Ex-WWE Star Reveals Scrapped Romance With Saraya

A former WWE star has revealed he was originally set to be part of a romantic angle with current AEW star Saraya before it was scrapped.

Plans change in the world of wrestling and in the dying embers of Vince McMahon’s time running the company’s creative, that was perhaps never truer.

One plan that was put in place would have seen returning star Shelton Benjamin become romantically involved with then SmackDown General Manager Paige. Speaking to Metro, Benjamin revealed the plan and noted WWE was all set for it to happen before it just didn’t:

[A] pitch I had, I wanted to be – this is when I came back the second time. I think Paige [now Saraya in AEW] was the general manager for Smackdown.

The idea was, I will start off as kind of her bodyguard, but I think it was it was going to turn romantic and that was all – they were all set to do that, and then it just didn’t happen.

WWE Abandon Mr. Entertainment Gimmick

Shelton Benjamin also mentioned another pitch that would have seen him put the entertainment into sports entertainment before it too was put on the back burner:

At one point, I was going to be Mr. Entertainment where, you know, I’ll be singing. I think we kind of teased it once with the Bellas where I was kind of singing Louis Armstrong to them… I remember Vince wanted me to be Mr. Entertainment. That never happened.

Shelton Benjamin was released by WWE in September 2023 bringing his second run with the company to an end. Since then Benjamin has kept busy on the independent scene but The Gold Standard has told AEW that his door is open – and that could mean the world gets the romance angle it was robbed of between him and Saraya.