Bobby Lashley, two-time WWE Champion, has officially come to AEW, making his debut on Fright Night Dynamite.
The night’s main event showcased Swerve Strickland going up against Shelton Benjamin, who had MVP in his corner. After Swerve triumphed over Benjamin, Lashley made a much-anticipated debut.
At Grand Slam, MVP made his entrance, aiming to recruit Swerve away from Prince Nana. Shortly after that, Benjamin also appeared, but Swerve had no interest in joining forces with them. This set the stage for their showdown on Fright Night Dynamite.
Swerve secured a win over Benjamin, leading to a frustrated MVP making a phone call. Just moments later, the arena lights flickered, sending the Cleveland crowd into a frenzy.
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The lights went out completely, and familiar music played, signaling Lashley’s arrival in AEW. He stepped into the ring for a face-off with Swerve, but after a distraction from Benjamin, Lashley launched an assault.
Benjamin joined in, while MVP held Prince Nana back with his cane, but soon found himself taken down as well. Lashley then locked Swerve in a Full Nelson, and when security rushed in to intervene, they were dispatched with ease. As Dynamite wrapped up, MVP took the mic and declared, “Guess who’s back in business!”
This is, of course, a reference to the iconic WWE group Hurt Business, which was primarily composed of Lashley, MVP, Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander. The group won four different championships a total of seven times.
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Lashley captured both the WWE Championship and the United States Championship, while Alexander and Benjamin held the Raw Tag Team Championship once and each won the 24/7 Championship four times—Benjamin with three reigns and Alexander with one.
The Hurt Business gradually disbanded after Lashley and MVP departed in early 2022, but Alexander and Benjamin continued to compete as a tag team under the name for some time after that.
Now, it appears the faction has been reformed in the AEW, albeit without Alexander, and now operating under the (presumably) legally distinct name the Hurt Syndicate.
Notably, Alexander is still signed to the WWE under the NXT brand, so it is unlikely that the entire band will get back together any time soon. However, this appears to be a whole new AEW era for one of the most legendary groups of the modern era.
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