AEW's Standard of Excellence: Shelton Benjamin's Journey Beyond the Ring

🎙️ You know the wrestler.
Meet the man rewriting his story—on his own terms. 

Shelton Benjamin has dominated the wrestling world, leaving an indelible mark in WWE, NJPW, ROH, and now AEW as a member of “The Hurt Syndicate.” Known for his electrifying athleticism and record-breaking title reigns, Shelton’s journey spans decades of grit, glory, and reinvention. But now, he’s setting his sights on a new arena. 

We sit down with Shelton to unpack his storied career—from growing up in Orangeburg, South Carolina and excelling in multiple sports, to winning collegiate championships. He shares candid insights about his transition to AEW and his ambitions beyond wrestling, including acting and voice-over work. Fans are in for a treat as Shelton reveals a side of himself rarely seen—his passion for storytelling and performance outside the ring. 

Don’t miss this exclusive conversation with a legend exploring uncharted territory. Tune in to hear Shelton’s thoughts on his next chapter, his creative ambitions, and what’s driving him to redefine his legacy. 

 

🎯 What You’ll Hear in This Episode: 

• Shelton’s rise from small-town roots to wrestling icon 
• Behind-the-scenes moments from WWE to AEW 
• The emotional truth behind leaving the ring 
• How he’s pursuing a creative life beyond wrestling 

 

💬 Tell Us: 

 
What’s a time you stepped out of your comfort zone—and into your next chapter?  Tag @NRJMediaGroup or DM us. 

💬 We’d love to hear how Energis Podcast has sparked your journey! Share your story with us ✨

🌐 Thank you for listening! Stay inspired. Stay bold. Stay Energis’d. Visit us at www.nrjmediagroup.com to learn more and connect with our growing community.

Episode Transcript

Norma (00:03):
Energis Podcast is brought to you by NRJ Media
Group.
Rich yes, Shelton Benjamin, Iknow is a force both inside and

(00:25):
outside of the ring.
I mean, we all know him as awrestling powerhouse, but
there's so much more to hisstory.

Rich (00:32):
So much more to his story, absolutely, from dominating WWE
to his insane work ethic.
I mean Shelton is a definitionof discipline and dedication.

Norma (00:43):
And you know what.
People might not know this, buthe's setting his sights on a
whole new challenge.
I mean, we're talking aboutacting right and voice work
Absolutely.
He's coming for Hollywood and Ihave no doubt that he's going
to crush it.

Rich (00:58):
Or he's going to crush them Because that guy is a dude.
Okay, he's journeyed fromamateur wrestling to WWE
superstardom.
It really is proof that talentcan only get you so far.
It really is that grit, drive,determination that gets you and
keeps you at the top.
What about his behind-the-scenesstories?
I mean, they were just soentertaining, just like his

(01:22):
matches.
Yeah.
Life on the road to what reallyhappens in the world of pro
wrestling.
I mean that was like reallycool to hear those insider right
behind the scenes stuff.
And Shelton keeps it real.
I really love that.
You know what he does and he's got a heart of gold.
Let me just say this whetheryou're a wrestling fan, a dream

(01:42):
chaser or someone who just needsthat serious motivation, do not
miss this episode, because thisone is action-packed and it's
inspirational and it'sstraight-up gold.
All right, so let's do this.
Yes, let's get on with it.
Sheldon Benjamin is in thehouse Is in the house, yes, is

(02:10):
in the house.
Today we have with us I'mreally excited about this a
legend from WWE, SheltonBenjamin.
I'm so happy.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Thanks for having me.
Absolute honor and pleasurehaving you here.

Shelton Benjamin (02:22):
Thanks for having me.
I was looking forward to this.
Well, you know, we walked in.
We saw someone put having youhere.
Thanks for having me.
I was looking forward to thisso Well, you know, we walked in,
we saw someone put another doorhere.
I mean, you are huge.
I'm okay, I'm okay.

Norma (02:34):
When you walk into places do people ask can I arm wrestle
you?

Shelton Benjamin (02:38):
It's happened.
It's happened a few times, I canimagine.
But for the most part people.
I probably get the stares frompeople who might go.
He looks familiar.
A lot of times they I lookfamiliar.
They can't quite put theirfinger on it, but he looks
familiar.
And I would say the reason theyprobably can't quite put their
finger on it is because mostpeople remember me when I was

(02:59):
blonde, because for years one ofmy most popular runs I was a
blonde.
That's right.

Rich (03:07):
You're much better as a brunette or nor hair nor hair
nor hair, or bald or bald.

Shelton Benjamin (03:16):
And you recognize that squinty look of
like.
Where is he from?
I can walk in a room and Iinstantly recognize it, and I
think most people in theentertainment business,
especially when they've beenaround a long time.
We can tell, you can tell.
All right.
Well, just for the record, noone here is going to offer to
arm wrestle you today.

(03:36):
And I worked out twice inpreparation.

Norma (03:39):
We do want to know your workout regime, but we'll ask
that We'll get into that alittle later.
But, shelton, okay, so being inthe industry for a long, long
time, you were at WWE for howmany years?

Shelton Benjamin (03:51):
I spent a combined 17 years there 17 years
.
I started in 2000 and I went to2010 before I took a seven year
vacation from WWE.
In the meantime, I worked for alot of other major companies,
including New Japan, Ring ofHonor, tons of what we call
indie companies, just smallercompanies.

(04:12):
And in 2017, I went back to WWEand did another seven years
there, so I put in a lot of timethere, yeah.

Rich (04:24):
What got you into it?
How did your journey start?
Okay, so she probably doesn'trealize this, but my mom got me
interested in pro wrestling.

Norma (04:33):
Wait, wait, wait.
Your mother, my mother.
I hope she's listening.
Mom, you did good.

Shelton Benjamin (04:40):
I grew up in South Carolina and I was raised
primarily by my mother, and Ihave three other siblings and
you know, on Saturday afternoonswe would turn on TBS or
whatever and we'd be watching.
You know pro wrestling on theSuperstation.
And for me.
I never really paid itattention at first and we're
talking when I was eight, butright around 10 or 11, I think I

(05:01):
saw a match and it had JimmySuperfly Snooker did a flying
headbutt on a guy and as a kidyou know this was a regular TV
match.
I didn't understandpay-per-views and everything,
but I just saw a grown man jumpoff the top of the ropes and
land and headbutt a guy in thering and I was sold and since

(05:22):
then I watched religiously.
Eventually it got to the pointwhere I was like I started
thinking I think I can do that.
And then I started thinking.
I think I can do that better.
What a flying jump.
And then a hip hop Everythingeverything.

Norma (05:36):
Oh, no, I'm already visualizing you in your living
room and setting up.
You were actually physicallydoing them.

Shelton Benjamin (05:43):
Yes, I mean, that's what every kid in my
neighborhood is doing.
We were making cardboard beltsand using aluminum foil to bling
them out.
It was the time where guyswould test out the moves to see
if they really work.
And I remember the first timeone of my friends put the figure
four on me, because you knoweverything positive and negative
you hear about pro wrestling.

(06:04):
Everyone wants to know is is.
Does it really hurt?
And I can tell you fromexperience the figure four hurts
what's a figure?
four a lot well, it's, it wasmove made famous by rick flair.
Yeah, the nature boy, rickflair.
He basically, would you know,put you in a way, cross your
legs, like this.
He'd have his legs wrapped init, but because of the position
it's a figure four position okay, and it puts pressure on your

(06:25):
kneeslike everything hurts the pain.
For me, the first time it ithappened I couldn't tell where
the pain was coming from.
I just know I wanted him tostop.
It's like stop, this isn't theend.
And of course kids don't stop,you know what you get, on you
gotta crank on it a little bit.

