In WWE's Pandemic Era, the Hurt Business was a highlight of programming, but MVP had to fight to stop it from turning into a revamped Nation of Domination. On X, MVP said that WWE not only intended to turn the group into 'NOD 2.0' but planned to bring in Nation alum Mark Henry and Ron 'Farooq' Simmons.
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MVP's post spawned several responses. When one fan asked why Paul 'Triple H' Levesque was reportedly against bringing the group back, MVP admitted he hadn't spoken with WWE's CCO.
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Another commenter suggested that the Hurt Business' inspiration did not come from race, but seemed to be akin to Def Jam: Fight for New York.
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Though the Hurt Business only featured African-American talent, the topic of race never played a factor in their role on-screen. The Nation of Domination often made reference to race, including in 1997 when Farooq claimed Vince McMahon did not want a black man to be a World Champion.
The next year, D-Generation X would parody the Nation in a segment that saw several members of DX use blackface to mock the Nation. While the segment has often been presented by WWE as a highlight of Raw's Attitude Era, the segment has stopped being shared in recent years as tastes have changed. In 2021, WWE scrubbed the segment from its media library as part of its move to Peacock.
Now, MVP has revitalized the Hurt Business as the Hurt Syndicate alongside Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. Once again, the topic of race has not come up in AEW and fans are eagerly awaiting Lashley's in-ring debut with Swerve Strickland at Full Gear this weekend. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on MVP and his efforts to define the Hurt Syndicate in All Elite Wrestling.
