Ahead of his match this evening against Swerve Strickland, Shelton Benjamin has nothing but praise for the former AEW World Champion.
Benjamin recently explained how he has seen Strickland rise to prominence over the past few years, growing to a position where he can be “the guy” in AEW. He spoke about his opponent in a recent interview with TV Insider.
“We knew about his work in NXT and things like that, but he comes from relative obscurity in mainstream pro wrestling,” Benjamin said. “Now he is on the door of becoming a household name. That is a testament to him as a performer, a man and the faith AEW has put in him. So far he has been delivering. He is phenomenal. I think his ceiling is so high. I think he is going to be the guy for that company for many years to come.”
Benjamin also explained his first impressions of AEW, joining the promotion just recently after two lengthy WWE runs and a brief tour of the independent scene earlier this year.
“The first thing that surprised me was all these familiar faces that I didn’t realize were actually in AEW,” he explained. “I’m talking about writing, production and other talent I didn’t know were in AEW. There was almost a sigh of relief because there was so much familiarity there. I was actually surprised by how comfortable I felt and how welcoming everyone was, top to bottom. So far it has been great. Everyone has been really helpful and respectful. So far it has been a great experience. I hope to continue that.”
Benjamin went on to also share his goal of becoming a world champion in AEW: “There was this article saying I was just happy to be on the roster. Where is this BS coming from?” he said. You can read the full interview here.
Strickland and Benjamin are expected to headline a special “Fright Night” episode of AEW Dynamite this week.