Norma (06:42):
They're waiting for something to crack.
Yeah, exactly.

Shelton Benjamin (06:47):
And that move will actually break your leg.
So, yeah, we were doing all ofthese moves and, like I said, as
I got older and I got more andmore into it, I just like, okay,
I don't want to watch this, Iwant to do this.
And it became my passion.
And I remember my high schoolcoach, coach Ron Donlick.
He asked me what I wanted to dowhen I grow up, basically, and

(07:08):
I was like, well, I want to trypro wrestling.
And at the time he actually hadgone to school with a famous
wrestler named gorilla monsoon.
Probably most people my ageknow him from his commentary
days, but he's very famouscommentary from wwe and my coach
okay, well, he's a friend ofmine, I'll give him him a call
when we get you through college.

Rich (07:29):
I love that he was saying, pointing you, it doesn't end
here, you're gonna continuegoing.

Shelton Benjamin (07:36):
Yeah, yeah.
So, sidebar, coach Donnlick andhe is like Mike Tyson had
custom model and I always saysay, ron Donlick was my custom
model because he took, you know,a raw talent who was at risk
and basically turned me into achampion, but we'll get more
into him later.
But so fast forward.

(07:56):
I get to University ofMinnesota, where I was on a
wrestling scholarship and one ofthe first things my coach,
jerry Robinson, asked me well,what do you want to do when you
are done?
And I said I think I want totry pro wrestling.
He was like okay, I know somepeople in the industry, so when
we're done, when we're done withcollege, you know, maybe we'll

(08:18):
give them a call.
Fast forward, a couple yearslater I'm an assistant coach for
the university and we have anathlete there by the name of
Brock Lesnar.
And.
Brock got the attention of well,brock gets the attention of
everybody who sees him and, ofcourse, wwe saw him and they
approached the university.
They actually came to theuniversity first and asked about

(08:41):
Brock and my coach was like,yes, brock might be interested,
but he has another year, anotheryear.
So, ncaa rules, ncaa rules, youcan't talk to him but, we have
another guy who is probably moreinterested, and that guy was me
, that was you, that was me, andso that's basically how I got
in.
But my love of wrestlingstarted when I was in fifth,

(09:05):
sixth grade.
So you're at college and you'regoing through your scholarship.
So, this might sound like astupid question and I apologize
if it does, but what type oftraining do you need to do?
What did you do at the time?
Or is this something you justlearned once you joined WWE?
While I'm in college.
I had no idea what kind oftraining because I was for lack

(09:26):
of a better term.
I was a street performer.
Like I would watch it, I wouldmimic it and you know, we just
have fun with it.
So I actually knew a lot of prowrestling because I watched so
religiously, despite the factthat I wasn't trained.
So while I was at Minnesota, no, I never trained for pro
wrestling.
I trained as an amateur wrestler, which I will go on record as

(09:47):
saying is the toughest sport inthe world.
So I was.
I was training for prowrestling because I, you know,
for me to be as successful as Iwanted to be, I couldn't focus
on where I wanted to get, I hadto focus on where.
I was.
And amateur wrestling changed mylife.
University of Minnesota changedmy life.
They taught me work ethic andall these Adversity so there was

(10:07):
no pro wrestling training untilI actually did.
To the US, you go.

Rich (10:12):
But what was?
But you said you werepassionate about it.
And what was it that you werepassionate about?
Was it the physicality ofwrestling?
Was it?

Shelton Benjamin (10:20):
I think for me , the same way people watch a
movie and gravitate to certaincharacters and certain stories
and things like that, growing upin a single household, it gave
me.
It honestly gave me people tolook up to.
My favorite memories, and a lotof.
Even when I was wrestling, Iwould always put myself in my

(10:42):
favorite wrestler's shoes.
For example, as a kid, st stingI was a huge sting fan.
He was in a feud with a guynamed Big Van Vader, and Vader
is a massive man.
And so when I originallystarted amateur wrestling like I
was a I was a heavyweight,which is the heaviest weight
class, but I was about 60 to 70pounds underweight Like I didn't

(11:04):
.
Seriously, yes, when I startedwrestling which is the heaviest
weight class, but I was about 60to 70 pounds underweight.
Seriously, yes, when I startedwrestling, I weighed 204.
The next lowest class was 190,and I told my coach, raleigh
Jackson, at the time if you wantme to wrestle, I'm not starving
myself.
So I would just wrestle the bigguys.
And, as it turns out, I waspretty good because I ended up

(11:25):
being a two-time state champ,high school All-American, and so
it was.
But because I was alwayswrestling guys so much bigger
than me, it was easy for me tokind of say, oh, I'm staying
wrestling Vader, becauseeverybody I wrestled was, like
you know, 50, 60 pounds heavierthan me, because everybody I
wrestled was like 50, 60 poundsheavier than me.

(11:46):
Obviously the action and thevibes and the fun.
But there was a lot of funmoves.
Like my favorite tag team wasthe Rock and Roll Express.
They would do all these reallycool acrobatic moves and it was
just the excitement of it all.
At that point I wasn't thinkingmonetary.
I wasn't thinking fame I waslike this looks fun and I like
that guy, so I wanna be likethat guy.

Norma (12:06):
That's awesome.
So you were admiring these guys.
You wanted to be them.

Speaker 4 (12:10):
Exactly.

Rich (12:12):
Obviously, it was almost like this magical thing of
living through the characters,because each wrestler has a
personality right, Absolutely.

Shelton Benjamin (12:20):
I can name a list like Sting, Dusty Rhodes,
the Undertaker, the Rock andRoll Express, the Steiner
Brothers, Rikishi and the SamoaSWAT team.
I love these guys.

Norma (12:31):
Okay, now I have to ask you this question Do you guys
get to choose your own names, oris a name given to you?

Shelton Benjamin (12:37):
A little bit of both, but I think when I
originally started because I wasan amateur wrestler from
college and blue chip athlete itjust made more sense for me to
just use my real name, okay.
So I think I kinda looked outon that.
This was just before WWE reallygot into IPs, where it's like,

(13:00):
okay, we need to own thischaracter.
But because of my followingthat I brought to the table, I
didn't need to change my name.
They added a moniker, but I'vealways been Shelton Benjamin.
It's actually a cool name, itis a cool name.
It's actually a really cool name.
But with the class of guys thatI was with Randy Orton, John

(13:20):
Cena, Brock Lesnar, DaveBautista, Dave.
Bautista as well.
Yes, I started with all of theseguys.
All right, so let me ask you aquestion, if I may, of all of
these people.
When you joined, obviously youwere young, excited to be part
of something you really wantedto be part of.
Did you have anyone you lookedup to, anyone that mentored you

(13:42):
when you were there, that helpedyou on your journey?
one.
You looked up to anyone thatmentored you when you were there
, that helped you on yourjourney.
So when I arrived, there was a,the only person that I
recognized was was jim jimcornett.
He was a legendary manager, uh,and of course he was one of the
guys in charge, and so I Ilooked up to him, but it was
weird because he was also a badguy.
So as a kid I grew up hatinghim.

(14:03):
What do you mean?

Rich (14:04):
he was also a bad guy, so as a kid I grew up hating him.
What do you mean?
He was a bad guy.
His character, he was a villain.

Shelton Benjamin (14:07):
Oh, his character was a bad guy.
He was a manager, so he alwaysmanaged all these teams, but he
was a dastardly villain.
Like you know, he used to runaround with a tennis racket and
hit the guys that I loved in theback of the head.
So I grew up and, okay, this isone of the guys that are my
mentors and for me he's a verypolarizing figure, to say the
least, but for me he's beennothing but great.

