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Post by SirLucas on Aug 10, 2022 12:36:36 GMT -5
Of the modern day factions, this was a group I enjoyed seeing and felt had more potential than it got. I read where Shelton and Cedric officially broke up this week on Main Event, and I didn't know they were still a tag team.
The Hurt Business in their initial presentation came out in three piece suits dressed to the nines. Just like groups of old like the Four Horseman or Evolution, them dressed professionally made them look legit.
You had Bobby Lashley who was already an established main eventer. Then, MVP, the retired in ring competition who was transitioning to a manager. Him as a mouthpiece helped get heat for the group. Shelton Benjamin, while also a veteran like MVP, had been on a career decline for some time. Shelton peaked in 2004-2005, when he had the Intercontinental run on Raw. Then that stupid Mama gimmick was a curse for him. It made him look like a complete clown. Still, in 2020-2021, Benjamin had enough equity to be the guy built strong enough, but a utility player they could insert to take pinfalls for the team when needed.
Then there's Cedric Alexander, the up and coming superstar of the team. The problem was, being in the Hurt Business did nothing to elevate his career. Like Rock and Mark Henry in the Nation, or like Orton and Batista in Evolution, or like Cody Rhodes in Legacy, the list can go on on on, but there needed to be a breakout star. Instead, Shelton and Cedric were treated like jabronis. They were simply the fall guys from Lashley's opponents. They were booked like stooges in the same since J & J security was paired with Rollins. Then the break up came, and what followed was Hurt Business 2.0, where for some apparent reason Mace and T-Bar became associates for Lashely and MVP. But then, that was scrapped after a week or two.
So looking back, I see the Hurt Business as one of those groups that WWE creative dropped the ball on.
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Post by hashtagdaley/JudasDay on Aug 10, 2022 12:37:27 GMT -5
I’m guessing they’ll be a thing again.
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Post by SirLucas on Aug 10, 2022 12:39:47 GMT -5
I’m guessing they’ll be a thing again. I feel like given a year or less, Shelton will either a. transition to an agent/backstage role with WWE or b. work the indies or Impact or NWA |
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beefy
Trap-Jaw
OHHH YESSSSSSS
Posts: 458
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Post by beefy on Aug 10, 2022 12:58:32 GMT -5
man... i'll bang this drum until it breaks, but summerslam should have been main evented by Lashley vs. Roman in the blowoff to an 8-month Bloodline vs. Hurt Business feud
if wwe can strap a rocket pack to Jinder and make him a wwe champ, they could have easily elevated Shelton/Cedric to be foils to the Usos. and heyman/mvp on the mic? we only got a taste, those two could run it for weeks and never get old
Hurt Business as the well dressed, "f*** you, we get money" babyfaces would have been dope, and wrestling needs more top shelf groups & stables
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Post by hashtagdaley/JudasDay on Aug 10, 2022 12:59:30 GMT -5
I could have sworn one of them posted something about it potentially being on the table in the future … but I can’t find it anywhere, so maybe I just dreamed it or something.
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welshpenguin
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 15,751 
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Post by welshpenguin on Aug 10, 2022 13:26:00 GMT -5
😭 <<<<<< my reaction when I think of The Hurt Business breaking up. I just didn’t understand why & I still don’t. Same as the IIconics. Bobby is still a big deal but The Hurt Business all together was awesome.
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Post by sportatorium on Aug 10, 2022 15:29:12 GMT -5
One of the most puzzling things of the recent era WWE. Maybe because they had to perform in front of the Thunderdome or no fans, the company couldn't tell how over they were as a group. The storyline where Lashley dumped Cedric & Shelton during the McIntyre feud was beyond stupid.
They were likely (unnecessary) victims of the company just lacking any focus or ability to care during the pandemic no matter how well they performed. Bringing them back rather than having MVP floundering with Omos or Shelton & Cedric doing nothing would be welcome.
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Post by saneiac on Aug 10, 2022 19:43:37 GMT -5
MVP has said that he hated The Hurt Business being split up and both he and Lashley fought against it.
I think ultimately, like many good things over the past decade plus, it was ruined by Vince's crappy booking style. He made Shelton and Cedric the tag team champs and put them with Lashley to make Lashley look good. "He's hanging out with the champions! He must be important!" But Vince never intended for Shelton and Cedric themselves to look good, so when the audience started to respond to them, he punished them by splitting them up and making them jobbers again. You can't have a tag team stealing the shine from Lashley, pal.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Aug 10, 2022 19:45:44 GMT -5
Lashley: "I won the title. Better fire my backup for literally no goddamn reason."
"THIS IS GOOD SHIT!"
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Post by The Heartbreak TWERK on Aug 10, 2022 19:51:44 GMT -5
I think part of paying back all the company money he used for illicit acts. Vince McMahon should have to sit in a dark room with a spotlight on him, and be forced to explain every nonsensical, stupid decision he's made since mid-2001 and then sell it on Blu-Ray.
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Aug 10, 2022 19:53:10 GMT -5
All the pieces are still there, so it’s not too late to put the puzzle back together.
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Post by King Devitt and the Woke Mob on Aug 10, 2022 20:44:01 GMT -5
All the pieces are still there, so it’s not too late to put the puzzle back together. Man, I hope so. The group just screamed legit, and made Lashley look like a million bucks as the centerpiece. |
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Aug 10, 2022 20:59:46 GMT -5
All the pieces are still there, so it’s not too late to put the puzzle back together. Man, I hope so. The group just screamed legit, and made Lashley look like a million bucks as the centerpiece. They at least established that Alexander and Lashley are cool with each other, didn't they? Dunno about Benjamin. |
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Post by Susan "Poison" Candy on Aug 10, 2022 21:00:43 GMT -5
Blandric Alexander
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Aug 10, 2022 21:27:46 GMT -5
Man, I hope so. The group just screamed legit, and made Lashley look like a million bucks as the centerpiece. They at least established that Alexander and Lashley are cool with each other, didn't they? Dunno about Benjamin. Benjamin barely appears on TV enough to make it clear one way or the other. In fact, he actually fights Alexander on Main Event this week (although my understanding is that they work it face v face). |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2022 21:38:55 GMT -5
It was good but it could've been even better.
Heel Street Profits, Shayna Baszler, Ricochet, Apollo Crews would've been much better fits. They all need managers and MVP is the perfect fit.
I would be down for a new Hurt Business with those guys I mentioned above. But you can't get me to care about Cedric and Shelton in 2022.
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Chiral
Salacious Crumb
Posts: 76,627
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Post by Chiral on Aug 11, 2022 2:19:16 GMT -5
It was so dumb when they had all the belts and then immediately booked Lashley to suddenly be like "this is all your fault cedric and shelton what exactly is 'this' I dunno but the hurt business is done"
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