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. 

🌐 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.

Transcript

Introduction to Shelton Benjamin

Norma 0:03

Energis Podcast is brought to you by NRJ Media Group .

Norma 0:18

Rich yes , Shelton Benjamin , I know is a force both inside and outside of the ring .

Norma 0:27

I mean , we all know him as a wrestling powerhouse , but there's so much more to his story .

Rich 0:32

So much more to his story , absolutely , from dominating WWE to his insane work ethic . I mean Shelton is a definition of discipline and dedication .

Norma 0:43

And you know what . People might not know this , but he's setting his sights on a whole new challenge .

Norma 0:49

I mean , we're talking about acting right and voice work Absolutely . He's coming for Hollywood and I have no doubt that he's going to crush it .

Norma 0:58

Rich: Or he's going to crush them Because that guy is a dude . Okay , he's journeyed from amateur wrestling to WWE superstardom . It really is proof that talent can only get you so far . It really is that grit , drive , determination that gets you and keeps you at the top .

Norma 1:15

What about his behind-the-scenes stories ? I mean , they were just so entertaining , just like his matches .

Norma 1:23

Yeah .

Norma 1:23

Life on the road to what really happens in the world of pro wrestling . I mean that was like really cool to hear those insider right behind the scenes stuff .

Norma 1:33

And Shelton keeps it real . I really love that .

Rich 1:36

You know what he does and he's got a heart of gold . Let me just say this whether you're a wrestling fan , a dream chaser or someone who just needs that serious motivation , do not miss this episode , because this one is action-packed and it's inspirational and it's straight-up gold .

Rich 1:54

All right , so let's do this .

Rich 1:56

Yes , let's get on with it . Sheldon Benjamin is in the house Is in the house , yes , is in the house . Today we have with us I'm really excited about this a legend from WWE , Shelton Benjamin . I'm so happy . Thank you so much for joining us . Thanks for having me . Absolute honor and pleasure having you here .

Shelton Benjamin 2:22

Thanks for having me . I was looking forward to this . Well , you know , we walked in . We saw someone put having you here .

Shelton Benjamin 2:24

Thanks for having me . I was looking forward to this so Well , you know , we walked in , we saw someone put another door here . I mean , you are huge .

Shelton Benjamin 2:31

I'm okay , I'm okay .

Norma 2:34

When you walk into places do people ask can I arm wrestle you ?

Shelton Benjamin 2:38

It's happened .

Shelton Benjamin 2:39

It's happened a few times , I can imagine .

Shelton Benjamin 2:41

But for the most part people . I probably get the stares from people who might go . He looks familiar . A lot of times they I look familiar . They can't quite put their finger on it , but he looks familiar . And I would say the reason they probably can't quite put their finger on it is because most people remember me when I was blonde , because for years one of my most popular runs I was a blonde . That's right .

Rich 3:07

You're much better as a brunette or nor hair nor hair nor hair , or bald or bald .

Shelton Benjamin 3:16

And you recognize that squinty look of like . Where is he from ? I can walk in a room and I instantly recognize it , and I think most people in the entertainment business , especially when they've been around a long time . We can tell , you can tell .

Shelton Benjamin 3:31

All right . Well , just for the record , no one here is going to offer to arm wrestle you today .

Shelton Benjamin 3:36

And I worked out twice in preparation .

Norma 3:39

We do want to know your workout regime , but we'll ask that We'll get into that a little later . But , shelton , okay , so being in the industry for a long , long time , you were at WWE for how many years ?

Shelton Benjamin 3:51

I spent a combined 17 years there 17 years . I started in 2000 and I went to 2010 before I took a seven year vacation from WWE . In the meantime , I worked for a lot of other major companies , including New Japan , Ring of Honor , tons of what we call indie companies , just smaller companies . And in 2017 , I went back to WWE and did another seven years there , so I put in a lot of time there , yeah .

Shelton Benjamin 4:24

Rich: What got you into it ? How did your journey start ?

Shelton Benjamin 4:27

Okay , so she probably doesn't realize this , but my mom got me interested in pro wrestling .

Norma 4:33

Wait , wait , wait . Your mother , my mother . I hope she's listening . Mom , you did good .

Shelton Benjamin 4:40

I grew up in South Carolina and I was raised primarily by my mother , and I have three other siblings and you know , on Saturday afternoons we would turn on TBS or whatever and we'd be watching . You know pro wrestling on the Superstation .

Shelton Benjamin 4:52

And for me . I never really paid it attention at first and we're talking when I was eight , but right around 10 or 11 , I think I saw a match and it had Jimmy Superfly Snooker did a flying headbutt on a guy and as a kid you know this was a regular TV match . I didn't understand pay-per-views and everything , but I just saw a grown man jump off the top of the ropes and land and headbutt a guy in the ring and I was sold and since then I watched religiously . Eventually it got to the point where I was like I started thinking I think I can do that .

Shelton Benjamin 5:30

And then I started thinking .

Shelton Benjamin 5:31

I think I can do that better .

Shelton Benjamin 5:33

What a flying jump . And then a hip hop Everything everything .

Norma 5:36

Oh , no , I'm already visualizing you in your living room and setting up . You were actually physically doing them .

Shelton Benjamin 5:43

Yes , I mean , that's what every kid in my neighborhood is doing . We were making cardboard belts and using aluminum foil to bling them out . It was the time where guys would test out the moves to see if they really work . And I remember the first time one of my friends put the figure four on me , because you know everything positive and negative you hear about pro wrestling . Everyone wants to know is is . Does it really hurt ? And I can tell you from experience the figure four hurts what's a figure ?

