From The WWE Rumor Mill: WWE's Birthday wish to Shelton Benjamin a sign of his return to the promotion?
What’s the story?
If you follow WWE’s social media accounts, you know they’re never shy about wishing both current and former WWE Superstars a happy birthday. It’s rarely anything more than a nice nod to a former employee, but one of today’s birthday wishes felt like a little bit... more.
In case you didn’t know...
Shortly after the Brand Split last year, Smackdown Live began running promos hyping the return of former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, Shelton Benjamin.
However, fans of the Gold Standard found themselves disappointed when Benjamin announced he had suffered a shoulder injury and wouldn’t be able to sign with the company after all. After months went by, Benjamin was cleared to perform, but still hadn’t made any announcements regarding his future with WWE. And, technically, he still hasn’t.
What’s the story?
Today just happens to be Shelton Benjamin’s birthday, and WWE took to their Instagram account to wish him, as well as fellow birthday buddy, Kevin Nash.
"Ain't no stoppin' me now!" Happy birthday to the #GoldStandard, #SheltonBenjamin!
Now, generally, this wouldn’t generate speculation and interest. However, with rumours circulating that Benjamin may actually be coming back soon, this seemingly innocuous post could be a tease of something more. After all, earlier this year, WWE’s social media made numerous references to the Hardys before their eventual return at WrestleMania 33.
What’s next?
… Or, they could just be wishing him a happy birthday. But, while individual superstars have a habit of trolling fans online, the company’s actual media team doesn’t have that same reputation. So, we’ll see.
Author’s take
Considering that WWE isn’t exactly known for subtlety, it’s surprising that we get excited, thinking the WWE is making sly references like this. It’s OK, I do it, too. While I certainly think there’s a chance we’ll see Benjamin in a WWE ring again sooner than later, I have a feeling this birthday post was entirely coincidental.