Chris Benoit: Discussion of professional accomplishments

RAMPAGE1

Hi Guys,
Just thought with today being Chris Benoits anniversary , I would start a thread to remember his highlights and best matches/moments or your personal thoughts on WWE's handling of one of their greatest workings since the tragedy

Rjd2

The man does not deserve an apreciation thread to be honest after he decided to kill his wife and son. The WWE are right to disassociate themselves from Benoit especially in this kiddie friendly era.

ShawnRaven

What he did doesn't affect his in ring accomplishments. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't post.

Simple as, folks.

orestes

I can see this going downhill quickly, but we will give you the benefit of the doubt folks. Play nice and stay on topic, we don't want another Benoit train-wreck thread.

DM_7

Hello RAMPAGE1



My personal feelings are the WWE have handled it the only way they could.

Sadly any wrestling achievements now seem like a long time ago.

flahavaj

I have no problem whatsoever separating the actions of Benoit the man from his art. To be honest if people can't do that, they shouldn't watch any wrestling full stop, considering the amount of scumbags that run and participate in the business.

He was in my humble opinion the greatest professional wrestler that ever lived, in terms of pure workrate. He was absolutely incredible every single time he stepped in the ring.

tuxy

The Canadian Crippler Crossface was the most electrifying move in sports entrainment!

RAMPAGE1

My main memory is of him and Eddie standing in the ring at mania 20 with the confetti falling on them and remembering my feeling of how great it was at that moment to be a wrestling fan. He was without a doubt the boss in the ring every night and I would never let what happened erase my memories of Chris Benoit the WRESTLER. I had the opportunity to meet him at Wrestlemania 22 and he was great to me strange really how things turn out

Otis Driftwood

The Benoit memories that stand out most for me are either when he did the suicide dive through the ropes versus Y2J at the Rumble or the night of the Eddie tribute.Listening to his speech brought tears to my eyes.

RIP Crippler.

tuxy

nedtheshed wrote: »

The Benoit memories that stand out most for me are either when he did the suicide......

Ouch

ShawnRaven

tuxy wrote: »

Ouch

Watch it!

CMpunked

It was a while ago at this stage, so all feelings i had of feeling somehow personally hurt by him have passed.

So i can honestly say that i can watch any of his matches, any of his promos with a smile in my heart.

Not for what he done that particular time, but for who he was.

No one should be judged on just one action.


RIP Chris, taken from us before he could put on his greatest show.

ShawnRaven

I agree with flahavaj, As i've said before. Phil Spector got sent under for murder, but the radio isn't going to stop playing his written and/or produced songs. Benoit did nothing on me except provide a series of great matches that will always be around.

I'm not absolving what the guy did, but to be fair, he wasn't of sound mind in his last days. It doesn't excuse his actions (nothing will), but it will explain them.

But the fact of the matter is, he rarely (if at all) had a bad match when he stepped between the ropes. And that's pretty much what this thread is for, for the discussion of those matches.

I firmly believe that match discussion can be taken place (although I will ask for videos of matches to be dumped into the video thread) two years on. Because a lot of wrestlers aren't saints, and if you can't differentiate personal life betwen their professional life. Then you really shouldn't bother watching anymore.

Ah, the real wrestling machine. He was an amazing wrestler. I honest to god don't know how he didn't get completely sick to the teeth of the wrestling business after a while.

He worked so insanely hard and never had a half-assed match. He always, always gave it his all.

I still remeber the Tour Of Defiance, when he main evented against Triple H. Triple H speared him outside and they came crashing into (what they obviously thought was a sturdy) barrier. The barrier collapsed under their weight and they landed on top of me and the guy beside me. Probably the absolute greatest memory i'll ever have of a live wrestling show.

Diabhal Beag

Over the years I have been able to seperate Chris Benoit from the man and the character. I can see how people would say he tarnished his reputation with those horrible murders and I agree with them to an extent.

I still enjoy his matches because he gave his all 100% of the time even against Orlando Jordan. I still like to watch WM20 just for the amazing finish.