(14:29):
So I looked up to him at first,but what I found was, once I
got there, most of the peopleobviously none of us knew where
we were going Myself, brock,dave, all these guys it was like
we were just one.
We helped each other.
But as far as looking up toanyone, I think we all still
looked up to the guys who wereat that time the top guys the

(14:52):
Stone Cold, steve Austins, theRocks, the Mankinds, the Hearts
this is what we could get to,but again, we all focused on
where we were.

Rich (15:02):
Right, right, right, and I would imagine, as this is what
we get to.
But going back to the names andthe reason, I was because some
of them are super clever.
Right, but you also developpersonas right Now.
Do you have a stake indeveloping that persona or is
that persona given to you?

Shelton Benjamin (15:21):
Both answers yes.

Rich (15:22):
Okay.

Shelton Benjamin (15:23):
I never took on a comic book style
performance.

Rich (15:27):
What were your other names ?

Shelton Benjamin (15:28):
No well.
So I've always had monikers, orI was always in a group.
So my moniker with WWE was theGhost Standard.
When I worked in Japan, mymoniker was Invader X, so it was
just different.
Invader X, yeah, different,different, different.
Cause I was like a for thatparticular team.
I was a surprise guest, and soin Japan, when they don't know

(15:51):
who the person is, they just putyou know, say Suzuki Minoru and
his partner.

Rich (15:58):
X oh, got it, got it, got it.

Shelton Benjamin (15:59):
Versus so-and-so, so they don't know
who X is.
So because obviously in JapanI'm a foreigner, I was like I'm
an invader.
So I was just like, oh, if I'mgoing to be invader.

Rich (16:07):
X, so you came up with that, I came up with that, okay,
cool.

Shelton Benjamin (16:10):
Some are given , some come in with it, so it's
like every answer is right.
So there are guys who gotreally popular as someone else
and they just brought that into.

Norma (16:20):
WWE Do you get to decide if you're a good guy or a bad
guy?

Shelton Benjamin (16:28):
Sometimes, I mean, when I originally started,
I started as a good guy, butthen I think it was suggested
while they were still trying tofigure out the best way to
present me.
They tried me out at being abad guy, and I was just better
at it.
Surprisingly, I was better atbeing a bad guy, and I was just
better at it.
Surprisingly, I was better atbeing a bad guy.

Rich (16:49):
That's your alter ego.

Norma (16:49):
I know I was going to say that it's your alter ego.
I think we all want to be better.
You're right, you're right,you're right, I'll keep my other
commentary to myself Be polite,I'll be nice to him.

Shelton Benjamin (17:02):
But I think the cool thing about pro
wrestling is I flip-flop backand forth, but if you ask me
which do I prefer?
I prefer being a bad guy, andit's for one simple reason it's
so much easier to tick peopleoff than to make them happy.

Norma (17:17):
Oh, that is so true.
And ticking people off, I meanjust makes it better TV, right
and performance.

Shelton Benjamin (17:24):
It makes it so much more fun for me.

Norma (17:25):
More drama, absolutely.

Shelton Benjamin (17:29):
Some guys are so good at being bad guys that
the bad guy turns into the goodguy, Because you know Stone Cold
, Steve Austin, he's a bad guy,Like if you look at everything
he does, he's a bad guy butpeople love him.
So because people love him,he's the bad guy that everyone's
rooting for right, so anythingyeah the anti-hero.

(17:52):
That's exactly, and there are alot of guys who were able to
walk that line because theyexcel on either on either side
of the fence.
but then there are other guyswho have never been bad guys and
I don't think it's evenpossible.
Take a guy like Ray Mysterio Jr.
He wears a mask and he does alot of really cool stuff and

(18:14):
he's a great person all around.
There's no way he can be a badguy.
You can try it, but Peoplewon't believe it.

Norma (18:22):
People won't accept it Because you also get to the fans
, the fandom that gets attachedto it and the following yes.
And that actually starts andbuilds and adds to your
credibility as a character thatyou start portraying on TV.

Shelton Benjamin (18:36):
Rey's one of the few people that in real life
or for the fandom.
If you're talking bad about ReyMysterio, there's something
wrong with you that says moreabout you than Rey, Seriously,
Absolutely, and I can say thesame thing about a guy like Kofi
Kofi Kingston.

Norma (18:56):
Right.

Shelton Benjamin (18:56):
If you're talking bad about that guy, no,
that says more about you thanit's on Lauren's shirt.

Norma (19:02):
All of them.
Yeah exactly, lauren from ourmarketing team has a
wrestlemania t-shirt on and lookshe.
Uh, she was naming them.
Yeah, she's not a fan, thoughshe's not a fan, though she's

(19:22):
not a fan.
No, no, not at all.
You hide it really well.

Rich (19:24):
I know she hides it really well, so I got a question for
you.

Shelton Benjamin (19:27):
So you get into WWE and you start your
journey, do they throw you inthe ring straight away or do you
have to go through?
Oh no, so we have what we calldevelopmental.
So I signed with WWE in 2000.
January 10th 2000.

(19:48):
And I was sent to OVW inLouisville and OVW is what we
call developmental, where allnew prospective talents they're
sent to train.
Right now we have the samething but it's called NXT and
it's one big facility in Orlando.
When I started there were anumber of different
developmental territories.
We had OVW in Louisville, onein Memphis, there was one in

(20:10):
Cincinnati, I believe there wasone in California at some point.
So you had pools of talentbeing sent to all these places
and basically WWE.
Whenever they were casting anew character or new situation,
like they were okay, they wouldkind of decide.
But I was in Louisville indevelopmental for two and a half

(20:32):
years and that's where I reallystart.
That's when I learned how toget in the ring and how to start
doing a lot of the moves andthings like that.

Norma (20:41):
So they teach you like technique, right, and there's
different, like you said, movesand you're just kind of training
.
It's a training facility.

Shelton Benjamin (20:47):
They teach you technique, but it's also OVW
was its own independent circuit,so they're teaching us
technique, but we're alsotraveling around, mostly locally
, doing shows.
So we're getting experience infront of a crowd and OVW is,
while it is a, at the time itwas a farming system for WWE.

(21:08):
It was its own independentcompany, so we were actually
getting real world experience.
Uh, it was just at a lowerbudget right.

Norma (21:17):
Oh, and that's great because you actually get to
practice the moves, because it'snot just, it's also working
with the audience.
Right, because when you'redoing shows, you feed off the
audience.
Right, you have to get.
Right, because when you'redoing shows, you feed off the
audience, right.
You have to get the audienceexcited.

Rich (21:27):
So you're doing both, and to gauge them as well.
I guess you know what gets themexcited, what gets them to build
up the crescendo.
So it's an amazing way of doingit.
What interests me is thetraining side of it.
So you know, obviously you'relearning your craft in two and a
half years.
But you said you went up.
Did you go up in weight?

Shelton Benjamin (21:51):
When I started wrestling in high school I
weighed 204.
The heaviest I ever competed incollege, and in college the
weight class is right now Ithink it's 286.
I never weighed more than 217.
So when I signed with WWE,that's about what I weighed.
Over time I gradually as youknow, age related and just I

(22:12):
worked, started working out moreand I got a little heavier.
But when I debuted I onlyweighed maybe 225.
So I didn't have.
I didn't have a lot of.

Norma (22:21):
Can I ask now your training regime?
What does?
that entail.

Shelton Benjamin (22:27):
Okay, so we're going to take notes, okay so,
hey, Lauren, can you write this?
down.
I will say only recently, and byrecently, in the last five, six
years have really gotten intotraining Because unfortunately,
unfortunately, but fortunately Iwas very God gifted Like.

