Shelton Benjamin reveals possible reason why WWE booked him to defeat Triple H

Shelton Benjamin has revealed why WWE officials booked him in a surprising win over Triple H and what was planned for the future.

The Gold Standard was split from Charlie Haas and sent to RAW in the 2004 Draft. His first post-draft singles match came as a 20-minute win over Triple H on March 29, 2004. Benjamin won their rematch one week later via countout.

Benjamin recently appeared on The Kurt Angle Show and was asked about the win over the current WWE Chief Content Officer. He revealed he was being pushed because the company apparently wanted to create a new black star.

"Basically to fast track me. I don’t think, I don’t know because I didn’t ask questions, I just did what was asked of me. I do know the term ‘fast track’ was used when they were saying I was going to have the match with Hunter [Triple H]. I think, at the time, they wanted to create a Black star. Today, there is tons of every color of the rainbow in WWE. At the time, there was not. There was me, Mark Henry, Ron Simmons, Truth was still in TNA. There weren’t a lot, and I was the new guy, and they wanted to create a Black superstar. That much, I do know," he said. [H/T to Fightful]

After the wins over The Game, Benjamin defeated Ric Flair at Backlash on April 18. He wrestled Triple H again on May 10 that year, but the match ended in a draw.

Benjamin's war with Evolution continued, and he defeated Randy Orton on May 31. In mid-June, Shelton then lost his Intercontinental Championship to The Viper at Bad Blood. The veteran revealed that he thought the Backlash match would be with HHH.

"As far as where the program was going to go, I never knew because it went for a couple of weeks and then I got moved to [working with Ric]. I thought my first pay-per-view match was going to be with Hunter, but it ended up being with Ric," he said.

WWE held two more Benjamin vs. Triple H matches that year. The former Invader X won by DQ on the September 27 RAW, but The Cerebral Assassin got the win back on December 27. The veterans had three more matches between 2007 and 2008, but Triple H won them all.

Shelton Benjamin ready to begin his post-WWE career

WWE originally signed Shelton Benjamin to a developmental deal in 2000, and he worked for the company until his release in 2010. He was brought back in 2017 and was just released last September.

The Gold Standard's 90-day non-compete clause recently ended, and his first post-WWE appearance has been announced.

The 48-year-old previously took to Instagram and commented on being a free agent. He promised big adventures are coming soon.

"It’s been fun actually having time to focus on me and enjoy the many fruits of my labors. But all good things must end so time to strap up my boots and get back in the game. Big adventures ahead #justdowork," he wrote.

Benjamin has been rumored to sign with AEW, but nothing has been confirmed. He recently opened up on his future and what led to his WWE release.

What is your favorite memory from Shelton Benjamin's career? Do you have a bold prediction for Benjamin in 2024? Sound off in the comments below!