Why Bobby Lashley and The Hurt Business Are Right For AEW

[@lastationproductions]

One of the only factions to be together in three promotions

[@gordyhowitzer]

Honestly, I feel like WWE has always struggled with serious black characters who put their blackness forward. They're happy to push New Day, or R-Truth, as they're entertaining and fun (MIDCARD) characters, but they never knew what to do with Lashley, or Shelton, or, going back, Ron Simmons. Or like, Ron "The Truth" Killings from back in the day in TNA could have KILLED IT as a top guy in the ruthless aggression era of WWE. MVP is another example, he could have been much more than a midcard act when he came in. Maybe it was a Vince thing and we're past it now. But there have been so many incredibly talented and over black acts who for whatever reason just get passed over for pushes. Montez Ford has all the tools to be a main event player. Let's see if Hunter even tries to give him a push.

[@LosHitman]

Funny thing is Shawn is probably the best at booking black superstars and as much as I hate to say it Tony Khan is also great at booking black wrestlers

[@IAMHIM316]

HHH hates black men he let his feelings known years ago remember Booker T

[@Addicted2Bands]

Definitely want to see Tez get a push

[@chadroyer9411]

Junkyard Dog was a draw back in the day before he was signed to then WWF. Would have looked to see him with tag team gold at least….Tito and JYD…..the crowd would have gone bananas!!!!!. Ron Simmons…not sure why he wasn’t an IC champ after he worked with Taker and clearly wasn’t gonna get the belt. He could have worked the babyfaces. I even question why Norman Smiley wasn’t pushed better in wcw. Just my thoughts……

[@WhoIzHee]

I must say tho MVP had that mid card Swaggy. That US title on him was iconic. Couldn’t really see his persona as World Heavyweight champion. Maybe if he went to raw he could’ve definitely flexed with that WWE Spinner belt. But that’s about it like i wouldn’t have even wanted to see bro as IC champion at all. So really some black wrestlers can be limited. MVP is one. US Title and Spinner belt are the only ones that would fit

[@mehoo8]

One thing that you guys didn’t touch on with Shelton is that he was in the SAME training class as Brock Lesnar (they were college roommates too), John Cena, Batista and Randy Orton. All those guys became multi-time world champions and the faces of WWE while Shelton never broke past the mid-card even though he was just as talented and got over with the fans

[@andrewatuahene3234]

I think the one thing to that is promo work and character development and audience by there grip off there hands and most being compelling characters sure Shelton was excellent in the ring but he was boring as a character because he was never good on the microphone when it comes to Character

[@mehoo8]

@ they could’ve paired him with Teddy Long before he got sent to Smackdown. They could’ve tried harder considering he was already over as an in-ring talent and had credible wins

[@50centricher9]

great point bro

[@alternative7586]

Lashley's debut video on AEW made number 3 trending on KZbin. If they put all their energy on these guys they could make AEW a little more watchable. They're doing kind of good right now with tonight's episode ngl!

[@BasClark]

What baffles me to this day is how they could have literally printed MORE money leading up to Cody vs Reigns if the Hurt Business was booked as strong on any adjacent brand to the Bloodline. But like Shelton said earlier, he saw in Vince's eyes that he was full of it, and it was over. They basically used that group while most stayed home.

[@dominiquejones3805]

Shelton is so good its ridiculous

[@coreyashley4949]

What would be crazy, is the have the Hurt Syndicate also invade NJPW, maybe even TNA, given that Lashley was a former top champion there. All of those guys (among many others) have been highly underutilized in WWE.

[@50centricher9]

njpw and other promos definitely, and it probably/most likely *will* happen now that theyre in aew, tna is working with wwe now tho so that wont work...

[@mattkendrick1245]

I like how you guys touched on how they all know their worth and that they will not allow tk to fumble them especially with how they were misused in wwe as a group

[@BredSuperb]

I would really love it if wrestling explored and developed Black Wrestlers more. Like give them storylines that really have some dope psychology and depth. Hurt Business can be that faction.