Shelton Benjamin 6:11

four a lot well , it's , it was move made famous by rick flair . Yeah , the nature boy , rick flair . He basically , would you know , put you in a way , cross your legs , like this . He'd have his legs wrapped in it , but because of the position it's a figure four position okay , and it puts pressure on your knees

Shelton Benjamin 6:26

like everything hurts the pain . For me , the first time it it happened I couldn't tell where the pain was coming from . I just know I wanted him to stop . It's like stop , this isn't the end . And of course kids don't stop , you know what you get , on you gotta crank on it a little bit .

Norma 6:42

They're waiting for something to crack . Yeah , exactly .

Shelton Benjamin 6:47

And that move will actually break your leg . So , yeah , we were doing all of these moves and , like I said , as I got older and I got more and more into it , I just like , okay , I don't want to watch this , I want to do this . And it became my passion . And I remember my high school coach , coach Ron Donlick . He asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up , basically , and I was like , well , I want to try pro wrestling . And at the time he actually had gone to school with a famous wrestler named gorilla monsoon . Probably most people my age know him from his commentary days , but he's very famous commentary from wwe and my coach okay , well , he's a friend of mine , I'll give him him a call when we get you through college .

Rich 7:29

I love that he was saying , pointing you , it doesn't end here , you're gonna continue going .

Shelton Benjamin 7:36

Yeah , yeah . So , sidebar , coach Donnlick and he is like Mike Tyson had custom model and I always say say , ron Donlick was my custom model because he took , you know , a raw talent who was at risk and basically turned me into a champion , but we'll get more into him later .

Shelton Benjamin 7:54

But so fast forward . I get to University of Minnesota , where I was on a wrestling scholarship and one of the 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 to try pro wrestling . He was like okay , I know some people in the industry , so when we're done , when we're done with college , you know , maybe we'll give them a call . Fast forward , a couple years later I'm an assistant coach for the university and we have an athlete there by the name of Brock Lesnar .

Shelton Benjamin 8:28

And .

Shelton Benjamin 8:28

Brock got the attention of well , brock gets the attention of everybody who sees him and , of course , wwe saw him and they approached the university . They actually came to the university first and asked about Brock and my coach was like , yes , brock might be interested , but he has another year , another year .

Shelton Benjamin 8:46

So , ncaa rules , ncaa rules , you can't talk to him but , we have another guy who is probably more interested , and that guy was me , that was you , that was me , and so that's basically how I got in . But my love of wrestling started when I was in fifth , sixth grade .

Shelton Benjamin 9:06

So you're at college and you're going through your scholarship . So , this might sound like a stupid question and I apologize if it does , but what type of training do you need to do ? What did you do at the time ? Or is this something you just learned once you joined WWE ?

Shelton Benjamin 9:20

While I'm in college . I had no idea what kind of training because I was

Early Wrestling Dreams and College Days

Shelton Benjamin 9:26

for lack of a better term . I was a street performer . Like I would watch it , I would mimic it and you know , we just have fun with it . So I actually knew a lot of pro wrestling because I watched so religiously , despite the fact that I wasn't trained . So while I was at Minnesota , no , I never trained for pro wrestling .

Shelton Benjamin 9:43

I trained as an amateur wrestler , which I will go on record as saying is the toughest sport in the world . So I was . I was training for pro wrestling because I , you know , for me to be as successful as I wanted to be , I couldn't focus on where I wanted to get , I had to focus on where .

Shelton Benjamin 9:58

I was .

Shelton Benjamin 9:59

And amateur wrestling changed my life . University of Minnesota changed my life . They taught me work ethic and all these Adversity so there was no pro wrestling training until I actually did . To the US , you go .

Rich 10:12

But what was ? But you said you were passionate about it . And what was it that you were passionate about ? Was it the physicality of wrestling ? Was it ?

Shelton Benjamin 10:20

I think for me , the same way people watch a movie and gravitate to certain characters and certain stories and things like that , growing up in a single household , it gave me . It honestly gave me people to look up to . My favorite memories , and a lot of . Even when I was wrestling , I would always put myself in my favorite wrestler's shoes . For example , as a kid , st sting I was a huge sting fan . He was in a feud with a guy named Big Van Vader , and Vader is a massive man . And so when I originally started amateur wrestling like I was a I was a heavyweight , which is the heaviest weight class , but I was about 60 to 70 pounds underweight Like I didn't . Seriously , yes , when I started wrestling which is the heaviest weight class , but I was about 60 to 70 pounds underweight . Seriously , yes , when I started wrestling , I weighed 204 .

Shelton Benjamin 11:12

The next lowest class was 190 , and I told my coach , raleigh Jackson , at the time if you want me to wrestle , I'm not starving myself . So I would just wrestle the big guys . And , as it turns out , I was pretty good because I ended up being a two-time state champ , high school All-American , and so it was . But because I was always wrestling guys so much bigger than me , it was easy for me to kind of say , oh , I'm staying wrestling Vader , because everybody I wrestled was , like you know , 50 , 60 pounds heavier than me , because everybody I wrestled was like 50 , 60 pounds heavier than me .

Shelton Benjamin 11:46

Obviously the action and the vibes and the fun . But there was a lot of fun moves . Like my favorite tag team was the Rock and Roll Express . They would do all these really cool acrobatic moves and it was just the excitement of it all . At that point I wasn't thinking monetary . I wasn't thinking fame I was like this looks fun and I like that guy , so I wanna be like that 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 and Roll Express , the Steiner Brothers , Rikishi and the Samoa SWAT 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 , or is a name given to you ?

