If there's one man in the world who knows a thing or two about Brock Lesnar, both inside and out of the ring, it's Shelton Benjamin.

A fellow alumnus of the University of Minnesota, Lesnar, and Benjamin have been working in WWE together in one form or another for over 20 years, with the duo initially linking up as a tag team in OVW under the watchful eye of Jim Cornette as The Minnesota Stretching Crew in 2000. Though they haven't worked together much as of late, with just one shared appearance in the ring since 2003 – the 2020 Royal Rumble – when it comes to Lesnar's grappling career, few have as much experience as Benjamin, as his career clearly proves.

Asked by Chris Van Vliet about his earliest memories of working with Lesnar, a collegiate wrestling tournament they took part in over 20 years ago when ‘The Beast' still went to Junior College, Benjamin recalled it fondly, suggesting that even then he knew his eventual partner was a powerhouse.

“Yes, I do [remember], actually. And you know, it almost annoys me to tell the story. Because we were at a wrestling tournament in, I want to say it was Fargo at, you know, their university, and Brock was still in junior college. And of course, we're gonna say, you know, he's hungry. And long story short, he won the tournament because I lost a match, and we would have wrestled, but he won the tournament. And he was a junior college kid, and I just remember everyone who saw him was like you see that?” Shelton Benjamin shared via Wrestling Headlines.

“There's never been a scrawny version of Brock that I saw. From the time we saw him, he was rocking it; our coach was salivating to the point where after just because he was in junior college they started they immediately started recruiting him. So I'm kind of over in the corner like, you know, I'm your heavyweight, and you are recruiting another heavy right in front of me. But I mean, you see the guy, how would you not?”

Unfortunately for Benjamin, he did get replaced as the University of Minnesota's top heavyweight, as Lesnar went on to become an NCAA Champion during his senior year at the university one year after finishing second to future three-time Super Bowl Champion Stephen Neal. In a way, that's just sort of the “Brock Lesnar way;” show up, win the top title, and look for something new to do.

Shelton Benjamin still holds The Hurt Business dear to his heart.

Elsewhere in his insightful conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Shelton Benjamin was asked about his time in The Hurt Business, the Bobby Lashley-MVP vehicle that fans have been hoping would return for years now. Unsurprisingly, Benjamin thinks back on that time in his career fondly, as do many fans.

“The Hurt Business will always be something I hold near and dear. I consider it one of the greatest accomplishments, one of the greatest factions, one of the greatest situations. I have nothing but love for The Hurt Business, like nothing but love. You know, again, with the world being in a situation it was like, and, you know, in a lot of cases, limited talent, you know, for safety, obviously; everything's understandable. But the company still needed people to step up. Like, yes, we understand what's going on, but we're still a business, the show must go on, we need people to step up, and I think myself, Bobby, MVP, and Cedric did exactly that. Like I said, what we created, all of us are extremely proud of what we're able to do during that time when the company really needed something. That came out of nowhere, it was a surprise to all of us, and again, it was just such a great time. The biggest regret is that we never were in front of a live crowd.”

Asked if he hopes to see the faction eventually reunite, Benjamin said yes, noting that there was never some huge falling out that ruined their relationships.

“Definitely. First, when things fell apart, I don't think we were happy about it. Yeah, we did everything we could. It was above our pay grade, and our job is to perform. Yep, the decision-makers have made the decisions. Our job is to perform, so that's what we do, but at the same time, it's like, man, we really, really wanted to just have that one time we can just walk out in front of an actual crowd. You know, because it's one thing to know that what you're doing is getting over when there's no one around. You know, but we still felt it, so we all wanted to experience The Hurt Business in front of a live crowd. That's what we work for. That's what we live for. Yeah, that adrenaline rush, there's nothing like it.”

Will The Hurt Business eventually reform? More likely than not, yes, but the real question is which performers will be a part of the reunited unit should it return, as Lashley is already working alongside the Street Profits and has taken an interest in Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams down in NXT too. Factor in Omos, who is always looking for something to do, and there just might not be a spot for Benjamin or Cedric Alexander in the faction anymore.