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Former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley spoke about black representation and working with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander during the Pandemic Era.
The All-Mighty captured championships and made a name for himself with sheer force and dominance. The 45-year-old has been in the best shape of his life and is usually strapped in gold. During the Pandemic Era, The Hurt Business changed how black wrestlers were represented on TV.
The birth of Hurt Business made the audience appreciate people of color and didn't stereotype them. On the latest episode of Table for 3, Lashley talked about black representation and working with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander:
“We were able to give our audience a different look at Black talent. Because before it was always like you had to be militant or you had to be dancing or you had to be this or that, and I was, like, ‘Nah man... We can show kids, such as my son, and kids that are growing up, that these are three Black athletes that are very talented, that can do anything else, but at the same time they’re not a thug, they’re not tap-dancing, they’re not doing any of this.'” (H/T: WrestleTalk)
It'd be interesting to see a reunion with the three members dominating RAW. Bobby Lashley is currently feuding with Theory on RAW.
Bobby Lashley talks about positive change brought by The Hurt Business
It happens quite often when a stable changes the game. Stables like NWO, Evolution, and The Shield created a wide fan base for years. Once such stable was The Hurt Business, which comprised Bobby Lashley, MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin.
The stable not only dominated RAW and won championships but was a milestone for black representation in national programming. The Hurt Business was the third all-black stable creating a legacy in a short time. In the same episode, Lashley spoke about the positive change the stable brought outside the ring:
“We’re dressing nice, and that was the one thing that we made sure that we did all the time is come as the character that we wanted to be, which was professionals... I loved everything about it, and I think it transcended so many different areas that we got locked into, and I think so many people saw that. I got a couple of messages on Instagram, they took pictures of their son. Like my son went in the closet and put on a little suit, asked for a suit, that’s incredible. That made me feel good. Like, my son even said, he was, like, 'Man, I need to go get my suit and put it on.' And that made me feel good because that’s the representation we were showing.” (H/T: WrestleTalk)
The Hurt Business is a shining example of the representation of people of color in a global market. It'll be interesting to see what more Lashley and the members will do in their respective careers.