Shelton Benjamin 12:37

A little bit of both , but I think when I originally started because I was an amateur wrestler from college and blue chip athlete it just made more sense for me to just use my real name , okay . So I think I kinda looked out on that . This was just before WWE really got into IPs , where it's like , okay , we need to own this character . But because of my following that I brought to the table , I didn't need to change my name . They added a moniker , but I've always been Shelton Benjamin . It's actually a cool name , it is a cool name .

Shelton Benjamin 13:14

It's actually a really cool name .

Shelton Benjamin 13:16

But with the class of guys that I was with Randy Orton , John Cena , Brock Lesnar , Dave Bautista , Dave .

Shelton Benjamin 13:23

Bautista as well .

Shelton Benjamin 13:24

Yes , I started with all of these guys .

Shelton Benjamin 13:27

All right , so let me ask you a question , if I may , of all of these people . When you joined , obviously you were young , excited to be part of something you really wanted to be part of . Did you have anyone you looked up to , anyone that mentored you when you were there , that helped you on your journey ?

Shelton Benjamin 13:45

one . You looked up to anyone that mentored you when you were there , that helped you on your journey . So when I arrived , there was a , the only person that I recognized was was jim jim cornett . He was a legendary manager , uh , and of course he was one of the guys in charge , and so I I looked up to him , but it was weird because he was also a bad guy . So as a kid I grew up hating him . 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 always managed all these teams , but he was a dastardly villain . Like you know , he used to run around with a tennis racket and hit the guys that I loved in the back of the head . So I grew up and , okay , this is one of the guys that are my mentors and for me he's a very polarizing figure , to say the least , but for me he's been nothing but great . So I looked up to him at first , but what I found was , once I got there , most of the people obviously 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 to anyone , I think we all still looked up to the guys who were at that time the top guys the Stone Cold , steve Austins , the Rocks , 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 and the reason , I was because some of them are super clever . Right , but you also develop personas right Now . Do you have a stake in developing 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 , or I was always in a group . So my moniker with WWE was the Ghost Standard . When I worked in Japan , my moniker was Invader X , so it was just different . Invader X , yeah , different , different , different . Cause I was like a for that particular team . I was a surprise guest , and so in Japan , when they don't know who the person is , they just put you 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 Japan I'm a foreigner , I was like I'm an invader . So I was just like , oh , if I'm going 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 got really 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 , but then I think it was suggested while they were still trying to figure out the best way to present me . They tried me out at being a bad guy , and I was just better at it . Surprisingly , I was better at being a bad guy , and I was just better at it . Surprisingly , I was better at being 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 .

Norma 16:54

I think we all want to be better .

Norma 16:55

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 back and forth , but if you ask me which do I prefer ? I prefer being a bad guy , and it's for one simple reason it's so much easier to tick people off than to make them happy .

Norma 17:17

Oh , that is so true . And ticking people off , I mean just 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 good guy , 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 but people love him . So because people love him , he's the bad guy that everyone's rooting for right , so anything yeah the anti-hero . That's exactly , and there are a lot of guys who were able to walk that line because they excel on either on either side of the fence .

Shelton Benjamin 18:02

but then there are other guys who have never been bad guys and I don't think it's even possible . Take a guy like Ray Mysterio Jr . He wears a mask and he does a lot of really cool stuff and he's a great person all around . There's no way he can be a bad guy . You can try it , but People

Athletic Background and Natural Talent

Shelton Benjamin 18:22

won't believe it .

Norma 18:22

People won't accept it Because you also get to the fans , the fandom that gets attached to it and the following yes . And that actually starts and builds and adds to your credibility as a character that you 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 Rey Mysterio , there's something wrong with you that says more about you than Rey , Seriously , Absolutely , and I can say the same 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 than it's on Lauren's shirt .

Norma 19:02

All of them . Yeah exactly , lauren from our marketing team has a wrestlemania t-shirt on and look she . Uh , she was naming them . Yeah , she's not a fan , though she's not a fan , though she's 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 in the ring straight away or do you have to go through ? Oh no , so we have what we call developmental .

Shelton Benjamin 19:38

So I signed with WWE in 2000 . January 10th 2000 . And I was sent to OVW in Louisville and OVW is what we call developmental , where all new prospective talents they're sent to train . Right now we have the same thing but it's called NXT and it's one big facility in Orlando . When I started there were a number of different developmental territories . We had OVW in Louisville , one in Memphis , there was one in Cincinnati , I believe there was one in California at some point . So you had pools of talent being sent to all these places and basically WWE . Whenever they were casting a new character or new situation , like they were okay , they would kind of decide . But I was in Louisville in developmental for two and a half years and that's where I really start . That's when I learned how to get in the ring and how to start doing a lot of the moves and things like that .

Norma 20:41

So they teach you like technique , right , and there's different , like you said , moves and 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 also traveling around , mostly locally , doing shows . So we're getting experience in front of a crowd and OVW is , while it is a , at the time it was a farming system for WWE . It was its own independent company , so we were actually getting real world experience . Uh , it was just at a lower budget right .

Norma 21:17

Oh , and that's great because you actually get to practice the moves , because it's not just , it's also working with the audience . Right , because when you're doing shows , you feed off the audience . Right , you have to get . Right , because when you're doing shows , you feed off the audience , right .

Norma 21:26

You have to get the audience excited .

Rich 21:27

So you're doing both , and to gauge them as well .

