3 Potential challengers for The Hurt Syndicate at AEW All In 2025
The Hurt Syndicate currently holds the AEW World Tag Team Championship. The dominant group captured the coveted title in January 2025 by dethroning Private Party on an episode of Dynamite.
The faction recently added more firepower by recruiting MJF. In the past five months, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin have bulldozed through the tag team division, annihilating all the challengers who have stood up against them.
While they have regularly defended their title, The Hurt Syndicate's reign has been a bit lackluster due to a lack of credible challengers. As AEW prepares for the third iteration of All In, Tony Khan may want to put the spotlight back on the tag team division. In this article, let's look at three teams that could challenge Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin at All In: Texas.
#3. FTR could set their sights on The Hurt Syndicate
At Dynasty 2025, FTR turned heel by viciously attacking Cope. Since embracing their dark side, the duo of Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler has shown no mercy to their opponents.
The two stars defeated the team of Nigel McGuiness and Daniel Garcia at Double or Nothing 2025. Paragon is another well-established duo that lost to FTR in recent weeks. If Wheeler and Harwood continue to rack up wins, they could establish themselves as top contenders for The Hurt Syndicate's title.
The two heel teams could collide in a battle for supremacy at All In: Texas. While they seem like an invincible unit so far, taking down an experienced duo like FTR would be a huge challenge for Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.
Interestingly, The Hurt Syndicate could get assistance from a former World Champion if they end up battling FTR on July 12. In a surprising turn of events, Cope could cost his former allies an opportunity to reclaim the AEW World Tag Team Title.
The Syndicate's credibility as champions will skyrocket if they manage to score a win over the iconic tag team. Meanwhile, FTR would not be too happy about Cope's involvement, prompting them to resume their rivalry with The Rated-R Superstar.
#2. Kevin Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey could challenge The Hurt Syndicate
On AEW Fyter Fest, Kevin Knight, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, and Komander confronted The Hurt Syndicate. The two teams were also involved in a physical altercation, where the babyfaces came out on top.
The two groups are set to battle each other in a trios match on the upcoming Summer Blockbuster TV special. The match could end up being a preview for All In: Texas, where The Hurt Syndicate could defend their AEW World Tag Team Title against Kevin Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey.
Knight and Bailey are two of the most recent acquisitions of All Elite Wrestling. They did not take much time to win over the audience after arriving in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
The duo has delivered some exceptional performances in the past few weeks, and they deserve to get a major spot on the All In card. Considering their incredible chemistry as a tag team, Tony Khan could reward Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey with a shot at The Hurt Syndicate's championship.
Considering how popular they are among the AEW fanbase, the two stars could prove to be credible challengers for Lashley and Benjamin. Regardless of the result, the babyfaces would come out of this contest with some credibility if they managed to push the champions to their limits.
#1. The Hurt Syndicate could defend the AEW World Tag Team Title in a three-way match
The Hurt Syndicate is one of the most protected groups in AEW. The duo of Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin has rarely been on the losing side ever since they arrived in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Tony Khan could come up with an intriguing way to take the coveted title off the Syndicate without making the group look weak in defeat. At All In 2025, The Hurt Syndicate could defend their title against The Young Bucks and the team of Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland.
The Bucks have been going back and forth with Swerve Strickland since Dynasty 2025. Meanwhile, Will Ospreay has tried to form an alliance with The Realest so that all the major babyfaces of AEW could demolish tyrannical heel groups like The New Elite and The Death Riders.
The Young Bucks' greed for gold could prompt them to challenge The Hurt Syndicate at All In. If Ospreay and Strickland manage to move past their ideological differences, they could also join the Bucks vs. Syndicate match, making it a three-way affair.
Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin would gladly accept this opportunity to cement their dominance. Conquering a decorated tag team like the Bucks would be a major accomplishment for the villainous duo. Meanwhile, it would also allow Lashley to conclude his past rivalry with Swerve Strickland.
The Syndicate also had a tense confrontation with Will Ospreay on Fyter Fest, where they made it clear that they were not too fond of The Aerial Assassin. A showdown between the three quality duos could steal the show at All In 2025. It could be the perfect spot for Khan to crown new tag team champions, without having either Lashley or Benjamin take the pin.