WWE may be forced to find a new WrestleMania 39 opponent for Bobby Lashley if Bray Wyatt is unavailable.
According to multiple reports, Wyatt is banned from wrestling due to an undisclosed medical issue, which explains why Wyatt’s feud with Lashley has essentially been non-existent for the past several weeks. With WrestleMania 39 just a week away, Wrestle Votes (h/t Cageside Seats) says that “WWE has a backup plan for Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 39 should Bray Wyatt not return in time to work at the event.”
While Wyatt’s WWE return was a major creative shift, Wyatt is hugely popular — he once surpassed The Bloodline as the #1 WWE merchandise seller — and given the amount of TV time he’s gotten since his return, his potential Absence from WrestleMania will leave a gaping hole in the biggest show of the year. Additionally, Lashley – one of the best WWE performers in recent years – will be left without a Mania match.
Or will it? Let’s highlight three ways WWE can salvage a WrestleMania spot for Lashley who has one anything but confirmed He will wrestle on the show even if it’s not against Wyatt.
Make Bobby Lashley wrestle LA Knight
The backup plan mentioned by Wrestle Votes? Well, that would be Lashley teaming up with LA Knight, another high-profile star whose recent greatness deserves a spot on the WrestleMania map.
With Lashley confirmed for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at next week’s SmackDown, Knight could perhaps cheaply eliminate Lashley from the match to set up a WrestleMania match. Or the other way around. Regardless of exactly how WWE gets there, the Lashley vs. Knight lineup feels like a no-brainer.
Knight is an amazing heel who has garnered strong crowd reactions and has even been linked to a possible WrestleMania match against Steve Austin. With Austin’s status as uncertain as Wyatt’s, Lashley vs. Knight would be a solid consolation prize for both stars. WWE just shouldn’t make it a one-sided pumpkin in favor of Lashley.
Bring Randy Orton back
Randy Orton will reportedly be at WrestleMania 39 amid reports his name has suddenly started appearing more frequently in WWE.
“The Viper” has been out since May 2022 with a reportedly career-threatening back injury, but all signs point to a return sometime in 2023. There’s no better stage for that than WrestleMania 39.
Before he got injured, Orton had become one of WWE’s most popular babyfaces, and the moment he could create with a shocking WrestleMania return would be unforgettable. What’s even better is that Orton and Lashley haven’t interacted all that much in recent years, so a surprise match between Lashley and Orton could be a big hit à la Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins at last year’s WrestleMania 38.
Call Bron Breakker
WWE is reportedly planning to call two top NXT stars – Cameron Grimes and Bron Breakker – after WrestleMania 39, presumably for the ever-exciting Raw after Mania.
But here’s an even better idea: Promote Breakker to the main list at Instead WrestleMania. A second-generation performer, Breakker has become a polarizing figure in NXT, but has shown glimpses of the skills, charisma and star power in the ring that could make him a big hit on Raw or SmackDown.
However, WWE will never really know what Breakker is about until he has a chance to swim or sink outside of NXT’s confines. As such, WWE could use a similar strategy as it did when Fandango made their in-ring debut against Chris Jericho, with a few minor tweaks of course.
There’s no bigger stage for Breakker to debut on, and if he were to emerge as an unheralded challenger to Lashley, it could put him on the path to superstardom right away on the main roster.
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