Former WWE Champion reacts to Shelton Benjamin’s AEW debut
Shelton Benjamin recently made his in-ring debut in AEW. A former WWE Champion, who departed the Stamford-based company earlier this year, has reacted to The Gold Standard's first All Elite Wrestling bout.
Benjamin made his stunning debut in the Tony Khan-led promotion on the fifth-anniversary edition of Dynamite, joining forces with his Hurt Business stable-mate MVP. The duo attempted to enlist Swerve Strickland in The Hurt Syndicate – as the faction is now called – but the former AEW World Champion turned down the former WWE Superstars in favor of his manager, Prince Nana.
Shelton Benjamin had his first match in an All Elite Wrestling ring against Lio Rush on this week's episode of Dynamite. The Standard of Excellence put his evergreen athleticism and wrestling skills on display, defeating Rush in about 11 minutes.
Benjamin's performance on AEW Dynamite this week elicited a reaction from former WWE Superstar Raj Dhesi (fka Jinder Mahal). The Modern Day Maharaja took to X/Twitter and shared a two-word post, seemingly acknowledging the excellence of the 49-year-old veteran.
"Shelton Benjamin," Dhesi wrote.
Check out Raj Dhesi's tweet below:
Dhesi, a former WWE Champion himself, was released by the sports entertainment juggernaut in April. He has since returned to the independent circuit, competing in promotions like GCW, BLP, and AAA, where he holds the World Tag Team Titles with All Elite Wrestling star Satnam Singh.
Shelton Benjamin is set for a huge match against a former AEW World Champion
After Shelton Benjamin defeated Lio Rush on Dynamite this week, MVP sent a warning to Swerve Strickland, inviting the latter to reconsider their offer to avoid the same fate as The Man of The Hour.
Swerve continued to defy The Hurt Syndicate, however, as in a backstage interview The New Flavor dared Benjamin to take him on, leading to a bout between the two being made official for the October 30 episode of Dynamite.
"Swerve Strickland vs. Shelton Benjamin, The challenge was issued and accepted on Dynamite as @Sheltyb803 takes on @swerveconfident for the first time ever in #AEW! Wed, 10/30 Fright Night [All Elite Wrestling] Dynamite!"
It remains to be seen whether Shelton Benjamin will be able to defeat the former All Elite Wrestling World Champion on Fright Night Dynamite.