Additional Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Bobby Lashley was recently medically cleared to return to action. Lashley spoke to John Laurinaitis about his return. In his return phone call, Lashley told Laurinaitis that he wasn’t coming back.
Laurinaitis has drawn a lot of heat on himself for the way recent departures have bad mouthed the company on the way out.
There are a number of factors that led to Lashley’s departure from the company. Among them include Lashley’s Wrestlemania 23 payoff. It is believed Lashley earned $250,000, but apparently he heard stories of $1 million Wrestlemania payoffs. The general belief is that Lashley earned in the neighborhood of $1 million in 2007, despite missing months of action.
Lashley was also upset about the way his girlfriend Kristal Marshall was fired.
Believe it or not, wrestlers at a recent Smackdown/ECW taping were told Vince McMahon had fired Lashley to make an example out of someone that complained in the company.