Shelton Benjamin has been part of AEW after debuting last year, and while he’s a mainstay of AEW programming, he does make occasional appearances outside AEW. However, it appears that Benjamin has now been pulled from an upcoming appearance at an indie event.
Pandemonium Pro Wrestling announced on Twitter that Shelton Benjamin has been removed from their upcoming “The House Always Wins” event for April 17th. The promotion had him booked since September and received reassurances for months that everything was set.
However, a decision was made that was ultimately out of their control. They acknowledged the frustration from fans and expressed their own disappointment. A replacement announcement was promised to be posted immediately after the update.
“Unfortunately the moment a lot of people have expected has come. Shelton Benjamin has been pulled from our show.
We’ve had Shelton Benjamin booked since September and had been reassured for months that we were good to go, but a decision was made that is ultimately out of our control. We understand frustration from our fans, as we are also incredibly frustrated. We will be posting a replacement announcement immediately following this tweet.”
The reason for Benjamin’s removal is unclear, but some believe AEW may have played a role. Since he is signed with AEW, his commitments there might have clashed with his indie booking. However, without an official statement, fans can only guess why the change happened.
Shelton Benjamin missing Pandemonium Pro Wrestling’s event is disappointing for both the promotion and fans who wanted to see him there. Independent promotions depend on big names to attract crowds, and situations like this show how hard it can be to book wrestlers with major company contracts. Regardless, we’ll have to see whether AEW will release an official statement on Benjamin’s removal.
Do you think AEW played a role in pulling Shelton Benjamin from the event? Should independent promotions have more security when booking contracted wrestlers? Share your thoughts in the comments!