In September, WWE released several talents, and that came as a big surprise. WWE fired over 100 people from their corporate headquarters, right after the TKO Group Holdings deal closed, and then they axed several members of their roster.

The NXT Superstars who were fired during that list of releases has already seen their non-compete clauses run out. NXT Superstars only have a 30-day wait, but main roster talent must wait even longer.

Although WWE released all of those Superstars at once, they saved Matt Riddle on his own the next day. He had a laundry list of infractions, personal drama, and other backstage controversies with WWE; so, he burned his last bridges and nobody could protect him from a release this time around. The Original Bro will be among those names that will enter the free agent market this week.

As of next week, around December 21st, those released WWE Superstars will be officially free agents. Their 90-day non-compete clauses are going to expire, leaving a lot of possibilities in the pro wrestling world. 

Those former WWE Superstars will officially become free agents, granting them the freedom to work with any organization. The list of wrestlers includes Mustafa Ali, Aliyah, Shelton Benjamin, Rick Boogs, Emma, Dana Brooke, Dabbo-Kato, Elias, Quincy Elliot, Mace, Mansoor, Riddick Moss, Matt Riddle, Shanky, Top Dolla, and Dolph Ziggler.

We previously reported that Dolph Ziggler already has a pro wrestling gig announced. Odds are, his schedule will be as busy as he wants it to be. 

AEW is also always a part of the conversation whenever non-compete clauses start to expire. It stands to reason that Bryan Danielson would pull to have Tony Khan sign Mustafa Ali, someone he also pulled to work with during his final run in WWE.

We will have to see where all of those former WWE Superstars appear next. It could result in some big headlines in the not too distant future.

Shelton Benjamin is known for his athleticism and is a wrestler who performs impressively every time he is in the ring. Today marks the 20-year anniversary of his WWE debut. His first television appearance took place on December 26, 2002.

The company released a video to commemorate this moment, featuring some of the biggest names in the industry talking about The Gold Standard’s career and impact.

“Shelton, I mean, I can remember him coming in the door. It doesn’t seem like that long ago,” WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels said in the video. “And now it’s 20 years.” Michaels even called his match with Benjamin from Raw in May 2005 “one of the best matches” of his career.

“20 years, that’s almost impossible,” said Kurt Angle about Benjamin’s debut. “I didn’t make it 20 years. Shelton Benjamin did, and I give him a lot of credit for that. He is a tough dude to be able to do what he does.”

“I used to watch Shelton when I wanted to be here,” said Kofi Kingston. “When I was growing up, Shelton Benjamin was the guy that was like, ‘Man, look at all these athletic moves, look at all these manoeuvres, man.’ I think I can do maybe some of those.” Kingston added that it was Benjamin that made him believe that it was possible for him to be in WWE and bring his athleticism to the ring in a similar way.

20 Years of Shelton Benjamin

Even Matt Hardy recently said that things would be different if Benjamin had debuted today.

Shelton Benjamin debuted in WWE in 2002, after signing a contract in 2000 and getting placed in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). His first televised match on the SmackDown brand took place in 2003.

Benjamin made a name for himself as soon as he started performing in WWE. His skills as an athlete and performer were quickly recognised, and he became known for his sharp moveset in the ring.

Benjamin joined forces with Charlie Haas to be known together as “The World’s Greatest Tag Team.” They won the WWE Tag Team Championship on two occasions and put on some of the most entertaining tag team matches in WWE.

Benjamin also shined as a solo act, as he won the Intercontinental Championship thrice and was a mainstay in the upper midcard for many years. He was also the 24/7 Championship three times and the United States Championship once. Benjamin returned to the tag team division and won the Raw Tag Team Championship with Cedric Alexander.

“The Gold Standard” has put on some great matches in the WWE, and it doesn’t look like there’s any stopping him. Benjamin has clearly left a significant impact on the wrestling industry as one of the all-time greats, thanks in large part to his natural talent, dedication to improving his craft, and willingness to mentor and assist fellow wrestlers.

You can check out the video commemorating Shelton Benjamin’s career below:

Matt Hardy believes Shelton Benjamin would’ve thrived as a singles star in today’s age.

