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Time flies so quickly that it’s sometimes unreal to think that MVP and his Hurt Syndicate faction members Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin have been in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) for almost two full years.
MVP debuted on September 25, 2024, after a second stint with WWE. Lashley and Benjamin would make their debut on “Dynamite” a few weeks later. Since then, MVP has guided the duo to an AEW Tag Team Championship reign.
He reflected on his time at AEW in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital, contrasting the company with other places he’s worked.
AEW STAR MVP BRINGS PRO WRESTLING EXPERTISE AND AUTHENTICITY TO BZZR
MVP Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin leave Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana lying in the ring at AEW Dynamite on October 30, 2024, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
“AEW is really cool because the company culture there is so different than other places I’ve worked. Tony Khan is extremely passionate about professional wrestling. For him, it’s not just a business venture, he really loves professional wrestling,” he said. “He eats it, he drinks it, he breathes it. He’s been a wrestling fan since he was little. He probably knows more than anyone I know just because of his encyclopedic knowledge of history. And working for him is a pleasure. The climate, the atmosphere is so relaxed and everyone is passionate.
“Everyone knows we have an opportunity with AEW to create something new. And WWE has been ‘the’ company and AEW has come along and given wrestling fans a legitimate alternative to the WWE brand. I’m not getting into tribalism. I love professional wrestling and I don’t care about the three letters that precede it. Tribalism is ridiculous. I eat at McDonald’s and Burger King. …And at this point in my career, AEW has a lot of young talent that has tremendous potential, but a lot of them are still learning how to do television and approach pro wrestling from a television perspective.
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Bobby Lashley walks to the ring during AEW Dynamite on October 30, 2024, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
“So, I have enough experience working at various companies and doing television literally all over the world that I can pass on some of my experience to them in hopes of developing individual talents and collectively contributing to the growth of the company. So, I love it, just because the atmosphere is so comfortable and you know, at least from my experience and what I think most people at AEW will tell you, it’s refreshing to work for a boss who really cares of his talent and who cares about professional wrestling as an art form, as a form of entertainment and not just a profitable business venture.
Benjamin and Lashley still look and perform as good as they did in their WWE debut. Benjamin will be 51 and Lashley will be 50 in July.
MVP said the duo were “still capable of pretty much anything” even at their age.
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“Bobby and Shelton, they didn’t tell me but they found the fountain of youth,” he told PK Press Club Digital. “I wish they’d make me smart because I don’t know where that is. It seems like Shelton, now at 50, is better than he’s ever been and he hasn’t lost a step. He still looks amazing. Bobby, if you take a picture of Bobby in his early days and put it on a picture of him now, there’s basically no difference. They’re still capable of pretty much anything. They still have awesome matches with young talent. In terms of untapped potential, we are the man of the Syndicate – domination.
The Hurt Syndicate will play a major role at Double or Nothing on Sunday night in New York. Benjamin and Lashley will team up with Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Jack Perry, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson in a Stadium Stampede Match against Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona, Mark Davis, Andrade El Idolo, Clark Connors and David Finlay.
Wrestlers Shelton Benjamin and MVP attend the Los Angeles premiere of “Queen Of The Ring” at AMC The Grove 14 on March 6, 2025. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
What can professional wrestling fans expect from a Stadium Stampede Match, which debuted at Double or Nothing in 2019? MVP said it simply.
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“I’ll sum it up in two words: chaos and violence.”
