Less than a month after his demolition of Japanese pop culture icon Bob Sapp, former WWE superstar turned MMA fighter Bobby Lashley has opted to return to the scripted world of professional wrestling. Lashley made his debut for #2 US wrestling promotion TNA on their Victory Road PPV in late July. Lashley had already made several on-camera appearances for the promotion, but the signing will mark his return to in-ring action. Lashley’s last in-ring pro wrestling appearance came in Mexico on a show for Lucha Libre promotion AAA.

Reports suggest, however that hes not giving up his MMA career. In interviews prior to the TNA signing Lashley indicated that he was leaving the door open to return to pro wrestling for its significant financial upside, while remaining committed to his shoot fighting efforts. Lashley trains in Florida with the prestigious American Top Team, and ran his record to 4-0 with his victory over Sapp in late June. A press release issued by TNA this morning further validated his suggestions that he planned to do both sports. Lashey himself is quoted as saying:

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. I will bring MMA fans to wrestling and wrestling fans to MMA

TNA President Dixie Carter also praised Lashley in announcing the signing:

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.

Despite TNAs claims that Lashley is the first active MMA fighter to compete full time in pro wrestling, that’s not the case. Its very common in Japan, where fighters frequently compete in shoot fights like MMA while simultaneously appearing in worked (eg: pre-determined) pro wrestling contests. In fact, Josh Barnett, originally slated to face Fedor Emelianenko at the ill fated Affliction: Trilogy event still makes several appearances a year for Antonio Inokis Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) promotion. Following his positive drug test in California, he may spend ore time in pro wrestling. Lashley isn’t even the first to pull the feat in the US, though hes definitely the highest profile fighter/wrester to turn the trick since MMAs overwhelming boom in popularity. Dan The Beast Severn at one point simultaneously held the UFC heavyweight title and the NWA heavyweight title in pro wrestling.

Lashley’s departure from the WWE in early 2008 was very sudden and remains largely unexplained. He indicated at the time that his departure was not of his own volition but due to circumstances beyond his control. Interestingly, Lashley wasnt subject to a standard non-compete agreement. Speculation at this point suggested that he may have left in response to a racial incident, a theory given more validity when WWE writer (and former member of the Fabulous Freebirds tag team) Michael Hayes was suspended for a racial slur. Neither Lashley nor the WWE has ever confirmed the reason for his departure.

At the time he was released from the WWE, Lashley began training for MMA building on an extensive background of amateur wrestling from both college and the military. The UFC took a pass on Lashley due to the perception that they couldnt market him successfully so soon after Brock Lesnars debut. Lashley certainly has the physical gifts to compete at the highest level in MMA at 63 and 250 lbs. Some even suggest that he may have more potential than Lesnar due to a possible edge in speed and agility. Lesnars recent unification of the UFC heavyweight title and amazing surge in mainstream popularity may give the promotion reason to take a second look at Lashley”they need credible opponents for their new heavyweight champion, but have to be careful not to put him in a position where his inexperience in certain components of MMA wont be exploited lest they kill the proverbial golden goose.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to slave away doing ab crunches and all those complicated ab workouts to get that beautiful, lean, toned stomach you’ve always wanted. Instead, you can just cheat your way to great abs with these can-not-fail tips!

#5 Great Abs Are Out of Style.

All that beer you’ve been drinking, that belly you’ve been building up over the years? It’s finally time to shine, because you no longer have to hide it! It’s 2010, and fat is in, and you’ve got a free pass from the tastemakers and the trend-setters to let that fat belly hang right out of your shirt. Go ahead!

#4 Your Body Will Conveniently Hide Fat For You.

I know I was just talking about beer bellies up there, but really, they’re ultra-rare. You don’t really need to do any ab workouts because your belly is probably already super-toned anyway. If you’re eating a lot of junk, don’t worry — most of that stuff does you a huge favor and goes and hides somewhere out-of-sight, on the back of your legs or maybe in your feet or something. No one really gains any fat on their stomachs. Nope!

#3 No One Goes to the Beach Anymore.

Think about it. We’ve got global warming, we’ve got pollution, it’s all pretty crazy, and who really wants to go to the beach anymore? No one really spends any time there — I haven’t heard of anyone going to the beach in years, and I’m practically an expert about these things.

#2 You Can Just Exercise At Your Desk!

Wondering why you see all those ads for those weird, pulsating ab workout machines that attach to your stomach? It’s easy! They just really, really work! Seriously, there’s no issue at all with them being inconvenient, fake, or prone to breaking down. Nope, you just attach a bunch of awkward electrodes to your flab and blast it away, we swear!

#1 Aren’t Diet Pills Just the Best?

Hey, diet pills have always worked, right? No one has ever gotten addicted to them, realized half of them are just sugar pills, or that the other half of them are wonderfully dangerous for your bodies and your health? Nah, no way! Pop those dangerous pills and bid “adieu” to those annoying crunches, right?

If you want to have a toned and lean body - get ready for a great body workout. You will find a fantastic workout routine and some nutrition info at Bodyrock.TV.

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. In the end, Virginia Tech prevailed for a 34-26 road victory but not without some anxious moments.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”

Venerable Tech coach Frank Beamer saw his team defeat Duke for the ninth straight time, but noted:

“I don’t think that’s the old Duke football team.

Blue Devils coach David Cuttcliffe said his team is reaching the point where moral victories don’t provide enough satisfaction:

“We got close enough in the fourth quarter to go beat a great team. Once you taste that, you like it. I wouldn’t say we spit it out — it wasn’t a choke — but we just didn’t finish.”

Despite getting the win, Hokies coach Beamer was critical of his teams performance:

“Too many penalties and too many long plays. We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us. … Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road, and this is probably one of those.”

Still, he praised his team for doing what they needed to do to preserve the victory:

“When we needed to run the football, and we did, and got points, that was critical to this ball game. They were going to take the run away, so you’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

Virginia Tech will host Boston College next Saturday before traveling to Atlanta the following weekend for a game against Georgia Tech. Theyll enjoy a bye week before a nationally televised Thursday night game at home against North Carolina on October 29th. Duke will play at North Carolina State next Saturday before a bye week.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.