Hardy recently discussed The Hardy Boyz feud with The World’s Greatest Tag Team on an episode of his podcast, “The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy.”

During the show, Hardy praised the ability of Benjamin, and speculated as to why he never took off as a singles competitor.

He noted that, had Benjamin came up in today’s day and age, he believes the former Tag Team Champion would have seen things turn out a lot different for himself.

“I don’t know. I think if you had Shelton Benjamin, a young Shelton Benjamin, come along today, it would change a lot,” Matt Hardy said.

“I think because back then it was still they were looking for larger-than-life personalities, people that really like bonded with the crowd, and I feel like they didn’t see that as much in Shelton as they would have liked to. They knew from an athletic perspective; he was just unbelievable.

“He was unreal, but I feel like in this day and age, if you have someone who’s an amazing athlete and produces these great quality matches day in and day out and does it every single time he hit the ring, then they get over in a different way because the fan base has kind of changed for their respective in-ring content as well.

“So I think if Shelton came along today, I think it would be changed. I think he would definitely be programmed a lot higher than it was back then.”

Benjamin entered professional wrestling as a very accomplished amateur wrestler, displaying a tremendous amount of athleticism and poise. Throughout his years in the business, he’s been highly decorated as a tag team competitor, winning the ROH World Tag Team Titles twice with Charlie Haas, as well as three runs with the WWE Tag Team Titles.

As a singles competitor, Benjamin secured the WWE Intercontinental Title three times, as well as one run with the United States Title. At 47-years-old, Benjamin still competes for WWE on Monday Night RAW.

Quotes via WrestleZone

The wrestling industry has been hit hard with injuries but one WWE Raw talent has actually returned from injury.

WWE Raw was held inside the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas on June 13. The show featured two Money in the Bank qualifying matches.

Seth Rollins defeated AJ Styles to move on to the ladder match, while Alexa Bliss and Liv Morgan defeated Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop to earn their spots.

• WWE Raw Reactions (6/13/22): Seth Rollins Qualifies For Money in the Bank

Shelton Benjamin Returns

Shelton Benjamin had been out of action due to injury. Shelton has long had a reputation for staying healthy throughout his career.

His only major injury had been one he suffered in Pro Wrestling NOAH back in 2016, delaying his eventual WWE return. At that time, Shelton had to undergo shoulder surgery.

The injury bug recently bit Shelton but not for long. He returned for this week’s Main Event taping.

Shelton defeated Akira Tozawa on the show.

Shelton Benjamin is out of action after sustaining an injury.

“The Gold Standard” said that this is only the second time in his 22-year career that he has to be on the shelf because of an injury.

Benjamin assured his fans that he will be back soon and put in the work to recover and be better than he was before.

“For only the second time In my career An injury has put me on the shelf. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime I will be putting in the work to come back better than I was before my little setback. See you guys soon!” he wrote on Twitter.

Benjamin did not say how he sustained the injury or what it even is.

Shelton Benjamin’s last match was a tag team match at WWE Main Event, where he faced The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) with his The Hurt Business partner Cedric Alexander in a losing effort on the April 25 episode of the show.

As for the main shows, he participated in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the April 1 episode of SmackDown. The Hurt Business suffered a loss at the hands of The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio) on the March 14 episode of Raw.

We wish Shelton Benjamin a speedy recovery from his injury.

READ MORE: Shelton Benjamin Had A Blast During Mama Benjamin Storyline

Shelton Benjamin wasn’t nearly as down about the Mama Benjamin storyline as others were.

After being drafted to Monday Night Raw in 2004, Shelton found himself out of The World’s Greatest Tag Team and he was pushed as a singles star. Shelton picked up big wins over the likes of Triple H and Chris Jericho. With the Jericho win, Benjamin captured the Intercontinental Championship.

After losing the IC gold, many expected Shelton to move onto the main event scene. Instead, he fell down the card to the point where he looked more like an enhancement talent rather than a midcarder.

Enter Mama Benjamin

WWE attempted to spice things up by introducing a manager for Shelton, which was his kayfabe mother. While most panned the idea, Shelton Benjamin told Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast that he enjoyed the storyline (h/t Fightful).

