Last week, Shelton Benjamin was released as part of mass talent cuts in the wake of the TKO Group merger.
Benjamin was a former tag team champion in his latest run and was viewed as one of the most athletic superstars of his generation during his first run with the promotion.
One man who was very familiar with Benjamin during his first run with the promotion was Rob Van Dam. The two men faced off in 2006 in singles competition in a feud for both the WWE Intercontinental Championship and Rob’s Money In The Bank briefcase.
On the latest episode of the 1 Of A Kind podcast, Van Dam reacted to Benjamin’s release from the company.
“Shelton’s a great guy, and an incredible athlete. I have no idea what they were or were not doing with him, but I know that when I worked before with him, back in 2005 or 2006, I always felt like the office really respected him a lot by the push they were giving him. I worked him a lot, and you’re like all at some level of getting pushed or feeling like you’re getting disrespected and not pushed, or getting promises broken to you about being pushed. I just remember he was very good, [a] great athlete, and he knew what he was doing. [He was] a good guy too.”
Rob Van Dam
It is unknown what will come next for Shelton, but he is currently subject to a 90 day non compete clause following his release.
H/T to Fightful for transcription
If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.
You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.ⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘ
