5 WWE Superstars who benefited from having their push canceled by Vince McMahon

#2. Bobby Lashley - WWE's big missed opportunity in 2008?

Bobby Lashley finally became WWE Champion in 2021, enjoying a respectable tenure of nearly seven months. Like Drew McIntyre, it seemed inevitable that the The Almighty would win the big one.

However, had things worked out the way Vince McMahon wanted it to, Lashley would have been a world champion by late 2008 or WrestleMania 25 at most. In 2007, he was put in the most talked-about match on the WrestleMania 23 card -- The Battle of the Billionaires: Vince McMahon vs Donald Trump.

Bobby Lashley sided with the babyface Donald Trump and walked out victoriously. Vince McMahon rarely feuds with a superstar on-screen unless he's intent on pushing them big time. There were big plans for Lashley, and big things seemed to be on the horizon for him, even though he fell short in a WWE Championship match against John Cena.

What fans didn't realize was that it would take 13 years for them to come to fruition. In the summer of 2007, Bobby Lashley had to take a hiatus due to a legitimate shoulder injury that required surgery. At the time, he was dating then-WWE Diva Kristal Marshall, who had backstage issues. This caused a falling out between Lashley and the company, who released him in early 2008.

Having his push canceled allowed Bobby Lashley to explore himself outside of WWE as well as focus on his MMA career, which was relatively successful as he holds a 15-2 record. When Lashley came back, he was finally crowned WWE Champion.