A former WWE star recently revealed that he turned down an offer to join AEW. Instead of immediately rejoining the revived The Hurt Business under its new name, Cedric Alexander took a different route.
AEW’s The Hurt Syndicate first became popular in WWE as The Hurt Business. During that time, Alexander emerged as an important member of the stable during its peak. Because of this history, many expected Alexander to eventually join the group again after its reformation. However, he said the situation was not as simple as people thought.
Cedric Alexander Wanted To Establish His Own Identity
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Alexander spoke about his mixed feelings when his longtime friends Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP reunited in AEW as The Hurt Syndicate in late 2024.
Alexander explained that he felt both happy and frustrated when he saw the group come back together without him. He was glad that his friends had the chance to revive the faction. However, it also made him think about his own role in building the group’s legacy.
“Bobby, Shelton, MVP, they’re all legit close friends of mine, so I was very happy for them that they got to bring the group back and finish their story, their careers, the way they wanted to. But I was also like, ‘Man, what about me? I was a part of that group, too. I helped make that group what it was,” Alexander said.
Cedric Alexander revealed that he was offered a chance to join AEW around the time the faction was being formed. However, he chose not to accept because he didn’t want the next part of his career to revolve only around that group.
“When I had the opportunity to go to AEW, I was looking at it in a sense of, well, for them, they’re finishing their careers with The Hurt Business. I still got another 10, 15 years to go. So, I kind of wanna do my own thing and just be my own man for a while and not be linked to all he did was Hurt Business stuff,” he said.
He also mentioned that before joining WWE, he had already built a reputation. That experience proved to him that he could succeed on his own.
“I was a self-made man before I came to WWE in C.W.C., so I would like to be able to say, nah, this was my choice. Something I did for me,” Cedric Alexander added.
After leaving WWE, Cedric Alexander joined TNA in June 2025. Right now, he is part of The System.
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