My idea on how to make Bobby Lashley tolerable when he returns.

[Porcupine]

No no, it's not "Send him 2 O-V-DUB! or fire him".

On the day that he returns, have Lashley appear on Raw or Smackdown (preferably Smackdown for this idea). Have him walk out, get his big ass pop from the crowd and then get on the mic and totally trash the crowd.

Yes, I know he sounds like a baby when he talks, so all the better. Have him be a whiny baby that grabs the microphone and complains how when he was injured "No one cared" and how no one even came to visit him, a former WORLD champion. Keep him ranting on the fans until they boo him.

Mysterio's music hits. Mysterio comes out and says something to the effect that "Bobby...you're a PUNK! Be a man, no one needs to babysit you when you get a booboo!". The fans all orgasm in cheers and whatnot while Lashley looks pissed and swings at Rey. Rey trips him up to a huge cheer and Lashley falls for the 619 but avoids it as Rey goes to hit him with it.

Later that night, Lashley comes up to Vince who just happens to be backstage and Vince is pissed when he sees him and asks him what he wants. Lashley says that he is sorry for what he did to Vince the year before, how he embarassed him etc. He says he knows he made a mistake playing up to all these fans and being a nice guy and no one cared when he was hurt. He says he no realizes who the people that you need to care about are and that its not the fans.

Now, the week before this, you can have Vince put Hornswoggle in some 50 on 1 handicap match against 50 hosses of doom and Hornswoggle gets saved by Mysterio to the anger of Vince. So, Bobby offers Vince to take care of Rey Mysterio.

Have Rey also be at this time, petitioning to bring back the cruiserweight title. Not because its the only title he can win, but because it's his "legacy".

So, Lashley tells Vince that because he was hurt, he "lost some weight" and probably should qualify for the cruiserweight title that Rey wants brought back. Vince laughs and next week they stage a mock weight in where Lashley is cerified to be a 150 pound cruiserweight. He then proceeds to squash a bunch of cruisers to become the new cruiser champs. After this, he continues attacking and squashing cruisers and boasting on the mic how good he is, that he's beating "everyone in his weight class".

You can go on to a Rey/Lashley feud later on including hijinx where Rey tries to get the "Board of Directors" to re-weight Lashley.

This would make Lashley kinda interesting to me because I simply couldnt care less about face lashley and "monster heel" lashley would be laughable due to his mic skills.

Fire Away. :shifty:

[Kane Knight]

I think he should choke out a few Dvias.

[Porcupine]

Divas eh. That gives me a stupid idea.

Have Bobby Lashley confront Venis backstage and tell Val that he's the real ladies man and the ladies go for him.

Venis happens to be surrounded by some ladies who leave with Lashley and go into his lockeroom.

Later in the show, the ladies run out of his lockeroom frustrated and reveal that Lashley had no idea "what to do". Venis laughs and Lashley attacks him leading to a Venis/Lashley feud that no one will care to watch because it would be on heat. :shifty:

[Kane Knight]

Is Heat still on, or did you misspell ECW?

[BigDaddyCool]

I didn't really bother reading porcupine post for it is too long. But I did see something about Val Venis. So I'm guessing the porcupine is an Alienoid sock?

[The Naitch]

lol at the idea of Lashley "weighing in" as a 150 cruiserweight

That's what they usually do with new guys, they take him the generic babyface route and then turn them heel

Worked for Cena (2002-03), Orton, Santino, and I see it working for Lashley

[Bad Company]

I don't really see what the problem is with Lashley now? Just let him wrestle.

[Xero]

He's terrible on the mic and has a generic gimmick, that's his problem. There's no "just let him wrestle" in WWE. If you're going to be relatively high on the card with WWE you HAVE to have a decent gimmick and be a decent talker. Otherwise you're going to bomb, whether it be with the fans or with creative.

[Fox]

They should Goldberg-ize him and pretend he's never been in the WWE before.

[The Naitch]

I like how they did it with Brock at the beginning. He didn't talk at all.

Obviously, it's too late for Bobby "Let Him Wrestle" Lashley

[Xero]

Brock worked though. He didn't have a generic gimmick (per say), he was a monster who was all action. He didn't NEED to talk to get over. He eventually did, but it still worked because of his previous action.

Like you said, it's too late for Lashley.

[Kane Knight]

"Let him wrestle" would be great if he had the kind of ring presence that would be needed, if he was low enough on the card that his green-ness wouldn't be too big a hampering factor, or if he any some other random thing going for him. I can't think of a third possibility, really, but I'm sure there's more. In fact, I was sure before I started this post.

Lashley just doesn't have enough "it" to justify where he is without either a creative gimmick or entertaining mic skills.

[Porcupine]

Lashley just doesn't have enough "it" to justify where he is without either a creative gimmick or entertaining mic skills.

Agreed.

