WWE Star MVP Says Triple H Wouldn't Reunite The Hurt Business, Implies Racist Motives
WWE's MVP hasn't held back as it pertains to the dissolution of The Hurt Business. As Bobby Lashley's manager, MVP established The Hurt Business as a faction with the additions of Shelton Benjamin and newly-minted heel Cedric Alexander on "WWE Raw" in 2020. They would go on to dominate briefly, Lashley as the United States Champion, Alexander and Benjamin as "Raw" Tag Team Champions.
But not long after Lashley captured the WWE Championship in 2021 he ejected them from the group, proceeding with MVP as his manager through teased reunions that never lasted until they also split, with MVP aligning with Omos. MVP recently reminisced over the group on Instagram, prompting some replies calling for them to reunite, asking where it went wrong, and suggesting he continue the brand with Lashley and The Street Profits. To that particular idea he replied, "ABSOLUTELY not!", elaborating elsewhere, "If it ain't the original, it ain't with me."
The former United States Champion further addressed the idea that Vince McMahon was the one to put the pin in the group, noting that WWE CCO Triple H could have reunited the group when he took over creative. "And his son in law never put it back together," he replied, adding on the "lackluster reunions" in the years since, "And you know who did that..." Several other replies from MVP indicated that the idea was pitched to Triple H but he rejected it, mentioning that he'd want Benjamin re-signed, but the current regime doesn't want to.
MVP implied racist motives were detrimental to the Hurt Business
MVP also suggested racial connotations were at play when it came to The Hurt Business being left on the scrap heap. One comment had pointed to an infamous promo exchange between Triple H and Booker T during the 2000s where he said to his challenger that people like him don't get to be champion, and are only there to be make people like himself laugh. Whether or not that was intended to be racist has been disputed, but many took the promo, specifically the latter portion, as an allusion to minstrelsy. MVP agreed with that reference, further saying, "You see it," when one user said that "The Triple H era is emasculating black men."
The Hurt Business arose on "Raw" months prior to Roman Reigns' return as the "Tribal Chief" in 2020, with Reigns' Bloodline gathering steam with the addition of Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso by 2021. The Bloodline would go on to become WWE's sole super-stable, and MVP agreed with the idea that The Hurt Business gimmick had been taken for the Samoan dynasty.
Amongst those leaving comments was MVP's fellow WWE veteran Batista, "They left a lot of money on the table with that one. Color me confused," he wrote, to which MVP replied, "And we were never given an explanation for why." MVP is scarcely seen on WWE TV along with Omos, as opposed to under Vince McMahon's regime. During his absence, he has been open with former creative pitches pertaining to The Hurt Business, only recently revealing that he'd originally wanted Ricochet to join the group as well as Alexander.