“The Mama Benjamin stuff gets such a bad rap and what people don’t realize, I was having the time of my life. We were doing these funny skits every week, we were working with Vince McMahon all the time. I remember the one skit where she walked in on him with his pants down. It was hard to contain laughter just thinking back to those times because it was so much fun and so silly. I played a mama’s boy and my mom (Thea R. Vidale) did a tremendous job of playing my mom, she was a scene-stealer. For me, it was a lot of fun.”

WWE was often hot and cold with Shelton throughout his first run with the company. There were numerous start and stop pushes with Benjamin until he was released back in April 2010. In his second run with WWE, Shelton is mostly used to put over other talent.

Losing Shad Gaspard was one of the biggest losses for the pro wrestling industry. The number of lives he touched is a testament to the late star’s legacy. There are many people who considered the former WWE star a brother, including Shelton Benjamin.

The Gold Standard talked about Shad during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. Discussing how close they were, Benjamin said that he considered him a brother from the moment they met:

“When you get into this business, it’s really hard to find friends. You make a lot of acquaintances. You meet a lot of people but you don’t make a lot of friends. And Shad is one of the people that I consider a brother from the time he got here.”

Shelton Benjamin mentioned how he was present when Gaspard welcomed his son in the world. While the former Cryme Tyme member is no longer around, Benjamin remains close to his family:

“When he passed away, you know, for me it was losing a family member. So just like any other family I look out for his family. You know, his son, his widow. I stay in very close contact with them. If they need anything [and] If I have it, they have it.”

• Shelton Benjamin Dedicates Tag Title Win To Shad Gaspard

Shelton Benjamin Wants To Be Around For Shad’s Family

Shelton Benjamin mentioned how he grew up without a father himself, so he understands the struggles of Shad’s son. He also revealed that he is not the only one who helps the late star’s family, and there are actually a group of people who have taken up the responsibility:

“It was such a crushing blow to everybody when he left. So the least I can do for my friend, for my brother is try to keep as close an eye I can on his son. Because now you have a child growing up without a dad and I grew up without a father. So I understand the importance of having that. To have it and then lose it so suddenly and so tragically. That kid’s got a lot of challenges.

So I wanna at least be around to try to help him with it. And it’s not just me. We have a whole network of really close friends, myself, MVP, Mark Henry, Big Ryck. A lot of guys. We’re close friends and I will hope that if anything were to happen to me, someone will step up for my family as well.”

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

MVP may have something planned involving a Hurt Business reunion.

Back in May 2020, MVP aligned himself with Bobby Lashley. In July of that same year, Shelton Benjamin joined MVP and Lashley to form The Hurt Business. Eventually, Cedric Alexander joined the group.

While the faction garnered praise from fans, it came to an abrupt end on the March 29, 2021 episode of Monday Night Raw. Lashley attacked both Benjamin and Alexander, kicking them out of the group.

After Lashley lost the WWE Championship to Big E this past Monday (Sept. 13), he may be in need of some backup again. MVP recently met up with Shelton Benjamin, potentially to discuss that matter.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The 305 MVP (@the305mvp)

“Discussing business with an old acquaintance…”

Cedric Alexander reacted to Lashley’s title loss with the following.

“If only you had some backup.”

Before Lashley lost the WWE Title, he discussed his initial reaction when the decision was made to split Hurt Business up. Here’s what he told Metro.

“I’m comfortable with staying in my lane. In the wrestling business, I think too many people start worrying about so many other things and then they don’t focus on their career. Ultimately, we have to make sure our career is great before trying to do anybody else’s stuff.

“There’s lots of guys on the roster that I look and I’m like, man, he looks good – he’s tough, he’s that and he’s that. Once we have that opportunity, we might open up the Hurt Business and bring some people in and help fuel their career. But it’s one of those things where I have to focus on me for a little while, and I gotta make sure I’m defending the world title.”

Do you think The Hurt Business will reunite?

Bobby Lashley has spoken out on whether or not he was vocal about WWE’s decision to split The Hurt Business.

