AEW name credits former WWE star as superior athlete over Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar's status in WWE is up in the air as of this writing. Suffice it to say that the company, and several fans of The Beast, hope to see him back. Lesnar has been a staple of the program for the last decade, involved in several high-profile storylines on the biggest stage.
This was the case for all four superstars of the Ohio Valley Wrestling's class of 2002 - Brock Lesnar, Batista, John Cena, and Randy Orton. However, despite all these major names, Jim Ross recently called Shelton Benjamin the best athlete of the bunch.
Shelton Benjamin's career also commenced with the aforementioned names, albeit did not take off the same way. He was also Brock's tag team partner in OVW. Speaking about the former Intercontinental Champion on his podcast Grillin' JR, Jim Ross praised him for being a team player and an asset to the industry:
"I’m a big fan of Shelton Benjamin. When we recruited Cena [John Cena], Brock [Brock Lesnar], Orton [Randy Orton], and Batista, the best athlete of that group was Shelton," said Ross. "Shelton’s issue was personality, connecting with the audience. I love Shelton. A company guy, a team player, he came from a team environment, which is always important to me. I’m a big fan of his work and him as a man."
The AEW color commentator continued:
"He would help any locker room. I can just imagine what kind of mentor he would be to some of the kids, not just his color, not African-American only, but young talent. Shelton’s journey has been well documented and I’m proud I got to hire him. He’s a credit to the wrestling business, no question." [H/T: Fightful]
The former WWE Superstar worked for the sports entertainment giant between 2000 to 2010, and then again between 2017 to 2023. He has opened up about the possibility of signing with AEW. But as of now, the 48-year-old has returned to the independent circuit, scheduled to make his debut on May 16 this year, for Prestiege Wrestling, at their event Alive or Just Breathing.
Randy Orton stands out from the pack in WWE for longevity
After Randy Orton returned to WWE in November 2023 after a year-long hiatus owing to injuries, he disclosed intentions to wrestle for another 10 more years. The Viper currently performs on the SmackDown brand. He will challenge United States Champion Logan Paul at WrestleMania XL in a triple threat match, also featuring Kevin Owens.
As for others, Batista officially retired from in-ring competition in 2019, while John Cena still performs for WWE, albeit part-time. He is looking forward to retiring from the wrestling business.