(22:48):
I had muscles and ability andeverything that you would think
I would have to work for.
It just was natural for mebecause I played three sports.
I haven't had an off seasonsince I was 15.

Norma (23:02):
What did you play?

Shelton Benjamin (23:02):
I played football and then off season
since I was 15.
What?

Speaker 4 (23:04):
did you play.

Shelton Benjamin (23:04):
I played football, yep, and then football
season overlapped withwrestling season, so there are
times when I would go fromfootball practice to wrestling
practice.

Norma (23:12):
Two very physical things Into the wrestling season.

Shelton Benjamin (23:14):
From wrestling season I went into track season
because I ran the track.
I ran the 100, 200, and 4x1.
Oh, you were a runner, yeah.
What was your best time on the100?
10-2.
Really Wow.
I actually took second instates.
My senior year I won a juniorcollege national championship in
the 100.

Norma (23:34):
Go Shelton, all right.

Rich (23:36):
You're very physical.
What positions did you play infootball?
Running back and linebacker,Okay.

Shelton Benjamin (23:40):
And then I think I dabbled a little in
college where they were tryingto put me at defensive end, but
that didn't pan out.
But yeah, I was very good ateverything.

Norma (23:48):
Oh, so you were that kid.
That would be like, all right,I'll just try it.
And then hits a home runbasketball.

Shelton Benjamin (24:00):
Like my athleticism is, you know.
It's why it's really why I'msitting here today At the end of
track season.
Well, well, that was freestylewrestling season in going into
the summer, so I would justtransition right into that and
by the time that's over, okay,it's time to get ready for
football again.
And that was my high schoolexperience.
Once I got to college.
It was just wrestling and trackmy first couple years from
there.
I did two years there and thenI went to University of

(24:22):
Minnesota where I did wrestlingand track and then my senior
year like I kind of dabbled withfootball.

Norma (24:28):
But not really.

Shelton Benjamin (24:30):
Yeah, okay, by that time.
I'm a wrestler, my god I'm.
That's what my heart is, that'smy love is, that's what my best
memories are.
So I'm an amateur wrestlerthrough and through.

Rich (24:41):
So is there a specific type of training you need to do?
to for wrestling because is isit a lot of core strength um
legs it's pretty much everything, and again I I'm speaking as a
guy who I didn't work out oh,get out of here for years really
, because I excuse me why Idon't throw up.

Speaker 4 (25:01):
Yeah, exactly, I want to see what he's made of
actually.

Shelton Benjamin (25:06):
I didn't have to Like I said, I was always
active.
I was gifted.
My mom's side of the familywere very large people.
My dad's side of the familywere very thin people.
I came out in the middle.

Norma (25:20):
Perfect mix.

Shelton Benjamin (25:22):
I was always big enough.
I was always strong enough.
I was always big enough, I wasalways strong enough and I was
always way faster than peopleeven expected me to be, because
at one point I christened myselfthe world's fastest heavyweight
.
Because I was.

Rich (25:34):
You know, and the thing is like, when you're, when you're,
when you see strength, youdon't necessarily equate that
with speed.
Right, because you're strong,but you had both.
You have the ability to do bothright oh, there were.

Shelton Benjamin (25:44):
Sometimes I would, especially with track,
because most track guys are longand slender, super muscular,
but they don't weigh 200 poundsno, that's a 200 pound
expression.
You're not running 100.
yeah so that's a lot it's a bigtrain coin really fast for you
I've never, I've never had arace where I've never I've never

(26:06):
had a race where the personnext to me was as big as me.
Yeah, and, but again, I was justfast.
So to answer your question.
As far as working out, thosewould wrestling like I didn't do
anything special, okay, like Ijust stayed active.
And once I was in the prowrestling, yeah, it was just
like I'm always.
I was always active.
I had work out here and there,but not enough that I would sit

(26:28):
here and tell you oh, I used to,you know, have every day.
I would go months without goingto a gym because I didn't have
to All right, shelton, you'relike a superhero already right,
it's like I was expecting thelist of Monday, tuesday and
Wednesday.
Did you leave a cake when youcame in?
I know exactly, I don't know.

Norma (26:44):
He has like a little magic pill or something I have
no idea.
So you weren't on this strictregime of this day, that day, or
even food.
What about your diet?
I?

Shelton Benjamin (26:53):
ate whatever I want, Seriously Whatever I want
Cake cookies, soda, all of thatstuff.
I just burned everything.
Um, it wasn't until I hit 42.
That's when it was like thatwas the first time I was.
You know, I go to the gym andlike if I go to the gym I get

(27:14):
the pump and the pump would lastme for a couple weeks.
One workout last me a coupleweeks.
And then I just startednoticing two days later I'm like
I don't feel like I worked outat all.
I got a little out of shape.
I shouldn't say out of shape.
I got a little out of shape forwhat I was used to seeing when
I look in the mirror.
I was doing a show for a companycalled Ring of Honor and they

(27:34):
had a woman there taking photosfor us.
This is after my WWE experience.
With WWE, everything's topnotch photography, food, travel,
everything.
So when they do photos, they'lledit the photos a bit to make
everyone look really good.
Well, now, with the smallercompany, ring of Honor, and the
woman who took the photos, shejust took photos and then

(27:56):
printed them and handed it.
There's no editing and nothing.
And we had a autograph sessionand she set the stack of photos
in front of me and I rememberlooking at it and I went oh no
and I remember I was sittingthere next to my partner Charlie
.
I was like do you see these?
and like yeah, I'm like is thatwhat I look?

(28:17):
like what, you look great.
I'm like, no, I do not.
So like I'm trying to sign.
I signed like three of them andthen I was like I can't do this
, like I'm trying to sign.
I signed like three of them andthen I was like I can't do this
, like I can't sign these, likeI'm at this point.
I'm like I'm so embarrassed byhow I look in this photo, like I
took the whole stack and I saiddon't sell these to anyone else
.
Their interview.

(28:46):
I left the the autograph sessionand it was like with everything
I did, I tried to put my bestfoot forward, everything, and
when I saw this, I'm like I'mnot.
These photos look horrible.
I look horrible.
And they look horrible notbecause of the photographer
who's got the subject, and I waslike I was just looking at
myself and I was embarrassed, soI trashed those photos.
I left out of.
It was I was there five.
It was like one of those when Ilooked down I can't, I cannot,

(29:09):
I can't do this, especially withthese.
And that's when I got in thegym and that's when I,
religiously, two weeks later, Ilooked like a completely
different person.
And since then I've becomereally conscious of what I eat.
How often I work out?
I train at least four days aweek for about an hour.
I don't eat junk.

(29:31):
I don't eat.

Norma (29:32):
What's junk?

Shelton Benjamin (29:33):
I won't eat fast food.

Norma (29:35):
Okay, processed.
So you try to stay away fromprocessed food.

Shelton Benjamin (29:37):
I recently had to abandon energy drinks.
I don't drink energy drinks.

Rich (29:42):
You're full of sugar.

Shelton Benjamin (29:43):
Yeah, they really messed up my sleep
process too.
I still eat whatever I want,but I'm very conscious to eat.
I'll eat whatever I want, maybeonce a week.
Most people, the average person, will go.
I'm going to eat junk, junk,junk.
Four or five days a week.

(30:04):
Oh, this weekend I'm going towork out and eat a salad.

Norma (30:07):
Yeah, yeah.

Shelton Benjamin (30:07):
And I'm like that, math ain't mathing.

Rich (30:10):
Yeah, the math ain't mathing.

Shelton Benjamin (30:13):
So I just look at that and I flipped it.

