All Elite Wrestling is in the hurt business.
Given their injury rate, that statement could be a reference to the numerous talent, including Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, Bandido, Adam Cole, and Kenny Omega that are on the sidelines, most of those because of the high risk style that the company touts as its calling card. However, with the arrival of former WWE and Impact talent, MVP on Dynamite last week, it appears that the Hurt Business, a stable formed in the WWE alongside Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander might reunite in some fashion under the All Elite banner.
MVP and Bobby Lashley both left when their WWE contracts expired in August. MVP, who stopped wrestling in the WWE after a knee injury a few years ago in favor of the role of being the full-time manager of The Hurt Business faction, showed up at a Blood Sport event in July to challenge former UFC heavyweight champion, Josh Barnett to a match in the future. Since Lashley opted not to renew his WWE deal, he posted on social media that he was training for boxing, but many have speculated that with Shelton Benjamin, who was released from his WWE deal last year, on the free agent market, it was very possible for some type of reunion of the stable somewhere among the current pro wrestling landscape. Cedric Alexander, who is still under WWE contract, is currently in a secondary role in the company, but it doesn’t look like his status is going to change any time soon since he recently worked on the NXT brand. It’s doubtful that management sees Cedric as a guy that’s going to main event Wrestlemania, but he’s a solid utility worker, which makes him a valuable asset for the organization, particularly working with the younger talent.
MVP’s All Elite debut took place when he interrupted Prince Nana during an interview segment, implying that he could be the next manager of Swerve Strickland, who is taking time off from TV at the moment. I think it goes without saying that if MVP decided to join AEW, Bobby Lashley is on his way to the pro wrestling league. There was already speculation that it was a possibility that the group could arrive in All Elite because the company filed for the trademark “The Hurt Institution” last month. Make no mistake about it, The Hurt Business was a winning formula for WWE, and on the surface at least, it makes sense to bring those ingredients as a package since the unit has already proven to be more effective than the sum total of the individuals on their own. In some ways, it’s comparable to the Wyatt family, Bray was much more over with a faction around him than he was on his own later in his WWE career.
Still, similar to anything else, it depends how the potential group would be used in All Elite, and more importantly, who would be the focus of the stable. Thankfully, Bobby Lashley got the type of run he deserved after he originally plateaued in the WWE during his initial run there. When Lashley was given the ECW title when the relaunch of the brand completely flopped, it didn’t do him any favors. At the time, Vince McMahon had almost completely phased out the concept on a manager. It wasn’t until Paul Heyman drew money in the role again that it was something even considered for WWE television in the modern era. Promos were never Lashley’s strong point and it was something that he struggled with even after his return to the company. In retrospect, it’s a small miracle that the horrendous Rusev/Lana storyline didn’t ruin his second run with the company. Bobby is an amazing athlete, and that alone is more than enough to get him over with the audience. He was paired with MVP to do most of the mic work, and it led to his run in the title picture, working in high profile spots at Wrestlemania. Shelton Benjamin was also a guy that was an incredible athlete, but wasn’t the best on the mic so it made sense to put him with MVP as well. Cedric Alexander was floundering at the time so putting him in the stable gave him a purpose on the show.
Putting a faction around Bobby Lashley as the leader made him look like a bigger star in the process so it was a win-win for everyone involved.
Taking into account Lashley’s ability and the name value he still has from his most recent run at the top of the card in WWE a few years ago, he can undoubtedly bring something useful to the table for AEW, but I’d be skeptical that Tony Khan would know how to use the faction properly. At 48, Lashley is undoubtedly at the latter stages of his career. Despite being a genetic wonder, father time is undefeated, and event Bobby will retire at some point. In fact, he was on the shelf for the last few months of his WWE deal, revealing in a recent podcast appearance that he suffered an injury that required surgery during WWE’s tour of France in May. He didn’t mention specifics of the injury, but said he was cleared for competition. Not that I’m trying to doubt his incredible athletic skills, but a run in AEW, where Tony Khan will probably overpay him to be there is a better option for him than pursuing a boxing career at his age. All things considered, if Bobby is going to cash-in on another big wrestling contract, now is probably the time to do it. The same can be said for Shelton Benjamin, who is 49 and is also close to retirement. MVP is 50 and has the previous injuries so outside of a special indy match or maybe a short run to return to Japan, I don’t think MVP is going to get back into the ring for AEW, which is fine because he did very well in his role on the mic.
While MVP’s arrival in AEW more or less confirms the signing of Lashley, I’m still not sure if this agreement was the best option for either of them. If this is strictly for the money, and there would be nothing wrong with that then a Tony Khan contract is the right choice. But, if they wanted to have the biggest run possible for themselves then New Japan Pro Wrestling would’ve been a very interesting option. Both Shelton Benjamin and MVP worked for NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH previously in their careers. Bobby worked for Antonio Inoki’s relatively short-lived IGF promotion several years ago so The Hurt Business in New Japan would bring something familiar and something new. Taking into account New Japan’s use of “gaijin” or foreigner heavyweights, Lashley might be a very good fit there. Considering the number of talents that were signed away by Tony Khan to work for All Elite, Lashley could give NJPW a needed boost ahead of their traditional Tokyo Dome event early next year.
Obviously, that’s more hypothetical than anything concrete. A major benefit, especially if The Hurt Institution is formed in AEW, is using the faction to rejuvenate Swerve Strickland as a top-tier talent. Swerve organically got over with the audience to become the champion, but how he was booked with the confusing switches between heel and baby face during the feuds with Bryan Danielson and Adam Page hindered his status in the company. Truthfully, not only should Tony consider a hiring freeze right now, he should probably cut half of the roster that doesn’t make a measurable difference for the organization. However, if The Hurt Business as a faction can be used to boost one of the younger stars in the prime of their career then it could be a worthwhile investment for the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
