Through two matches, Shelton Benjamin has fit AEW like a glove, having a standout debut against Lio Rush last week on "AEW Dynamite," followed by another winning performance against Sammy Guevara this week. As such, it's easy to forget that Benjamin is still relatively new to the AEW locker room, and is still adjusting to the differences between the promotion and others he's worked for, such as WWE, New Japan, and Ring of Honor.
Appearing on "Gabby AF" this past week, Benjamin talked about the contrast in AEW's vision to other visions of wrestling, and his adjustment to it.
"So far, I have noticed a lot of differences in their approach and things like that," Benjamin said. "And I'm still learning the system. Like I said, I've only been there a month? So you know, I'm not going to learn everything I need to know in that time.
"But from what I've seen, I'm starting to understand there are some very, very different ways of operation. Some I think are wonderful. Some I think are absolutely groundbreaking as far as their approach. And then there are, you know, obviously, there are some things I go 'Hmm, I don't know about this.' But at the same time, I'm too new to really pass judgment right now."
One thing Benjamin believes in strongly is that having AEW around is good for the industry, citing the promotion's ability to give talents a shot at performing on TV that they perhaps couldn't have gotten if WWE was the only game in town. It's also a big reason why Benjamin won't engage in the ongoing tribalism from both fans of AEW and WWE. While saying the tribalism aspect makes sense from the perspective of a fan, Benjamin doesn't believe it makes sense from the wrestler's perspective.
"The whole tribalism thing...I get it, it's Coke and Pepsi, it's Disney and Warner Brothers," Benjamin said. "So I get that. But me as a performer, that doesn't matter to me. That's an argument for the fans to have. And I'm not a strong supporter of tribalism. I'm a supporter of great talent, I'm a supporter of giving guys and girls opportunities to shine. I want to see everybody succeed."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Gabby AF" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