Lashley aligned himself with MVP and soon, the two linked with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to form The Hurt Business. While the team had success, capturing gold and gaining some steam, the group abruptly broke up when Lashley attacked Benjamin and Alexander. Lashley remains with MVP on television, while Benjamin and Alexander have mainly been reduced to WWE Main Event.

During an interview with Metro, Lashley said he chose to stay in his lane once the decision was made.

“I’m comfortable with staying in my lane. In the wrestling business, I think too many people start worrying about so many other things and then they don’t focus on their career. Ultimately, we have to make sure our career is great before trying to do anybody else’s stuff.

“There’s lots of guys on the roster that I look and I’m like, man, he looks good – he’s tough, he’s that and he’s that. Once we have that opportunity, we might open up the Hurt Business and bring some people in and help fuel their career. But it’s one of those things where I have to focus on me for a little while, and I gotta make sure I’m defending the world title.”

Bobby Lashley went on to praise Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander for their in-ring talent. He said he felt The Hurt Business gave fans an opportunity to see just how good Cedric is and gave others a refresher on the ability that Benjamin possesses.

Do you think The Hurt Business broke up too soon?

During an episode of his podcast Something To Wrestle With, Bruce Pichard spoke about RAW Superstar Shelton Benjamin’s tenure with the company. Prichard noted how he doesn’t feel that Benjamin has reached his full potential in WWE.

Prichard reflected on Benjamin’s early days in pro wrestling. He looked back on how he was a part of the developmental class that included Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Batista.

“JR would say, ‘Goddamn! Blue chipper class! Sassafras!’ And Shelton, first of all, he could do anything — to this day, he can do just about anything. Incredibly talented performer. Yeah, maybe missing a little bit of that it factor, but a great performer and being given the opportunity and being able to work with someone like a Jericho makes him shine all that much more.”

He stressed how Shelton Benjamin’s “stock” was high within WWE, and that many higher-ups felt he could become one of their top guys. Despite this initial belief, however, Prichard divulged how WWE “hit a wall” with Shelton Benjamin and just couldn’t get him to that next level. 

Because of this, Prichard doesn’t believe Benjamin has ever reached his full potential. As far as he’s concerned, Benjamin could’ve been a “much bigger star” but doesn’t believe audiences would accept him at this point.  

Shelton Benjamin’s original WWE run lasted for almost a decade. He started with the company in 2000 and lived through the eras of Brock Lesnar and John Cena but his tenure ended abruptly in 2010.

The former US Champion recently sat down with Lilian Garcia for Chasing Glory podcast, where he talked about a number of things like his start in the promotion and more.

Talking about his departure from the company in 2010, Shelton revealed that it wasn’t him who chose to leave the promotion and the officials let him go instead:

“Me and WWE had a difference in opinion, I wanted to keep my job, and they had a different opinion. Honestly, I was so frustrated by the time I left, that I felt like I was constantly trying to prove myself, as a Superstar, and as a performer.

It got to the point where I was coming to work and my heart just wasn’t in it.” recalled Benjamin. “It was almost like my spirit was broken because I felt like every time I had something going for me, it was taken away, somehow or another.”

• Also Read: Shelton Benjamin Reveals He Has Signed New WWE Contract

Shelton went on to explain how he needed to work on certain aspects of his character but WWE wasn’t helping him and he felt miserable while coming to work.

After leaving WWE, Shelton Benjamin started wrestling in the independent circuit. He competed for promotions such as ROH, NJPW and Pro Wrestling Noah before making his return to the company in 2017.

RAW Superstar Shelton Benjamin has opened up about his long-time friendship with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. Joining Lilian Garcia on her podcast Chasing Glory, he detailed how he first met Lesnar and how the two became friends and training partners.

Reflecting on his senior year, Benjamin recalled seeing Lesnar at an amateur wrestling tournament. Whereas Benjamin ended up losing his match, taking third place, Lesnar wound up winning the tournament. He remembered his first impression on seeing “The Beast Incarnate,” sharing “when you see Brock it’s like, ‘holy cow.’ [University of] Minnesota coaches swarmed him…”

“I was a heavyweight. Even though I was a small heavyweight, I was a heavyweight all through high school and college, so basically me and Brock were in the same weight class,” Benjamin explained.

