Zenithian Legend
Banned
Say hello to The Crippler
Perhaps the most respected wrestler in the WWE today (along with Kurt Angle), Chris Benoit has made a living by being one of the most technically sound wrestlers ever. His incredible work rate and ability to successfully incorporate a variety of submission manuevers into his matches have made him one of the best.
He was born Chris Benoit on May 21, 1967 in Montreal, Canada. Then later moved to Edmonton with his family as a child. Upon graduation from high school he began to make the 3 and a half hour drive down to Calgary on a daily basis to begin his wrestling education in Stu Hart's dungeon.
Benoit then competed as a member of Stampede wrestling for awhile before he began touring all of Canada, Mexico and Japan as the Pegasus Kid. Benoit achieved mild success wrestling in Stampede winning the tag titles and Mid-Heavweight title on several occasions. He achieved international success in 1990 by defeating Jushin Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title in Japan and then in early 1991 in Mexico by defeating Valliano III for the UWA World Light-Heavyweight title.
Chris Benoit's next move was to the WCW, however he struggled to move up the card there and was released within a year. So, he signed with the ECW. Benoit found some success in ECW, feuding with Sabu and then winning the ECW Tag Team titles with Dean Malenko, however he soon after left to go back to Japan.
On his second major tour of Japan, The Pegasus Kid had many great matches with The Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero), and eventually received a WWF try-out. However, in 1996 Benoit, along with Guerrero, joined the WCW instead.
Benoit's second run with WCW was far more successful as soon after his arrival he joined the Four Horsemen and began a feud with Kevin Sullivan... that spilled off camera. Benoit was taken with Kevin Sullivan's real wife "Woman" in WCW, and eventually she divorced Sullivan and married Chris Benoit (and you thought Edge was bad). After a brutal feud with Kevin Sullivan concluded, Benoit went on to feud with many of his friends from Japan and ECW, including Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko.
Benoit would resume fighting Kevin Sullivan again finally defeating him in a retirement match at the 1997 WCW Bash at the Beach. Benoit continued feuding with Dean Malenko, and unsuccessfully atempted to take the US Title from DDP on numerous occasions. Following that, Chris Benoit defeated Booker T at a house show for the TV title (the irony) but shortly after lost it back to him at another house show. In June of 1998, Benoit and Booker T began their infamous "Best of 7" series for the WCW TV Title. Later that year Ric Flair returned and reformed the Four Horsemen with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Steve MiMichael.
Benoit began to fade into the WCW Tag division as politics ran rampant and stars like Hogan, Nash, and Goldberg ran the show. Fortunately Benoit and Malenko were able to capture the tag titles for a brief period of time.
Lucky for the Crippler his run in the tag division was fairly short, and in August of 1999 he defeated David Flair for the US Title, only to drop it a month later to Sid Vicious. However, the next night on Nitro Benoit defeated Rick Steiner for the TV Title. The chaotic state of WCW was at play though, and the title went back to Steiner a month later. Benoit then defeated Scott Hall to win the US Title back, dropping it again less than two weeks later to Jeff Jarrett.
It became clear to Benoit that WCW was headed in the wrong direction. Despite his intentions to leave the company he defeated Sid Vicious for the WCW World Title, only to part ways with WCW the very next day.
On an early 2000 episode of Raw, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Perry Saturn debuted as The Radicalz.
Beniot didn't have to wait nearly as long to win gold in the WWF as he did in the WCW. At Wrestlemania 2000 he defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win Kurt's Intercontinental title, and unlike WCW he'd hold the title until June 21st when he dropped it to Rikishi.
Benoit continued to feud with many of the main eventers in the WWF, including Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Triple H and at that time the WWF Champion The Rock. Yet he was pushed back down to the upper-middle card shortly after.
At Armageddon 2000, Benoit defeated Billy Gunn to win the IC Title again, but shortly after dropped it to Chris Jericho at the Royal Rumble. Benoit again appeared to be going nowhere, until good fortune kicked in again and he began a huge feud with Kurt Angle.
