World Wrestling Insanity interview with Bobby Lashley
Host: James Guttman
Interview available at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com via ClubWWI.

One topic that both MMA and pro wrestling fans have been talking about is the prospect of a bout between Bobby and former fellow WWE star Dave Batista. Batista has stated that he wants to enter the fight scene now that he is no longer an active pro wrestler with Bobby Lashley named as his possible opponent. How does Bobby feel about the idea? Guttman asks and Lashley explains to ClubWWI.com members:

“I have to be honest. At first, I wouldn’t even think that he would consider it. Then again, with fighting, you never know who’s going to come over and do it. So when I heard Batista was training, I was like more power to him. Because a lot of these guys come in here and they have no experience either. But they take two jiu-jitsu classes, dye their hair blonde, and they’re automatically stepping into the fight industry.”

Lashley mentions the training that Dave has been doing in preparation for a debut and his respect for his decision. He also makes it clear that friendship or not, if it were to happen, it would be a fight.

“I’m completely open to fighting him. Friends or not, when you get in that cage and start throwing punches, the friendship goes out the window for a minute. Because I like Dave, but if we were to have a fight, we would have to close that cage door, forget about the friendship, and try to beat each other up. Then afterwards, we can shake hands and walk away.”

As the ClubWWI.com interview continues, James points out that the fight itself looks less and less likely due, in part, to Batista’s reported asking price of $500,000. He asks Lashley about this request and whether it’s a sign that Dave is thinking it might be a one shot deal given his age. Bobby responds:

“Yeah. I think it’s a measuring gauge for him. Go out there and instead of taking these small fights and working his way up, figuring ‘I’ll go out there and do the bigger fights, the more important fights, the fight the fans want to see. And of course, if I’m fighting the fight the fans want to see, I’m going to want a little more money than if I’m fighting Joe Schmo. Why not go out there and do that fight? See how I feel and if I feel healthy, if I feel strong, then I can continue on with my career. But if I go out and things don’t go the way I wanted, at least I have that big fight. I made a good amount of money and moved on.’ I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

James Guttman’s discussion with The Dominator isn’t limited to MMA. Bobby’s extensive wrestling career has seen him in both WWE and TNA, both of which he talks about including differences between the two companies and working alongside his wife on TV among other topics. Unquestionably, though, the biggest moment of Lashley’s sports entertainment career was his main event at WrestleMania 23. With Donald Trump in his corner, Bobby took on Vince McMahon’s monster Umaga. Since his last appearance on ClubWWI.com, Eki “Umaga” Fatu tragically passed away. JG brings up Lashley’s history with Eki and Bobby shares his thoughts:

“Man, you know. When he passed, when I heard he passed, it was a numbing feeling, man. There were a lot of guys who passed from when I was with WWE. One is enough but there were several and when I found out it happened again…It was hard. It was hard. It was very hurtful. That guy, I’ll tell you, was an incredible, incredible, incredible guy. Always in a good mood. Always had positive things to say. Always joking around.

“He was just like that big gentle giant, but at the same time, he was a big tough dude. We had so many memories of traveling around and just battling each other. Mexico. The whole feud. There are so many things I remember about that guy. Man, it’s hard because when I think about him, it makes me sad that he’s not here anymore. But by the same token, anytime I hear his name, it puts a smile on my face because of the person he was.”

Bobby’s two ClubWWI.com interviews equal over an hour and, alongside shoot interview with over 250 of wrestling’s biggest names ranging from Jesse Ventura to Jerry Lawler to Dan Severn, can be heard the minute you log in.

Bobby Lashley getting pounded out at Strikeforce: Houston

Bobby Lashley was handed the first loss of his MMA career Saturday night by Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Bobby Lashley started off strong and dominated the fight early with impressive takedowns and ground control. Unfortunately, Lashley appeared to tire himself out and Griggs caught on that Lashley’s gameplan was to take him down every time. Griggs stuffed a few of Lashley’s takedowns and caught him with a brutal uppercut in the second round that visibly shook the former WWE superstar. Griggs unleashed a fury of strikes as the second round was coming to a close and the referee stopped the fight after the bell rang.

