Shelton Benjamin reflects on the fun moment he shared with Brock Lesnar in the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble Match.
Shelton Benjamin was one of the many names eliminated by Brock Lesnar in the 2020 Royal Rumble, which Lesnar started and entered as the incumbent WWE Champion. Their moment was more than just physicality, however. It was a rare moment of Lesnar showing shades of a light-hearted character as he initially embraced his former OVW tag team partner and made it seem like they were going to work together before taking Benjamin to Suplex City and sending him over the ropes with a Clothesline.
During a recent video on Maven's YouTube channel where he goes through the highlights of his career, former WWE Intercontinental Champion and current AEW Tag Team Champion Shelton Benjamin reflected on the moment, noting that initially he had not wanted to do the spot the way Lesnar had pitched it because he felt it made him look stupid.
"They originally wanted us to just go at it, and he decided he didn't want to do that. He said, 'Let's do this.' This whole thing was his idea. I wasn't really on board with it, only because I'm like, 'Well, this makes me look stupid.' So I'm just kind of like, 'You know what? He's got 30 other guys he's got to worry about. Like, just give him the breather," he said. "Now, what I didn't expect was fans to really like it, want it, but I just always wish they would have just let us do something."
However, he was ultimately glad he went along with Lesnar's idea, revealing that when Vince McMahon watched the segment back, he would receive a six-figure raise from WWE.
"Here's the silver lining to all this. I had just signed a new contract with WWE. Vince, I guess, maybe a week or so later, he would re-watch the Rumble. Because of this spot, Vince enjoyed it so much, he immediately had Talent Relations call me in, and they gave me a six-figure raise."
Elsewhere in the interview, Benjamin reflected on the short-lived angle where Thea Vidale played his mom on WWE TV. Learn more about why he declined to have his real mother, a part of the storyline here.
In Fightful's resources section, fans can find a breakdown of what various wrestlers have disclosed about their pay over the years.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Maven's YouTube channel in addition to linking back to this article and giving Fightful credit for transcription.
