After months of speculation, The Hurt Business is making its presence felt in AEW. It began with the arrival of MVP at AEW Grand Slam. This past Wednesday, Shelton Benjamin officially made his debut in the promotion. While there is no word on when Bobby Lashley will make his way to AEW yet, the pieces are all laid out there for a reunion of one of the best factions in recent history.
However, AEW needs to be careful with how they handle this iteration of the group. WWE, despite having something excellent with them, still managed to mess them up. AEW has an opportunity to do something much better.
The Hurt Business Dominated WWE
The Hurt Business Ended Far Too Early
| Hurt Business Run In WWE | 2020-2023 |
| Group Members | MVP, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander |
Many pro wrestlers actually have more than just one talent. Some have songs fully created by them that wrestling fans should listen to.
The Hurt Business originated in WWE. It was a group that consisted of MVP, Lashley, Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander. Together, they were able to take over WWE. Lashley became WWE Champion and United States Champion. Alexander and Benjamin captured the RAW Tag Team Championships. MVP was at the helm of this, making deals and helping every member to get their time in the spotlight. They were one of the best aspects of WWE during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For all of their success, WWE dissolved the group far too quickly. They came crumbling down in unceremonious fashion, with no major blow-off to the story. Despite members of the group wanting to bring the group back on numerous different occasions in the past, WWE ended up not doing it. Ever since, fans have wanted to see them back. And AEW is the place where it is going to happen.
The Hurt Business Cannot Get Lost In The Mix
AEW Already Has A Lot Of Factions
AEW has a loaded roster with many supremely talented wrestlers, but who tops the list as the best men’s wrestler in the promotion?
Almost immediately, when MVP and Lashley were announced to be departing WWE, fans wanted to see The Hurt Business together again. When MVP debuted in AEW recently, it confirmed everything that fans wanted to see. With the addition of Benjamin, Lashley is the only piece of the puzzle left to be seen, but AEW needs to avoid messing this up.
AEW has historically been built on factions being a prominently featured part of its programming. The Blackpool Combat Club, The Elite, The Conglomeration, House of Black, and more are just some of the groups that are present. However, AEW has had a tendency to begin a story with a faction very strongly, only for it to go on too long and fizzle out. It has been something that has happened on more than one occasion. This is also what happened to them in WWE. The Hurt Business needs to be kept strong, not by winning every match, but making sure that a loss does not totally derail them.
The Hurt Business Needs To Have A Purpose In AEW
The Hurt Business Can Be A Top Group
The company also needs to avoid reuniting The Hurt Business just for the sake of reuniting them. Fans certainly do want to see the original three members together again, but there needs to be a purpose to bringing them back. They need to have something concrete for them to get into if this group is going to succeed. They are all talented competitors, but that will not mean anything if they are just at the top briefly for a pop and then fall down the card.
Now, to be fair, AEW is already building more than one story for MVP and Shelton Benjamin. MVP and Benjamin have been seen interacting with Prince Nana, which sets up a program between them and Swerve Strickland. In addition, MVP has also delved in the women’s division and made an offer to Mercedes Moné. The CEO and The Hurt Business would make a truly powerful pairing should AEW go that direction. Things are on the right path now and AEW needs to keep building up the story in a way that makes sense.
AEW Needs To Avoid Their Own And WWE’s Mistakes
AEW Has Messed Up In The Past With New Talent
The Young Bucks are in the midst of their third AEW World Tag Team Title reign. It is also the worst reign that has ever been seen with those titles.
Ultimately, fans want to see a new iteration of The Hurt Business succeed. After a poor ending in WWE, AEW has a chance to rewrite a wrong that should have been avoided before, but they need to avoid the same mistakes that they have made in the past with previous factions. For instance, The Inner Circle started off well enough, but it eventually dragged on and ended poorly. The same has also happened to talent on an individual basis, as has been seen with Deonna Purrazzo, Athena, Brian Cage, and more.
The Hurt Business has a ton of potential. They consist of phenomenal talent that have decades of experience in the business. AEW has planted some strong seeds for their full arrival. However, they need to be careful and make sure that they do not end the way they did in WWE.
