Shelton Benjamin is very grateful that AEW fans have been so appreciative of The Hurt Syndicate’s arrival in the promotion.
Back in 2020, many WWE fans stated that The Hurt Business faction comprised of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, MVP and Cedric Alexander was the best thing on Raw during the pandemic era. With the group dominating the roster and finding championship success, many were looking forward to the long-term direction of The Hurt Business and how they would perform in front of a live crowd.
Unfortunately, Alexander and Benjamin were dropped from the group by Lashley and MVP in a move that many felt to be premature. Despite multiple teases of a reunion on TV, the group never did get back together in WWE, much to the dismay of fans and the members of The Hurt Business themselves, who have been vocal about the topic in interviews and on social media since.
When news broke that Lashley and MVP left WWE over the summer and with Benjamin still a free agent at that point, fans remained optimistic that a long-awaited reunion may be possible in AEW. Following a phone call from MVP on the October 30th Dynamite, fans got their wish Lashley made his AEW debut alongside Benjamin and MVP to officially form The Hurt Syndicate. Returning to their dominant form, all 3 competitors have established themselves as stars in the company and have been welcomed by the fans every time they appear live.
“It’s Always Been Something We Wanted To Do”: Shelton Benjamin On The Hurt Syndicate
Speaking with Kenny McIntosh for Inside The Ropes Magazine, Benjamin first stated that they hoped that the group could get back together given that they never got to perform in front of a live crowd:
“Well, we wanted to do this pretty much since the original band was disbanded in a galaxy far, far away. So it’s always been something that we felt like fans never really got to experience. We never really got to experience a live crowd together and that’s always been something we wanted to do. We want the opportunity to see what we really could have done. Like I said, it’s always been something we all wanted to do.”
When asked about the reaction from the fans, Benjamin admitted there was some apprehension over how fans would react to The Hurt Syndicate but so far his experiences have been nothing but positive:
“The reaction has been overwhelming. I’ve said before, even I was a little concerned about how fans would take to us. But for the most part, I felt nothing but love from the fans. They’ve really taken to the group and really embraced us and we’re going to give them everything that we can possibly [give], leave 100% out there in the ring with our performances, our verbiage, with everything because we’re all really appreciative.”
Additionally, Shelton Benjamin looked back on his favourite WWE storyline.
The full interview with Shelton Benjamin will be available in Issue 53 of Inside The Ropes Magazine, which will go on sale in February 2025.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit ITR Wrestling.