Shelton Benjamin was very happy and grateful for the reaction of his AEW debut.
After surprisingly being released from his WWE contract in September 2023, Benjamin returned to the independent circuit. Following many months of rumors, he finally made his AEW debut during Five Year Anniversary special of Dynamite.
Speaking about his arrival in Tony Khan's promotion on AEW Unrestricted podcast, the former US Champion noted that even 2 decades after his debut, he gets flattered when someone recognizes him:
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. 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.
It Was Very Heartwarming: Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin's AEW debut came in a relatively quiet manner. He made his first appearance for the company in a backstage interview segment where MVP introduced him as his business partner.
Despite not getting a big spot, the fans were excited for the Gold Standard and there was a big pop when he was first shown on screen. According to the former WWE star, before the segment he was worried about how the fans would react:
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.
After wrestling in a couple of physical matches, Shelton Benjamin has been thrown into the deep end by AEW officials as one of the participants in the ongoing Continental Classic tournament. With a win and a loss each in the blue league, he currently holds three points in the competition.