Benoit and Kurt fought in a series of amazing matches at every major ppv from Wrestlemania X-7, to their 30 Minute Submission Iron Match at Backlash 2001, and finally their 2 out of 3 falls match at Judgement Day.
After finishing his feud with Kurt it was apparent that Benoit was destined for better things, and he returned to the title picture feuding with Steve Austin. Then tragedy struck and Benoit was sigelined for a year with a severe neck injury.
When Benoit returned the WWF was gone, as the company had turned into the WWE and Benoit was drafted to the Smackdown Brand; however, Benoit began his comeback by assaulting Steve Austin on Raw, the man who had sidelined him with the neck injury (although in reality it was an injury that had bothered him for years), and then turning on Ric Flair to team with Eddie Guerrero.
Benoit then defeats RVD for the IC title on a July episode of Raw, before jumping to Smackdown, with the belt. Benoit drops the belt back to RVD at Summerslam. Benoit then begins his quest for the WWE Title.
After feuding with Taker, Kurt Angle (again), Edge, Rikishi and Rey Mysterio Benoit seems destined for another title shot, but instead he ends up winning the tag titles with Kurt Angle. Many begin to wonder if Benoit will ever get another World Title shot.
Finally, at Armageddon 2002, Benoit defeats longtime friend Eddie Guerrero to win an Undisputed title shot. On the next episode of Smackdown Chris Benoit defeats the Undisputed Champ Kurt Angle in a non-title match. Benoit continues his feud with Kurt, but never wins the title and is eventually pushed back down the card due to the emergence of Brock Lesnar.
2003 came and went as Benoit sat in the upper-mid card never getting a shot at the gold again, until he finally defeated John Cena to get a title shot at Brock Lesnar, Lesnar would win...
Enter 2004, with many having written Benoit off for good as one of those great superstars who would NEVER win the big one.
On January 25, 2004, Chris Benoit entered the Royal Rumble at #1. Benoit stunned the world and won the Royal Rumble, and earned a WWE Title shot at Wrestlemania XX.
Benoit then jumps over to Raw, declaring he will face Triple H at Wrestlemania, alas Shawn Michaels interferes in matters and decides that it should be HE who faces Triple H at Wrestlemania. So, for the first time ever we have a triple threat main event headlining Wrestlemania. At this point most have again ruled Benoit out as the potential champion, as now HBK or HHH can pin each other and Benoit can come so close, yet fall just short again.
Benoit continues winning matches, building momentum headed into Wrestlemania XX with clean wins over Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy and even Batista. Finally Wrestlemania XX arrives.
The conclusion of the championship match sees Chris Benoit tossing Shawn Michaels, in a symbolic manner, as if to say he's eliminated the final opponent from the Rumble standing in his way of the title, and then does the unthinkable and makes Triple H tap out. Chris Benoit is the WWE World Champion. An emotional celebration with long-time friend Eddie Guerrero ensues.
Chris Benoit had finally proven everyone wrong, by winning the big one.
Benoit wasn't content though. Only a month later, he and Edge won the World Ta Team titles, and successfully defended both them and his World Championship for over a month.
Benoit defended his title several more times successfully against Triple H, including in a 60 man Iron Man match on Raw. But, it was Triple H's disciple Randy Orton, who brought an end to Benoit's reign at Summerslam.
Since then the rest of Benoit's career reads like a re-run. You're all familiar with the song and dance, he continues to threaten at the title, only to be pushed back down the card again. Along the way he has feuded with the same handful of opponents again and again, once and awhile adding a new name to the list of tap-out victims. The various titles have come and gone, and many begin to wonder if Benoit will ever hold the WWE Title again. Fortunately, no one will wonder if Benoit will ever win the big one at all.