He is incredibly vanilla to be so high up in the card unless he gets a gimmick. I just cant take him seriously as a heel/serious character unless he improves his promos, thats why I suggested a humorous gimmick for him. I think he can really benefit from it if he can pull it off. (See, Santino)

[Kane Knight]

He can probably grow, at least. I don't think he's hopeless, just that WWE's not really waiting for him to be good.

As he is, he's lacking.

I don't think comedy's the way to go though. Comedy's a surefire trip to midcard Hell. Few comedy gimmicks ever truly get over, and of them, none have really gone places. Well, positive places.

[Porcupine]

He can probably grow, at least. I don't think he's hopeless, just that WWE's not really waiting for him to be good.

As he is, he's lacking.

I don't think comedy's the way to go though. Comedy's a surefire trip to midcard Hell. Few comedy gimmicks ever truly get over, and of them, none have really gone places. Well, positive places.

You're right. I don't see a comedy gimmick "going places" further than the midcard. Honestly, I didn't think about how to make Lashley "work" in the main event, I was just thinking of a way to make him not want to fall asleep/turn my tv on when he's featured in a important storyline.

I agree that WWE is not waiting for him to improve...he's been thrown into the upper card way too soon. I thought he was developing nicely when he was feuding with Finlay on Smackdown and then he just got pushed to the moon where he really annoyed me.

Most likely WWE thinks it will work just shoving him down our throats in the main event level, even if no one likes it. It seems to have worked with Cena...

[Kane Knight]

Worked with Edge.

[Fox]

They should make Lashley Regal's bodyguard/henchman.

[Crossrine]

So we should send him to OVW then?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I like the bit where Lashley is upset because no one cared when he was injured. Aligning him with Vince McMahon as 2008's Umaga is a great way to go with him It's not too high up the card, but it's not too low to forget his run as a two-time ECW Champion and a guy the WWE is pretty sure they want to headline a WrestleMania.

In fact, a Bobby Lashley/Umaga uneasy alliance under Vince McMahon would actually be somewhat cool.

[Kane Knight]

I'd love to see a "veteran" heel take him up as a protegé. It's a little late to bring him in as a strict monster heel, but perhaps with the tutelage of an established heel...

Actually, Lashley's one of the guys with the physique where I could really see him up against Undertaker in a match where Taker might be legitimately and believably harrowed. I don't have a heel figure in mind, though. I must confess to that much. I'm drawing a blank. I want to say Heyman, but I think an actual wrestler would be better. Maybe someone too injured or old to really step back in the ring himself. Lashley+heel coach helping him out at ringside=something my inner mark could buy threatening Taker (of course, he shouldn't need help against most people. It's just Undertaker is...Well...Undertaker).

Or we could just ship him off to OVW.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'd love to see a "veteran" heel take him up as a protegé. It's a little late to bring him in as a strict monster heel, but perhaps with the tutelage of an established heel...

Actually, Lashley's one of the guys with the physique where I could really see him up against Undertaker in a match where Taker might be legitimately and believably harrowed. I don't have a heel figure in mind, though. I must confess to that much. I'm drawing a blank. I want to say Heyman, but I think an actual wrestler would be better. Maybe someone too injured or old to really step back in the ring himself. Lashley+heel coach helping him out at ringside=something my inner mark could buy threatening Taker (of course, he shouldn't need help against most people. It's just Undertaker is...Well...Undertaker).

Or we could just ship him off to OVW.

My proposed card for WrestleMania XXIV actually contains The Undertaker vs. Bobby Lashley. You don't really need to turn Lashley heel for it, either. Just have Lashley step up to try and break the streak, and watch him get booed. If he has a good match with Taker, the fans might get on his side a lot more, including the smarks. If not, bang, just pull the trigger on the full heel turn by having him beat up a face.

One suggestion I see for a mouthpiece for Bobby Lashley quite a bit, is Ron Simmons. Faarooq himself is not that great on the mic, but he has the charisma and history to really add something to Lashley, I believe. But the WWE would then, you know, have to part with the guy that says "DAMN!"

[Kane Knight]

To go up against Taker, he doesn't need to be a heel, I was just thinking of how cool Heel Lashley could be against Taker. Practically everyone's a de facto heel against Taker.

Actually, imagine the comedy segments if he was mentored by the APA.

[Mr. Nerfect]

To go up against Taker, he doesn't need to be a heel, I was just thinking of how cool Heel Lashley could be against Taker. Practically everyone's a de facto heel against Taker.

Actually, imagine the comedy segments if he was mentored by the APA.

I am not opposed at all to The APA becoming heel mentors to Bobby Lashley.

[Theo Dious]

Simmons would make a great mentor to Black Lesnar.

[Hanso Amore]

I like the protege Idea. Combine all this.

