Bobby Lashley, leader of The Pride and former WWE Champion, has made headlines with recent updates. Lashley introduced his faction, The Pride, last year alongside former tag team champions The Street Profits. The Pride secured a major win at WrestleMania 40 by defeating The Final Testament.
Following their significant win at the grandest stage, the faction has been absent from WWE programming. In May, WWE announced Lashley as a participant in the 2024 King of the Ring Tournament. However, just days before the qualifiers, WWE pulled Lashley from the tournament. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis revealed that Lashley’s removal was due to his inability to compete.
Despite Bobby Lashley’s absence from the ring, his teammates, The Street Profits, have remained active. The former tag team champions have competed in numerous matches in Lashley’s absence.
The former WWE champion had been largely absent from major programming for several years. However, in 2020 and 2021, Lashley, alongside MVP, dominated WWE with their faction, The Hurt Business. This period also saw Lashley capture the WWE Championship for the first time in his career.
Just a few months ago, Lashley expressed feeling handcuffed during his WWE tenure. He openly discussed his desire to compete and his frustration with limited opportunities under the leadership of Triple H. With Lashley sidelined for months due to injury and him being frustrated with his bookings, recent reports indicate that his current WWE contract is set to expire soon.
Will Bobby Lashley renew WWE contract?
Fightful Select reports behind paywall that Bobby Lashley’s WWE contract is nearing its end within the next month, potentially leading to his departure from the promotion soon. The news follows PW Nexus’ initial report of Lashley’s removal from the internal WWE roster. PW Nexus also reported that WWE has removed Tamina and MVP from the internal roster as well. However, all three stars remain listed on the official website as of now.
Fightful reports indicated that Lashley intends to continue wrestling even if he doesn’t reach a new agreement with WWE. Additionally, it was also reported that a return to MMA is a possibility for him. He has previously expressed an openness to revisiting his MMA career if presented with the right situation.
Bobby Lashley’s WWE contract is set to expire next month with no indication of his renewal; however, there’s no indication about the contract status of his teammates, The Street Profits. Recently, other major stars like Ricochet and Dijak exited the promotion upon their contract expiration.
Lashley’s departure raises questions about his next move. Given his successful past with TNA, a return is a possibility. Alternatively, he could make a significant impact by joining AEW.