Former Wrestling World Champion Bobby Lashley Joins Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling

Former Wrestling World Champion Bobby Lashley Joins Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling

HISTORIC SIGNING MAKES LASHLEY THE FIRST EVER ACTIVE MMA FIGHTER TO CONCURRENTLY COMPETE IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Bobby Lashley has signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling, making him the first-ever active pro wrestler in the western world to simultaneously compete as an active MMA fighter. He made the announcement on various ESPN interviews in New York.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CLTU020 )

"I want to do both because I can. TNA is giving me the opportunity to compete in both sports which I have a passion for," said Lashley. "I will bring MMA fans to wrestling and wrestling fans to MMA."

"This is a great opportunity for Bobby to do something that has never been done before. He is the perfect ambassador for both sports. We are excited to have him join TNA, he is a true star that brings so much to the table as a member of our roster," stated TNA President Dixie Carter.

Prior to signing with TNA and fighting in MMA, Lashley was a two time ECW World Champion while in the WWE. During this time, he headlined many world wide pay-per-views and quickly became one of the most exciting stars in professional wrestling. As a collegiate wrestler, Lashley made a name for himself winning three national amateur wrestling championships. Since his MMA debut last December, Lashley has dominated each of his four fights and is currently undefeated with a record of 4-0. His most recent victory over Bob Sapp on June 27, 2009 ended via submission in round one.

Lashley first appeared for TNA in Philadelphia at the "Lockdown" pay-per-view event in April 2009 to the surprise of many TNA fans, followed only by a brief appearance on TNA iMPACT! Since then, fans have been left wondering when and if he would return to TNA as a full time member of the roster. "It's our intention to make history and we're looking forward to having Bobby make an immediate impact in TNA," stated Carter.

"TNA iMPACT!" airs every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Spike. Cross The Line to TNA Wrestling, the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join the TNA Superstars, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the six-sided ring.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CLTU020
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: TNA Entertaiment LLC

CONTACT: Steven Godfrey, Associate Director of Public Relations of TNA
Wrestling, +1-615-244-5557, sgodfrey@tnawrestling.com

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