Released WWE star to turn on former partner? Fans to see first-time ever dream match? 5 potential opponents for Shelton Benjamin in AEW
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin is now a free agent following his release from World Wrestling Entertainment on September 21st, 2023.
Like with all wrestlers who become free agents, speculation about their next move has become a hot topic amongst fans, and given Shelton's career accomplishments, many people think that All Elite Wrestling could be a great place for The Gold Standard.
With so much history between Benjamin and some of the wrestlers in All Elite Wrestling, here are 5 potential opponents for him in AEW.
#5. A blockbuster dream match with Kenny Omega
While Shelton Benjamin might have a lot of history with people in AEW, he has never crossed paths with Kenny Omega in his career. However, that doesn't mean that he shouldn't wrestle him if he landed in All Elite Wrestling.
Omega is a dream match machine for most people, and is easily one of the names topping every 'dream match' list for dozens of wrestlers around the world. With the level of experience Kenny has on the biggest stages, wrestling someone with the ability of Shelton would be mouth-watering for fans all over the world.
#4. Claudio Castagnoli has a long history with The Gold Standard
One of the most underrated feuds in the history of Ring of Honor came in the early 2010s when Shelton Benjamin reunited with Charlie Haas to reform the World's Greatest Tag Team. The two men would end up in a lengthy feud with The Kings of Wrestling, the team of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, where they fought over the ROH Tag Team Championships.
Shelton and Claudio only ever had one singles match against each other, a match that Shelton won, and only crossed paths in tag team matches otherwise. However, now that both men have over a decade of experience since their last bout, running it back would be a treat for wrestling fans.
#3. Chris Jericho has a long history with Shelton Benjamin
Out of everyone on the AEW roster, not many people know Shelton Benjamin better than Chris Jericho. The two men were staples of the RAW mid-card during the Ruthless Aggression era, feuding over the WWE Intercontinental Championship between 2004 and 2005.
However, their on-screen singles record makes for some interesting reading as Chris Jericho has never beaten Benjamin on TV or pay-per-view in a one-on-one setting. By bringing Benjamin into a company that was built around Jericho during its early years, reignighting that fire could make for a very exciting feud.
#2. Shelton Benjamin could turn on his former tag team partner Lance Archer
An oft-forgotten part of Shelton Benjamin's wrestling career is that he spent a large portion of the 2010s in Japan. He wrestled prominently for New Japan Pro Wrestling and NOAH between 2012 and 2016 with Lance Archer as part of the Suzuki-gun stable led by the Murder Grandpa himself, Minoru Suzuki.
Lance Archer could potentially help bring Shelton into AEW, which could lead to Benjamin turning on his former partner, or vice-versa. The two men have faced each other during their careers, squaring off a number of times during their run in WWE together in late 2009 and early 2010. After all of the years they shared with each other in Japan, a match between them now would look wildly different.
#1. Bryan Danielson would happily have a rematch with Shelton Benjamin
Back in 2010, Bryan Danielson was fired by WWE for choking out Justin Roberts with a necktie, and in the process made a lot of bookings with independent promotions. However, he was brought back to WWE and ended up working his remaining bookings while holding the United States Championship, with his match against Shelton Benjamin on October 1st, 2010 being his last non-WWE match for nearly 11 years.
Danielson's career has changed significantly since that match, and a match with Shelton would be a great comparison as fans would be able to see what a pre-WWE and post-WWE match between Bryan and Benjamin would look like. Plus, the American Dragon seems to have a lot of control over AEW Collision these days, so if he wanted it, he would get the match.
Would you like to see Shelton Benjamin in AEW? Let us know in the comments section below!