During a recent appearance on the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, The Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley) commented on reuniting the group in AEW, what they can do in AEW that they couldn’t in WWE, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Bobby Lashley on knowing the group would reunite one day: “I did. I mean, it was inevitable. When we came together originally, it was so natural, it was so real. The crowd, you guys knew it. This isn’t just a couple of guys that got thrown together. You see it all the time. You see it in WWE, you see it in AEW, guys that get thrown together and the minute they leave the show, they all go their separate ways. That’s not how we work. We are really friends, we really do stuff together, we really argue, we really fight like brothers. This is real, you guys feel it, and that’s why it gets over so well.”
MVP on his plan to reunite the group: “Well, the plan originally was to get Bobby to join me. I was like, ‘Bobby, let’s go man, let’s get out of here. Shelton’s already at home. All we gotta do is just not sign, get Shelton back and we can run this back. Our final act, we could do this.’ Bobby, finally, he relented, and he said, Alright.”
Shelton Benjamin on what The Hurt Syndicate can do in AEW that they couldn’t in WWE: Shelton Benjamin: “Well, first of all, being actually seen in front of a live crowd. That’s a good start. But I think this time around we have a bit more control of our destiny, obviously, a lot more. What happened before, everything ended way prematurely. None of us were happy about that, and by us, I mean everyone. So the fact that we’re able to come here and give you the product that we want to give you, and everything’s going great. Like I said, we’re having the time of our lives.”
Shelton Benjamin on a potential AEW World Title run: “I’m going to just say yes. I definitely still want a world title. If you watch my performances, I’m not performing like a guy who wants to just retire and ride off into the sunset. While I definitely want to help elevate other talent, because that’s a big part of why we’re here, I still have goals. Being a World Champion in a prominent company is definitely on top of that list. Now, I have been World Champion for Puerto Rico, WWC, but I don’t know if we want to count that one. It counts? ok. But as far as WWE, AEW, the big name companies, I want a World Championship, and I’m working every day to make sure that dream stays alive.”
MVP on if he’s retired from the ring yet: “No, not yet. I got a little bit left in me. It’s funny. We did a six-man about a month ago now, give or take, and they were teasing me because I was actually in there for a little while, and it felt good. It was coming back to me, and Shelton said, ‘Are you ever gonna tag out?’ I’m like oh yeah, maybe I should.”
Bobby Lashley on the rain delay for WrestleMania 37: “When you have a match with somebody like Drew, because Drew brings out a lot of intensity there. I remember at one point we said, I was telling MVP, man, I’ll just go fight him backstage, just bring a camera back. Because once you get so amped up and go and get ready for a match like that and it starts raining, you don’t want to just break that. You don’t want to keep waiting and waiting and going back and forth. I knew something was going to happen. I knew we were going to go out there eventually, but I think at some point I was just going to go and punch Drew in the mouth and maybe we start just fighting. Because Drew was actually one of my favorite opponents. He’s up there on my list, just because he brought something out of me that a lot of guys didn’t. Because I think a lot of guys get out there and they hide behind a microphone, they can say whatever they want, try to be a tough guy. You really know they’re not. Drew just embodied a little bit more than that, and that’s why I was really amped up to have that match with him. So I was ready to go. We kept walking by, and I was like we might just have to start fighting back here. And then if it stops and we can just take that out to the ring. It was going to happen, especially just coming out of the pandemic; this was the first opportunity for us to be in front of a crowd. We were going to have a match no matter what.”
MVP on what’s next for The Hurt Syndicate in AEW: “Look, I’m spoiling it for you. I’m telling you what’s going to happen. We are going to hold these Tag Team Titles until we’re done, until we decide as a group that okay, we’re now ready to move on to that next level and then we are coming for singles championship gold. No tag teams, that’ll be done, but we gotta beat a few more people first and imprint The Hurt Syndicate label on these tag team titles so people will know we were here. They will remember. Then it’s on to the next phase, and that’s singles championships for these two gentlemen.”
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