“So basically, when Brock finally transferred in, I had stayed on as a coach/I still had another year of my scholarship so I was a coach/sparring partner – so there were only two guys that could give Brock a match in practice, but there was only one full-time guy. So for about, anywhere from three to four hours a day, like with practice, me and Brock would just go at it.”

Shelton Benjamin’s Finer Points

Benjamin then recalled their training routine, noting how the first time they wrestled, he went to grab onto Lesnar’s leg. Lesnar would react by thrusting his hip and sending Benjamin flying “halfway across the room.” 

Benjamin knew at that point that he would have to help Lesnar refine his technique and teach him the “finer points.” Thankfully, Lesnar was ready to learn. Benjamin shared how he was like a sponge from day one. He stressed how some days he would be able to wrestle and wouldn’t be able to do anything to Lesnar. Other days Lesnar wouldn’t be able to successfully wrestle him. He then noted how there were occasions where, for two and a half hours, they were “two bulls locking horns, but that was my life and I loved it.”

WWE recently referenced their long-term friendship during January’s Royal Rumble event. Shelton Benjamin would be eliminated by Brock Lesnar.

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription. 

Shelton Benjamin hasn’t been used very much on WWE programming recently but it appears that this hasn’t discouraged the former US Champion and he is hopeful about his future because he has signed a new contract with the company.

The Raw star recently appeared on the Chasing Glory podcast of former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia to talk about his wrestling career in detail.

Before the interview started, Benjamin claimed that he was reluctant to do it because he hasn’t been doing much and admitted that it’s frustrating for him:

“I was reluctant because I always like to put my best foot forward,” Benjamin said. “I like to be in the mix. I like to be producing. I like to inspire people. Lately, I haven’t been doing much as far as on-air with the WWE. For me, it’s just frustrating.”

Though continuing on the topic, Shelton revealed that he has just signed a new deal with the company: Yes, I just re-signed another multi-year deal with the WWE, so, I’ll be here for a little while.”

Shelton Benjamin officially re-signed with WWE in August 2017 but he hasn’t done much since then and the former Champion has been making sporadic appearances on WWE programming in recent times.

There is no word on the length of his new contract but it’s likely in the same line as the other WWE superstars who have recently signed 5 year deals with WWE like Lana, Randy Orton and more.

You can check out the episode of Chasing Glory featuring the WWE star below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Shelton Benjamin attacked Seth Rollins last night on RAW. His actions led to a match between the two competitors.

WWE has recently posted what happened during the commercial break which led to Benjamin and Rollins having a single’s match.

EXCLUSIVE: After @Sheltyb803's attack on @WWERollins, Paul @HeymanHustle had a few words for the @WWEUniverse in a moment you didn't see on television. #Raw pic.twitter.com/Zj2aNzXljd

— WWE (@WWE) March 12, 2019

Shelton Benjamin and Paul Heyman on RAW

During the segment, Benjamin was named as Brock Lesnar’s “assistant coach.” Heyman also referred to him as Lesnar’s former training partner. Rollins said that the Shelton Benjamin he knew wouldn’t hit and run but rather stay and fight him.

Shelton Benjamin

43-year-old Shelton Benjamin was first brought into Ohio Valley Wrestling nearly 20 years ago. He made his main roster debut alongside Charlie Haas as members of Team Angle in 2002. After his 2010 release, he signed with NJPW in 2012. As a part of Suzuki Gun, he left NJPW with the faction for Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2015.

Benjamin re-signed with WWE in 2017. He’d been on the shelf for about a year following surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

Benjamin was an All-American at the University of Minnesota in 1997 and 1998. He and Lesnar won the OVW tag-team championships 3x. Benjamin is a former 3x Intercontinental champion, 2x WWE tag-team champion (along with Charlie Haas), and a former 1x United States champion.

• 7 Takeaways From WWE RAW (3/11)

Shelton Benjamin is not happy with his current position on Smackdown. Benjamin had been paired with Chad Gable earlier this year on the brand but that changed when Gable was moved to Raw.