Norma (30:15):
Okay.

Shelton Benjamin (30:16):
Because I work out, like I said, at least four
days a week.
I always eat clean.
I don't eat a lot of junk.
So if I go to a family reunionand there's barbecue and cookies
and cake and all like, I'llgorge myself because one day is
not going to hurt me, becausethis is one day out of you know
30.

(30:36):
Like I said, I flip it to whereI don't put myself in a
position where I crave this andcrave that because I haven't had
this in so long.

Norma (30:45):
No, I just eat good most of the week and then have like a
cheat day, yeah, but I'm happythat you're saying it now.
You become human now, mm-hmm,because it's something about,
would you say.
It was 42 when you noticed yourbody changing.

Speaker 4 (30:58):
Yes, right.

Norma (31:00):
And then you're not that young kid anymore, mm-hmm,
you're not that young kidanymore.
And so okay, good, that'smaking me feel better it happens
to us all.

Shelton Benjamin (31:07):
But since then , like I said, I train at least
four days a week, sometimes moreRarely, less.
If I do less than three days,then I'm really on myself Like
no, that's screwing up.
So, and it's just for me, Ipick a body part, I go in.
And you just blitz that yeah.
That one hour, come back thenext day.

(31:29):
I'm like, hey, I'm going to behere at least four times a week.
I don't have to try to get itall in, because I also don't
want to be so stiff.
It's just not great forwrestling and my particular
style.
I'm very athletic and stuff, soI don't want to be too muscular
and bulky to where I just looklike a robot.

Norma (31:47):
Yeah Well, you like the flexibility and everything like
you were talking about when youwere going back to being that
kid and if we can go back tothat kid, right, that was
growing up in.
What was the name of the cityyou said you grew up in?

Shelton Benjamin (32:03):
Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Norma (32:04):
Okay, tell me a little bit how it was growing up there.

Shelton Benjamin (32:07):
Okay, so if we're talking, the early days
extremely humble, the first homethat I had did not have running
water.
So yeah, so we're talking.
We would have to go fill upjugs at the neighbors with water
.
When I grew up on my father'sside of the family, I had this
huge plot of land where almostevery house is a family member,

(32:28):
a cousin, second cousin, firstcousin, aunt, so there was a lot
of you know community.
But, like I said, we werefarmers, we were poor.
To me, my childhood was okaybecause I was just a kid running
around the farm and having funfamily yeah, so later when we
moved more into the city ofOrangeburg, it was, it was.

(32:51):
It was very small town, urban,primarily black community, if I
should say primarily black, butit was.
My world was primarily black,like obviously the schools were
mixed and everything else, itwas, I would say, not bad.

(33:12):
Obviously, everyone has theirups, and downs but we had rough
times, but I never knew howrough, because, despite having a
very strict mom, she alwaysmanaged to pull through a force
when it counted.
And, like I said, my dad.
While my parents weren'ttogether.
My dad was accessible and Ididn't spend enough as much time

(33:33):
with him as I want, but he wasaround.
So I was definitely raised bymy mom let's make that very
clear.
But my dad was accessible and Idid spend time with him and his
side of the family, which is alot of kids, didn't have that,
so I never felt like I wasmissing out or anything like

(33:54):
that, like again, it was small,rural, rural.
I don't know why I have sotrouble saying it.

Norma (34:01):
No, it's a difficult word , but.

Shelton Benjamin (34:05):
I grew up like you know I would, to make money
.
I cut lawns to make money or,you know, every now and then the
truck would go around.
We'd jump on the truck and youwould go to a field and you'd
pick peas and go into the fieldsand pick vegetables and stuff
you know to be sold at market.
We didn't have gangs, we hadneighborhood coalitions, what I

(34:27):
like to call them.
It's like oh, if you're, youknow you're from the fairgrounds
, you're from the editor's store, you're from you know.
Well, you know, different partsof neighborhood is basically,
if you're from that part of theneighborhood, that's the gang
you were, that was your gangaffiliation.
But we didn't really have gangs, at least not compared to, say,

(34:51):
la.

Norma (34:52):
Right, right right.

Shelton Benjamin (34:55):
But there was a lot of violence, a lot of drug
use, a lot of alcoholics andthings like that.
I remember at one point therewas a club almost across the
street from where I live and ablock away from where I live and
there were many nights where Iwould go to sleep, to pow, pow.

Norma (35:16):
Oh, you heard gunshots.

Shelton Benjamin (35:17):
Thursday nights and Saturday nights.
The one across the street wasThursday, the one up the block
was Saturday night and, yeah, itwas pretty common for me to
hear a few gunshots here andthere and you stayed away from
that.
I threw a miracle and again Isaid I have a very strict mom.
Yeah, I never got into it, butalso I don't think me personally

(35:43):
really ever once I got an ideaof what that life was like.
It was like, no, brenda, I'mnot doing that, I'd rather move
along.
It's like, yes, I could go andsell drugs and things like that,
but I also would have to lookover my shoulder for rivals or
people who just want to rob youjust to get your prize you know

(36:04):
that type of stuff and I had nodesire.
And you had a dream, but thiswas even before my dream, okay.
Like I just knew that, no matterwhat I do, I don't want to be
looking over my shoulder forpolicemen or anyone with bad
intentions.
But, that speaks a lot one toyour character and two to your

(36:24):
mother.
You know, because both motheryou know that my mom would have
killed me, but that's phenomenal, because that's what kept your
family together you on the paththat ultimately led to where to

(36:47):
where you got to.
So I've got a couple ofquestions for you, so I'm going
to jump forward now so you leftWWE and you went, as you say.
You went to Japan on the indiecircuit.
What was it like coming out ofa big machine like WWE and going
to something else that wasindie or even Japan?
I mean, you must have stood outin Japan.
I mean anyone, any foreignerthat goes to Japan stands out.

(37:09):
You know, you are this bigmuscly guy that just turns up.
You are the invader, right.
How was it?
When I originally left WWE, myfirst major company that I
worked with was Ring of Honor,and again it was humbling.
I went straight from college tothe biggest pro wrestling
company in the world yeah right,Working with the biggest names

(37:31):
in the world and, like you said,everything is like wow and
grand.
So then when I first went toRing of Honor, which didn't have
a fraction of the budget thatWWE has, it was again.
It was humbling and for me, forme, it was like parts unknown.
Luckily for me, my partner,Charlie Haas.
He had done the independentscene before his wwe journey and

(37:54):
so he, he was coaching mebecause I didn't know how to
market myself, I didn't know howto get myself, but I didn't
know if we, if we had anautograph session, I I don't
know what to sell an eight byten for you know what I mean
like.
And so Charlie actually coachedme along.
But again, it was very humbling.
But it also I think I neededthat experience because it made

(38:17):
me, it gave me a whole newrespect for the business and the
people in the business Because,like I said, when you start at
the top, you don't see how somepeople who never make it the
kind of grind that they're doingand the sacrifices and the
things that they have to dealwith and put up with because

(38:39):
they've never been to WWE orthey didn't have the same star
power.
I think they call us name guys.
If you've been to WWE, mostpeople, if you're in the pro
wrestling, they know who you are, so you refer to them as oh,
he's a name guy because fansknow them Well.
Because of that, I still hadprivileges and I still got

(39:03):
certain treatments that theyhadn't gotten, because I was
seen as a big star from TV whois now doing the indie scene.
But also it also taught me that, yeah, I knew I won a lottery
ticket, but I didn't know howbig of a lottery ticket I had
won until I went there andbecause I had only done WWE and

(39:24):
once I was there, I only paidattention to WWE.
So my thinking was all the bestwrestlers are in WWE.
And I went on the internet andI found out no, that is not the
case.
The best marketing, the bestpromotion, like all that, but
the actual best talents no,they're not in WWE.
A lot of them are.

