Bobby Lashley Legit Injured, Could Miss WWE WrestleMania 38
Injury apparently came before Elimination Chamber, making match angle necessary.
If you were among those who were perplexed, confused or even angry about how Bobby Lashley lost his WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber without even getting to compete in the eponymous match, it looks like there was good reason to remove him from the contest via injury angle.
Speaking on the post-PLE podcast for The Ringer Wrestling Show, former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide said he had it on good authority that "Lashley is shoot hurt and has been hurt since the Rumble match" where he won the title from Brock Lesnar. Famuyide noted that the now-former WWE Champion hasn't wrestled on TV or house shows since winning the title from Brock at the Rumble three weeks ago.
If you missed it, just moments into the men's chamber match, Seth Rollins buckle-bombed Austin Theory into - and through - Lashley's pod, sending the plexiglass wall and Theory crashing down on the champ. Lashley was then removed from his pod and taken out of the match. The announcers said he was entering concussion protocol and would not re-enter the match, guaranteeing a new champion. Brock would burst into the match and demolish all four other superstars in short order to recapture the title he lost last month.
Famuyide added that Lashley is slated to have shoulder surgery and could miss up to four months, which would put him out of action well past WrestleMania 38. Even with the All Mighty's freakish recovery abilities, a six-week turnaround seems near-impossible. If that's the case, it's a devastating blow for a wrestler who has been a rare bright spot in WWE during the Pandemic Era.
The injury also makes you wonder what the original plans were for Lashley and the WWE Championship had he not been hurt. Now, Brock will battle WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a title-for-title match at Mania.