Bobby Lashley pulled from WWE King of the Ring due to injury

Bobby Lashley has been pulled from the King of the Ring.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis announced on Thursday that Lashley suffered an injury in training and has not been medically cleared for his scheduled first-round match against Tama Tonga on Friday. He will be replaced by Lashley’s stablemate, Angelo Dawkins.

Aldis said:

Good afternoon WWE Universe it’s your SmackDown GM Nick Aldis with an update and some slightly unfortunate news ahead of tomorrow’s SmackDown.

As many of you know, Bobby Lashley was set to take on Tama Tonga in the King of the Ring but I have been informed that Bobby has suffered an injury during training and is going to be unable to compete. He has not been medically cleared to compete in that match tomorrow night. 

So, unfortunate news for Bobby Lashley but a fortunate opportunity for the man taking his place. And that man, I have decided, will be Angelo Dawkins of The Steet Profits. 

Lashley last wrestled on a WWE house show in France on Sunday, defeating Santos Escobar in singles competition.

The SmackDown side of The King of the Ring bracket now looks like this:

  • AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
  • Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes
  • LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar
  • Angelo Dawkins vs. Tama Tonga

Friday’s show is scheduled for the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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Ian Carey
Ian Carey

Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has appeared in award-winning publications such as NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and was named managing editor in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.