Lashley’s MMA record now stands at 5 wins, 1 loss. Griggs has 9 wins, 1 loss.

Lashley’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son , Kristal Marshall, wrote the following on Twitter following the fight:

“Shake it off and come back harder! We love you and are always in your corner!”

Update: Lashley Hospitalized After Loss, Jim Ross Comments

Former WWE superstar and Strikeforce MMA heavyweight fighter Bobby Lashley (5-0) spoke to MMAFighting.com to hype his Saturday night fight on Showtime. Lashley was asked the question on a lot of people’s minds lately – will he fight fellow wrestler-turned-fighter Batista?

Lashley says he’s heard the rumors, he keeps getting asked about it .. He knows its a fight people want to see .. He would rather focus on the Heavyweight title and fight guys with better records than him – so if he fought Batista, it would have to be his next fight .. He spoke about pro wrestling for a few minutes, including whether he’d ever return.

It’s a good interview – Lashley starts talking about Batista around the 9:25 mark.

Former two-time ECW Champion, former WWE United States Champion, former TNA superstar, & current Strikeforce fighter, Bobby Lashley, was the special guest on this week’s live edition (08/09/10) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. Bobby joined The Big Mosh, Jimmy Noonan, & “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent for his debut on “Your Home of Wrestling Radio” (to preview next Saturday night’s “Strikeforce: Houston” event on Showtime).

Click Here to listen to an MP3 of Bobby Lashley’s appearance on Monday Night Mayhem.

Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

Why we may see Lashley vs. Dave Bautista in Strikeforce sooner vs. later (potentially as early as this fall): “I have a lot of respect for Dave, I like Dave. For me, what I’m trying to do in my career is trying to build and build up into bigger & better competition. As far as fighting Dave after this fight, I’ll do the fight right away. If he’s serious about doing this, then let’s do it. I think they might have a show in October or November sometime around there; if he wants to do it, let’s do it then. I’m not really willing to wait ’till next year or anytime after that; I’m moving forward in my career. After this fight, I’m looking at the Arlovski’s, the Fedor’s, the Brett Rogers’. That’s who I set my targets on, so when you talk about that Dave, that fight needs to be done right away, so I could keep moving forward.”

How he was “torn” between leaving TNA Wrestling & transitioning into a full-time MMA career with Strikeforce: “At first when I wanted to do it, I talked to all the higher-ups in TNA, and we tried to put together a plan where I could still wrestle, because when you’re a wrestler, it’s in your blood. So I wanted to wrestle, but I also wanted to fight, and I was torn between the two, and with the TNA schedule, I could do both. We had a couple of things that weren’t going together right, and like I said before, I’m trying to build up my competition, and I’m trying to get tougher & tougher opponents as I go, so at one point in time I had to make a decision on which one I was gonna do. I was either gonna be a full-time wrestler, or I was going to fight full-time. That window of fighting is only open for a short amount of time, because it requires so much dedication, training, sparring, & everything else, so I had to step away from TNA and just focus on training.”

Why it wouldn’t make sense for Bautista to fight anyone else but him for his first MMA fight & who he thinks has the potential to put together a “dream fight” between himself and Brock Lesnar: “I’m gonna say the fight that you want me to say first. I wanna have that fight with Batitsta. Nothing against him or anything, but I think for him to take any other fight would be a waste of his time. If he really wants to get into fighting, I think it wouldn’t make any sense for him to get in there and fight anyone else. I don’t think it would make any sense. As far as other fights, I would love to fight Fedor before he retires. I think he is pound for pound the best fighter in the world. I think another fight would be Brock. I’ve been asked that every single day by someone. ‘When are you gonna fight Brock? When you gonna take down Brock?’ I would love to see that fight with Brock happen. If Dana White won’t let it happen, or Scott Coker won’t let it happen, maybe Vince would let it happen…”

What professional wrestling & MMA fans can expect in his August 21st fight against Chad Griggs at “Strikeforce: Houston” on Showtime: “There are a lot of good fights on that card, and unless you’re real hardcore MMA fans, you may not know some of the guys, but if you go check them out, there are some great fighters. My fight: You’re gonna see a side of me that you saw in wrestler, but now you’re going to see it in the cage, and I’m going after this guy, and I’m going to suck the life out of this guy and pound him.”

