3 Ways Bobby Lashley can make his return to AEW

AEW boasts an exhaustive roster of talent, ranging from established veterans to up-and-coming rookies. Among these stars is Bobby Lashley, a veteran who has attained legendary status in pro wrestling.

The Almighty joined AEW in late 2024 after growing frustrated with his WWE booking, which led him to decline to re-sign with the Stamford-based promotion. Upon his arrival in the Jacksonville-based promotion, Lashley quickly joined MVP and Shelton Benjamin to reform the Hurt Business, which rebranded into the Hurt Syndicate in Tony Khan's promotion. As months passed, Lashley came into his own as a tag team wrestler alongside Benjamin, and the duo won the AEW World Tag Team Titles in January 2025, holding them for over 200 days.

More recently, AEW has been trying to push the former WWE Champion as a singles star, a division where Lashley has dominated for years and earned legendary status. That said, Tony Khan's plans for the Almighty appeared to hit a roadblock after his injury at Full Gear 2025.

With Lashley reportedly out for months, All Elite Wrestling has an opportunity to develop strong creative for its superstar while he is recovering. In that vein, let's look at three ways Lashley can be reintroduced in AEW.

#3. AEW doubles down on Lashley as a singles star

At Full Gear 2025, Bobby Lashley competed in a Casino Gauntlet Match to crown the inaugural National Champion. Although he lost the bout and sustained a legitimate injury, he was dominant throughout the match, and his performance suggested that AEW has finally begun to utilize the Almighty's prowess as a singles star.

Upon his return, Tony Khan could have him continue on the singles path, initially challenging for midcard titles before transitioning him into the world title picture, where he belongs. There is no love lost between the Hurt Syndicate and the Demand (Ricochet and Gates of Agony), and the Casino Gauntlet match at Full Gear is primarily centered on the rivalry between the two factions. When Lashley returns, AEW can have him challenge the reigning National Champion, Ricochet, for the title.

#2. Lashley continues as a tag team wrestler for the time being

While Lashley's current absence from the Jacksonville-based promotion is due to injury, it is worth noting that, since Full Gear, his faction mates, MVP and Shelton Benjamin, have also not been seen on AEW programming. The company has not explained why the Ballin' Superstar and the Gold Standard are missing from TV.

This suggests that Tony Khan lacks individual creative plans for the group's members, which means it is vital for the promotion to keep them on TV together for now to avoid underutilizing the top talent involved. Once Lashley is back, the Jacksonville-based promotion could look to put the tag titles back on his and Benjamin's shoulders, or better yet, have all of the Hurt Syndicate go after the Opps and target the Trios Titles.

#1. Bobby Lashley turns heel and betrays Shelton Benjamin

The Hurt Syndicate has dominated as a faction in All Elite Wrestling for over a year now, and during that time, the stable has transitioned from feared heels to popular faces. Since the team has completed a full creative cycle, it has experienced the best of both worlds in professional wrestling. This could be the ideal time to break them up, possibly instigated by a returning Lashley.

Most of Lashley's success as a singles star has come while he's portrayed a heel, a persona that aligns with his dominant presentation. Upon his arrival, Lashley attacked Benjamin and broke up the group, stating that the Gold Standard had held him back from achieving his main goal: the company's top prize, the World Championship.

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Edited by Karan Raj