The former member of Suzuki-Gun sent out the following message on Twitter directed at Smackdown General Manager, Paige.

I Am a warrior I am a competitor & I am DAMN GOOD! Yet I have not had a match on #SmackDownLIVE in months. I’m here to compete I thrive on competition @RealPaigeWWE Its time you Got me off the bench & LET ME FIGHT!

— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) September 29, 2018

“I Am a warrior I am a competitor & I am DAMN GOOD! Yet I have not had a match on #SmackDownLIVE in months. I’m here to compete I thrive on competition @RealPaigeWWE Its time you Got me off the bench & LET ME FIGHT!”

Shelton Benjamin On Smackdown

The 43-year-old Benjamin returned to WWE in August of 2017. Aside from teaming with Gable, he hasn’t really done much. He did appear on the Mae Young Classic recently as a supporter for Mia Yim.

He spoke to ESPN earlier this year and talked about how when he and Charlie Haas were first beginning in WWE, they learned a lot from the Guerreros.

“For the first eight months, we were working with Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and they would hide from us during the live events,” Benjamin said to ESPN. “They didn’t want to call matches because that was old school, and that was how they came up.”

Shelton Benjamin has been around pro wrestling and WWE for a long period of time where he is no doubt a veteran. However, that doesn’t mean that he trusts everyone to call spots in the ring despite his knowledge as a veteran.

The former Intercontinental Champion spoke with ESPN about various topics including how he learned from Eddie and Chavo Guerrero to call matches in the ring.

Learning Process

Benjamin started out by talking about how he and Charlie Haas were working with them for the first eight months while on the main roster at live events and how they didn’t want to call matches because that was old school. Eventually, they got tired of them and had a meeting where they were told that they didn’t need to him them spot-for-spot.

“Eddie, who was always the captain of the ship said, ‘You guys are right, and I need to be a better captain.’ He started teaching us the spots. So the next six months we never planned anything. We just showed up and had a great time in the ring. The rest of the art is just being familiar with who you’re in the ring with.”

Who He Trusts

Benjamin continued on by stating that there are only a few people in WWE that he trusts to have a good match with where they call everything in the ring. He named Randy Orton, John Cena, AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar and Shinsuke Nakamura.

You can read the full interview with Benjamin at this link.

Tenille Dashwood Forced Out Of Match

Former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood (also known as Emma in WWE) was scheduled to wrestle Britt Baker at a Remix Pro Wrestling event in Ohio this past Saturday, however, she was forced to pull out due to injury.

Emma showed up to the show and cut a promo, revealing her doctor would not allow her to wrestle and even advised she not go to the show at all – but she came anyways. Despite not wrestling, she did provide commentary for the event’s DVD release.

She also had a long line of fans waiting to meet her and was able to fulfill her meet and greet obligations.

Tenille is injured so she couldn’t compete. But at least she did commentary. pic.twitter.com/UAWcTuEmcY

— Pinecone Marketing (@PineconeSocial) April 22, 2018

Shelton Benjamin Shows Off A Nasty Battle Wound

WWE Superstar Shelton Benjamin took to Instagram to show off quite a nasty battle wound. Above Benjamin’s right eyebrow a lump seems to have swollen up. Check it out here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh3DMs0H1ib/?utm_source=ig_embed

– WWE will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 16th for a live event. Two matches have been announced for the event; including WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Kane, and Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns vs. The Miz vs. John Cena.

