Bobby Lashley has an idea for a fascinating character change (Picture: WWE)
WWE superstar Bobby Lashley is a ridiculous physical specimen – but it turns out he had some drastic ideas to overhaul his character.
The former United States Champion – who is on a collision course with Brock Lesnar after the Beast Incarnate’s shock return on Raw last week – has revealed he once pitched to gain up to ’70 pounds’ after a heavy loss in the ring, only to be saved and pulled out of his slump.
Explaining his pitch to Vince McMahon, he told the then-WWE boss: ‘If I get beat one time, I want to go into this severe depression and put on like 40, 50, 60, or 70 pounds and just be fat and be a completely different character.
‘And then have like somebody like an MVP, or somebody that’s on my side, kind of like, pull me back and then have the crowd watch this transition back to me.’
However, Vince – who retired from WWE earlier this year amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct, and has been replaced as head of creative by Triple H – wasn’t buying the idea.
Lashley told the Not Sam Wrestling podcast: ‘And he said, “There’s no way you can do that.” I said, “Man, I think I can do it.” ‘
The All Mighty is one of the toughest and most ripped stars in WWE today (Picture: WWE)
Asked if he’d try and pitch the idea to Triple H now there’s a new regime in place, the All Mighty laughed.
If nothing else, the wild storyline pitch is further evidence that the 46-year-old star – who is in the shape of his life and proving enduringly popular with fans – is wholly dedicated to every level of his craft.
The almost universal respect he has from everyone in the business is a far cry from his early days, when he signed with WWE in 2005 after exceling as an amateur wrestler in the US military.
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Reflecting on the transition, he exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘When I first came in, I felt a little bit of pressure from some of the guys who just did the independents.
‘They were like, “Oh where’s this guy from? He just came from an Olympic training centre, he didn’t go travel around the states in different independents and work for 20 or 50 dollars”.
‘I was like, you know what? I kinda did! I travelled around the entire world and I wrestled for a medal. As far as the grind and the sacrifice, the sacrifice is done. I’ve put the training in, it’s just showing that transition.’
He would later explore the indies in 2008 after being released by WWE, and part of the motivation behind taking that route was to prove he had more to his game than just being a powerhouse, or his amateur background.
‘I did it in a different way, but I did it in a way to kind of give some respect back to the guys who said, “Well you didn’t do the independents”. Well, now I did,’ he added. ‘I showed I wasn’t a one trick pony.’
WWE Raw airs Monday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
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The All Mighty wanted to undergo a drastic body transformation.