Some of Benoit's matches:
Pegasus Kid vs Black Tiger
Pegasus Kid vs Black Tiger II
Benoit & Malenko vs Guerrero & Jericho
Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle in a 30 minute Iron Man match
Perhaps the most respected wrestler in the WWE today (along with Kurt Angle), Chris Benoit has made a living by being one of the most technically sound wrestlers ever. His incredible work rate and ability to successfully incorporate a variety of submission manuevers into his matches have made him one of the best.
He was born Chris Benoit on May 21, 1967 in Montreal, Canada. Then later moved to Edmonton with his family as a child. Upon graduation from high school he began to make the 3 and a half hour drive down to Calgary on a daily basis to begin his wrestling education in Stu Hart's dungeon.
Benoit then competed as a member of Stampede wrestling for awhile before he began touring all of Canada, Mexico and Japan as the Pegasus Kid. Benoit achieved mild success wrestling in Stampede winning the tag titles and Mid-Heavweight title on several occasions. He achieved international success in 1990 by defeating Jushin Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title in Japan and then in early 1991 in Mexico by defeating Valliano III for the UWA World Light-Heavyweight title.
Chris Benoit's next move was to the WCW, however he struggled to move up the card there and was released within a year. So, he signed with the ECW. Benoit found some success in ECW, feuding with Sabu and then winning the ECW Tag Team titles with Dean Malenko, however he soon after left to go back to Japan.
On his second major tour of Japan, The Pegasus Kid had many great matches with The Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero), and eventually received a WWF try-out. However, in 1996 Benoit, along with Guerrero, joined the WCW instead.
Benoit's second run with WCW was far more successful as soon after his arrival he joined the Four Horsemen and began a feud with Kevin Sullivan... that spilled off camera. Benoit was taken with Kevin Sullivan's real wife "Woman" in WCW, and eventually she divorced Sullivan and married Chris Benoit (and you thought Edge was bad). After a brutal feud with Kevin Sullivan concluded, Benoit went on to feud with many of his friends from Japan and ECW, including Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko.
Benoit would resume fighting Kevin Sullivan again finally defeating him in a retirement match at the 1997 WCW Bash at the Beach. Benoit continued feuding with Dean Malenko, and unsuccessfully atempted to take the US Title from DDP on numerous occasions. Following that, Chris Benoit defeated Booker T at a house show for the TV title (the irony) but shortly after lost it back to him at another house show. In June of 1998, Benoit and Booker T began their infamous "Best of 7" series for the WCW TV Title. Later that year Ric Flair returned and reformed the Four Horsemen with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Steve MiMichael.
Benoit began to fade into the WCW Tag division as politics ran rampant and stars like Hogan, Nash, and Goldberg ran the show. Fortunately Benoit and Malenko were able to capture the tag titles for a brief period of time.
Lucky for the Crippler his run in the tag division was fairly short, and in August of 1999 he defeated David Flair for the US Title, only to drop it a month later to Sid Vicious. However, the next night on Nitro Benoit defeated Rick Steiner for the TV Title. The chaotic state of WCW was at play though, and the title went back to Steiner a month later. Benoit then defeated Scott Hall to win the US Title back, dropping it again less than two weeks later to Jeff Jarrett.
It became clear to Benoit that WCW was headed in the wrong direction. Despite his intentions to leave the company he defeated Sid Vicious for the WCW World Title, only to part ways with WCW the very next day.
On an early 2000 episode of Raw, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Perry Saturn debuted as The Radicalz.
Beniot didn't have to wait nearly as long to win gold in the WWF as he did in the WCW. At Wrestlemania 2000 he defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win Kurt's Intercontinental title, and unlike WCW he'd hold the title until June 21st when he dropped it to Rikishi.
Benoit continued to feud with many of the main eventers in the WWF, including Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Triple H and at that time the WWF Champion The Rock. Yet he was pushed back down to the upper-middle card shortly after.
At Armageddon 2000, Benoit defeated Billy Gunn to win the IC Title again, but shortly after dropped it to Chris Jericho at the Royal Rumble. Benoit again appeared to be going nowhere, until good fortune kicked in again and he began a huge feud with Kurt Angle.
