Shelton Benjamin Rejected Idea To Have His Real Mother On The Road With WWE

WWE has a lot of ideas for angles, but they don’t all come to fruition. Although something might make sense on paper, and really resonate with everyone involved, that doesn’t mean they will actually see things go down on television, and Shelton Benjamin knows this all too well.

Shelton Benjamin was once offered quite an opportunity, because Vince McMahon wanted to bring his mother in on the fun. That was not okay with the future Hurt Business member, and he rejected that idea for good reason.

During the early months of 2006, Mama Benjamin injected herself into Shelton Benjamin’s matches, contributing to his successful winning streak and eventual WWE Intercontinental Championship victory in February.

The character of Mama Benjamin, portrayed by American comedian and actress Thea Vidale, had not been the initial plan. Benjamin shared the original concept proposed by Vince McMahon during an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

“I had a meeting with Vince (McMahon) and I was just like, ‘Okay, right now I’m not doing anything. I want to contribute.’ And I had an idea and first — and I don’t know where he came up with the mama thing.

“So when he first approached me about it, he basically said, ‘How would you feel about having your real mama on the road?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m going to expose my mother to this locker room.’

“Because as nice as a guy I am, I love everybody on the roster. But if one person were to say something (I didn’t like) to my real mom, I would have had a really short career.”

Having joined WWE in January 2000, Benjamin went through developmental stages in OVW before debuting on SmackDown in December 2002. Although he remained with the company until his 2010 release, a planned return in 2016 was derailed due to a torn rotator cuff injury. That being said, he’s seen a lot in the pro wrestling business, and he didn’t want his mother to be entrenched in that life.

Shelton Benjamin eventually re-signed with WWE in August 2017, making a comeback on the August 22 episode of SmackDown as part of a tag team with Chad Gable. His WWE career includes three WWE Tag Team Championship wins, an Intercontinental Championship victory, and a previous reign as WWE United States Champion. Even now, it’s very likely that he would reject an idea to have his mother on the road.

Would you want your mother on the road with you as a WWE Superstar? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you’re thinking!