Shelton Benjamin Reveals Why He Signed With AEW Over Other Companies

AEW star Shelton Benjamin has explained why he chose to sign with Tony Khan's company, following his release from WWE in September 2023.

Shelton spoke to Gabby LaSpisa on a recent episode of Gabby AF, and talked about his decision-making process:

“I did have a few offers. MLW was very interested. Obviously, I was doing a lot of international things and exploring other options as far as in and out of pro wrestling. Acting was one of them, well, is one of them.

“I like to put myself in the best possible position to succeed. When the door closed at WWE, I really thought long and hard about where I wanted to go. Impact [now TNA] was a very tempting place to go, but what it just boils down to is I want the biggest possible audience - and outside of WWE, there is no one bigger than AEW.

“I don’t have as much time as a lot of guys, as far as in-ring and things like that. Don’t get me wrong, not that I’m going to retire anytime soon, but for the time I have left I want to reach the biggest possible audience I can. What better place than AEW? There is no better place.”

Benjamin recently had his first AEW match, defeating the returning Lio Rush on last week's Dynamite.

He is aligned onscreen with MVP (as he was for much of his latest WWE run), and Benjamin is heading for a showdown with Swerve Strickland.

Many fans are waiting for the impending debut of Bobby Lashley, who is assumed to be joining forces with Shelton and MVP, but that is yet to unfold at the time of writing.

H/T F4WOnline.