More is contained in this exclusive interview with Lashley, including his candid thoughts/comments on which promotion he feels has grown the most since his respective departures from WWE & TNA, which of his former colleagues in professional wrestling he pays the most attention to/follows today, along with a sneak preview of the forthcoming “EA Sports MMA” video game (being released this fall). While gearing up for “Strikeforce: Houston” & Bobby’s return into the octagon, be sure to check Lashley’s network online: his official website (located at www.FightBobby.com), his official Facebook page (located at www.Facebook.com/FightBobby), his official Twitter page (located at www.Twitter.com/FightBobby), plus the official website of Bobby’s gym: the American Team Altitude (located at: www.ATTAltitude.com).

* Video Of Batista’s MMA Training: The Next Brock Lesnar?

Batista vs. Lashley in a cage?

When news broke that former WWE superstar Batista was entering the world of Mixed Martial Arts and will be fighting for the Strikeforce MMA promotion later this year, speculation began immediately that we could see him fight against fellow WWE alum Bobby Lashley (5-0).

Lashley was a part of Strikeforce’s media conference call this afternoon and commented on a possible showdown in the cage with Batista. Lashley said he’s open to fighting Batista if Strikeforce pushes the fight, but he’d rather focus on more experienced fighters in his quest for Heavyweight gold:

“It’s not really the direction I want to move (in), but if it’s worth it and they really think he’s ready and Strikeforce wants me to fight him, I’ll take the fight. I’ve had a good game plan up to this point and I really want to move in the right direction. Dave’s just starting out. I’m looking to better myself and get better opponents each time. I’m not disrespecting Dave at all, but he’s new to the game. That’s definitely a fight for the fans, but not so much for my career.”

Lashley’s next fight takes place later this month on August 21st against Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houstson on Showtime.

* VIDEO of BATISTA Training MMA

Former WWE wrestler Batista created a lot of buzz earlier this month when he announced to TMZ.com that he will be fighting for the Strikeforce MMA promotion and already had his first opponent picked out.

The latest is that a deal still has not been reached between Batista and Strikeforce, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the negotiations and brought up the idea of pitting Batista against fellow former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley, who is currently under contract with Strikeforce.

When recently asked about facing Bobby Lashley in the cage, Batista said he would do it, but he wants a few fights to build to Lashley. Scott Coker thinks if they can get Lashley vs. Batista on CBS with a good semi-main event then they can do big ratings.

Lashley is still recovering from a knee injury that caused his most recent fight to be postponed. Lashley’s recovery is actually behind schedule and he will be out of action a bit longer than initially expected.

In training for his MMA debut, Batista has hired a wrestling coach, a boxing coach and a jiu jitsu coach.

Check Out: VIDEO of BATISTA Training For His MMA Debut

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– Former WWE Diva Kristall Marshall confirmed on Twitter last week that she and Bobby Lashley have split up. She wrote:

“Hello everyone Bobby (Lashley) and I have split, but remain great friends. He is a constant in our son’s life and a tremendous father.”

– With Tommy Dreamer’s WWE no-compete clause expired, he’s expected to wind up in TNA soon either as an agent or as on-air talent.

– TNA has also had talks with former WWE star Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore about doing a spinoff of the Eugene character in TNA.

Warning: The following contains a potentially big TNA storyline *Spoiler*

– Current plans call for the monster Abyss to turn on his hero, Hulk Hogan. No word yet when the turn will happen, but it’s been planned for quite some time.

— Former WWE performer Kristal Marshall noted on her protected Twitter account that she and Bobby Lashley have split.

“Hello everyone Bobby (Lashley) and I have split, but remain great friends,” she wrote. “He is a constant in our son’s life and a tremendous father.”

