AEW World Tag Team Champion Bobby Lashley recently shared his views on the evolving nature of wrestling during an appearance on the F Y’all podcast. Lashley reflected on how the importance of storytelling in wrestling has diminished over time, a change he believes fans are beginning to recognize. He emphasized the value of narrative over purely physical moves in connecting with audiences.
The Changing Focus from Story to Moves in Wrestling
Lashley explained that, when he started wrestling more than two decades ago, the focus was less on flashy moves and more on crafting meaningful stories. He said,
“When I first got into wrestling, it’s over 20 years now…the biggest thing that they did was they didn’t care about the moves, they thought about the story. They were like, ‘How did that make sense?’ I think the generations moved a little bit right now because it’s different now.”
He pointed out that adjusting to this shift has been difficult for some wrestlers and fans alike.
The Uniformity Problem and Audience Engagement
Bobby Lashley further highlighted a trend where many current wrestlers perform similar matches without distinguishing story elements, which weakens engagement. He noted,
“It’s something that we’ve had a hard time with kind of adjusting to. Just like that question, the crowd has to answer that question, too. But these guys…it’s not everyone, but a lot of people that are wrestling now, they try to erase that…It’s like everybody’s the same. They just have matches.”
Storytelling’s Role in Making Wrestling Accessible
He emphasized that storytelling is also crucial for gaining new wrestling fans who may not yet understand the in-ring action. Lashley said,
“When you bring somebody that is not a pure wrestling fan, somebody that’s just starting out being a wrestling fan, they see me standing in front of this guy and they see this guy doing stuff to me, they’re like, ‘What? Don’t make any sense.’ So, for me, when we go into some of those things, we have to tell that story.”
Implications for Wrestling’s Future
Bobby Lashley’s remarks suggest that wrestling’s current direction risks losing key elements that made the sport compelling, particularly the focus on storytelling. As fans become more aware of this shift, it may influence how promotions and wrestlers approach their craft moving forward. Restoring strong narratives could be essential to maintaining and growing wrestling’s audience in the years ahead.
