Shelton Benjamin & Victoria boost morale at Fort Bragg
By Ed Williams III
June 26, 2006

It has been one crazy couple of days for the members of the RAW roster. The RAW Superstars were assembled at the new Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. last night for Vengeance, and as soon as the D-Generation X finished off their last crotch chops, the Superstars were back on the road, traveling to Fayetteville for yet another live edition of RAW. But in between the craziness, Shelton Benjamin and Victoria found time to head over to the Fort Bragg North Post PX, just a few miles away from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, to meet some of their biggest fans as well as several of the brave men and women who serve our country in the air force.

A crowd of hundreds was lined up before the Superstars even arrived as fans were eager to meet two of their favorite Superstars. Many of the troops and fans were decked out in Shelton Benjamin T-shirts, and some of the female fans were sporting Diva T-shirts. And while the shirts were on sale at the location, the memories they left with were priceless.

One of the troops, Brandon Zylstra, certainly agrees that it’s a day he won’t soon forget.

“Victoria put me in a headlock, and it was the best headlock I’ve ever been in,” said Zylstra. “It was great to meet (Shelton and Victoria). I always watch them on TV, and meeting them in person is just great. It means a lot, especially while in uniform.”

Several of the troops that stopped by to mingle with masters of the mat said it definitely brightened everyone’s day.

“Victoria is one of my favorite WWE Divas, so it was pretty cool, and Shelton is one of my favorite up and coming Superstars,” said Christopher Tucker, an Air Force Airman. “It really helps our morale to have them come here because we get down a lot, so having them come out and appear and do shows and appearances like this for us is awesome.”

Not only do the brave men and women stationed on Fort Bragg get to enjoy the Superstars, but it allows those with children to spend some quality time together.

“It’s a good deal that the base provides this for us. We don’t have enough time for our kids, so it’s nice that they come over here, so we have a chance to spend more time with them,” said Alexander Rodriguez.

And of course, what red-blooded male wouldn’t want to meet the red-hot Victoria?

“Victoria even gave me a kiss, and it sure felt good. It was awesome,” said an elated Christopher Evans. “I finally got to meet some people I see on TV all the time, and it was a great experience. I’m glad they support the military. It means a lot because it’s a good thing when you have things like this to look forward to.”

But the men and women stationed at Fort Bragg aren’t the only ones that came away with smiles on their faces. Victoria and Shelton were both beaming after the autograph signing and meet and greet.

“It was awesome. It was a great turnout, and it was so nice to see our fans,” said Victoria. “Plus, I love guys in uniforms. It’s always nice to come to the bases and say ‘thank you’ for what their doing for us and their loyalty. They are true, loyal fans, and we appreciate them.”

“Today was a lot of fun,” agreed Benjamin. “There were a lot of enthusiastic people here. I saw a lot of smiling faces, and more importantly, I saw a lot of Shelton Benjamin magazines and posters, and everyone sand the praises of Shelton Benjamin, so I would say without a doubt that this has been one of the greatest signings and meet and greets of my career.”

Victoria especially enjoyed seeing the families together.

“Coming from an Air Force background, with my dad not being home a lot, it’s really nice to see the soldiers with their sons and daughters getting to share this experience together. I’d hate to take the toughness out of Victoria, but it was really sweet.”

This isn’t the first time that Shelton has met the troops, but it loves it more and more each time.

“After going over to Afghanistan and coming here, it’s amazing the power that you have just by extending your hand and shaking the soldiers’ hands. They’re so grateful, and it’s just our way of saying ‘thank you,” said Benjamin. “I really appreciate it, and those guys are my heroes, so I hope they keep up the good work.”

Credit: WWE.com