— Former WWE Women’s Champion Candice Michelle has posted a new blog on GoDaddy.com noting what she’s been up to as of late. She also proclaims her excitement on being added to WWE.com’s Alumni section.

“I was added to the WWE’s Alumni! I feel honored that they have added me to this,” she wrote. “They have written a great bio and have many photos of me backstage and of some of my matches. It’s a great reminder of my five wonderful years there, so please check it out at WWE.com!”

— Meet former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis as she will be appearing from noon to 2:00 p.m. tomorrow at BC Sports in the Oxford Valley Mall 2300 East Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA 19047. For more information, visit www.SportsFanPromotions.com.

Former WWE & TNA star and current Strikeforce MMA heavyweight contender Bobby Lashley spoke to FightLine.com this week about his transition from wrestling to MMA, the opening of his new MMA gym in Colorado and more. Some highlights:

His Status with TNA: “As far as I know, I’m not working with them. At the time things started getting really built up with fighting and signing with Strikeforce and everything, it was just kind of hard doing both at the same time. We tried to work something, but I guess it didn’t work. So as far as I know, I’m on the future endeavored lists (laughs).”

WhetherHe’s MMA Championship Material: “The heavyweight division is wide open so I think it’s going to be very exciting to see all these heavyweights mix it up a little bit. I think in Strikeforce right now there are four or five people right now that can be the champion, so I think it’s going to be really exciting for the fans… I think I’m six months to a year out of being in a top spot.

The Opening of His New Gym: “It was great. It was a lot better than we had even expected. We had started planning it about 3 weeks before we wanted to do it so it was a little rushed, but the outcome was incredible.”

As reported earlier, TNA sent out a press release on Friday stating that Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan would be making a “major announcement” on Monday afternoon. It is almost certain that TNA will be announcing that iMPACT! is moving to Monday nights in March.

Following the ratings success of January 4th’s Monday night iMPACT! special, TNA and Spike have been working out a deal that would bring iMPACT! to Monday nights permanently. While there were a serious of hangups during the negotiations, most of the major hurdles of been cleared.

iMPACT! is expected to run from 9-11pm (eastern), head-to-head with WWE RAW for two hours straight. The show will not be live each week at the beginning, but it’s certainly an option down the road if the show is a success and the show generates more money.

As for what qualifies as successful, it’s believed that a 1.2-1.5 is what both sides are expecting. There is always the possibility that Spike moves the show back to Thursday nights in the event that the rating falls off significantly, but the network is said to be behind TNA and will give them some time to establish themselves on Monday nights.

(Credit to PWTorch.com for some of the information used in this report)

— Earlier this week, Bobby Lashley’s superstar profile was removed from the TNA website, leading many to speculate that he was leaving the company to pursue his MMA career full time. Lashley posted a brief message on his LashleyNutrition.com site telling fans to stay tuned:

“Alot of fans are asking me about my future in wrestling. I will address everything at a later date. Thank you for the support. – Bobby”

— In an interview with Fanhouse.com, TNA star Mick Foley had some positive things to say about the often-criticized head writer of TNA, Vince Russo. “I think even Vince Russo would probably agree that him being world champion was possibly not the best idea in the world. But he’s a very creative guy,” Foley said. “He loves to write. He loves to make characters and I think people who, you know the people who chant ‘fire Russo’ really have no idea how large of a contribution he made to the wrestling product that they sometimes seem to like. I’m talking about the wrestling product overall as in this generation of wrestling. I think he was one of the key guys right up there with the top on-air talents.”

– As we reported last night, Bobby Lashley’s profile has been removed from the Superstar Roster page on TNA’s official website, which suggests he may have parted ways with the company. According to sources within TNA, Lashley is still technically under contract, but is not considered part of the active roster. Lashley has been written out of TNA storylines in recent months but remains on good terms with the company and the door is open for him to return down the line. (Source: PWInsider.com)

– Kurt Angle has launched his own line of healthy foods called Angle Foods, part o the Foodies Food Club network. Kurt’s website describes it like this:

“USDA approved Signature Series Sports Performance Food line that will feature five new great tasting, high quality, high protein, high fiber, low fat ready-to-eat-meals for athletes and health conscious dieters of all ages. Each exquisite R.T.E Meal contains approximately 30-40g of high quality food protein, 10-12 grams of “fiber for life” with moderate to low gylcemic carbs for health and energy. Finally, the perfect convenient meals for everyone!”

