Shelton Benjamin admits he has been pleasantly surprised by his recent matches in AEW despite being a 20-plus-year veteran in professional wrestling.
Following his surprise debut alongside MVP on Dynamite, Benjamin quickly reminded the fans of his stellar in-ring work in his debut match against Lio Rush on Dynamite. Following further matches against Sammy Guevara and Swerve Strickland, Benjamin was announced as one of the entrants in the 2024 Continental Classic. With Benjamin already giving fans a taste of what to expect, many expected more great matches from the veteran performer.
No stranger to Round Robin tournaments, Benjamin has previously put in strong showings in the NJPW G1 Climax in 2012, 2013 and 2014, two of which were won by fellow Blue League entrant Kazuchika Okada. Having faced off against Kyle Fletcher, Mark Briscoe, The Beast Mortos and TNT Champion Daniel Garcia already, Benjamin has not lost a step and continues to shine in the company.
“I’ve Been Having Nothing But Great Matches”: Shelton Benjamin
Speaking with Kenny McIntosh for Inside The Ropes Magazine, Benjamin admitted that he has been surprised that he has been able to have great chemistry in his Continental Classic matches even though they have all been first-time-ever bouts:
“My biggest surprise is that the fans really appreciate what I bring to the table. I found that I have a lot of great chemistry with the guys I’ve been working. I feel like I’ve been having nothing but just great matches with pretty much everyone I’ve been in the ring with.
Just the fact that I’ve been able to gel so well with guys who I never have worked with before and put on great performances, that has been the biggest surprise to me. It shouldn’t be, because again, these are some of the best athletes in the world, some of the best professional wrestlers in the world. But it’s definitely a pleasant surprise.”
Also in the interview, Shelton Benjamin opened up about The Hurt Syndicate in AEW.
The full interview with Shelton Benjamin will be available in Issue 53 of Inside The Ropes Magazine, which will go on sale in January 2025.
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