(39:44):
They're just biding their time,or WWE just hasn't, they just
haven't come up on WWE's radaryet.
A lot of those guys who when Ifirst started there are now in
WWE, and I'm talking Kevin Owens, sammy, but there's a whole
list of guys who when I wentthere they were still up-and-com
comers and now they'resuperstars.

(40:06):
It made me really respectbecause what they had to go
through to make it to WWE Iskipped the line, I had a fast
pass it really made me respectall the talent, not just WWE
talent, all talent.
It doesn't matter if you're ina show, at a parking lot or at
you know.

(40:27):
Madison Square.
Garden.
Like what they're going throughto try to get where I just,
like I said I just got a fastpass to, is like you have to
respect the grind.

Rich (40:36):
It's a lot of work and you've been, you're doing it for
a very, very long time.
But now that, what's next nowfor Shelton Benjamin?
What's next now for SheltonBenjamin?
What's next now for SheltonBenjamin?
What projects are you brewing?

Shelton Benjamin (40:49):
I am definitely trying to.
You know, I want to do someacting.
I'd like to Acting.
I would definitely like to dosome acting.

Rich (40:57):
I can definitely see that.
Can you?
Oh, totally, you can see itwith a big screen.
I can see it Absolutely.

Shelton Benjamin (41:01):
I can I get the tickets now?
So there's a lot that WWE didfor me and I can't thank them
enough for, like I said, Iwouldn't be where I am without
WWE.
But, that being said, there area couple areas where I feel
like we could have concentratedon more.
A big one of those is just mypersonality, right, because

(41:24):
people really don't know mypersonality.
Yeah, obviously they know whatthey've seen on WWE, but a big
one of those is just mypersonality, right, um, because
people really don't know mypersonality.
Obviously they know whatthey've seen on w, but they
don't know shelton, because wenever really gave them shelton.
Yep, um, and that's part.
You know, obviously I carry alot of blame for that, because I
have to project, and if I'm notprojecting then it's like okay,
we can only do so much.
You have to this, this is you,no matter what, this is still,

(41:47):
you're the product, so you haveto yep, yep, so I, I, I take
credit for that, and so one ofthe things I'd like to do, you
know, through it, is just showpeople like, uh, I'm more than
just a guy who just you know,just like a mean guy and and
because I'm very good at atprojecting anger, um, and then a

(42:07):
lot of you know one of my bigcritiques that I I that I'm
probably going to get forever.
It's just you know promos, likeI was, I wasn't good at promos
and and to my credit and to thefans credit I wasn't for a long
time.
But with pro wrestling and Iexplained this in interviews
like sometimes, after you have acertain reputation, it doesn't
matter if you improve on it ornot.

(42:29):
This is what they believe aboutyou.
So this is where you're stuck,unless the company gets behind
you and help.

Rich (42:38):
Right, introduce a new side, a new side to the personas
that everybody loves right,right, right.
The personas that everybodyloves right.

Shelton Benjamin (42:43):
Right, but unfortunately some companies,
especially when you're talkingabout a multi-billion dollar
company well, we've had you fora few.
We don't have time for that.
We need someone who can.
We need results now.
And that's not a knock on them.
That's why they're the biggestcompany in the world, because
they need results, results, andso you know, they probably were

(43:04):
less inclined to.
You know, give me that theopportunities that I was
sometimes begging for.
But they were still like well,you know, and I get it, it's
well we got this guy like andI'm just using the magic example
John Cena.
John Cena's to me the bestpromo in wrestling.

Norma (43:23):
Like, if you talk to him when when you're saying promo,
you're talking about talkingabout.

Shelton Benjamin (43:27):
I'm talking about talking, addressing the
fans marketing themselves,connecting with the fans, not
stumbling over the words I use.
Cena, even though he's still tome one of the faces of pro
wrestling, but he's also from myclass, I take a special, but
he's always been a guy Like whenhe talks, he can win over

(43:50):
anybody.
If you put him in any sit, inany situation, I don't care what
it is.
It can be as ridiculous orserious as you, he makes it work
.
And I remember sitting back andwatching him going how does he
do that?
Yeah, and the one time I reallyspoke and asked him about it
and he was like bro, I just sit.
He's like I'm a nerd, I justsit at home and talk to myself

(44:12):
in the mirror.
And this is when he said backin OVW, hindsight is always
20-20.
When he said that to me, youknow we're talking.
This is, you know, 2001 or 2002.
I'm like you shouldn't talk toyourself in the mirror and I
didn't realize that was abreadcrumb.

Norma (44:28):
Yes, and.

Shelton Benjamin (44:29):
I didn't pick up on it.
Yes, yes.
Later even Vince McMahon.
He was kind of coaching me onetime.
He was saying you know you goand you talk to yourself in the
mirror.
And again I was like talk toyourself in the mirror.
I was like that was anotherbreadcrumb.
Again I was like talk toyourself in the mirror.
I was like that was anotherbreadcrumb.
When he said it I got it alittle more but I still wasn't

(44:51):
really fully committed to theidea.

Rich (44:53):
The mirror didn't say Shelton, start talking to
yourself, Right?

Shelton Benjamin (44:57):
And again.
So those again are situationswhere I dropped the ball.

Norma (45:00):
Well, you weren't ready.

Shelton Benjamin (45:02):
Right.
And that's a good point actually, because you think about it.
You have now going to the nextchapter in your career in your
life.
Okay, you go into that fullywith the knowledge of what
you've learned, the breadcrumbsthat you've now recognized and
have picked up, and that willhelp you.
Look, people think something topeople at different stages in

(45:22):
their life.
Right, it doesn't always haveto come at the beginning.
You know we're here for areasonable amount of time, so
just enjoy every part of it now.
Maybe you will enjoy it morebecause you understand it more.

Rich (45:33):
You've done more okay you'll be more relaxed uh and I
see your eyes light up when yousaid acting yeah yeah and so I
think, and I think your fans arealso going to be very curious
and wanting to see SheltonBenjamin not inside the ring
anymore, like what he's going todo.

Shelton Benjamin (45:52):
So I, and I'm excited with him, like I, it's
something I've always wanted todo, but that and voiceovers also
.
Okay, voiceovers, like I'm abig kid, I can see it, I could
see it, I could like I'm that.
Not only am I a big kid, I'm abig geek.
Like I went to Comic-Con SanDiego Comic-Con for the first

(46:16):
time a couple weeks ago and,yeah, I had to give my agent my
wallet.
Oh, because you didn't trustyourself.

Norma (46:22):
I there's no way I would have every set that I made,
which are there to signautographs.

Shelton Benjamin (46:24):
I was there to my wallet.
Oh, because you didn't trustyourself.
There's no way I would haveevery cent that I made.

Norma (46:28):
Were you there to sign autographs?
I was there to sign.
I would have used every pennythat I made signing autographs
to go around buying stuff.
Oh, you're going to have toshow us some of your collections
later.

Shelton Benjamin (46:39):
Oh, oh.
One is like oh, is that a grownman?
But we all have that in us, weall you.
It's like oh, is that a grownman, why?
But we all have that in us.

Norma (46:45):
No, I'm a big kid.
You know we're a big kid.
Well, acting will definitelyhelp you be that big kid, and
the voiceover work as well.
So you're going to exercise allthese other things.
And going back to what you said, rich sometimes when we don't
listen to those voices, but thenwe finally do it, sometimes
it's even better because you doit with that much more intensity
which is that much more purposeand drive, because you didn't

(47:08):
have it you were curious aboutit and you're going to do the
work to get there too, right.

