WWE’s MVP recently opened up about the dissolution of The Hurt Business, leaving fans and insiders buzzing with speculation. As Bobby Lashley’s manager, MVP formed The Hurt Business in 2020, recruiting Shelton Benjamin and newly-turned heel Cedric Alexander on “WWE Raw.” The faction quickly made an impact, with Lashley winning the United States Championship and Alexander and Benjamin capturing the “Raw” Tag Team Championships.
However, the group’s success was short-lived. After Lashley won the WWE Championship in 2021, he unceremoniously ejected Benjamin and Alexander from The Hurt Business. Despite occasional teases of a reunion, the group never fully reformed, and MVP eventually aligned himself with Omos.
MVP recently took to Instagram to reminisce about The Hurt Business, sparking a flurry of comments from fans calling for a reunion and questioning where things went wrong. One suggestion to continue the brand with Lashley and The Street Profits was met with a firm “ABSOLUTELY not!” from MVP, who added, “If it ain’t the original, it ain’t with me.”
In addressing the group’s breakup, MVP suggested that Vince McMahon was responsible for disbanding The Hurt Business but pointed out that WWE CCO Triple H had the opportunity to bring them back together when he took over creative. “And his son-in-law never put it back together,” MVP commented, lamenting the “lackluster reunions” in the years since. He indicated that the idea was pitched to Triple H, who rejected it, citing a lack of interest from the current regime in re-signing Benjamin.
MVP also implied that racial biases played a role in the group’s dissolution. He referenced a notorious promo exchange between Triple H and Booker T from the 2000s, where Triple H suggested that people like Booker T were only in WWE to make others laugh. This promo, often interpreted as racially insensitive, seemed to resonate with MVP. When a user commented that “The Triple H era is emasculating black men,” MVP agreed, saying, “You see it.”
The timing of The Hurt Business’s rise and fall was also notable, as it coincided with Roman Reigns’ return as the “Tribal Chief” in 2020. Reigns’ Bloodline faction, including Jey and Jimmy Uso, quickly became WWE’s dominant stable. MVP concurred with the notion that The Hurt Business gimmick had been co-opted for the Samoan dynasty.
Among those commenting was fellow WWE veteran Batista, who expressed confusion over the group’s breakup. “They left a lot of money on the table with that one. Color me confused,” Batista wrote. MVP responded, “And we were never given an explanation for why.”
Since the split, MVP’s appearances on WWE TV alongside Omos have been sporadic, a stark contrast to their visibility under Vince McMahon’s regime. During his absence, MVP has been candid about his creative pitches for The Hurt Business, recently revealing that he initially wanted Ricochet to join the group alongside Alexander.
The revelations from MVP have reignited discussions about The Hurt Business and the potential for what could have been, leaving fans eagerly speculating about the behind-the-scenes dynamics of WWE’s creative decisions.
