Shelton Benjamin Talks Why He Left WWE In 2010

As private as he may be, Shelton Benjamin sat down with Lilian Garcia recently Chasing Glory to discuss what happened the first time around when he was in the WWE and his departure.

Back in 2010, Benjamin cut ties with the WWE and decided to take his business elsewhere. Benjamin recalled that his departure had nothing to do with the lack of title opportunities, but instead, WWE let him go.

"Me and WWE had a difference in opinion," Benjamin admitted. "I wanted to keep my job, and they had a different opinion. Honestly, I was so frustrated by the time I left, that I felt like I was constantly trying to prove myself, as a Superstar, and as a performer. It got to the point where I was coming to work and my heart just wasn't in it. It was almost like my spirit was broken because I felt like every time I had something going for me, it was taken away, somehow or another.

"My entire time then and now, I always felt like I produced in the ring. I knew I needed to work on my promo skills, especially back then. There were certain things that could have been done to help me that they just weren't doing. I was coming into work and I was just miserable."

Even though Benjamin didn't want to leave, he was grateful that WWE made him leave. He believes it was a silver lining, especially since he could spend more time with his family, who he rarely got to see while on the road.

"The silver lining was that I got to spend way more time with my family," Benjamin said. "Everyone will tell you if there was a family event, I just didn't go, I had to go to work.

"I put work above everything, which is probably why I never got married."

Benjamin recently signed a multi-year renewal with WWE.

You can view Benjamin's full interview above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory- Lilian Garcia with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.