Shelton Benjamin made his AEW debut at AEW Dynamite Fifth Anniversary, realigning himself with MVP. The two were previously paired in the Hurt Business in AEW.
Shelton was released by WWE in September 2023 and worked various independent dates before officially signing with AEW.
Speaking to Gabby LaSpisa on Gabby AF, Shelton was asked about his decision to sign with AEW.
"I did have a few offers. MLW was very interested. I was doing a lot of international things and exploring other options, in and out of pro wrestling. Acting is one of them. Even things like real estate and things not related to wrestling. It basically boiled down to, I like to put myself in the best possible position to succeed. When the door closed at WWE, I really thought long and hard about where I wanted to go. IMPACT was a very tempting place to go. What it boils down to is, I want the biggest possible audience. Outside of WWE, there is nowhere bigger than AEW. I don't have as much time as lot of guys, as far as in-ring. Not that I'm going to retire anytime soon, but for the time I have left, I want to reach the biggest possible audience. What better place than AEW? There is no better place," he said.
Shelton made his in-ring debut against Lio Rush on the October 16th episode of AEW Dynamite.
He will be back in action on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite when he faces Sammy Guevara.
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