Rich 21:28

I guess you know what gets them excited , what gets them to build up the crescendo . So it's an amazing way of doing it . What interests me is the training side of it . So you know , obviously you're learning 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 in college , and in college the weight class is right now I think 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 you know , age related and just I worked , started working out more and I got a little heavier . But when I debuted I only weighed maybe 225 . So I didn't have . I didn't have a lot of .

Norma 22:21

Can I ask now your training regime ?

Norma 22:25

What does ?

Norma 22:25

that entail .

Shelton Benjamin 22:27

Okay , so we're going to take notes , okay so , hey , Lauren , can you write this ?

Shelton Benjamin 22:31

down .

Shelton Benjamin 22:33

I will say only recently , and by recently , in the last five , six years have really gotten into training Because unfortunately , unfortunately , but fortunately I was very God gifted Like . I had muscles and ability and everything that you would think I would have to work for . It just was natural for me because I played three sports . I haven't had an off season since 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 with wrestling season , so there are times when I would go from football 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 the 100 ? 10-2 . Really Wow . I actually took second in states . My senior year I won a junior college national championship in the 100 .

Norma 23:34

Go Shelton , all right .

Rich 23:36

You're very physical . What positions did you play in football ? Running back and linebacker , Okay .

Shelton Benjamin 23:40

And then I think I dabbled a little in college where they were trying to put me at defensive end , but that didn't pan out . But yeah , I was very good at everything .

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 run basketball .

Shelton Benjamin 24:00

Like my athleticism is , you know . It's why it's really why I'm sitting here today At the end of track season . Well , well , that was freestyle wrestling season in going into the summer , so I would just transition 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 school experience . Once I got to college . It was just wrestling and track my first couple years from there . I did two years there and then I went to University of Minnesota where I did wrestling and track and then my senior year like I kind of dabbled with football .

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's my love is , that's what my best memories are . So I'm an amateur wrestler through and through .

Rich 24:41

So is there a specific type of training you need to do ?

Rich 24:43

to for wrestling because is is it 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 I don'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 family were very large people . My dad's side of the family were 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 was always strong enough and I was always way faster than people even expected me to be , because at one point I christened myself the 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 , you don't necessarily equate that with speed . Right , because you're strong , but you had both . You have the ability to do both right oh , there were .

Shelton Benjamin 25:44

Sometimes I would , especially with track , because most track guys are long and slender , super muscular , but they don't weigh 200 pounds no , that's a 200 pound expression .

Shelton Benjamin 25:55

You're not running 100 .

Shelton Benjamin 25:56

yeah so that's a lot it's a big train coin really fast for you I've never , I've never had a race where I've never I've never had a race where the person next to me was as big as me .

Shelton Benjamin 26:08

Yeah , and , but again , I was just fast . So to answer your question . As far as working out , those would wrestling like I didn't do anything special , okay , like I just stayed active . And once I was in the pro wrestling , 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 here and tell you oh , I used to , you know , have every day . I would go months without going to a gym because I didn't have to All right , shelton , you're like a superhero already right , it's like I was expecting the list of Monday , tuesday and Wednesday .

Shelton Benjamin 26:41

Did you leave a cake when you came 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 strict regime 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 that stuff . I just burned everything .

Shelton Benjamin 27:04

Um , it wasn't until I hit 42 . That's when it was like that was the first time I was . You know , I go to the gym and like if I go to the gym I get the pump and the pump would last me for a couple weeks . One workout last me a couple weeks . And then I just started noticing two days later I'm like I don't feel like I worked out at all . I got a little out of shape . I shouldn't say out of shape . I got a little out of shape for what I was used to seeing when I look in the mirror .

Shelton Benjamin 27:30

I was doing a show for a company called Ring of Honor and they had a woman there taking photos for us . This is after my WWE experience . With WWE , everything's top notch photography , food , travel , everything . So when they do photos , they'll edit the photos a bit to make everyone look really good . Well , now , with the smaller company

Growing Up in South Carolina

Shelton Benjamin 27:52

, ring of Honor , and the woman who took the photos , she just took photos and then printed them and handed it . There's no editing and nothing . And we had a autograph session and she set the stack of photos in front of me and I remember looking at it and I went oh no and I remember I was sitting there next to my partner Charlie .

Shelton Benjamin 28:13

I was like do you see these ?

Shelton Benjamin 28:15

and like yeah , I'm like is that what I look ?

Shelton Benjamin 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 and then I was like I can't do this , like I'm trying to sign . I signed like three of them and then I was like I can't do this , like I can't sign these , like I'm at this point . I'm like I'm so embarrassed by how I look in this photo , like I took the whole stack and I said don't sell these to anyone else . Their interview .

Shelton Benjamin 28:46

I left the the autograph session and it was like with everything I did , I tried to put my best foot forward , everything , and when I saw this , I'm like I'm not . These photos look horrible . I look horrible . And they look horrible not because of the photographer who's got the subject , and I was like I was just looking at myself and I was embarrassed , so I trashed those photos . I left out of . It was I was there five . It was like one of those when I looked down I can't , I cannot , I can't do this , especially with these . And that's when I got in the gym and that's when I , religiously , two weeks later , I looked like a completely different person . And since then I've become really conscious of what I eat . How often I work out ? I train at least four days a week for about an hour . I don't eat junk . 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 from processed 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 , maybe once a week . Most people , the average person , will go . I'm going to eat junk , junk , junk . Four or five days a week . Oh , this weekend I'm going to work 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 reunion and there's barbecue and cookies and cake and all like , I'll gorge myself because one day is not going to hurt me , because this is one day out of you know 30 . Like I said , I flip it to where I don't put myself in a position where I crave this and crave 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 happy that 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 your body 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 kid anymore . And so okay , good , that's making 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 more Rarely , 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 , I pick a body part , I go in .