– Yesterday marked 18 years since current SmackDown Live star Shelton Benjamin signed his first WWE deal. He posted the following on social media to celebrate the milestone:

“On Jan 10 2000 I signed my first @wwe contract and officially became a Pro-wrestler/sports entertainer. Hard to believe that was 18 years ago #TODAY. Thank you to All who have cheered/booed supported or hated it’s all motivation for me. The Ride is far from over. I guess the best way to put it is #Ain’tnostoppinMeNooowwww!!! #18thyearanniversary”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdyjzf2HlaY/

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, the team of Rusev and Aiden English defeated The New Day to earn a spot in the SmackDown Tag Team Title match at Clash Of Champions. The match will now be a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team match, with The Usos defending their titles against Rusev & English, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin and The New Day. WWE posted a video of Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable’s reaction to the news:

– Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT will feature the following matches, which includes a No Holds Barred match between Ruby Riott and Sonya Deville:

* Fatal Four-Way Qualifier: Trent Seven vs. Killian Dain

*Fatal Four-Way Qualifier: Johnny Gargano vs. Kassius Ohno

* No Holds Barred: Ruby Riott vs. Sonya Deville

Former WWE SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Chad Gable recently did an interview with The Nottingham Post to promote the WWE’s current European tour. Gable discussed adapting to the WWE’s style when he signed with the promotion back in 2013, and teaming with both Jason Jordan and Shelton Benjamin. You can check out the highlights here:

Adapting to the WWE’s style upon signing with them in 2013:

“Coming in, I was big fan of technical wrestling but I quickly had to learn that is a small part of what we do. It took me a while to get to grips with that. I credit the Performance Center a lot of that. We had to do a lot of what we call promo classes and I was thrust in there from week one.

“I was thrown in front of 60 people I’d never met and it was just the most gut wrenching thing for me. It killed me every week. It was high and anxiety but like anything else, it gets easier week after week.”

Teaming with Jason Jordan and now teaming with Shelton Benjamin:

“I was disappointed in the fact we had a lot more to offer than we showed on Smackdown. We won the tag titles but that didn’t show what we are capable of. I’m very willing to try something new though. It also let me show what I can do as a singles wrestler.

“I hope me and Shelton get a chance to show our personality. The new team is something we’re working on. It so new to us and we have to get to know each other. We share the amateur background and that helps a lot. He’s considered a veteran now. He’s had a lot of success. He’s been stuck with a new kid and that could be frustrating for him, but we’ve had some success and he’s fully on board. I am too. Once we really get on the same page we’ll be formidable.”

You can read Gable’s full interview with The Nottingham Post by clicking this link here.

Chad Gable spoke with The Nottingham Post to promote the current WWE European tour. Here are the highlights:

Shelton Benjamin replacing Jason Jordan as his tag team partner:

“I was disappointed in the fact we had a lot more to offer than we showed on Smackdown. We won the tag titles but that didn’t show what we are capable of. I’m very willing to try something new though. It also let me show what I can do as a singles wrestler.

“I hope me and Shelton get a chance to show our personality. The new team is something we’re working on. It so new to us and we have to get to know each other. We share the amateur background and that helps a lot. He’s considered a veteran now. He’s had a lot of success. He’s been stuck with a new kid and that could be frustrating for him, but we’ve had some success and he’s fully on board. I am too. Once we really get on the same page we’ll be formidable.”

Adapting to the WWE style:

“Coming in, I was big fan of technical wrestling but I quickly had to learn that is a small part of what we do. It took me a while to get to grips with that. I credit the Performance Center a lot of that. We had to do a lot of what we call promo classes and I was thrust in there from week one.

“I was thrown in front of 60 people I’d never met and it was just the most gut wrenching thing for me. It killed me every week. It was high and anxiety but like anything else, it gets easier week after week.”

You can read the entire interview here.

One of the latest WWE Signees Shelton Benjamin recently joined Edge and Christian for their E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the episode featuring the former US Champion:

Talking about being released from the company back in 2010, Shelton said that he felt like he needed it since he hadn’t achieved his ultimate goal, winning the WWE Championship:

“When the release came, honestly, I felt like I needed it. I had been there for 10 years and I said, ‘I had a lot of great moments, but I’ve never really accomplished what I wanted to, obviously, being WWE champ and there’s a whole list of things that every Superstar should aspire to be being the champ, being the WWE Champion is one of them. If you’re not there to be champ, then quit the [pro wrestling] business.”

