AEW is building The Hurt Syndicate as a main event threat

The Hurt Business was one of the biggest misses in WWE. However, All Elite Wrestling is capitalizing on the group, making them look like one of the biggest threats on the roster. It’s been a few months since MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Bobby Lashley reformed their unit in another company. And in those short weeks, AEW has positioned them as a faction that cannot be trifled with, which is exactly what fans have wanted to see for a long time.

Fans and detractors alike will debate about how WWE booked The Hurt Business at their height of power. Lashley grabbed the WWE Championship, while Benjamin and Cedric Alexander captured the WWE Tag Team Championship. Still, the way they were handled after the pandemic adds fuel to the idea that WWE never had any intention of truly booking them as a top faction.

Fast forward to 2024, and now three pieces of the group are in AEW, where Tony Khan has had some success and failures booking former WWE performers. While some will argue that he’s missed with individuals like Malakai Black, there’s been success with others like Toni Storm. Now known as The Hurt Syndicate, Lashley, Benjamin, and MVP are leaning more toward the latter than the former. How? By allowing them to do what they do – hurt people.

First, look at how Benjamin has been booked so far. According to Cagematch, he’s 5-3, with those three losses coming to important figures on the roster, Swerve Strickland, Kyle Fletcher, and Daniel Garcia. Benjamin doesn’t look any weaker after those losses. Instead, fans can see him as a midcard champion at any moment, which is exactly where he should be perceived at this time.

Then there’s Lashley. He’s only had two matches to date in AEW, but in both he’s been presented as a high-level threat. He smashed two men in a handicap match, then nearly squashed Strickland days later at AEW Full Gear. AEW did exactly what was necessary to make Lashley look like a threat by allowing him to put away a former champion with ease.

It will be interesting to see what’s to come. There are hints that Ricochet will join the group, which was initially pitched when they were all in WWE. That would be a nice move to give Ricochet something of value to do since moving over to AEW as well. Pitting these four men together should lead to them all gaining some type of title run, but that’s really the question at hand. The Hurt Syndicate is off to a hot start, but will that momentum keep up?

Fans are watching closely to see how Tony Khan books The Hurt Syndicate. He can’t afford to make the same missteps as he did with Miro and others. Things are starting out well, and with a new year on the horizon, there’s an opportunity to make this group the main event faction fans have always wanted to see.