Bobby Lashley joining AEW has been on the news for a while now. With his old running mates MVP and Shelton Benjamin now in the All Elite Wrestling fold, some speculate that we may see the “All Mighty” sooner rather than later, effectively reforming the Hurt Business, or rather, the Hurt Syndicate.
While it’s still all speculation since Lashley has yet to officially debut in AEW, it would be very interesting to see who could step up to the plate if, or when, the former WWE Champion shows up and becomes #AllElite.
Here are a few names we have in mind.
Disclaimer: We won’t be including Swerve Strickland in this conversation since developments on AEW programming are more than likely leading to that if and when Bobby Lashley arrives in AEW.
Brody King
On the SportsKeeda WrestleBinge podcast, Brody King addressed the rumors that Lashley might end up in AEW. The biggest takeaway from this conversation is King is not afraid of a big challenge, and who’s bigger than Bobby Lashley?
It would be a sight to behold if these two go at it in the squared circle. Brody King moves like a guy half his size but has the strength to go toe-to-toe with Lashley. Similarly, Bobby Lashley has unbelievable agility, which allows him to get to an opponent in no time at all with a huge spear.
Apart from a potentially unforgettable Titan vs. Titan bout, this could be the catalyst for a House of Black and Hurt Syndicate feud down the line, a clash of styles that many would love to see.
Samoa Joe
At the time of writing, we hadn’t seen the “Samoan Submission Machine” since July 2024, when he lost to Chris Jericho in their “Stampede Street Fight,” which led to Joe exiting the Scotiabank Saddledome in an ambulance.
If Bobby Lashley ends up running roughshod over the roster, and that’s a huge possibility, there may be one man who can stop him, and that’s Samoa Joe. What some may not realize is that Joe, Lashley, and MVP have a ton of history together.
While short, the trio, along with a few others, laid waste to the TNA Wrestling roster as the Beat Down Clan. Some may say that the group was the prototype of what eventually would become The Hurt Business.
Lashley and Joe were also in WWE together, but they barely interacted apart from a big multi-man tag team match. If AEW wanted to put on a huge program for the “All Mighty,” they could draw from both men’s pasts, and the story would write itself.
Even if they don’t bring up that part of their careers, these are two of the most talented big men they have on their roster, and simply putting on a show for the AEW faithful would be more than enough.
Eddie Kingston
The “Mad King,” much like Joe, hasn’t been around lately due to injury. However, when Eddie Kingston does come back, he has more than enough experience trying to combat a whole faction on his own.
AEW fans can have an Eddie Kingston vs. Hurt Syndicate feud that culminates in the former Ring of Honor World Champion finally meeting the head honcho, which is Bobby Lashley, in the middle of the ring.
If the promotion wants an all-out war, then Eddie Kingston is the guy to bring it and tell a good story in the process. On the other hand, they can always bring up the fact that these two are very different people, adding to the drama of a conqueror wanting to take over the King’s house.
Again, it is a very easy story to tell and gives two of the most talented wrestlers in the world a great program to work with.
Undisputed Kingdom
Yes, we’re including a whole faction on this list. With the Undisputed Kingdom seemingly slowly turning face, a Hurt Syndicate vs. UK rivalry would be nothing short of amazing. Imagine “Mr. Mayhem” himself Wardlow throwing it down with Lashley in a behemoth brawl.
Or better yet, Adam Cole and Lashley, two leaders of their own respective factions, going at it for supremacy. It gives Lashley two big feuds right out the gate and could even reach its climax inside a “Blood and Guts” match. Sure, we’ve seen factions go at it in the unforgiving steel structure.
That said, it would be a amazing potential blow-off match to end this possible feud in the future.
Who do you think should challenge Bobby Lashley if he does end up being #AllElite?
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