Shelton Benjamin 31:24

And you just blitz that yeah .

Shelton Benjamin 31:26

That one hour , come back the next day . I'm like , hey , I'm going to be here at least four times a week . I don't have to try to get it all in , because I also don't want to be so stiff . It's just not great for wrestling and my particular style . I'm very athletic and stuff , so I don't want to be too muscular and bulky to where I just look like a robot .

Norma 31:47

Yeah Well , you like the flexibility and everything like you were talking about when you were going back to being that kid and if we can go back to that kid , right , that was growing up in . What was the name of the city you 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 home that I had did not have running water . So yeah , so we're talking . We would have to go fill up jugs at the neighbors with water . When I grew up on my father's side of the family , I had this huge plot of land where almost every house is a family member , a cousin , second cousin , first cousin , aunt , so there was a lot of you know community . But , like I said , we were farmers , we were poor .

Shelton Benjamin 32:36

To me , my childhood was okay because I was just a kid running around the farm and having fun family yeah , so later when we moved more into the city of Orangeburg , it was , it was . It was very small town , urban , primarily black community , if I should say primarily black , but it was . My world was primarily black , like obviously the schools were mixed and everything else , it was , I would say , not bad .

Shelton Benjamin 33:12

Obviously , everyone has their ups , and downs but we had rough times , but I never knew how rough , because , despite having a very strict mom , she always managed to pull through a force when it counted . And , like I said , my dad . While my parents weren't together . My dad was accessible and I didn't spend enough as much time with him as I want , but he was around . So I was definitely raised by my mom let's make that very clear . But my dad was accessible and I did spend time with him and his side of the family , which is a lot of kids , didn't have that , so I never felt like I was missing out or anything like that , like again , it was small , rural , rural .

Shelton Benjamin 33:59

I don't know why I have so trouble 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 you would go to a field and you'd pick peas and go into the fields and pick vegetables and stuff you know to be sold at market . We didn't have gangs , we had neighborhood coalitions , what I like to call them .

Shelton Benjamin 34:28

It's like oh , if you're , you know you're from the fairgrounds , you're from the editor's store , you're from you know . Well , you know , different parts of neighborhood is basically , if you're from that part of the neighborhood , that's the gang you were , that was your gang affiliation . But we didn't really have gangs , at least not compared to , say , 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 and things like that . I remember at one point there was a club almost across the street from where I live and a block away from where I live and there were many nights where I would 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 was Thursday , the one up the block was Saturday night and , yeah , it was pretty common for me to hear a few gunshots here and there and you stayed away from that . I threw a miracle and again I said I have a very strict mom . Yeah , I never got into it , but also I don't think me personally really ever once I got an idea of what that life was like . It was like , no , brenda , I'm not doing that , I'd rather move along . It's like , yes , I could go and sell drugs and things like that , but I also would have to look over my shoulder for rivals or people who just want to rob you just to get your prize you know that type of stuff and I had no desire .

Shelton Benjamin 36:08

And you had a dream , but this was even before my dream , okay .

Shelton Benjamin 36:13

Like I just knew that , no matter what I do , I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for policemen or anyone with bad intentions .

Shelton Benjamin 36:21

But , that speaks a lot one to your character and two to your mother . You know , because both mother you know that my mom would have killed me , but that's phenomenal , because that's what kept your family together you on the path that ultimately led to where to where you got to . So I've got a couple of questions for you , so I'm going to jump forward now so you left WWE and you went , as you say .

Shelton Benjamin 36:54

You went to Japan on the indie circuit . What was it like coming out of a big machine like WWE and going to something else that was indie or even Japan ? I mean , you must have stood out in Japan . I mean anyone

Moving from WWE to Indies

Shelton Benjamin 37:08

, any foreigner that goes to Japan stands out . You know , you are this big muscly guy that just turns up . You are the invader , right .

Shelton Benjamin 37:15

How was it ? When I originally left WWE , my first major company that I worked with was Ring of Honor , and again it was humbling . I went straight from college to the biggest pro wrestling company in the world yeah right , Working with the biggest names in the world and , like you said , everything is like wow and grand . So then when I first went to Ring of Honor , which didn't have a fraction of the budget that WWE has , it was again . It was humbling and for me , for me , it was like parts unknown .

Shelton Benjamin 37:48

Luckily for me , my partner , Charlie Haas . He had done the independent scene before his wwe journey and so he , he was coaching me because I didn't know how to market myself , I didn't know how to get myself , but I didn't know if we , if we had an autograph session , I I don't know what to sell an eight by ten for you know what I mean like . And so Charlie actually coached me along . But again , it was very humbling . But it also I think I needed that experience because it made me , it gave me a whole new respect for the business and the people in the business Because , like I said , when you start at the top , you don't see how some people who never make it the kind of grind that they're doing and the sacrifices and the things that they have to deal with and put up with because they've never been to WWE or they didn't have the same star power . I think they call us name guys . If you've been to WWE , most people , 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 fans know them Well .

Shelton Benjamin 38:57

Because of that , I still had privileges and I still got certain treatments that they hadn't gotten , because I was seen as a big star from TV who is 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 how big of a lottery ticket I had won until I went there and because I had only done WWE and once I was there , I only paid attention to WWE . So my thinking was all the best wrestlers are in WWE . And I went on the internet and I found out no , that is not the case . The best marketing , the best promotion , like all that , but the actual best talents no , they're not in WWE . A lot of them are . They're just biding their time , or WWE just hasn't , they just haven't come up on WWE's radar yet .

