It was recently reported that Bobby Lashley had signed with AEW. The veteran was the leader of The Pride stable in WWE. It consisted of the Street Profits and B-Fab. He was heavily rumored to make an appearance at WrestleDream 2024. But fans saw Lio Rush instead. Rush could be revealed as the third member of The Hurt Syndicate.
The former WWE Superstar (2017-20) appeared backstage with Alicia Atout and disclosed that he had inked a new deal with AEW. Moments later, The Hurt Syndicate (MVP and Shelton Benjamin) interrupted him, and Rush didn't appreciate it.
MVP then asked Rush if he was available on Wednesday, hinting that Benjamin would like to have a encounter with him at Dynamite. Tony Khan later made the match official on X.
"#AEWDynamite This WEDNESDAY, 10/16, San Jose, CA, 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, TBS, Shelton Benjamin w/ @The305MVP vs. @IamLioRush. After Lio’s announcement that he’s back signed with [All Elite Wrestling] was interrupted by The Hurt Syndicate, @Sheltyb803 makes his @AEW debut vs. Lio Rush on TBS THIS WEDNESDAY!" Khan posted.
Notably, Swerve Strickland rejected MVP's proposal to join The Hurt Syndicate at WrestleDream. Fans could see the former AEW World Champion interfere in the upcoming match on Wednesday. This could drive Lio Rush to turn heel and join forces with MVP and Co., making him the third member of the stable. However, the angle is speculative at this point.
Why wasn't Bobby Lashley at WrestleDream?
Bobby Lashley didn't make it to WrestleDream, and it came as a disappointment to many fans. It was reported that he was originally scheduled for last week's PPV event, but the plan didn't fall through.
Ibou of WrestlePurists revealed on X that Tony Khan pulled Lashley from WrestleDream last week because he wanted to make sure that the 48-year-old had a grand AEW debut.
He wrote, "The Bobby Lashley debut angle was delayed to allow for it to stand out, as AEW felt they had enough big angles at WrestleDream and didn’t want it to be lost in the shuffle."
It will be interesting to see when Bobby Lashley makes his debut on AEW TV.