Have him come back, upset that no one "cared" he was gone, and now he knows who his friends are, and how he tried to do things for them, but now he is going to do it his way. But don't make him whiny, have him wreck some jobber faces, I mean fuck them up hard. Book him monster style. After a few weeks, have him wreck Jeff HArdy, HBK, and even HHH after matches and what not. Try to play it of as if there is no rhyme or reason to his aggression. His move set allows for decent squashes, unlike Snitsky. Maybe even have him mention things about someones plan, or how the plan is working, but make it very vague. Start having segments where he is on the phone, taking orders.

Finally, after some build up, have a high profile match with a big name, and just when Lashley seems beaten, Ref bump, and in comes Lashley's mentor to save the day, and help lashley win. The next night on raw, have the Mentor come out and cut a heel promo about his master plan and how he is using Lashley to bend the WWE to his will. You could even work something like this guy is a Cult leader type and has control over Lashley. Take a page from Star Wars *Cannot believe I said that) and have it be that Lashley was so hurt and depressed, and that turned to anger, and then along came Mentor X filling his head with these ideas, and that he was vulnerable and turned to the "dark Side" in a sense.

As for who the mentor is, well that is hard, there is not many names out there. If Vader wasnt so fat they could bring him in and kind of have a Vader 2007 thing going on with Lashley.

What about Jake Roberts? Put him in a black suit and get him some hair dye( because honestly, he is too homeless looking), and let him cut some evil fucking promos. I would buy him as a psycho who would control a young hoss to do his will.

If Bischoff would come back he would be a nice mouthpiece.

Whomever it is, it has to be a BIG name, that has great promo skills, and can get over as an evil heel.

[Hanso Amore]

They should make Lashley Regal's bodyguard/henchman.

Yeah, that could work. Lashley does Regals dirty work in return for favors. They would have to really start putting Regal over as a heel. Vince would have to be off TV a while and in his stead have Regal just be a dick over and over.

[Hanso Amore]

OR, find a way to get Raven as his mentor.....What About Raven? Well What about Lashley?

[Kane Knight]

Simmons would make a great mentor to Black Lesnar.

And it works on WWE's level.

"they're both black! It's a perfect match!"

[D Mac]

Make him an "Angry black man who says the man always keeps him down"

Like that's never been done before. :roll:

[DarKCentaur]

Whomever it is, it has to be a BIG name, that has great promo skills, and can get over as an evil heel.

I think Lashley has a price... and EVERYBODY'S GONNA PAY

[Hanso Amore]

I think Lashley has a price... and EVERYBODY'S GONNA PAY

Virgil on roids?

[St. Jimmy]

Ron Simmons, MVP, Bobby Lashley, Mark Henry, Kennedy

The Nation of Domination.

[D Mac]

Kennedy's black?

[Juan]

I never really minded Lashley. He's a solid worker, plus I can't really hold that Super Man push against him cuz I know it was Vince's handy work.

I think a heel turn, if booked properly, would be the best thing for him upon his return.

[Juan]

Kennedy's black?

Yup. So was Owen Hart. :D

[Hanso Amore]

Yup. So was Owen Hart. :D

Does this mean Kennedy is going to fall to his death?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Random crack-pipe idea: John Cena and Bobby Lashley as Vince McMahon's "pet projects." I like the idea of Bobby Lashley being upset because the fans did not care when he was injured, and I like the idea of John Cena returning bitter and just generally pissed off he's been without the WWE Championship.

The positives of this idea, is that it freshens both men up, which they both arguably need. The negative is that the WWE has to turn two of its merchandise movers (well, planned merchandise movers). Eventually you could have Cena and Lashley both do face turns, though, the idea of one of them eventually turning on Vince is goosebump-inducing material.

As for the top faces in Cena and Lashley's newfound heel roles? In my perfect world, Chris Jericho would be the face WWE Champion, and Triple H could also hang around as a top face, I suppose. As far as re-enforcements on the heel side go, you could have Randy Orton join up with Vince (joining rather than standing against, even though he has his own agenda), and Umaga has always been a hired gun for Vince. I expect Batista to end up on RAW soon, so he'd be there on the face side. JBL also seems like the kind of heel to align with Vince. Finlay should be moved over to RAW to feud with Vince, as well.

Yeah, I pretty much just suggested a Corporation made out of top players, but damn it, if you're going to do something with Vince, at least let other people benefit.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh, and in this dream world: Shawn Michaels moves over to SmackDown!/ECW in the post-WrestleMania draft, as does Mr. Kennedy and Jeff Hardy.

[Kane Knight]

Does this mean Kennedy is going to fall to his death?

Nah. That's Kenny Dykstra.

[BigDaddyCool]

Santino should be managing Bobby Lashley on his return.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Santino should be managing Bobby Lashley on his return.

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Lashley and Santino are meant to be friends in a kayfabe sense.

[The Lone Wolf]

there is nothing wrong with lashley his road to the title is fine and once he finally gets it he will be credible enough to have it.