Shelton Benjamin 39:52

A lot of those guys who when I first started there are now in WWE , and I'm talking Kevin Owens , sammy , but there's a whole list of guys who when I went there they were still up-and-com comers and now they're superstars . It made me really respect because what they had to go through to make it to WWE I skipped the line , I had a fast pass it really made me respect all the talent , not just WWE talent , all talent . It doesn't matter if you're in a show , at a parking lot or at you know .

Shelton Benjamin 40:27

Madison Square .

Shelton Benjamin 40:27

Garden . Like what they're going through to try to get where I just , like I said I just got a fast pass 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 now for Shelton Benjamin ? What's next now for Shelton Benjamin ? What's next now for Shelton Benjamin ? What projects are you brewing ?

Shelton Benjamin 40:49

I am definitely trying to . You know , I want to do some acting . I'd like to Acting .

Shelton Benjamin 40:56

I would definitely like to do some acting .

Rich 40:57

I can definitely see that . Can you ? Oh , totally , you can see it with a big screen . I can see it Absolutely .

Shelton Benjamin 41:01

I can I get the tickets now ?

Shelton Benjamin 41:07

So there's a lot that WWE did for me and I can't thank them enough for , like I said , I wouldn't be where I am without WWE . But , that being said , there are a couple areas where I feel like we could have concentrated on more . A big one of those is just my personality , right , because people really don't know my personality . Yeah , obviously they know what they've seen on WWE , but a big one of those is just my personality , right , um , because people really don't know my personality . Obviously they know what they've seen on w , but they don't know shelton , because we never really gave them shelton .

Shelton Benjamin 41:34

Yep , um , and that's part . You know , obviously I carry a lot of blame for that , because I have to project , and if I'm not projecting then it's like okay , we can only do so much . You have to this , this is you , no matter what , this is still , you're the product , so you have to yep , yep , so I , I , I take credit for that , and so one of the things I'd like to do , you know , through it , is just show people 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 at projecting anger , um , and then a lot of you know one of my big critiques that I I that I'm probably going to get forever .

Shelton Benjamin 42:11

It's just you know promos , like I was , I wasn't good at promos and and to my credit and to the fans credit I wasn't for a long time . But with pro wrestling and I explained this in interviews like sometimes , after you have a certain reputation , it doesn't matter if you improve on it or not . This is what they believe about you . 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 everybody loves right .

Shelton Benjamin 42:43

Right , but unfortunately some companies , especially when you're talking about a multi-billion dollar company well , we've had you for a few . We don't have time for that . We need someone who can . We need results now .

Shelton Benjamin 42:56

And that's not a knock on them . That's why they're the biggest company in the world , because they need results , results , and so you know , they probably were less inclined to . You know , give me that the opportunities 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 and I'm just using the magic example John Cena . John Cena's to me the best promo in wrestling .

Norma 43:23

Like , if you talk to him when when you're saying promo , you're talking about talking about .

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 to me one of the faces of pro wrestling , but he's also from my class , I take a special , but he's always been a guy Like when he talks , he can win over anybody . If you put him in any sit , in any situation , I don't care what it is . It can be as ridiculous or serious as you , he makes it work . And I remember sitting back and watching him going how does he do that ? Yeah , and the one time I really spoke and asked him about it and he was like bro , I just sit . He's like I'm a nerd , I just sit at home and talk to myself in the mirror . And this is when he said back in OVW , hindsight is always 20-20 . When he said that to me , you know we're talking . This is , you know , 2001 or 2002 .

Shelton Benjamin 44:21

I'm like you shouldn't talk to yourself in the mirror and I didn't realize that was a breadcrumb .

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 one time . He was saying you know you go and you talk to yourself in the mirror . And again I was like talk to yourself in the mirror . I was like that was another breadcrumb . Again I was like talk to yourself in the mirror . I was like that was another breadcrumb . When he said it I got it a little more but I still wasn't really fully committed to the idea .

Rich 44:53

The mirror didn't say Shelton , start talking to yourself , Right ?

Shelton Benjamin 44:57

And again . So those again are situations where I dropped the ball .

Norma 45:00

Well , you weren't ready .

Shelton Benjamin 45:02

Right .

Shelton Benjamin 45:03

And that's a good point actually , because you think about it . You have now going to the next chapter in your career in your life .

Shelton Benjamin 45:10

Okay , you go into that fully with the knowledge of what you've learned , the breadcrumbs that you've now recognized and have picked up , and that will help you . Look , people think something to people at different stages in their life . Right , it doesn't always have to come at the beginning . You know we're here for a reasonable amount of time , so just enjoy every part of it now . Maybe you will enjoy it more because 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 you said acting yeah yeah and so I think , and I think your fans are also going to be very curious and wanting to see Shelton Benjamin not inside the ring anymore , like what he's going to do .

Shelton Benjamin 45:52

So I , and I'm excited with him , like I , it's something I've always wanted to do , but that and voiceovers also . Okay , voiceovers , like I'm a big kid , I can see it , I could see it , I could like I'm that . Not only am I a big kid , I'm a big geek . Like I went to Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con for the first time a couple weeks ago and , yeah , I had to give my agent my wallet . Oh , because you didn't trust yourself .

Norma 46:22

I there's no way I would have every set that I made , which are there to sign autographs .

Shelton Benjamin 46:24

I was there to my wallet . Oh , because you didn't trust yourself . There's no way I would have every cent that I made .

Norma 46:28

Were you there to sign autographs ? I was there to sign . I would have used every penny that I made signing autographs to go around buying stuff . Oh , you're going to have to show us some of your collections later .

