Shelton Benjamin Voices Frustration Over Not Being Used on WWE Television

Even though he’s been back with the company since 2017, Shelton Benjamin hasn’t had the chance to do much on WWE television in recent years. The former Intercontinental, United States and tag team champion wrestled on television less than 10 times in 2019, and a good chunk of those matches were multi-man battle royals and Royal Rumbles. He revealed in a recent episode of Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast that he has re-signed with the company to a multi-year deal, but also vented about how little he’s been used. Benjamin was famously a member of the same developmental class as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Batista and Randy Orton, all of whom trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

“I like to be in the mix, I like to be producing. I like to inspire people,” Benjamin said. “And lately, I haven’t been doing much as far as much on-air with the WWE. For me, it’s just frustrating. So, when you contacted me to do this interview, my first thought was like, ‘I don’t even know what to talk about’ because right now, I’m not really doing anything. I’m not really doing anything that’s fulfilling to me. I’m here every week, I’m ready to go.”

“It’s just for me, it’s like when I watch shows like this, the show’s called ‘Chasing Glory,’ it’s like people are chasing something,” he added. “Right now, I don’t even feel like I’m on the hunt, not that I don’t want to be, but I’m not. And that just frustrates me on a personal level.”

“I just re-signed another multi-year deal with them,” he then confirmed. “So, I’m still going to be here for another while.”

Benjamin originally wrestled on WWE’s main roster from 2002-10, then moved to Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah. He said that part of the reason he decided to come back was because of a conversation he had with Garcia, in which she advised him to “get out of your own way.”

WWE’s next pay-per-view, Super ShowDown, takes place on Feb. 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Check out the full card for the show below:

• WWE Universal Championship: Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
• WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Carmella/Naomi
• Raw Tag Team Championships: Seth Rollins and Murphy vs. The Street Profits
• SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. The Miz and John Morrison
• Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin (Steel Cage)
• AJ Styles vs. Andrade vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rusev (Gauntlet Match)