This AEW Star ALMOST Joined The Hurt Syndicate - Until Plans Changed... (AEW News)
MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin nearly recruited this guy on AEW TV.
Ricochet has almost joined The Hurt Syndicate in AEW and previously in WWE. Back then, the group was known as The Hurt Business, but the same rules still applied for MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. It was Cedric Alexander who ultimately snagged a spot in WWE's faction, but Rico's story with THB/THS didn't end there.
Speaking via his podcast, MVP told listeners how Ricochet was in line to join The Syndicate on AEW television before creative plans changed. According to him, top brass originally fancied reuniting the entire WWE stable by bringing Alexander over from the competition. Once that fell through (because Cedric was still under contract), attention turned to having Rico link up with his prospective new teammates.
Tony Khan changed his mind on that one too. MVP said that initial planning called for Ricochet to start proving himself to the established Syndicate trio by having him hurt various members of the AEW roster so he could earn a place in their midst. "Selfishly", Porter did want to work alongside Ricochet on episodes of Dynamite and Collision, but he believes "things worked out better for [him] as they are".
Ricochet turned heel shortly after making his All Elite debut. He hasn't looked back since.
The high flyer was involved in a finish that saw Lashley and Shelton lose their AEW Tag-Team Titles to Brodido duo Brody King and Bandido at the recent Forbidden Door 2025 pay-per-view; they were working a Triple Threat tag effort with FTR. So, there's still room for the story to develop.
It was supposed to culminate in Rico joining The Hurt Syndicate early.