The big thing at last?

Potential is a hell of a drug.

The history of pro wrestling is a wasteland of men who fizzled out on the big stage, bodies broken on the altar in search of the next big thing.

The thing is... most of them don’t get to come back. Most of them don’t get another bite at the apple. And most of all... most of them don’t actually climb the mountain on their second try.

A different breed

But Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley are built different from most.

When Drew was released from WWE in 2014, he hit the ground running, racked up championships including the Evolve World Championship and the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, and took it on himself to defend them around the world, to prove to everyone that he had what it takes to be the man, and he earned his way back.

Bobby Lashley took a more circuitous path after his exit from WWE in 2008, bouncing around the indies and in and out of TNA, winning just about every title they had to offer in the process, as well as establishing himself as a legitimate mixed martial arts badass everywhere from Strikeforce to Bellator, but he too earned his way back.

But smooth sailing wasn’t to be had for either man. Drew at least got himself a nice little run in NXT, winning the NXT Championship... and then running into a roadblock in the form of a torn bicep. When he returned it was to the main roster, but he found himself in a series of go-nowhere, do-nothing alliances with men like Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, and coincidentally enough, Bobby Lashley.

It was a main event spot, but not exactly main event material.

Lashley, well... Ol’ Bob found himself dealing with some of the worst creative I’ve had the displeasure to witness, from a blatantly transphobic segment with his “sisters” during his feud with Sami Zayn to the whole... Lana... thing. It was bad, and the legit aura he had cultivated in Impact felt so far removed from reality it felt like maybe we had been swamp gassed.

But eventually, mercifully, Drew turned babyface and found his best, most natural character since the days of his anti-NXT crusade (”PROFESSIONAL! WRESTLING!”) in Evolve and fought his way to the main event of WrestleMania. Lashley’s salvation was a little longer coming, but when his former Beat Down Clan compatriot Montel Vontavious Porter slipped in as the cracks between Bob and Lana started appearing, that spark came back.

On a collision course

Which, more or less brings us to Backlash.

MVP decided, after Drew disrespected him and turned down an offer of management in violent fashion with a Claymore, that sooner or later, the giant Scot was going to be WWE Champion, and he was going to have a hand in taking the title off of him, by hook or by crook. McIntyre is a fighting champion willing to take on all comers, so it didn’t take him a lot of convincing.

But how will the match go?

Well, it doesn’t look great for Drew based on their records. They’ve wrestled each other in singles action a total of four times, all for Impact, and three of those have been victories for Lashley. Making matters worse, McIntyre’s one victory came by disqualification, meaning it’s a hard road to climb for the champion, even before you consider the deadly full nelson that Bob’s been putting folks away with lately.

Will Bobby Lashley be Walking Armageddon once again, or will it be 3-2-1 Claymore at Backlash?