Bobby Lashley reveals the real reason why he removed MJF from Hurt Syndicate : "If I don't trust you"

Bobby Lashley and The Hurt Syndicate kicked out MJF from the faction a few weeks ago on Dynamite. It was a controversial decision, as many fans believed the alliance was doing a good job in their two-month tenure. Recently, The Almighty revealed the real reason behind this massive decision.

Lashley accepted The Salt of the Earth in the faction on the May 21 episode of Dynamite. Following his entry, MJF helped The Hurt Syndicate in retaining the AEW World Tag Team Title and even won the Men's Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal for himself. However, on the August 6 episode of Dynamite, the faction members decided to remove the former AEW World Champion from the group.

Speaking on The F Y’all Podcast with C.T. Fletcher, Bobby Lashley said that he did not trust MJF from the very beginning of the alliance. He emphasized that the Hurt Syndicate works like a family, but Friedman was more focused on his personal growth than the group’s success. This mindset did not sit well with Lashley, which led him to kick out the 29-year-old from the faction.

"With MJF, I gave the thumbs down. I gave the thumbs down because if I don't trust you, that's a big deal for me. And I didn't trust him bringing him in originally. And then since we've gotten in, I just kind of see that he is focused on his own path. So instead of having us stay with us and then now we're all moving in different directions, I was like, just go on your own path. Yeah. And then you go on your path and let us go on our path," he said. [From 34:42 - 35:14]

Check out the full interview below:

The former WWE star also said that there are no hard feelings between him and MJF. He went on to praise The Salt of the Earth as one of the most successful AEW stars ever. Bobby Lashley acknowledged the former AEW World Champion as an amazing talent. However, his persona just did not work with The Hurt Syndicate.

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Bobby Lashley revealed the core value of The Hurt Syndicate

The Hurt Syndicate has been one of the most popular factions in the world of professional wrestling in recent memory. It became popular during the pandemic era in WWE and later came to AEW in 2024. Recently, Bobby Lashley revealed the core value of the faction that makes it so unique.

In the same interview on The F Y’all Podcast, the former WWE Champion explained that the whole idea was to push each other to the top. Shelton Benjamin was a veteran. Meanwhile, he and MVP were the cornerstone of the group. Similarly, Cedric Alexander was the young blood of the faction.

"When we had the Hurt Business originally. It was the realest thing I’ve been through in pro wrestling. It was a big deal, and it was a big deal because of who I was doing it with. Shelton Benjamin has been on top of the business forever. Cedric, the same thing. He was amazing. We all formed together to push each other." [From 32:02 to 33:59]

Bobby Lashley said that the whole idea revolved around being different than the others in the company. Therefore, he believes it was the "realest thing" for him in his entire career.

If you use quotes from here, please credit The F Y’all Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.