"When I spoke to Vince [McMahon]" - 49-year-old former star on shocking split of popular WWE faction
Over the years, factions have propelled numerous superstars to the top of WWE. However, a promising stable didn't quite reach its full potential in Vince McMahon's era, as it was abruptly disbanded. The group being discussed is The Hurt Business.
Shelton Benjamin recently opened up about The Hurt Business' sudden split. The popular group consisted of Bobby Lashley, MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Benjamin. As part of the faction, The All Mighty secured the WWE and the United States championships on separate occasions, while Alexander and Benjamin won the Tag Team Championship.
After a two-year run, The Hurt Business eventually disbanded in 2022. Many fans felt that the stable shouldn't have been booked to break up.
On a recent episode of Chris Van Vliet's INSIGHT podcast, Shelton Benjamin mentioned that former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon once told him that The Hurt Business didn't have a promising future and had seemingly run its course.
"To this day. When I spoke to Vince and I asked him why and his comment was we've gone as far as we can with The Hurt Business. I've had a few, quite a few conversations with Mr. McMahon, and that was the first time that I could look at him and go, 'Okay, now you're blowing smoke, that's bull.' But that's also when I was like, 'Okay, I don't see much happening here. At least right now,'" Benjamin said. (H/T: CVV)
Shelton Benjamin discloses whether he will return to WWE
The Gold Standard was released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract in September 2023. He is currently competing on the independent circuit and is also seemingly in talks with AEW.
During the same conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Shelton Benjamin revealed that he was open to making a return to WWE if Triple H and the company offered him a lucrative deal.
"I would definitely consider it. Like I said, it's the biggest game in town. So because I've worked there for so long, to answer your question, Yes I will go back if they offered me a position back and the right amount of money," he said.
It remains to be seen whether World Wrestling Entertainment will bring back the 49-year-old star and potentially reunite The Hurt Business in the future.