Bobby Lashley Explains Why He Didn’t Want MJF In The Hurt Syndicate, ‘We’re On Different Paths’

After weeks trying to prove himself, MJF finally became a member of the Hurt Syndicate in May, receiving a thumbs up from Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin.

The relationship didn’t last long as Lashley turned his thumbs up to a thumbs down after AEW All In.

Speaking on the F Y’all podcast, Lashley was asked about his decision to boot MJF so quickly.

“When we had the Hurt Business originally, Me, Shelton, MVP, Cedric, when we talk about that, it was the realest thing I’ve been through in pro wrestling. There are a whole bunch of reasons why. For me personally, a lot of times we’re portrayed in certain ways. We have to dance, we have to be a certain character. I’m a businessman for real. I have a tremendous amount of real estate, I’m an intelligent person. I have a college degree and I like to dress. When we came at it, we were like, ‘We’re going to show ourselves in a different light. I was having DMs from parents telling me, ‘My son is saying he wants to wear a suit. Nine years old.’ This was giving a different look for boys and girls like myself. They’re seeing us in a different light. It was a big deal, and it was a big deal because of who I was doing it with. Shelton Benjamin has been on top of the business forever. Has he been treated that way and gotten his flowers the way he should’ve? Absolutely not, because he was very humble and giving. He’s great at what he does. Cedric, the same thing. He was amazing, and he didn’t have the opportunity to get as far as he could’ve. For me, I hadn’t won the world title yet. That’s where I needed to get. We all formed together to push each other. There was more behind that. How we carried ourselves, and the fans got behind us, it was a big deal,” said Lashley.

He continued, explaining, “I’m very protective of that. It got taken away from us very soon when we were doing the Hurt Business. Now, we’re the Hurt Syndicate. The core is here. Me, MVP, and Shelton. Cedric was core of the Hurt Business. Whoever we bring in, I’m going to be very protective of that core. With that being said, with MJF, I gave him the thumbs down because if I don’t trust you, that’s a big deal for me. I didn’t trust him, bringing him in originally. Since we’ve gotten in, I see he’s focused on his own path. Instead of having to stay with us and now we’re all moving in different directions, I was like, ‘Just go on your own path.’ You go on your path and we’ll go on ours. We’ll both be super successful. He’s very successful in AEW and I have no ill will towards him. He’s amazing. We have a different path than he does.”

MJF was officially booted from the Hurt Syndicate in the ensuring weeks, getting a thumbs down from Shelton and MVP.

MJF still has a guaranteed shot at the AEW World Title as a result of his victory in the men’s casino gauntlet. Lashley & Benjamin are the reigning AEW Tag Team Champions.

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