Shelton Benjamin 46:39

Oh , oh . One is like oh , is that a grown man ? But we all have that in us , we all you . It's like oh , is that a grown man , 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 definitely help you be that big kid , and the voiceover work as well . So you're going to exercise all these other things . And going back to what you said , rich sometimes when we don't listen to those voices , but then we finally do it , sometimes it's even better because you do it with that much more intensity which is that much more purpose and drive , because you didn't have it you were curious about it 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-do situation .

Norma 47:19

Right .

Shelton Benjamin 47:20

For example , when I went to college , I from small-town Orangeburg , south Carolina , to small-town Susanville , California , on the other side of the country . You know it was complete culture shock . But I flew there in a one-way ticket and the reason one , the reason I chose California in the first place nothing we spoke about this before is because I had watched in my hometown people graduate , go to college in Atlanta or Florida or sometimes even New York , get homesick , come back home and really I don't want to say they gave up , because obviously I don't know where it went , but the fact that they quit school just to come back home , because it 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 I had five dollars in my pocket and a trunk full of all of my belongings . That was some clothes and a few cassette tapes your comic book series in there too .

Shelton Benjamin 48:22

Oh yeah , everything .

Shelton Benjamin 48:24

So but ? But everything I own fit into a little 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 to work . When I went to the University of Minnesota , same situation , like these people are paying for me to go to school . Right , you know I'm doing good in 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 best friend , 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 while I was there , you , I just became a new father . My daughter was born in 99 . So again

Future Acting Aspirations

Shelton Benjamin 49:12

I was in a situation where I'm out of college but I'm a broke . I'm still broke , and so now I have this opportunity with WWE and I have a newborn daughter , and so my thing is this has to work . So now , with acting and you know , a lot of my ventures that I want to get into , like I'm on the clock now , like this stuff has to work , I don't have time to wonder , or I hope , or you know what I ?

Shelton Benjamin 49:42

mean I try to pick up the breadcrumbs as soon as I see them . Or you know what I mean . I try to pick up the breadcrumbs 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 as soon 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 follow through and one thing I've noticed as you go further into your life knowing the end is getting a little bit closer that drive and purpose gets more and more . It doesn't diminish , right , because you know there's still things that you want to do and there's still things that you want to achieve Absolutely With less 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 on the next one .

Rich 50:30

Look what I would say to you is . I would finish by saying this you mentioned before about . People only know your persona . I hope after listening to this , they understand who Shelton Benjamin really is , the man behind the myth .

Rich 50:44

I love that .

Rich 50:47

Honestly , we've met once before . It's a pleasure listening to you talking , to you hearing what you have to say Honestly it really is because you are a good person . You radiate a lot of good energy . We both wish you every success , and when you're on your first film , can we be extras ?

Rich 51:06

Norma: Absolutely . We're going to have them back right for the project that you're going to take on and . I'm sure you're going to get a lot of a lot of projects because you have quite a big persona and I think it's you owe it to your fans to see that and see how 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 cards that'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 ?

Shelton Benjamin 51:51

of the question based on the color .

Norma 51:53

I'm actually colorblind , so I couldn't tell you . Oh yeah , oh , that's right , you are colorblind .

Shelton Benjamin 51:58

Okay , well , I'm going to go right for the middle and see what pops up .

Shelton Benjamin 52:01

All right , they actually end up being quite poignant , some of these questions , okay .

Shelton Benjamin 52:07

So what's a deal breaker for you in a relationship ? Ooh , ooh , that is deep , ooh , that is .

Rich 52:16

A deal breaker . A deal breaker , and it could be any type of relationship . Business relationship , right Personal relationship ? Yeah , okay , just one .

Speaker 4 52:26

Yeah , I'm gonna keep it's real basic and it's very Business relationship , right Personal relationship .

Shelton Benjamin 52:29

Yeah , okay , just one . Yeah , I'm going to keep . It's real basic and it's very comprehensive answer , a comprehensive answer for any situation . If there's lack of trust , there is 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 you can't develop a trust and sometimes trust can be broken and fixed . You know things happen , but once 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 bleep this . Don't be an asshole . Asshole personalities that's a deal 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 say that's changing . We're trying to change that with this podcast right and bringing more positivity , inspiration and collaboration . But definitely someone's attitude , if their ego is like front and center , that's a deal breaker 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 were on a call . She said can I ask you a question ? I said yeah .

Rich 53:45

I didn't know yet this time .

Rich 53:47

No , clearly . She said to me promise you one thing . I said , yeah , she goes . When we become successful , you won't be an asshole . And I said , no , of course I won'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 and honesty are actually key in my personal and my business life , right , you know , in any part of my life .

Shelton Benjamin 54:14

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 and I'm trustworthy and that's because that that's what I trade on . Okay , we were talking about this yesterday , very briefly . There's an expression shem tov , which means good name okay , and your good name is what you trade with . Doesn't matter where , who you are , or where you are in your life or what you're trading it in . You need a good name yeah and that's so important .

Shelton Benjamin 54:44

So , and the only way you get that is with trust and with being all right , so I agree I did a podcast previously with a chris van bleet and I was explaining to him because so I don't know if you guys noticed I'm known for ladder matches and that's where you have to climb . Ladders fall off matters fall through ladders , and one of the question was how did it feel to fall through a ladder ? And and I remember my answer was something along the effects of going through the ladder was a piece of cake , but only this part hurt , but it wasn't going through the ladder . And I read the comments and I remember a fan was like BS , you're lying , you went through a ladder , it didn't hurt BS . And I was like show me where I have ever lied before . You think I'm going to start now . So it's like , yeah , I try to be as genuine and as honest as I can , especially when a camera's rolling , like I'm .

