Jim Ross: When We Recruited John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Batista And Randy Orton, Our Best Athlete Of That Group Was Shelton Benjamin

Jim Ross believes the Gold Standard brings a lot to any promotion he joins.

During his time as the head of talent relations in the WWE, Jim Ross was responsible for discovering the class of OVW that took over the world of professional wrestling for the next decade and more.

While discussing one of those standout athletes on the Grilling JR podcast, Ross gave his thoughts on how he would book Shelton Benjamin and how his time was spent with the former WWE Intercontinental Champion.

“You get him a single run with somebody who could actually really wrestle and let him show his skills. Then, you find a partner for him and let Shelton’s experience help build a foundation for a tag team. I’m a big fan of Shelton Benjamin. When we recruited Cena [John Cena], Brock [Brock Lesnar], Orton [Randy Orton], and Batista, the best athlete of that group was Shelton,” said Ross. “Shelton’s issue was personality, connecting with the audience. I love Shelton. A company guy, a team player, he came from a team environment, which is always important to me. I’m a big fan of his work and him as a man. He would help any locker room. I can just imagine what kind of mentor he would be to some of the kids, not just his color, not African-American only, but young talent. Shelton’s journey has been well documented and I’m proud I got to hire him. He’s a credit to the wrestling business, no question.”

Benjamin has said that the door is open for AEW to do business with him and allow them to make some magic happen.

h/t from Fightful.

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.

Follow me on X: @WhoElseButRami
Follow us on X: @BodyslamNet