Bobby Lashley opens up on when he plans to retire from in-ring action

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley has opened up on when he plans to pull the curtains down on his illustrious career.

Lashley has had one of the most dominant WWE Championship runs in recent memory, which will undoubtedly go down as the highlight of his career.

The 45-year-old opened up about his retirement plans during a recent interview with Complex ahead of his big match against Goldberg at WWE SummerSlam, which will take place this Saturday night.

Bobby Lashley revealed that he has another five to ten years left in the ring before hanging up his boots. He added that after his retirement, he wants a schedule similar to that of Goldberg where he comes back every once in a while for a match.

"Being on the road gives us the opportunity to drive around, and that’s [a part] of wrestling that you can’t buy," said Lashley. "We don’t even talk about it. That’s just our personal experience of just traveling around the world and having different craziness happen in different cities all over the place. Things that happen every single day from the airport to the car rental places to the hotels to the shows. There’s all kinds of different stories that we have."

"Riding with [MVP], we joke about this stuff, talk about this stuff, riding this wave," added Lashley. "I mean, me and him are kind of at the tail-end of our careers, and it’s fun to be able to do some big stuff like that because, ultimately, five, 10, years down the road when I retire, I want to be that Goldberg that comes back every once in a while and puts a hurting on some of these people. That’s what the Hurt Business is about. The Hurt Business is still alive, man."

Bobby Lashley on how Goldberg differs from his previous opponents

It’s been a long time coming @Goldberg. Unfortunately for you, you’re in my way to becoming the best @WWE Champion of all time. See you Saturday. #AllMightyEra #SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/C9KpB1imyS

— Bobby Lashley (@fightbobby) August 17, 2021

Bobby Lashley is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Goldberg at SummerSlam. This will be the first time that these two superstars will compete against each other in the ring.

When asked if he's thinking about the former Universal Champion differently than some of his recent opponents like Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley stated:

"Yeah. Actually, because I saw the intensity; not different than I saw with Drew, but I saw the intensity in his eyes," said Bobby Lashley. "I follow what he wanted to do. I said this once, and I’ll say it again: I have a tremendous amount of respect for Goldberg because everybody growing up watching Goldberg, watching him shake the ropes, Jackhammer people, scaring people… I have a great deal of respect for it, but here’s the thing: He just can’t be me, and I think that’s what he has to get through his head. I mean, yes, he’s an icon. Yes, he’s a Hall of Famer. Yes, he’s everything that you want to call him, but he’s not me."

Only a handful of stars have scored a clean victory over Goldberg in WWE, and at the Biggest Party of the Summer, Bobby Lashley will have to join that list if he wishes to retain his WWE Championship.