Bobby Lashley Talks TNA Impact Wrestling, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and More

Former TNA world heavyweight champion and Bellator fighter Bobby Lashley has been one of the most dominant forces in wrestling over the last year, and he will be at the forefront of Impact Wrestling when the company makes the transition to its new television home, Destination America.

TNA’s Impact Wrestling is making the move from Spike TV to Destination America starting with a live broadcast Wednesday, January 7, before settling into its new night on Fridays at 9-11 p.m. ET (beginning January 16).

At 38 years old, Lashley has now been in the wrestling business for a decade and is really hitting his stride in Impact Wrestling. Add in the success he is finding in MMA, and the veteran is building an aura among fans that can’t be ignored.

Lashley sat down with the boys of Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County’s Joe Arcidiacono) and talked about TNA’s move to Destination America, the possibility of Brock Lesnar joining Bellator and a potential fight between the two men, CM Punk’s jump to the UFC and more.

Impact Wrestling’s Jump to Destination America

For months, Lashley has been one of the top stars in TNA and has been a focal point of Impact Wrestling each week. His heel character has been booked to perfection, and Lashley has arguably never looked stronger during his wrestling career.

With Impact Wrestling making the transition from Spike TV to its new home on Destination America, the company must kick off the new year in a new location with a huge match, and the rubber match in the trilogy between Lashley and champion Bobby Roode is the right answer.

When asked about the pressure of being in the main event of the first episode of TNA on Destination America, Lashley spoke regarding the expectations for the third match and if he believes he will regain the title:

"

First of all, I think we rose that bar really high coming into this third match. The first match we had was incredible and the person that was supposed to win won. The second match was as incredible if not better. So with this third match were really going to have to give the crowd what they want but at the same time we know who should be the champion especially in TNA and that’s me. Destination America January 7th I think it would be a good time for them to go ahead and hand the title over to the real champion and then we can run it the rest of the year that way.

"

Lashley originally won the title in June of 2014 and was booked as a dangerous heel who was virtually unstoppable. While TNA was laying out the proper storylines for Lashley, the company was also building up Roode as the top face in the company.

It was clear that Lashley and Roode were on a collision course.

The result was two of the best matches of the year in wrestling and Roode eventually capturing the title from Lashley in monumental fashion. The reason Roode’s victory felt so important was due to the fact that Lashley was legitimately the top star in the company at that moment.

Now, the two men face off once again with even more on the line. While they both will be ready to shine in the main event with the title on the line, each man understands that there will be droves of new viewers who will judge TNA on their match.

Both Lashley and Roode are ready to steal the show.

Lashley Talks Bellator, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and More MMA

Lashley’s recent success in TNA is due in part to the mainstream attention he has received since joining Bellator MMA as a competitor. After spending several years learning his craft in smaller promotions, Lashley has won his first two fights in Bellator and looks like a legitimate threat.

The wrestling and MMA worlds have been colliding recently. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is running the show in WWE, and CM Punk is making the jump to mixed martial arts late in his career.

Lashley is one of the few former wrestlers who made the successful jump to MMA, and he has been vocal about other competitors in his line of work doing the same. When asked about Punk and the comparisons between the two men, Lashley spoke openly:

"

As far as the other side, I have been torn about this whole CM Punk thing. I am getting torn hard both ways. I can understand it from the fighter’s point of view but at the same time I can see it from CM Punk’s point of view. As soon as he did it, I went online and told him, 'Congratulations and do what you want to do' because that’s what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter if people think he is ready or not, if he says he is going to do it then it’s him that is going to have to step in that cage. That is where I take my hat off to him and respect him for it. It’s going to be harder for him without having that extensive background to be able to do it. So I take my hat off to him and as a friend, a co-worker, I just tell him to make sure to bust your ass before going out there because once that cage door closes it’s real. There’s so many people that sit off on the side, that armchair quarterback and say, 'I took a jujitsu class I had a couple fights on the street.' It is completely different. It’s a physical chess match and you have to have all your pieces of the game intact before going in there. CM Punk is a very intelligent guy and there is no way he would have made it to the level where he is now unless he was a very intelligent guy. This move was very calculated and he knows what the next step is and the one after that. Or if he doesn’t know he is going to have the right people around him to tell him. Man, I am going to tune into that fight and everyone else is so it’s good for everyone. It’s a win-win situation.

"

After commenting on Punk, the topic of Lesnar’s possible return to MMA was brought up. There have been reports that Bellator will pursue Lesnar when he becomes a free agent in 2015, according to MMAFighting.com.

Lashley is currently running through the heavyweight division and would likely have to square off against Lesnar to make it to top if he were to sign. When asked about the possibility of a high-profile battle between the two men, Lashley expressed his confidence that he would win:

"

Yes. Hell yea I would. I’m not one of those arrogant guys that goes around saying I would kick his ass or start trash talking online or anything like that. I’m one of the guys that understands what this business is about and it’s about money. Any fighter at the end of the day that says it’s not about the money is ridiculous. We wouldn’t be training this hard, putting our bodies on the line, and torturing our bodies if there wasn’t a payday at the end of the day. With that being said, if Brock does sign over with Bellator I think one of the biggest fights he could have is me. It’s not a case of this is going to be the greatest fight it’s because we have so many similarities. The crazy part is I have never even come face to face with Brock. I don’t know him and I have never met him. We just have always had a lot of comparison so this time give the fans what they want. Brock and I would beat each other up pretty bad but we will walk away very financially healthy. As far as who would win, of course I’m going to say myself. I wouldn’t take the fight if I thought I was going to go out there and get crushed. Our styles match and we wouldn’t over do the other person since we have the same styles. It would be a very strategic match and I like the match up.

"

It takes a lot of confidence to step into the cage, and Lashley knows what he is capable of now that he has several marquee fights under his belt. The mainstream buzz for a bout between Lashley and Lesnar would be huge for Bellator, and the result would be a blockbuster pay-per-view event.

While it is unclear what Lesnar’s plans are after his run with WWE (he could easily re-sign with the wrestling company or return to UFC), the possibility of Lesnar squaring off against Lashley would draw serious eyes to the sport.

"

So really, is the UFC still considered a monopoly when Bellator swoops in with millions to sign Brock Lesnar? Or am I missing something?

— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) December 17, 2014"

Lashley is scheduled to face off against James Thompson at Bellator 134 in February in a rematch that fans should be taking great interest in. If Lashley goes on to win his third fight in a row since joining Bellator, his case to be championship contender couldn’t be stronger.

If Lesnar signs in Bellator, he would be on a collision course with Lashley.

Regardless of whether he is dominating in MMA or in professional wrestling, Lashley has adapted to his circumstances and thrived. Not only is he performing at a high level as a fighter, but he is also in his most entertaining run as a wrestler.

The future continues to be bright for Lashley.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics, or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

Follow @Donald_Wood

Follow @RingRustRadio