Benoit and Kurt fought in a series of amazing matches at every major ppv from Wrestlemania X-7, to their 30 Minute Submission Iron Match at Backlash 2001, and finally their 2 out of 3 falls match at Judgement Day.
After finishing his feud with Kurt it was apparent that Benoit was destined for better things, and he returned to the title picture feuding with Steve Austin. Then tragedy struck and Benoit was sigelined for a year with a severe neck injury.
When Benoit returned the WWF was gone, as the company had turned into the WWE and Benoit was drafted to the Smackdown Brand; however, Benoit began his comeback by assaulting Steve Austin on Raw, the man who had sidelined him with the neck injury (although in reality it was an injury that had bothered him for years), and then turning on Ric Flair to team with Eddie Guerrero.
Benoit then defeats RVD for the IC title on a July episode of Raw, before jumping to Smackdown, with the belt. Benoit drops the belt back to RVD at Summerslam. Benoit then begins his quest for the WWE Title.
After feuding with Taker, Kurt Angle (again), Edge, Rikishi and Rey Mysterio Benoit seems destined for another title shot, but instead he ends up winning the tag titles with Kurt Angle. Many begin to wonder if Benoit will ever get another World Title shot.
Finally, at Armageddon 2002, Benoit defeats longtime friend Eddie Guerrero to win an Undisputed title shot. On the next episode of Smackdown Chris Benoit defeats the Undisputed Champ Kurt Angle in a non-title match. Benoit continues his feud with Kurt, but never wins the title and is eventually pushed back down the card due to the emergence of Brock Lesnar.
2003 came and went as Benoit sat in the upper-mid card never getting a shot at the gold again, until he finally defeated John Cena to get a title shot at Brock Lesnar, Lesnar would win...
Enter 2004, with many having written Benoit off for good as one of those great superstars who would NEVER win the big one.
On January 25, 2004, Chris Benoit entered the Royal Rumble at #1. Benoit stunned the world and won the Royal Rumble, and earned a WWE Title shot at Wrestlemania XX.
Benoit then jumps over to Raw, declaring he will face Triple H at Wrestlemania, alas Shawn Michaels interferes in matters and decides that it should be HE who faces Triple H at Wrestlemania. So, for the first time ever we have a triple threat main event headlining Wrestlemania. At this point most have again ruled Benoit out as the potential champion, as now HBK or HHH can pin each other and Benoit can come so close, yet fall just short again.
Benoit continues winning matches, building momentum headed into Wrestlemania XX with clean wins over Ric Flair, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy and even Batista. Finally Wrestlemania XX arrives.
The conclusion of the championship match sees Chris Benoit tossing Shawn Michaels, in a symbolic manner, as if to say he's eliminated the final opponent from the Rumble standing in his way of the title, and then does the unthinkable and makes Triple H tap out. Chris Benoit is the WWE World Champion. An emotional celebration with long-time friend Eddie Guerrero ensues.
Chris Benoit had finally proven everyone wrong, by winning the big one.
Benoit wasn't content though. Only a month later, he and Edge won the World Ta Team titles, and successfully defended both them and his World Championship for over a month.
Benoit defended his title several more times successfully against Triple H, including in a 60 man Iron Man match on Raw. But, it was Triple H's disciple Randy Orton, who brought an end to Benoit's reign at Summerslam.
Since then the rest of Benoit's career reads like a re-run. You're all familiar with the song and dance, he continues to threaten at the title, only to be pushed back down the card again. Along the way he has feuded with the same handful of opponents again and again, once and awhile adding a new name to the list of tap-out victims. The various titles have come and gone, and many begin to wonder if Benoit will ever hold the WWE Title again. Fortunately, no one will wonder if Benoit will ever win the big one at all.
Some of Benoit's matches:
Pegasus Kid vs Black Tiger
Pegasus Kid vs Black Tiger II
Benoit & Malenko vs Guerrero & Jericho
Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle in a 30 minute Iron Man match
ed up don vito after he gropped brooke.