Shelton Benjamin (47:13):
Right.

Norma (47:13):
Because it takes work.

Shelton Benjamin (47:14):
For me, and this is just me knowing myself I
have to be in a must-dosituation.

Norma (47:19):
Right.

Shelton Benjamin (47:20):
For example, when I went to college, I from
small-town Orangeburg, southCarolina, to small-town
Susanville, California, on theother side of the country.
You know it was completeculture shock.
But I flew there in a one-wayticket and the reason one, the
reason I chose California in thefirst place nothing we spoke

(47:43):
about this before is because Ihad watched in my hometown
people graduate, go to collegein Atlanta or Florida or
sometimes even New York, gethomesick, come back home and
really I don't want to say theygave up, because obviously I
don't know where it went, butthe fact that they quit school

(48:03):
just to come back home, becauseit was easier, just to come back
home, some things got hard.
I'm just gonna go home.
You took that way.
Yeah, I completely.
I had.
When I moved to California Ihad five dollars in my pocket
and a trunk full of all of mybelongings.
That was some clothes and a fewcassette tapes your comic book
series in there too.
Oh yeah, everything.

(48:24):
So but?
But everything I own fit into alittle trunk that I could carry
in a bag.
And when I went to California,it was like I was in a situation
where, okay, this has to work,because I don't have the money
to get back home, so this has towork.
When I went to the Universityof Minnesota, same situation,
like these people are paying forme to go to school.

(48:45):
Right, you know I'm doing goodin college, but, no matter what,
this has to work.

Norma (48:51):
Yeah.

Shelton Benjamin (48:52):
When I finally got signed with WWE and I
remember talking to my bestfriend, troy at the time, and I
was like I know, if I get in,I'll do well, I just need a shot
.
I got that shot and then whileI was there, you, I just became
a new father.
My daughter was born in 99.
So again I was in a situationwhere I'm out of college but I'm

(49:14):
a broke.
I'm still broke, and so now Ihave this opportunity with WWE
and I have a newborn daughter,and so my thing is this has to
work.
So now, with acting and youknow, a lot of my ventures that
I want to get into, like I'm onthe clock now, like this stuff

(49:36):
has to work, I don't have timeto wonder, or I hope, or you
know what I?
mean I try to pick up thebreadcrumbs as soon as I see
them.
Or you know what I mean.
I try to pick up thebreadcrumbs as soon as I see
them.
If I hear something profound,or even if it sounds strange to
me, I try to pick up on it assoon as possible because I need,
like I said, I'm on the clock,this has to work.

Rich (49:56):
If you build it, they will come.

Norma (49:57):
They will.

Shelton Benjamin (50:00):
Everything you've done in your life has
been with drive and with purpose, from what you've explained to
us.
So it's only going to followthrough and one thing I've
noticed as you go further intoyour life knowing the end is
getting a little bit closer thatdrive and purpose gets more and
more.
It doesn't diminish, right,because you know there's still
things that you want to do andthere's still things that you

(50:20):
want to achieve Absolutely Withless time to do it in.

Rich (50:23):
And you've accomplished it , you.

Shelton Benjamin (50:24):
Absolutely, with less time to do it in and
you've accomplished it.

Norma (50:26):
You have a history already.
Exactly this got to work.
Yeah, it worked.
So this is how we do it Work onthe next one.

Rich (50:30):
Look what I would say to you is.
I would finish by saying thisyou mentioned before about.
People only know your persona.
I hope after listening to this,they understand who Shelton
Benjamin really is, the manbehind the myth.
I love that.
Honestly, we've met once before.
It's a pleasure listening toyou talking, to you hearing what

(50:54):
you have to say Honestly itreally is because you are a good
person.
You radiate a lot of goodenergy.
We both wish you every success,and when you're on your first
film, can we be extras?

Norma (51:06):
Absolutely.
We're going to have them backright for the project that
you're going to take on and.
I'm sure you're going to get alot of a lot of projects because
you have quite a big personaand I think it's you owe it to
your fans to see that and seehow that develops into other
areas.
That develops into other areas.

Shelton Benjamin (51:24):
Now we finish, okay, with asking our guests to
pick a card, one of the cardsthat's sitting next to you.
Any card?

Speaker 4 (51:32):
Yeah.

Shelton Benjamin (51:32):
They're quite deep questions.

Speaker 4 (51:33):
Yes.

Shelton Benjamin (51:34):
Choose wisely.

Speaker 4 (51:37):
Yes but be prepared, okay so read the question out.

Shelton Benjamin (51:39):
If you wouldn't mind answering it, then
Norma and I will answer as well.

Rich (51:45):
Yeah, and do read it out loud, so everyone can hear.

Shelton Benjamin (51:48):
Okay, so just out of curiosity, is the
intensity of the seriousness?
of the question based on thecolor.

Norma (51:53):
I'm actually colorblind, so I couldn't tell you.
Oh yeah, oh, that's right, youare colorblind.

Shelton Benjamin (51:58):
Okay, well, I'm going to go right for the
middle and see what pops up.
All right, they actually end upbeing quite poignant, some of
these questions, okay.
So what's a deal breaker for youin a relationship?
Ooh, ooh, that is deep, ooh,that is.

Rich (52:16):
A deal breaker.
A deal breaker, and it could beany type of relationship.
Business relationship, rightPersonal relationship?
Yeah, okay, just one.

Speaker 4 (52:26):
Yeah, I'm gonna keep it's real basic and it's very
Business relationship, rightPersonal relationship.

Shelton Benjamin (52:29):
Yeah, okay, just one.
Yeah, I'm going to keep.
It's real basic and it's verycomprehensive answer, a
comprehensive answer for anysituation.
If there's lack of trust, thereis no relationship.
You took mine out.
You took mine out.

Rich (52:42):
I have to come up with something else.
Can you get out of my?

Shelton Benjamin (52:44):
head please.

Speaker 4 (52:45):
Exactly.

Shelton Benjamin (52:48):
Yeah, that's pretty much the if I don't trust
, if you can't trust, if youcan't develop a trust and
sometimes trust can be brokenand fixed.
You know things happen, butonce there is no trust, there is
no relationship.
And that's the deal breaker,okay.

Norma (53:04):
I have an alternative.
You're going to have to bleepthis.
Don't be an asshole.
Asshole personalities that's adeal breaker for me.
You're done and it could be,and I think a lot of it stems
from, especially in the industry, right, it's ego, because it's
ego driven, and I want to saythat's changing.

(53:24):
We're trying to change thatwith this podcast right and
bringing more positivity,inspiration and collaboration.
But definitely someone'sattitude, if their ego is like
front and center, that's a dealbreaker for me.

Rich (53:36):
It's so much so, that when we first started this, oh no,
you're going to share this story.
Yeah, Norma said to me we wereon a call.
She said can I ask you aquestion?
I said yeah.
I didn't know yet this time.
No, clearly.
She said to me promise you onething.
I said, yeah, she goes.
When we become successful, youwon't be an asshole.
And I said, no, of course Iwon't.

Norma (53:58):
That stumped you too right.

Shelton Benjamin (54:00):
I thought you'd turn around and say no, I
totally get what you're saying,but from what?
You said I mean trust andhonesty are actually key in my
personal and my business life,right, you know, in any part of
my life.
I would say comprehensive.
It covers every aspect of life.

Rich (54:18):
It does Look.

Shelton Benjamin (54:20):
I hope that I go through my life and I'm
always open, open and honest andI'm trustworthy and that's
because that that's what I tradeon.
Okay, we were talking aboutthis yesterday, very briefly.
There's an expression shem tov,which means good name okay, and
your good name is what youtrade with.
Doesn't matter where, who youare, or where you are in your
life or what you're trading itin.