[@BBoldGaming]

Solid video, hurt business will bring the on the fence Wwe guys back over … like me But video is very well done .. gonna share this to the homies

[@CharlesNyonga]

Powerhouse Hobbs should join the new group.

[@tseyazmutseyami1402]

Does he look good in a suit

[@GoshiiTV]

A very good move💯

[@BredSuperb]

As much as I like Roman Reigns, he is what Bobby Lashley should’ve been.

[@mattkendrick1245]

More like Brock and Heyman are what MVP and Lashley should’ve been like…it was pretty fkn simple but wwe somehow managed to fck it all up

[@Raindragon23]

Thanks for this is, I didn't really watch wwe during this time so other than short videos I knew nothing of what they did. Way to call the debut 👏

[@oldschoolde5183]

During the Pandemic there were two storylines that ran the WWE, the Bloodline on Smackdown and The Hurt Business on Raw. These storylines were both must see. Lashley and by extension the entire Hurt Business were massively over and were getting more of a pop than Lashley’s WrestleMania opponent Drew McIntyre. The powers that be originally split up the Hurt Business in order to kill said pop. They couldn’t have the guy that was the face of Raw, as well as, the WWE Champion for almost the entirety of 2020 get booed at WrestleMania. What better way to get some heat than to turn on your faction that is extremely over.

[@dominiquejones3805]

Facts

[@dominiquejones3805]

It's amazing how they carried the load but don't get rewarded

[@Met3438]

Hurt Business was definitely sabotaged, someone in the back didn't like that they were getting over. Hurt Business ran it course while the Bloodline story to going two years past it's prime, wouldn't be surprised if Hogan type politics was going on.

[@SS-tg8lf]

The Bloodline DIDN'T sabotage the Hurt business. 1. If you listened to interviews around the time, Reigns was a fan of the Hurt business and DIDN'T agree with them being broken up so early. Paul Heyman was also a fan. 2. Vince may have broken them up, but HHH was the one who DESTROYED the group. 3. HHH Kept Lashley off the Mania 39 card for no reason, he kept MVP off tv and he fired Shelton as soon as he could. 4. Even with the pride , they were getting cheers. But HHH decided to BURY them to make room for his Favorites .

[@Met3438]

I did not say that the Bloodline sabotaged the Hurt Business. I was leaning towards Vince and HHH not wanting to them to succeed and wanting to channel everything into the Bloodline story. Also Roman saying that doesn’t mean anything, have you heard of Hogan? He said shit like that all the time while screwing people over in the back. Remember when Hogan faced Jake and everyone cheered when Jake DDT’d him? Last they were in a ring together. Him and Bret Hart in 93? Jesse Ventura? We seem to also forget the quiet takeover over the business by the Samoans once the Rock became a board member. While I don’t think they buried the Hurt Business let’s not act like they are not politicking for themselves. All wrestlers do it, except Shelton Benjamin apparently.

[@kyleday5026]

@@SS-tg8lf but for some reason people defend triple h decision saying triple h could not do anything he has some hold on the iwc

[@sechabamokoena55]

​​@@SS-tg8lf HHH didn't keep Lashley out of mania 39,he was scheduled to have a match with Bray Wyatt but that is when brays complications started so they pivoted to him winning the Andre the giant memorial but there was no plans for him after that.

[@LosHitman]

@@SS-tg8lfLashley was at WM 39 but his original scheduled match was canceled due to brays health issues

[@drubu716]

This should be the perfect time for HOOK to be in high level feud. He could team up with Joe and few other guys to even things up

[@Sebastian-tf2gu]

i think it would be a great decision to have the hurt business and the BCC collide in an epic 4v4 or 5v5 war games type of match. obviously not right now because swerve is now feuding with bobby but at some point i see them making an alliance. just imagine swerve, bobby, shelton and preferably ricochet and cedric alexander vs yuta, mox, pac, claudio and whoever else. that shit would be crazy good. aew has some crazy good talent and now they have a couple of factions that really standout like bcc, hurt business and the house of black and they all have potential to become something big.. i just hope aew makes the right decisions

[@midsectionmark8956]

The hurt business has big potential and if AEW drops the ball again they are gonna lose trust from a lot of fans.