Revealing his initial reaction to Shinsuke Nakamura when he first started working for NJPW, Benjamin said that he couldn’t figure him out at the start because everybody was treated equally in the NJPW locker room opposed to WWE:

“I just thought he was a Japanese guy who does a lot of Michael Jackson stuff. Like, ‘what’s going on with this guy?’ I couldn’t figure him out. And then, you see him perform and you figure out real fast who the top guys are because of the fan reaction. But, in the locker room, I couldn’t tell. The way that they treat each other was so much different in the locker room, as far as if you walk into a WWE locker room, you can kind of feel where people are on the card, just kind of based on how people around them are reacting. [In NJPW locker room] I couldn’t pick up on any egos or any hierarchy.”

Apart from this Shelton Benjamin also talked about how he didn’t know about NJPW when he first started with WWE and more.

Shelton Benjamin recently spoke with the WWE’s official website about his return to the sports entertainment company. Here are the highlights:

Returning to the company:

“It’s all kind of surreal, and I don’t feel like it’s hit me yet. Since I left the WWE, I moved to improve myself as a performer and come back. I really didn’t expect it to take seven years. So, it’s been a long road and I’m still trying to get used to it. It’s all very surreal. Being back with WWE is an emotional high and a professional high. So far, so good.”

His new tag team partner Chad Gable:

“Without a doubt. Chad is a great athlete, just like Charlie. Before I even get into that, though, Charlie Haas is, to this day, still my best friend. He’s my brother. We talk all the time. WWE created family when they put us together. We worked hard together and he helped push me. When you insert Chad Gable, obviously, there is going to be the comparisons to Charlie. I don’t like to make that comparison because they’re two different people. This isn’t The World’s Greatest Tag Team, this isn’t American Alpha — we are something completely different. But, obviously, there are similarities. They’re both tremendous athletes. They both have great drive, and even in the past couple of weeks I’ve seen Gable show signs of the intensity that Charlie had.”

You can read the entire interview here.

On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, Shelton Benjamin returned to action in a tag team match with his new partner, Chad Gable. The duo defeated The Ascension in what was Shelton Benjamin’s first match in a WWE ring since 2010.

After the match, Benjamin and Gable were interviewed backstage for this SmackDown Live Fallout video. Benjamin said “without a doubt,” they put the other SmackDown tag teams on notice. They’re here for one reason – to be tag team champions. They will not stop, rest or relent until the achieve their goal.

Chad Gable hyped up Shelton Benjamin’s experience and even though Jason Jordan moved to the RAW brand, he now has a partner that has been to the top of the mountain before. He likened himself to a sponge and said he’s ready to learn from the collegiate wrestling star.

Shelton Benjamin also tweeted after the show, revealing that it was a tough road back to WWE full of physical and mental challenges. According to him, the warm reception from the WWE Universe made it all worth it.

The road back tough. Full of physical/mental high/lows. To hear the roar of the @WWEUniverse tonight made it all worth It.

— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) August 30, 2017

– After being taken off of WWE TV for several weeks, Dolph Ziggler made his return to SmackDown on Tuesday night. Ziggler made his return in Brooklyn in the above backstage interview with Dasha Fuentes, where Ziggler said he wasn’t thrilled about returning in that capacity. During his return promo, Ziggler took shots at the various WWE gimmick he had been watching while he was away. The former World Heavyweight Champ said he now knows what it takes to become a star in WWE, and he’s going to show us what he learned next week on SmackDown from Arkansas.

– Shelton Benjamin made his long-awaited return to WWE on Tuesday’s SmackDown, and during the show Kurt Angle took the opportunity to share a picture he took with Shelton at their hotel. In Angle’s post, he jokes that he wanted Benjamin to join him on RAW. Angle and Benjamin worked together frequently during Angle’s first WWE run as a part of the Team Angle stable with Charlie Haas. Benjamin and Haas won the WWE Tag Team Titles in February 2003 as part of Team Angle, then were fired by Angle after losing the Titles that May. On Tuesday’s SmackDown, show GM Daniel Bryan announced that Benjamin will be teaming up with Chad Gable starting on next week’s show.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHgkAeAqrE/

– Next week’s episode of WWE’s 205 Live will feature Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick in a No DQ match. Their “gentleman’s duel” on Tuesday’s show resulted in Kendrick putting Gallagher through a table.