Big E Saluted Bobby Lashley Before His AEW Arrival
Big E praised Bobby Lashley in a social-media message on July 22, 2024, as reports circulated about Lashley’s WWE contract. He highlighted Lashley’s physical presence, professionalism and character while the wrestler’s next destination remained uncertain.
Respect beyond a championship rivalry
The message followed reporting that Lashley’s contract was approaching its end. Big E’s tribute expressed admiration for a colleague rather than announcing a contract agreement or a move to another promotion.
The two shared a significant moment in WWE history. On September 13, 2021, Big E used his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Lashley for the WWE Championship on Raw, making Lashley part of his first reign with that title.
Lashley appeared in Cleveland
Lashley’s next major television arrival came at AEW’s Fright Night Dynamite on October 30, 2024. The show aired from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland and ended with Swerve Strickland facing Shelton Benjamin.
Strickland won the match by pinfall. Afterward, MVP made a phone call, the lights briefly went out and Lashley appeared, joining MVP and Benjamin in the ring.
A renewed alliance
Lashley attacked Strickland and applied a full nelson while the group also overwhelmed Prince Nana and security. The closing sequence established his alliance with MVP and Benjamin in AEW.
That October debut supplied the destination missing from the July contract discussion. Big E’s earlier message remained a personal tribute to a former opponent whose career was entering another chapter.
Sources
- Fightful: Big E’s July message, contract reporting and WWE title connection
- AEW: October 30 location, Strickland–Benjamin result and Lashley debut
