Shelton Benjamin says he is not ready to walk away from wrestling, arguing that he still has enough left in the tank to keep contributing to the business. In a new interview, Benjamin said he still feels like he has something to give, that he can still do the work physically and that he does not know how much longer he has left in the industry.
Benjamin framed that view as both personal and practical. He said he has spent years around a generation of wrestlers who were taxed by the road and the ring, and that he has had chances to do the same kind of work but not the same opportunities as some of his peers. Even so, he said he wants to give the business as much of himself as possible for as long as he can.
The veteran’s comments carry added weight because he has been active in the ring since 2000 and has nearly 2,000 matches behind him. In recent months, names from the early 2000s such as John Cena and AJ Styles have brought an end to their in-ring careers, placing Benjamin in a group of longtime performers facing the same question of how long to keep going. He said he has already made a promise to himself and to close friends including MVP, Bobby, Cedric and New Day: if the time comes when he should step away, they have permission to tell him to start wrapping things up.
That is the tension in Benjamin’s comments. He clearly sees the clock moving, saying he has more time behind him than in front of him, but he also insisted he is not at that point yet. He said he wants to enjoy the work while he still can and make the time count, which suggests he is approaching the final stretch of a long career without treating it like the finish line has already arrived.
For now, the immediate focus is on AEW Double Or Nothing, where The Hurt Syndicate is scheduled to take part in the Stadium Stampede match. Benjamin did not sound like a man preparing a farewell. He sounded like a veteran intent on squeezing every last bit of value from the years he still has, even as he acknowledged that the end will eventually come.