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

When have they ever dropped the ball on a former WWE champ?

[@dominiquejones3805]

I still dont get what it is that makes them never bet on black.Hurt Business were over as hell then 4 no reason it got blown up

[@SuperOffthegrid]

Reallu missed out on a real opportunity to run with this group

[@kshinokevin]

I would put in "Limitless" Keith Lee, only if he wasn't injured or sick; a former tag-team member (with Swerve).

[@rascal7855]

I love that there over there, but i see them getting lost n the shuffle, im mad at how wwe handled them

[@dominiquejones3805]

AEW has a bad habit of that

[@ItsJustUsEnt]

Some guys I think Shine More in Aew then they did in WWE. Sting, Christian Cage and Swerve Strickland. Bobby and Shelton are Next up because Once Bobby takes the Heavyweight Title,the best guy to take it from is either Swerve or Shelton. Easy Stories to tell.

[@larkvanderpooli7794]

Can AEW make them though

[@dominiquejones3805]

How they missed the mark with Lashley vs Lesnar i will never understand

[@oceayfsgm8278]

I think Jay Lethal would be a PERFECT match for the New Hurt Business

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

Agreed, I'd love to see something real happen for Lethal in AEW.

[@shawnganesh2348]

Ricochet

[@jermaineransom4250]

Any chance Kenny King can or will join this faction???

[@dominiquejones3805]

They werent dancing & doin jive talk. They got right 2 business

[@BredSuperb]

It would be cool for Hurt Business to include Swerve, Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale to the stable.

[@mehoo8]

No, we’re not throwing every Black person in that stable just because they’re Black.

[@BredSuperb]

@ I’d like to see it.

[@scottywilliams2723]

Aew has the Better performers. It’s this unspoken jealousy in a certain demographic and it plays it self out in a few different area’s of life…… Pro Wrestling is one of them.

[@ekryu4500]

I'll give it 5 weeks before Bobby have a competitive match against Orange Cassidy

[@kgblitz1294]

Haters gonna hate.

[@jamesjamaica7189]

Bloodline vs The Hurt business is one of the wwe biggest miss ever.

[@keithcaldwell1871]

Good luck Bobbie MVP you’re going to need it and what is AEW going to do when Bobbie Lasky gets bored and starts complaining the hype only last for a minute then what you gonna do can’t wait. I give it six months.👎🏿👎🏿👆🏽

[@jonathanandrade7775]

Edge

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

@@jonathanandrade7775 had a bit too much fun in AEW...lol

[@UncleRukus-m2o]

Honestly everyone wwe let go rite for aew

[@ShawnMega]

All these old wwe guys feel like WCW all over again

[@dominiquejones3805]

It really is like they're repeating WCW all over again

[@zomb60]

Yall are saying this. But wait until Bobby is having a 30 minute match Orange Cassidy. Because for some reason they think Orange is AJ Styles or something

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

He literally is...

[@zomb60]

@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown How? This dude has been playing a comedy character for his entire run in AEW with those bs kicks. The guy is possibly smaller than Spike Dudley. If you're telling me that Orange is AJ, then basically Akira Tozawa can come to the company and the next AJ. He's nowhere near as technically as AJ, and nowhere near as explosive. Not once has he ever been in the conversation as the greatest wrestler in the world. He's just another interchangeable little guy that can have a good matches. They're a dime a dozen. He's better than a Jamie Noble, a Tyler Bate, or Pete Dunn. But keep thinking that.

