to an injury. Lashley was then set to headline Shark Fights 21 against Tim Hague. But Hague pulled out of the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Dave Huckaba. On November 7 it was confirmed that the fight with Huckaba had been scrapped for unknown reasons, Lashley was then scheduled to face Mark Martinez but Martinez was later pulled out of the bout due to expired blood work.

On November 11, 2011, Lashley became the new Shark Fights Heavyweight champion defeating Karl Knothe in the first round by submission. Knothe was the fifth different opponent scheduled to face Lashley after numerous fighters pulled out due to various reasons.

Various promotions (2012–2014)

He next competed at India's Super Fight League's third event, SFL 3, against James Thompson. Lashley lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Lashley was scheduled to face Matthew Larson at GWC: The British Invasion: U.S. vs. U.K. on June 29, 2013. Lashley won via rear naked choke submission in round one. In an interview with MMA Junkie the day prior to his GWC fight, Lashley indicated that he had two potential fights lined up for August 2013, saying "If I'm going to fight, I need to fight. I need to stay active. I need to do something big now. If not, I need to hang it up and just do stuff with my gym. I'm fighting this fight, and I think I have two in August that were offered to me. Hopefully if I don't get hurt, I can stay active and just keep going."

Lashley fought at Xtreme Fight Night 15: Indestructible on November 8, 2013, against Tony "The Rock" Melton, which he won via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA (2014–2018)

In July 2014, it was announced that Lashley had signed with Bellator MMA. He made his promotional debut against Josh Burns on September 5, 2014, at Bellator 123. Lashley won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.

In his second fight for the promotion, Lashley faced undefeated Karl Etherington on October 24, 2014, at Bellator 130. He won via submission due to punches, in the first round.

A rematch with James Thompson was scheduled to take place at Bellator 134 on February 27, 2015; however, Lashley pulled out of the fight due to injury. In March 2015, Lashley signed a long-term contract extension with the promotion. The fight with Thompson was rescheduled for Bellator 138 on June 19, 2015; however, an injury forced Thompson out of the bout and Lashley instead faced Dan Charles at the event. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. The rematch with Thompson eventually took place on November 6, 2015, at Bellator 145. Lashley won the fight via TKO in the first round.

On August 29, 2016, it was announced that Lashley would face Josh Appelt on October 21, 2016, at Bellator 162. Lashley won via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. In April 2018, Bellator officials stated Lashley was still under contract with Bellator after his WWE return. However, Lashley would never fight again for the promotion and confirmed his retirement from MMA in a February 2022 interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

Personal life

Lashley's first daughter, Kyra, was born in 2005. He was in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Kristal Marshall, with whom he had a son named Myles in 2008 and a daughter named Naomi in 2011.

Lashley has been involved in several business ventures. In 2007, he opened up a health smoothie shop. In July 2009, he announced the launch of the Lashley Network of websites, comprising his official gym, nutrition store, and social media pages. In a press release for the launch, he stated that he was aiming to keep his reputation and name in the public eye so he could reach his goal of being the top MMA fighter.

Other media

Lashley made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2007 and has since appeared in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008, WWE 2K19 (DLC), WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, and WWE 2K24.

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles

NYAC Christmas Tournament Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist (2001)

International Military Sports Council

CISM Armed Forces Championships Senior Freestyle Gold Medalist (2003)

CISM Armed Forces Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist (2002)

CISM Military World Championships Senior Freestyle Silver Medalist (2002)

USA Wrestling

Third in the USA World Team Trials Senior Freestyle (2003)

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

NAIA All-American (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)

NAIA Collegiate National Championship (1996, 1997, 1998)

Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association

KWCA Collegiate Wrestler of the Year (1998)

National High School Coaches Association

NHSCA Senior All-American (1994)

Kansas State High School Activities Association

KSHSAA 6A All-State (1993, 1994)

KSHSAA 6A High School State Championship (1994)

Mixed martial arts

Shark Fights

Shark Fights Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Xtreme Fight Night

XFN Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Professional wrestling

Australian Championship Wrestling

ACW World Championship (1 time, current)

All Elite Wrestling

AEW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shelton Benjamin

Alabama Wrestling Federation

AWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Boogeyman

Italian Wrestling Superstar

IWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2006)

Rookie of the Year (2005)

Ranked No. 3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)

TNA King of the Mountain Championship (1 time, final)

TNA X Division Championship (1 time)

TNA Championship Series (2009)

TNA Joker's Wild (2015)

WWE

WWE Championship (2 times)

ECW World Championship (2 times)