Franklin Lashley

Franklin Roberto (Bobby) Lashley (born on July 16, 1976 in Kansas City, Kansas) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing for World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown! brand.

Career

Lashley attended Missouri Valley College, where he won three national wrestling championships between 1996 and 1998, placing fourth in 1995. Throughout 1997 and 1998 he was the NAIA National Wrestling Champion, competing at the weight of 177 pounds (80 kilograms). Lashley later joined the United States Army, where he continued to wrestle.

It was somewhere in this time that Lashley took up serious training to build close to 100 pounds of muscle on to his body, putting him up from 177 pounds to around 273-279.

In November 2003, Lashley signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and was assigned to its farm federation, Ohio Valley Wrestling. While in OVW, Lashley was known as Blaster Lashley, and was a member of the Bolin Services stable along with Mike Mondo, and Ken Doane. In mid-2005 Lashley appeared at four live events, wrestling in dark matches for both the RAW and SmackDown! brands.

World Wrestling Entertainment

2005

On September 23, 2005, Lashley made his televised WWE debut on SmackDown! under the name Bobby Lashley (or simply Lashley). Lashley was introduced as a three-time National Amateur Wrestling Champion, four-time All-American, a two-time Armed Forces Champion and a 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championship. In his first match, he squashed Simon Dean then, in his pay-per-view debut at No Mercy 2005, defeated Dean once again.

On the November 11, 2005 episode of SmackDown!, Lashley defeated Orlando Jordan in a qualifying match for a place on Team SmackDown! at the 2005 Survivor Series where, despite a dominating performance, he was the first to be eliminated.

2006

On January 6, 2006 Lashley became the first announced participant from SmackDown! to be entered into that year's Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble Lashley was the 8th wrestler to enter the match, but was eliminated quite early (6th) by RAW's World Tag Team Champions Big Show and Kane.

Following the Royal Rumble, Lashley began a feud with John "Bradshaw" Layfield leading up to a match at No Way Out 2006. The match wound up being Lashley's first loss in singles competition thanks to interference from Finlay. During Februrary and March, Lashley was involved in an intense feud with Finlay which saw the pair brawl on many occasions even until the pair were put into a in a Lumberjack Match that Finlay won (after use of his signature shillelagh).

On April 2, 2006 Lashley would compete in his first WrestleMania (WrestleMania 22) in a losing effort in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

Lashley next entered SmackDown!s King of the Ring tournament. He lasted until the finals, defeating Mark Henry and Finlay in the process. During the finals, held at Judgment Day he was defeated by Booker T with help from Finlay.

This started a feud with the newly christened "King Booker" and his asociates, Queen Sharmell, Finlay and William Regal. During this feud Lashley won his first professional wrestling championship by defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield for the United States Championship which he dropped to Finlay a little less than two months later.