Dutch Mantell urges former WWE Champion to retire; says he may not succeed in AEW

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell believes Bobby Lashley will have no success in All Elite Wrestling. Lashley is set to be a free agent soon.

Bobby Lashley is one of the most dominant stars in the WWE. He left the company in 2008, reinventing himself before his eventual return ten years later. Lashley has had great success in his second run and is a former two-time WWE Champion. In the past few weeks, some surprising reports emerged about Bobby Lashley's contract expiration which led to many speculating that the powerhouse might be heading to AEW.

On the recent episode of his Storytime with Dutch Mantell podcast, the wrestling veteran claimed that Bobby Lashley won't succeed in AEW due to his age:

"If AEW picks up Bobby Lashley at this point, I don't think they would know what to do with him either. And how old is he? He's in his late 40s, and it's time for him to step out of the ring and go do something else." [47:48-48:07]

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WWE's Head of Creative Triple H was recently asked about Bobby Lashley's contract rumors

Triple H took over as the Head of Creative of WWE in 2022 and many believe that some superstars have suffered under The Game's regime as compared to Vince McMahon's leadership. Bobby Lashley is among those stars and is reportedly heading towards free agency due to his contract expiring in the coming weeks.

However, Triple H had an interesting answer about Lashley's contract expiration. In a recent chat with Daily Mail, The CCO of the company stated that they release and sign talent all the time and it is part of the process:

“No (there isn't an update on rumored departures). Just like any sport, any business, we sign talent, talent contract runs out, we release talent. It’s just part of the process, so it’s an ongoing thing,” Triple H said.

Bobby Lashley is a great asset to any company he potentially signs with in the future. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the former leader of the Hurt Business.