Rich 55:44

Oh yeah , because you know , because you're a role model . You're a role model , there's kids 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 something to make myself look better . Right , you know , look better , you know . I mean , like I try to be as honest as possible . If I think something's gonna make me look bad , well , I'll try to just get away from that particular question . But I'm a real , especially with my fans . I'm really , really honest and , again , if there's something I'm uncomfortable with , I just want to dress it . And , like you said , your podcast is about promoting positivity and you know things like that .

Shelton Benjamin 56:26

And I'm I'm big on positivity , I'm big on respect . I try to , I try to be positive in the worst of situations and I try to respect everybody until you disrespect me well , that's when you get the horns , but yeah , that's but that's fair .

Shelton Benjamin 56:41

I really do try to promote , just like you guys , even though I'm a bad guy . I try to be as positive a person as I can , and a lot of times that can be taken advantage of , you know , but sometimes you , you have to . Sometimes the lion has to roar to remind people . Yo , I'm a lion , absolutely . I might be a sleepy lion , but I'm still a lion .

Shelton Benjamin 57:08

Just to finish with this I've loved boxing most of my life . I'm not a boxer , I just like to box and I use it in my day-to-day life and it's like you keep your guard up , you go through , you go into something and it's coming towards you , you block it , you parry , but when you get that opening , that's when you're wrong , that's when you 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 audience members and our listeners . That you would like to share words of wisdom , parting words , a mantra that maybe that you would like to share words of wisdom parting words , a mantra that , maybe that you live by .

Shelton Benjamin 57:51

Please and thank you . Please and thank you have opened more doors for me than any other thing in my life . It doesn't matter who you're with , who they are , what , where they are economically , you know racially , like , please and thank you , and I'm basically saying just always be respectful , because you never , you never know , you never know who you're talking to , you never know what doors open or close with it . My best friend , mvp like obviously , in our , in our lifestyle , people ask for autographs all the time and an MVP , he's very big on please and thank you , and you know this is actually something I learned from him because he spent time in prison and you know he's open about that . He talks about it . He . For 10 years he lived a life of constantly being told what to do , extremely rudely , and so now , whenever you know he's , you know he's a superstar now so when people ask him for autographs , he'll give anybody autograph , but as soon as they ask , he'll like , if they don't say please , he'll give them a chance . What is it ?

Shelton Benjamin 58:57

he's like yeah , follow up see like he's waiting on the please yeah , because sometimes fans do kind of just they get ahead of themselves , so he forces if you don't , he gives you an opportunity he'll educate you but 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 walk off and it's just .

Shelton Benjamin 59:22

You know , please do the same things 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 other little thing I I learned from from the most unlikely of sources you know my opinion a guy named tony atlas . Tony atlas is a wrestler . He was really popular , popular in 80s has a creative life . He ended up being homeless at one point and you know , he got his life back together and he was talking to me . Now my you , tony is .

Final Thoughts on Respect and Kindness

Shelton Benjamin 59:58

Tony is sometimes his worst enemy , in my opinion . But one thing I learned from him was he was saying you see how you guys go through these hotels and how you're always . You mess up a room and then these women have to . You know , women and men have to go and clean their rooms and you look down on them , you talk to them . He's like he doesn't look down on people in those positions . He's like because they're people too . He's like I spent years invisible . I'm like what are you talking about ? He's like I was homeless . So I'd be standing on the side of the street with my hand out and no one saw me .

Shelton Benjamin 1:00:31

And I was like oh okay .

Shelton Benjamin 1:00:35

So that for me , was a lesson to , and it was also a mirror , because I'm like you know he's right , because there were times I'd go into like a restaurant , you don't respect the waiter , you don't respect the valet , you don'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 the same place , we're all going to the same place , so try to risk . Show respect to everyone .

Rich 1:01:03

Well , Shelton , please come back .

Norma 1:01:06

Please do .

Norma 1:01:07

It's been amazing having you on and thank you for being here , yeah , thank you . Honestly , what you just said is so lovely .

Shelton Benjamin 1:01:15

Please , and thank yous cost nothing Doesn't matter where you are on a social scale .

Norma 1:01:19

It's lovely . Thank you very much for joining us .

Rich 1:01:20

Thank you , Shelton . Thanks for having me . Please be back . You're going to be back , oh .

Shelton Benjamin 1:01:24

I will definitely be back .

Norma 1:01:24

I want you to talk about some of your projects that you're going to undertake .

Norma 1:01:27

Oh , yeah , so please be back . Absolutely . Thank you I appreciate you .

Rich 1:01:30

Thank you so much .

Shelton Benjamin 1:01:31

Thanks for having me .

Rich 1:01:32

And cut .

Norma 1:01:34

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 to our newsletter at nrjmediagroupcom and follow us on social media for more powerful insights . Until next time , stay inspired , stay bold and keep striving for greatness .

Shelton Benjamin 1:02:05

Energy's podcast is produced and hosted by Norma Garcia and Rich Reid the incredible talent behind us . We are highly engineered and edited by Rich Evers . Our seriously curated director is none other than David H Tanaka . Our talented music composer is Steve Devaney . Our devotion to motion graphic designer is Mike Macklin . Our very spirited technical advisor is Tracy Williams . Our amazing marketing manager , Lauren Carter . Our man of many words publicist is Josh Gershman . And introducing our producer's assistant , Blake Miele . Energis Podcast is brought to you by NRJ Media Group .