Shelton Benjamin Says This AEW Star Should Be On Wrestling's Mt. Rushmore

When it comes to longevity in the wrestling business, former WWE star Shelton Benjamin can make a case to being one of the most timeless performers in the eyes of the fans. Debuting on the WWE main roster at the beginning of the "Ruthless Aggression" era, Benjamin was still able to hang with WWE's best and brightest up until his release from the company in September 2023.

During a recent Q&A session at the "For the Love of Wrestling" convention in Manchester, England, Benjamin gave credit to AEW star Chris Jericho for not only putting him over in their impromptu match at Taboo Tuesday 2004, but for also being the master of longevity.

"First of all, the fact that he's still doing it at a high level in AEW, you could say he should be on a Mount Rushmore just on longevity alone," Benjamin said. "What he's done — he's made so many careers, won so many titles, been so influential in and out of wrestling, I mean, the guy is phenomenal."

Benjamin's praise for Jericho — and another former WWE star now working for AEW — continued when discussing his breakthrough performance in the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21.

"A lot of the cool spots I did, like Money in the Bank — all those things I credit to Chris Jericho and Edge, Benjamin said. "I wouldn't have volunteered Edge's body to take a T-Bone off the top rope, or off the top of the ladder. That was Edge's idea. Jericho with the ladder run, that was his idea. They were just treating me like a video game, like 'Can you do it?' and I was like 'Yeah, I can do that.'"

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.