Bobby Lashley says he's hoping to get back to his favourite style in WWE after admitting fans "hated" his recent storylines.
The Raw powerhouse meets Aleister Black in a singles clash at WrestleMania 36 this weekend, but has had a less than comfortable 12 months in the company.
The 43-year-old, from Kansas, Missouri, raised eyebrows and grabbed headlines after becoming entangled in an on-screen love triangle.
In a storyline far removed from the kind he's used to, the former MMA star, blessed with a rich collegiate athletics background, battled with Rusev after 'stealing' the Bulgarian Brute's wife, Lana.
Lashley and Lana would then become on-screen husband and wife, as part of the angle that dominated the latter part of 2019 and early 2020.
Compared to its peak, it has now died down, which appeared to come as a relief to the former Intercontinental Champion when he spoke to Mirror Sport's Matty Paddock in the build-up to WrestleMania.
'The Destroyer' conceded that while he was pleased to try his hand at something different, he's adamant he knows where his skills are better suited.
Reflecting on how fans perceived the Rusev-Lana saga, he admitted: "I've gotta be brutally honest, they hated it, and they hated me.
"But you know what? You have got to be more than one-dimensional, and some of the stuff I did this year was just trying to show different dimensions, that's all.
"Ultimately, everybody shows a different side here or there, it's always about going back to your roots so, regardless of whatever storyline I'm going through, I think that's what I'm focused on doing this year.
"I don't care what else I'm doing, I'm focused on going for and winning the world title, not about who I'll be with, what I'm going to be talking about or what type of games I'm gonna be playing."
Lashley made his WWE debut in 2005, winning championships and plaudits over the course of an initial three-year run prior to departing.
He featured on the independent scene and in Impact Wrestling prior to his WWE comeback in 2018.
In between he enjoyed a varied and largely successful MMA career which, he admits, was where he felt far more at home in terms of styles.
Now, he's setting his sights on some altogether more serious business in WWE - aiming to challenge in the company's main event scene in the near future.
"Of course - yes," he added, conceding the intense physicality of his pre-WWE 'upbringing' is far more to his liking.
"I came from a military background where I was wrestling at the Olympic Training Centre and fighting some of the best MMA athletes around.
"In those places, you don't go out running your mouth saying 'I'm this, I'm that' - I've never been that person. I've always been the person to shut up and train, and you show your abilities by showing up to train and fight.
"Coming into [WWE] was on the back of that being drilled into you every single day for 20 years; wrestling through college and winning championships and medals. That was something I loved.
"So people are coming into the business and they did start out with those attributes, but that's how society's changed.
"They say 'I want to do theatre, or this or that' and there's nothing wrong with that - this is an entertainment company - so we need those kinds of things.
"I like both styles, but my preference would be that hardcore, head down, focused 'Rocky' fighter, going for the title."
WrestleMania 36 is The Only WrestleMania Too Big For Just One Night.
You can watch on April 4 AND April 5 from midnight on the WWE Network, which costs £9.99 a month and includes a library of WWE content on demand, or get a free 30-day trial.
