A title change occurred on the January 22 edition of AEW Dynamite. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin defeated Private Party to become the AEW World Tag Team Champions. The Hurt Syndicate have won gold after just a few months in the company. While it is good to see Lashley and crew being booked as threats, Lashley seems too big of a deal to be in the AEW tag team division.
When starting this conversation, it is important to recognize that the Hurt Syndicate being booked as a top act is a vital step. Fans wanted to see this group booked like the main event act they have been since their days as The Hurt Business in WWE. That never came to be, so when they were signed to All Elite Wrestling, there was hope for a second breath. So far, it has been great to see MVP, Benjamin, and Lashley get the prominent booking they deserve at this point in their careers.
But something is “off” seeing Lashley with tag team gold around his waist. Lashley has been wrestling for 26 years, and this is the first time he’s won a tag team championship. Think about that. A performer who has remained near the main event of every promotion he’s performed in, captures tag team gold for the first time in his career. That moment should be celebrated, but it feels slightly out of place. Why? Because Lashley should be booked as a bigger deal than the AEW World Tag Team titles.
First, while fans love tag team wrestling, All Elite Wrestling hasn’t done the best job with the division nearly the last two years. There was a point when tag wrestling was a big draw for the company, but times changed. The titles felt more like props than anything else. Is there room to rebuild the tag division around The Hurt Syndicate? Sure, but that would mean the effort has to be put into the group that hasn’t been there for quite a while.
Second, Lashley should be involved in big singles feuds. Swerve Strickland versus Lashley was the start of that equation but it was suddenly dropped after one match. There are men like Jay White who need something to do now that they are out of the immediate title picture. Think about Lashley versus Kazuchika Okada. There are so many options to keep Lashley active in an important angle while not tying a singles title to his waist until the main title scene opens a bit further. AEW has a stacked roster. There are several names who could benefit from being in an angle against Lashley this early in his run with the company.
Bobby Lashley is a major name in professional wrestling even though he is nearing 30 years in the business. At this point, he should be in main event angles whenever the opportunity presents itself. He’s never been in the tag team division because he’s always felt like a bigger deal. In 2025, he still feels like too big a deal for the AEW tag team division.