The third time became the charm for Bobby Lashley, as he won his first WWE Championship on Monday Night Raw (1/3/21), vanquishing The Miz in the process.
To accommodate some “prior arrangements”, Lashley got his title opportunity against The Miz at the very beginning of the night. However, the Champ stalled as he said he needed more time.
In the second title match of the night, The Miz grabbed the title from the timekeeper’s table and ran off. The match ended in a count-out where Lashley won, but he did not get the title per the rules.
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Considering Miz’s repeated excesses, WWE officials, Adam Pearce and Shane McMahon., intervened in the situation and fixed a lumberjack title match as the main event for the night. They also necessitated that if The Miz did not show up, Bobby Lashley would get the title.
A reluctant Miz showed up and tried to get disqualified in order to keep the title. However, thanks to the Lumberjacks and Lashley’s quick thinking, the “Hollywood A-Lister” was squashed in the match.
Lashley forced Miz to submit via the ‘Hurt Lock’ to win the WWE Championship. With this, Lashley became the third-ever African-American to hold the title after The Rock and Kofi Kingston, and he is the third wrestler to win the WWE, ECW, and Impact titles after Rob Van Dam and Christian.
As the ALL MIGHTY Era begins, @fightbobby blazes another new trail in the history books. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wUH90VaIjw
— WWE (@WWE) March 2, 2021
Bobby Lashley reacts to the title win on social media
Right after Raw, Lashley hopped on to Twitter to share his thoughts. He shared a photo of himself and the title with the caption, “THE ALMIGHTY ERA IS HERE!!!”
THE ALMIGHTY ERA IS HERE!!! #ANDNEW ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 @WWE #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/20gMzdSFMc
— Bobby Lashley (@fightbobby) March 2, 2021
His mentor, friend and Hurt Business ‘partner,’ MVP, reacted to the news with a simple “told you so”. WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Mark henry and former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston reacted to the news along with many WWE superstars.
The Almighty! @fightbobby you did it! #RAW pic.twitter.com/vhV7m8XW0c
— Booker T. Huffman (@BookerT5x) March 2, 2021
— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) March 2, 2021
Ok @fightbobby!
— ⚔️ KOFNAN the Barbarian ⚔️ (@TrueKofi) March 2, 2021
I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!
— MVP (@The305MVP) March 2, 2021
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
AND NEW!!! @fightbobby#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/uPxZMAbRn9— Just Different (@swerveconfident) March 2, 2021
Impressive and well deserved. Congrats, Champ. @fightbobby pic.twitter.com/MJMvYpwZab
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) March 2, 2021
Nobody tries to put you right THROUGH the ring quite like Bobby Lashley.
Congrats, @fightbobby!
Now, get a cat already and you’ll be on the absolute top of the world.
— Kevin (@FightOwensFight) March 2, 2021
One may wonder why Kingston has a ‘mellow’ response compared to his peers. It could be because Kofi is a face and Lashley is a staunch heel.
The win of Lashley was much awaited for various reasons. During his first tenure in WWE, Lashley was on the rise. He was the Superstar of ECW and transitioned into the main roster.
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However, WWE creative let Lashley fizzle out. Then, he went away for almost a decade before returning to WWE.
Even after his return, Lashley was not used to his best capabilities. He was involved in a strange storyline with Lana and Miro before he found his footing in the Hurt Business.
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Can Lashley go to WrestleMania 37 as the Champion? Or will The Miz reclaim his title? Let us know in the comments below.
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