Shelton Benjamin was ‘humbled’ and ‘overjoyed’ by reaction for AEW debut

Shelton Benjamin is grateful to still have the fans’ support more than two decades into his wrestling career.

While appearing on AEW Unrestricted this week, Benjamin opened up about the moment where he debuted for the company on the October 2 episode of Dynamite. Going into that first AEW appearance, he was “kind of worried” about the reception he would get. But Benjamin was humbled and overjoyed by the big response he received.

“You know, having done this for so long — to this day, any time someone even recognizes me in the street, I’m honestly very flattered,” Benjamin said. “So to have that reaction, especially [from] the AEW crowd, you know, being a quote-unquote ‘former WWE guy,’ I was humbled. I was overjoyed. I was actually kind of worried about how the reaction would be. But like I said, the fans have stuck by me through thick and thin all these years. And it was very heartwarming is the best way I could put it. Because I really appreciate it, and I loved it, and I could rewatch that moment over and over and over.”

Benjamin had two lengthy stints with WWE during his career. After being released from his WWE contract in September 2023, he is now back aligned with MVP and Bobby Lashley in AEW, where their group is known as The Hurt Syndicate.

In his debut, Benjamin made a surprise appearance in a backstage segment with MVP. He later had his first AEW match against Lio Rush. Benjamin told AEW Unrestricted that he’s had a great experience in the promotion so far and is enjoying his time there. Winning a World Championship is among the goals he has going forward.

The 49-year-old Benjamin is competing in the Continental Classic tournament at the moment with a 1-1 record through his first two Blue League matches.