(54:42):
You need a good name yeah andthat's so important.
So, and the only way you getthat is with trust and with
being all right, so I agree Idid a podcast previously with a
chris van bleet and I wasexplaining to him because so I
don't know if you guys noticedI'm known for ladder matches and
that's where you have to climb.
Ladders fall off matters fallthrough ladders, and one of the
question was how did it feel tofall through a ladder?

(55:03):
And and I remember my answerwas something along the effects
of going through the ladder wasa piece of cake, but only this
part hurt, but it wasn't goingthrough the ladder.
And I read the comments and Iremember a fan was like BS,
you're lying, you went through aladder, it didn't hurt BS.

(55:26):
And I was like show me where Ihave ever lied before.
You think I'm going to startnow.
So it's like, yeah, I try to beas genuine and as honest as I
can, especially when a camera'srolling, like I'm.

Rich (55:44):
Oh yeah, because you know, because you're a role model.
You're a role model, there'skids watching.

Shelton Benjamin (55:48):
People keep receipts Like I'm very conscious
.

Rich (55:50):
People keep receipts yeah.

Shelton Benjamin (55:51):
I'm very conscious of stuff I say because
I don't want to look like a,like you said, like a lying jerk
.
I'm not going to say somethingto make myself look better.
Right, you know, look better,you know.
I mean, like I try to be ashonest as possible.
If I think something's gonnamake me look bad, well, I'll try
to just get away from thatparticular question.

(56:12):
But I'm a real, especially withmy fans.
I'm really, really honest and,again, if there's something I'm
uncomfortable with, I just wantto dress it.
And, like you said, yourpodcast is about promoting
positivity and you know thingslike that.
And I'm I'm big on positivity,I'm big on respect.
I try to, I try to be positivein the worst of situations and I

(56:34):
try to respect everybody untilyou disrespect me well, that's
when you get the horns, but yeah, that's but that's fair.
I really do try to promote, justlike you guys, even though I'm
a bad guy.
I try to be as positive aperson as I can, and a lot of

(56:54):
times that can be takenadvantage of, you know, but
sometimes you, you have to.
Sometimes the lion has to roarto remind people.
Yo, I'm a lion, absolutely.
I might be a sleepy lion, butI'm still a lion.
Just to finish with this I'veloved boxing most of my life.
I'm not a boxer, I just like tobox and I use it in my

(57:17):
day-to-day life and it's likeyou keep your guard up, you go
through, you go into somethingand it's coming towards you, you
block it, you parry, but whenyou get that opening, that's
when you're wrong, that's whenyou roar speaking of punches, is
there one last piece of advice?

Rich (57:34):
this is at the end, end of our show that we like to have
our guests speak to our audiencemembers and our listeners.
That you would like to sharewords of wisdom, parting words,
a mantra that maybe that youwould like to share words of
wisdom parting words, a mantrathat, maybe that you live by.

Shelton Benjamin (57:51):
Please and thank you.
Please and thank you haveopened more doors for me than
any other thing in my life.
It doesn't matter who you'rewith, who they are, what, where
they are economically, you knowracially, like, please and thank
you, and I'm basically sayingjust always be respectful,

(58:14):
because you never, you neverknow, you never know who you're
talking to, you never know whatdoors open or close with it.
My best friend, mvp likeobviously, in our, in our
lifestyle, people ask forautographs all the time and an
MVP, he's very big on please andthank you, and you know this is
actually something I learnedfrom him because he spent time
in prison and you know he's openabout that.

(58:36):
He talks about it.
He.
For 10 years he lived a life ofconstantly being told what to
do, extremely rudely, and so now, whenever you know he's, you
know he's a superstar now sowhen people ask him for
autographs, he'll give anybodyautograph, but as soon as they
ask, he'll like, if they don'tsay please, he'll give them a
chance.
What is it?

(58:57):
he's like yeah, follow up seelike he's waiting on the please
yeah, because sometimes fans dokind of just they get ahead of
themselves, so he forces if youdon't, he gives you an
opportunity he'll educate youbut if he doesn't get the please
, he'll just walk off.
He won't be rude about it,he'll just never mind no and

(59:20):
walk off and it's just.
You know, please do the samethings you learned in
kindergarten be polite to people, be courteous to people, even
when you don't like them.
It's like you know show always,show respect to everybody.
Um, before I go, just one otherlittle thing I I learned from
from the most unlikely ofsources you know my opinion a

(59:43):
guy named tony atlas.
Tony atlas is a wrestler.
He was really popular, popularin 80s has a creative life.
He ended up being homeless atone point and you know, he got
his life back together and hewas talking to me.
Now my you, tony is.
Tony is sometimes his worstenemy, in my opinion.
But one thing I learned fromhim was he was saying you see

(01:00:03):
how you guys go through thesehotels and how you're always.
You mess up a room and thenthese women have to.
You know, women and men have togo and clean their rooms and
you look down on them, you talkto them.
He's like he doesn't look downon people in those positions.
He's like because they'repeople too.
He's like I spent yearsinvisible.

(01:00:24):
I'm like what are you talkingabout?
He's like I was homeless.
So I'd be standing on the sideof the street with my hand out
and no one saw me.
And I was like oh okay.
So that for me, was a lesson to,and it was also a mirror,
because I'm like you know he'sright, because there were times
I'd go into like a restaurant,you don't respect the waiter,

(01:00:48):
you don't respect the valet, youdon't respect that the maid
that's cleaning your room,because they're not in the same
position socially, economically,as you and it's like no, we're
all people, we all come from thesame place, we're all going to
the same place, so try to risk.
Show respect to everyone.

Rich (01:01:03):
Well, Shelton, please come back.

Norma (01:01:06):
Please do.
It's been amazing having you onand thank you for being here,
yeah, thank you.
Honestly, what you just said isso lovely.

Shelton Benjamin (01:01:15):
Please, and thank yous cost nothing Doesn't
matter where you are on a socialscale.

Norma (01:01:19):
It's lovely.
Thank you very much for joiningus.

Rich (01:01:20):
Thank you, Shelton.
Thanks for having me.
Please be back.
You're going to be back, oh.

Shelton Benjamin (01:01:24):
I will definitely be back.

Norma (01:01:24):
I want you to talk about some of your projects that
you're going to undertake.
Oh, yeah, so please be back.
Absolutely.
Thank you I appreciate you.

Rich (01:01:30):
Thank you so much.

Shelton Benjamin (01:01:31):
Thanks for having me.

Rich (01:01:32):
And cut.

Norma (01:01:34):
Thank you for tuning in to Energis Podcast, where
ambition meets achievement.
If today's stories energized,you, share this episode with
someone who needs that spark.
Stay connected, subscribe toour newsletter at
nrjmediagroupcom and follow uson social media for more

(01:01:55):
powerful insights.
Until next time, stay inspired,stay bold and keep striving for
greatness.

Shelton Benjamin (01:02:05):
Energy's podcast is produced and hosted
by Norma Garcia and Rich Reidthe incredible talent behind us.
We are highly engineered andedited by Rich Evers.
Our seriously curated directoris none other than David H
Tanaka.
Our talented music composer isSteve Devaney.
Our devotion to motion graphicdesigner is Mike Macklin.

(01:02:26):
Our very spirited technicaladvisor is Tracy Williams.
Our amazing marketing manager,Lauren Carter.
Our man of many words publicistis Josh Gershman.
And introducing our producer'sassistant, Blake Miele.
Energis Podcast is brought toyou by NRJ Media Group.