Former WWE trio reportedly in talks with AEW

Bobby Lashley is the latest big name to be let go by WWE as it continues to retool its roster amid one of the hottest periods in the company's history. Lashley, a two-time WWE champion, was among the top stars in the company during his prime, but slowly fell down the pecking order in recent years.

Lashley's WWE exit was made official in August after the company allowed his contract to expire. He was followed out of the door by fellow member of "The Hurt Business," 'MVP.' Shelton Benjamin has been on the free-agent market for roughly a year after leaving WWE in 2023.

According to Fightful Select, AEW has contacted the trio about a potential reunion of "The Hurt Business." The move would undoubtedly help shake up the tag team and trio's divisions, while Lashley could also thrive as a solo wrestler in AEW's more physical style.

"Totally Harmless Concept LLC filed to trademark “The Hurt Syndicate” two weeks ago, after previously filing for trademarks on other MVP-related phrases and names," Fightful Select reported. "We can confirm there have been discussions and even so plans to continue a faction similar to The Hurt Business outside WWE. Specifically, we’ve heard that AEW has had discussions with Bobby Lashley, MVP and Shelton Benjamin in recent weeks. However, we’ve not been told that a deal was done or imminent."

Over the past year, multiple wrestlers have jumped between AEW and WWE. It's becoming commonplace for each company to poach each other's free agents or to provide a new home to someone who hasn't found a new contract on the table. WWE recently acquired Ethan Page, who is thriving in NXT, while Adam Copeland was a major addition to AEW's programming at the start of the year.

As a former WWE champion, Lashley would be another coup for Tony Khan. Landing the entire "Hurt Business" faction would galvanize a tag-team division that has been allowed to stagnate in recent months as the promotion's singles division has gone from strength to strength.

However, Lashley and Co. must be mindful of the pitfalls of joining AEW. After all, Khan has assembled a bloated roster, with many talents struggling to get consistent minutes , leaving them stuck in purgatory until the end of their contracts.

”AEW talent are frustrated over the roster size, resulting in a lack of ring time and exposure," Dave Meltzer reported in a May edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . "AEW went from the fun place to work with the great backstage camaraderie when WWE talent for the most part were walking on eggshells, to a place with a lot of frustration from wrestlers making a nice and even great living but not getting anywhere near the ring time nor upward mobility hoped for.”

Lashley is unlikely to struggle for air time. He's too big of a name within the industry, as are Benjamin and MVP. However, if the audience goes cold on them, or they struggle to make much of a splash, the tail end of their potential contracts could become problematic. As with all talent, the "Hurt Business" must weigh up their options before making a final decision on whether AEW is the right place for them.