The Hurt Syndicate hurt people.
Soon, there may be more of them in the group to do even more hurting.
Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP appeared together as guests on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet for an in-depth interview, during which they spoke about their run thus far in AEW, possibly adding new members, the potential addition of a former WWE Superstar who used to be part of their original Hurt Business group and more.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where they touch on these topics with their thoughts.
On knowing that the group would one day get back together:
Bobby Lashley: “I did. I mean, it was inevitable. When we came together originally, it was so natural, it was so real. The crowd, you guys knew it. This isn’t just a couple of guys that got thrown together. You see it all the time. You see in WWE, you see it in AEW, guys that get thrown together. And the minute they leave the show, they all go their separate ways. That’s not how we work. We are really friends, we really do stuff together, we really argue, we really fight like brothers. This is real, you guys feel it, and that’s why it gets over so well.”
On whether the plan was for MVP to go first, then Shelton Benjamin and finally Bobby Lashley:
MVP: “Well, the plan originally was to get Bobby to join me. Bobby, let’s go man, let’s get out of here. Shelton’s already at home. All we gotta do is just not sign, get Shelton back and we can run this back. Our final act, we could do this. Bobby, finally, he relented, and he said, Alright.”
On what the group can do now that they couldn’t in WWE:
Shelton Benjamin: “Well, first of all, being actually seen in front of a live crowd. That’s a good start. But I think this time around we have a bit more control of our destiny, obviously, a lot more. What happened before, everything ended way prematurely. None of us were happy about that, and by us, I mean everyone. So the fact that we’re able to come here and give you the product that we want to give you, and everything’s going great. Like I said, we’re having the time of our lives.”
On possibly bringing Cedric Alexander into the group:
MVP: “I believe he is still on his 90 days.”
Bobby Lashley: “We love Ced, he’s like our little brother, so we will see what happens.”
On possible dream matches:
MVP: “I was actually very interested in the match-up that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen just yet, but I was looking forward to seeing Cage and Archer against these two guys, to see some big, giant, physical tough guys that can actually try to bang with these dudes. I wanted to see that. I still like to see big guys go at it. I enjoy a heavyweight bout.”
Bobby Lashley: “Well, you know what? Going over to AEW, those guys are really good, and these guys trying to surprise us even more. When we first got there, we worked with Private Party and they shocked us at the beginning. I like those guys. I truly like those guys. I think those guys are going to be stars. But then The Gunns, they’re going to be stars also, and that’s the one thing that we do when we came over to AEW, we said, You know what, it’s not just about us. It’s about making some of these guys. And we don’t know who we were going to make. We were like, who in the landscape of AEW do we want to help elevate? So far, the teams that we’ve been against they’ve actually really impressed us. I like Private Party. I like The Gunns and The Outrunners, just recently getting with these guys man, we can’t be in the same room with these guys without falling out. I really like those guys, so we are going to beat them up, but we’re going to bring them up at the same time.”
MVP: “That’s something that I think the fandom needs to understand with us specifically. When we decided that we were going to get the band back together, we knew that realistically speaking this is the last ride, this is our last run and then we’re going to ride off into the sunset. Even though we’re in tremendous shape, we are still in our later years. The whole idea with what we want to do on our way out the door is make some stars. It’s one thing just to put guys over. No, that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about trying to take some of the equity that we’ve built up through the years and now reestablish that equity at AEW, and then when the time is right, with the right young talent, transfer that equity and make somebody.”
On what’s next for them in AEW:
MVP: “Look, I’m spoiling it for you. I’m telling you what’s going to happen. We are going to hold these Tag Team Titles until we’re done, until we decide as a group that okay, we’re now ready to move on to that next level. And then we are coming for singles championship gold, no tag teams. That’ll be done, but we gotta beat a few more people first and imprint The Hurt Syndicate label on these tag team titles so people will know we were here. They will remember. Then it’s on to the next phase, and that’s singles championships for these two gentlemen.”
On possibly expanding the group:
MVP: “We are always ready to talk business with whomever, whenever, if the time is right. As they say, if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense. So I can tell you with the utmost confidence that at some point in the future, we’ll add another. I can promise you that. Who? When? I’m not at liberty to say but I can tell you that there will be another suit in the quartet.”
