Summary

Bobby Lashley says his much-discussed WWE storyline with Lana had a specific purpose behind the scenes.

Looking back on the 2019 Raw angle, which also involved Rusev and a wedding segment interrupted by Liv Morgan, Lashley said he was told the program was meant to help him show more personality on television. According to Lashley, the idea was to move him beyond the image of a destructive force and let fans see more of the person behind that presentation.

The comments add another layer to a storyline that drew plenty of attention at the time. They also arrive during a period when WWE's long-term presentation choices remain a talking point, including Nick Khan's recent comments about future WrestleMania host-city plans.

Quote from Bobby Lashley

Speaking on Good Karma Wrestling, Lashley said:

"I did the deal where I was married, where me and Lana, that everybody was talking about. We went through the wedding and everything like that… Actually, I was told they wanna put me in there because they wanted me to just relax. Because a lot of the people backstage knew me as Bobby, and the crowd looks at me as this opposing figure that’s ready to beat people up and tear people apart. Well, Vince (McMahon) at the time, he was saying, ‘I want people to see more of you. I want you to feel uncomfortable so that you can just feel comfortable being uncomfortable, and you have to do those storylines on TV so that you can be able to do that.’ Let somebody in to you, which you wanna keep protected because you don’t wanna be criticized, but sometimes you just gotta open up the floodgates and let everybody in on you, and right now, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve just been letting people in on me. You can see me. I don’t mind being me. I can still beat people up. But I’m the nicest guy you’ll ever meet."

How the Lana storyline changed Lashley's presentation

Lashley said the Lana storyline was designed to make him more comfortable showing personality on WWE television, which made the angle more than a simple shock-value soap opera segment. By his account, Vince McMahon wanted viewers to see more than just the intimidating version of Lashley, and that helps explain why Lashley views the storyline as a useful part of his growth as an on-screen character.

It also shows WWE was willing to use an uncomfortable, highly public angle to widen Lashley's range in front of the audience. Whether fans liked the storyline or not, Lashley made clear he sees it as part of the process that helped him open up more on camera.

Sources

Bobby Lashley while speaking on Good Karma Wrestling