Jim Ross wants former WWE Champion to join AEW - "I haven’t talked to him in years"

A former WWE Champion recently left the Stamford-based company after his contract expired. Legendary wrestling commentator, Jim Ross, now wants him to join AEW.

Bobby Lashley returned to WWE in 2018 and was immediately pushed to the pinnacle as WWE Champion. He feuded against and beat some of the top stars in the company. However, in recent years, his career took a downturn owing to poor bookings.

Bobby Lashley wasn't booked in any meaningful feuds and his last major rivalry was against The Final Testament, which didn't do him any favors either. Hence, when his contract expired, he left the Stamford-based promotion. Since then fans have been speculating about his future in the industry.

Jim Ross spoke about Lashley's status on a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast. He listed the various options the veteran had at present, such as NJPW, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, and even AEW. However, Ross said he had no idea about the state of mind of the former WWE Superstar as he hadn't spoken to him in years.

“It’s hard to say. Bobby, like I said, is very complex. He’s a different cat. He’s smart and sometimes smart people have a tendency to overthink things. If Bobby’s not in overthink mode, which I have no idea, I haven’t talked to him in years — if he approaches that way, he’ll do good. He’ll do really good because he’s going to be desirable. Like you said, Japan is an option. I don’t know the market is there, it’s not like it used to be, but you still can make a decent payday. Scott D’Amore could use Bobby Lashley, I think AEW could use Bobby Lashley. But it’s all a matter of the cash that you got to invest to get the talent on site and the creative that you’re going to use to utilize it,” Jim Ross said. [H/T Fightful]

You can check out Jim Ross' comments in the video below:

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Jim Ross wants Tony Khan to give Matt Riddle a shot in AEW

Matt Riddle is one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. His background in MMA makes him a legitimate threat to anyone he steps in the ring with. However, his controversial past has resulted in his downfall many times. It was also the reason he was released from his WWE contract.

During the same podcast episode, Jim Ross urged Tony Khan to give Matt Riddle a shot in AEW. He also understood if the President would not consider such a move owing to the star's controversial history. However, he stated that he never writes anyone off and that Riddle was a very talented wrestler and had a great look.

“I don’t know if there’s an opportunity there or not. If they decided, I would suggest that he’d be given a shot. I understand Tony’s reluctance because Matt has a little baggage. How much that baggage weighs, I don’t know, but I know he’s a very talented kid, got a great look. He’s got that Kevin Von Erich look. He wrestles barefoot. I’ll never say never, I don’t know that it’s even on the drawing board, have no idea, that’s a Tony Khan thing, not nothing I’m involved in. Whatever Tony Khan does, I’ll do my best to make it work in my role,” Jim Ross said. [H/T Fightful]

It will be interesting to see if Matt Riddle will ever wrestle for a major promotion like AEW or WWE again.