Shelton Benjamin Finally Returns To WWE SmackDown
'The Gold Standard' looks set to team with Chad Gable.
Former WWE Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin returned to the company for the first time in seven years at last night's SmackDown.
'The Gold Standard' appeared during a backstage segment with Chad Gable and Daniel Bryan. The General Manager revealed that in exchange for Jason Jordan heading to Raw, Kurt Angle had offered to help SmackDown sign one of his friends. That man was Shelton Benjamin, who was introduced as Gable's new tag team partner.
The full segment can be viewed below:-
Gable and Benjamin will team up for the first time next week, through their opponents are yet to be revealed. Shelton didn't look too impressed with this idea, however.
Now 42 years old, Benjamin was originally set to return in July 2016, but his attempted comeback was nixed when WWE's medical tests revealed a torn rotator cuff. The company held off on signing him until he'd healed, and after undergoing surgery later that year, 'The Gold Standard' was cleared to return this past March.
Speculation that Benjamin was finally on the verge of returning started picking up again last week, and although he was re-introduced through a backstage segment, his appearance got a big pop from the crowd.