[@333hunnit8]

@@zomb60so because he a comedy character he not as good as “aj styles” with any booking the small guy can take down any big if presented in a believable aspect

[@zomb60]

@333hunnit8 no he's not as good as AJ styles by watching what he does in the ring. He's not as good as AJ Styles because if you swap them out, Orange would have never got a push in TNA. He would have been feuding with Shark Boy. He would have never won the WWE championship because he would have been relegated to 205 live.. AJ can go to any company and be a top guy. Orange can't. Plus Aj is like anywhere between 200 to 210 while Orange is lik 170 at best. It's not the same no matter how yall try to put it.

[@333hunnit8]

@@zomb60 if you worried about body image go help him workout other than you said a whole bunch of nothing like I said right booking can have anyone over

[@Sam-s3u3p]

You don't know about the Gold Standard... Im disappointed 😂

[@kyleday5026]

u should put respect on goldbergs name like brock for there impact in the business

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

@kyleday5026 Goldberg was very good at being a very large man.

[@kyleday5026]

@@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown charisma big draw believable his return at bad blood is the most viewed from the ppv

[@reinhartdagr8108]

⁠​⁠@@kyleday5026Character reached almost Ultimate Warrior levels of ridiculous when he was given a mic and couldn’t work to the point he threw kicks that concussed people. Meh/10.

[@SolHER0]

Why he saying benjamin with a hard R🤣??

[@chedowner616]

Nah they not 5 years ago maybe

[@Close-mindedenemies]

Yeah they pretty much are buddy, bottom line.

[@MakinAli-rh4bq]

Swerve is not, in the Hurt syndicate he turn them down that's why they attack swerve, & prince Nana.

[@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown]

Never said he was...

[@MakinAli-rh4bq]

@MrHartgraveFromPartsUnknown No problem.

[@duanejackson4430]

I totally disagree. The hurt Business is not needed in AEW. Here's the main problem, AEW has young talent that barely gets any TV time. Now you bring these guts in , and you push the younger talent down or off the card. To me, it makes no sense. If AEW wants to make new stars, why bring a bunch of 50 year old guys. The roster is bloated as it is. Hurt business would have fit perfectly in TNA. AEW already has problems with creative. If you ask TK, do they have 6-12 month plan for the Hurt Business, prior to them knowing they are coming to AEW. The answer is no. AEW doesn't have long-term booking , and shows from week to week television like WWE does. I am not a fan of the Hurt Business in AEW. Because they are taking spots from the younger talent, they really benefit from being on television.

[@TheMaddogmvf]

Saying AEW doesn't book long term is objectively false & there's examples from this year alone to the contrary.

[@duanejackson4430]

@TheMaddogmvf This year the storyline that had a long-term was Paige and Swerve. When the Bucks the turned dropped TK with the TK driver. That was supposedly be a longterm story which it flopped and dropped without explanation . We had the Statlander turning face without any explanation. Tony Khaun did an interview and said he doesn't believe in long-term booking. So he contradicts what says. I like I said The Hurt Syndicate would be a better fit in TNA. After Swerve then what??? What the long-term booking for them after that? Because there is none. It's just a matter of time that Bobby or Shelton will be on Rampage sooner than you think. It's not a matter if it's a matter of when. The creative is broken . If you can't see that , I don't know what you are watching. Moxley and the death riders against the Dark Order , Top Flight etc. they are jobbers! It all comes down to creative and quality control.

[@TheMaddogmvf]

@duanejackson4430 If you think THS was brought in to AEW to end up on Rampage, you're mistaken. After Swerve, I can name at least 6 Main Event level people Lashley can feud with. As far as Mox goes, the point of the storyline is to give Day 1 people more TV time for growth & exposure. You're opinion is your opinion, but if you say creative is broken & there's no stories, I can look up & down the card and say that, objectively, isn't true.

[@duanejackson4430]

@TheMaddogmvf The proof is in the weekly TV hit or miss. Like it or not the lack of creative shows up on tv

[@TheMaddogmvf]

@@duanejackson4430 I disagree. Again, you can dislike the creative, but can't deny it's their. The "it's only matches" argument is insincere & invalid.