Bobby Lashley may be an established MMA fighter but apparently, while he is with WWE he will not be allowed to compete for Bellator.
Even though one sport is staged and the other is not, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling have been intertwined for a long time. There are numerous examples of wrestlers trying their hand at MMA and vice versa. Take Ronda Rousey for example. The Rowdy One was one of the most famous UFC fighters of all time, and now she is plying her trade on Raw for WWE.
When it comes to Rousey, by all accounts, it would appear that her UFC career is over. That was the last chapter of her life and WWE is the current one. Brock Lesnar on the other hand, a competitor who went the other way, still has a foot in both worlds. Vince McMahon let him compete in UFC while still under contract with WWE, and that may well happen again at some point in the next year.
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For other WWE Superstars hoping to hash out a similar deal to Lesnar's, well don't get your hopes. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Lesnar is the exception to the rule. That won't come as a surprise to most of you reading this. However, it's bad news for a returning Bobby Lashley who has enjoyed a pretty successful MMA career since leaving WWE ten years ago.
Meltzer believes that even though Lashley is still listed on Bellator's roster, he will not be fighting for the promotion any time soon. Apparently, 205 Live star Jack Gallagher also has a similar deal with WWE. In fact, it's probably safe to assume that no one under contract with WWE is allowed to step inside an octagon and that MMA promotions are viewed by WWE in the same way that rival wrestling promotions are.
Even though most of us laughed and rolled our eyes when Roman Reigns referred to Lesnar as "Vince's boy," The Big Dog had a point. The Beast Incarnate definitely gets special treatment and McMahon will do anything in his power to keep the Universal Champion happy and to keep him under contract to WWE. That includes letting him leave to beat someone up every now and again.