On the December 13th episode of AEW Collision, titled “Winter Is Coming,” MVP announced that Bobby Lashley has suffered an injury and will be out of action for an extended period. As a result, Shelton Benjamin has replaced Lashley in the AEW Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale.
It has since been confirmed that Lashley’s injury is legitimate and not part of a storyline. At that time, it was reported that Lashley would miss significant time.
In a recent edition of Fightful Select Answers, Sean Ross Sapp addressed a fan question regarding Lashley’s potential return.
According to Sapp, he has been informed that Lashley might be back sooner than initially expected. However, there is still no specific timeline for his return to action.
Lashley’s most recent match took place at AEW Full Gear 2025 in November, where he competed in the Casino Gauntlet Match to determine the first-ever AEW National Champion. Ricochet ultimately won the match and the title.