The TNA website has removed Bobby Lashley’s profile from its roster page, which suggests he is no longer affiliated with the organization.

Hulk Hogan recently said that he and Lashley would need to have ‘a serious talk’ regarding his simultaneous involvement with professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.

“You can’t put [Strikeforce] ahead of us,” Hogan told Sports Illustrated. “That’s not going to work me. I’m going to fix that real quick.”

Lashley, who took his MMA record to 5-0 by defeating Wes Sims, said that his Strikeforce debut would go a long way toward deciding his future in the wrestling industry.

Lashley is scheduled to fight at Strikeforce’s next event on Apr. 17. His opponent has yet to be determined.

sources: www.f4wonline.com, www.pwtorch.com

— Last night’s episode of TNA iMPACT! drew a 1.26 cable rating, the same number as last week. The show drew 1.9 million viewers overall. The opening quarter hour with Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles & Ric Flair and final two quarter hours tied for the highest rated segment of the night with a 1.32.

— Besides Awesome Kong, both Alex Shelley and Bobby Lashley are not going on TNA’s tour of the UK. Shelley will not be going on the tour due to ongoing disc injuries. Likewise, Lashley isn’t going because he’s fighting for the mixed martials arts promotion Strikeforce next weekend.

— Kevin Nash is said to be unhappy with “The Band” nickname TNA bestowed upon him, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. They used the old Blue Brothers movie joke about putting “the band back together” several years ago in World Championship Wrestling, but Nash now feels it’s ridiculously dated.

Eddie "Umaga" Fatu

Several wrestlers have posted messages on Twitter regarding the hospitalization and rumored death of former WWE superstar Eddie “Umaga” Fatu. Here’s what some of them are saying:

Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson: “Say a prayer for my boy Umaga”

D’Angelo Dinero / Elijah Burke: “Pope was informed many hours ago of my friend Umaga. Pope will not comment until the family speaks, neither should you. Prayer is key! ~ PHS”

Bobby Lashley: “Very sad day today. A good friend is gone.”

Visit PWTweets.com to follow what wrestlers and divas are saying on Twitter about Umaga’s condition.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, TNA Wrestling star and MMA fighter says he’d strongly consider walking away from pro wrestling if he was offered an exclusive deal with Strikeforce.

“If it does come to a point where you have to choose, then I’ll have to sit back and talk with my family. I want to fight,” Lashley said. “TNA is at the understanding where they know my dedication with fighting. If (Strikeforce CEO Scott) Coker comes back and says you have to quit wrestling, then we’ll have to cross that bridge.”

TNA offered Lashley great money to work a reduced schedule and they understand fighting is his top priority.

Lashley professional MMA record is 4-0, most recently defeating Bob Sapp on June 27th. There were reports over the summer that Strikeforce was negotiating with Bobby Lashley to fight Fedor Emelianenko at last weekend’s CBS event. Lashley declined the high profile fight because he didn’t think he’d have enough time to train properly, but Strikeforce is interested and can certainly use another rising star with name value in their heavyweight division.

TNA Wrestling star and MMA heavyweight contender Bobby Lashley is in talks with the Strikeforce MMA promotion,  according to MMAFanhouse.com.

Lashley is currently 4-0 since making his mixed martial arts debut and is coming off a big victory over MMA veteran Bob Sapp this past June. Talks between Lashley and Strikeforce have been heating up in recent weeks and if a deal is made, Lashley may make his Strikeforce debut on November 7th when Strikeforce makes their debut on network television on CBS. That show will also feature the highly anticipated debut of Fedor Emelianenko when he fights Brett Rogers in the main event.

While no deal has been reached at this time, MMA insiders believe Lashley is headed to Strikeforce.