WWE SmackDown Live Superstar Shelton Benjamin had been teasing a new gimmick for a while now. He was featured in a string of backstage interview segments that would see him smile at the camera and leave the spot. Benjamin finally broke his silence on tonight's episode of SmackDown Live and addressed Chad Gable as 'shorty'.
Benjamin is widely regarded by many as one of the best pure athletes in WWE history. He kicked off his professional wrestling career in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he became Tag Team Champion alongside Brock Lesnar on three occasions. Benjamin became a mainstay on WWE's SmackDown brand and formed a tag team named Team Angle, with Charlie Haas, and Kurt Angle as the leader. The two Superstars soon ended their association with Kurt Angle after he fired them, and formed The World's Greatest Tag Team. Benjamin was released from WWE in 2010. He came back to the company in 2017 and aligned with Chad Gable.
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Since the past several weeks, Benjamin was teasing a new gimmick. He appeared in multiple backstage interview segments, but didn't speak a word for weeks on end. Every segment saw Benjamin being asked a question by the interviewer, to which he responded by simply smirking and leaving the area. On tonight's episode of SmackDown Live, Benjamin finally broke his silence. When asked about his chances of winning the King of the Ring tournament, Benjamin teased silence for a while, but soon looked at his left. Chad Gable appeared and addressed Benjamin with "What's up, Shelton?" Benjamin looked down upon him, referred to him as 'shorty', and left the area.
This angle featuring Benjamin has seen a slow-burn. Now that he has finally spoken, fans can expect a payoff soon, hopefully as early as next week.