His loss is still felt across the wrestling world and when you think about Misawa, Eddie and Benoit all dying at a young age it really breaks your heart.

JP Liz

As mentioned above the Benoit/Eddie moment at WM after he won his championship match against HHH and HBK was brillant as a fan.

Also him winning the RR after he was the 1st or 2nd entrant.

His feuds with Angle and Jericho were always great

Penn

First time I really thought he was a legend was his match against Jericho at Backlash 2000. As JP Liz said, his fueds with Jericho and Angle were awesome

gimmick

Best seller in the game. Constant good matches, even made Big Show look decent at times. Helped MVP establish himself as a star also.

His Japanese work is incredible also. If you are only basing your opinion on his WCW and WWE work you are selling yourself short.

DinnyBatman

C-B-G wrote: »

No one should be judged on just one action.

I'd say, considering what he did, he most definitely SHOULD be judged on that one action. Unlike some of the other posters, if i see him now on old dvd's etc, all i can think of is that he is a child murderer. Pity, cause he was a helluva wrestler.

orestes

DinnyBatman wrote: »

I'd say, considering what he did, he most definitely SHOULD be judged on that one action. Unlike some of the other posters, if i see him now on old dvd's etc, all i can think of is that he is a child murderer. Pity, cause he was a helluva wrestler.

Drop it.

Last warning folks, any more of that kind of thing and there will be infractions/bans and the thread will possibly be locked.

Minto

I always thought he was the most boring person to ever step into a ring. He had the charisma of a block of stone. His ability may have been considered by some to be top notch, but because of his inability to show any emotion other than anger and his lack of charisma, he could only be considered one third of a decent wrestler.
I did watch his matches when they were live, but both before and after the incident, I've always fast-forwarded his matches on DVDs.

I apologise if my comments annoy anyone, but due to this being a discussion of ability and accomplishments, I've toned down what I would have written.

ShawnRaven

Minto wrote: »

I did watch his matches when they were live, but both before and after the incident, I've always fast-forwarded his matches on DVDs.

I used to feel that way until i saw Angle/Benoit at Mania 17. Technical wrestling isn't for everyone though.

Minto

ShawnRaven wrote: »

I used to feel that way until i saw Angle/Benoit at Mania 17. Technical wrestling isn't for everyone though.

Technical wrestling is great and all that, what annoyed me about him was that it was all he had. Anyway, I think I'm dragging this off topic, so sorry.

parker kent

I loved him in WCW, used to imagine how great it would be to see him wrestle Shawn Michaels. His best of 7 with Booker T in WCW was tremendous, especially when you think how easy it would be to get bored of the same two guys wrestling each other week in, week out. His matches with Bret Hart were also top-class, two pure wrestlers giving it everything. Plus it even made the opening credits of Malcolm in the Middle!

WWE wise, the standout matches I think were his very first against HHH on Smackdown and his first series with The Rock for the title. The HHH match was just awesome because it packed so much excitement into it, I genuinely was not sure HHH was gonna win, very unusual in those days!

Lastly, I have not got around to seeing much of his Japanese career, mainly just a few against Jushin Liger. They were topnotch stuff though. I've yet to watch his matches since the tragedy though. But he was in my Top 10 favourite wrestlers for sure.

G-Money

Simply can't stand watching him or anything with him in it, since the tragedy.

deanodrummer

After Austin retired he was my favourite wrestler. Absolutely great wrestler no doubt. Some of the best matches I've ever seen were in the angles with Jericho and Angle. His dvd is also quality you should check it out.

WWE were right in distancing themselves but it's a real pity for the fans because many of the great matches of his era won't be put onto current of future dvds.

Still find it hard to watch him though and it's hard to try and seperate the man from the wrestler after what he did.

krudler

flahavaj wrote: »

I have no problem whatsoever separating the actions of Benoit the man from his art. To be honest if people can't do that, they shouldn't watch any wrestling full stop, considering the amount of scumbags that run and participate in the business.

He was in my humble opinion the greatest professional wrestler that ever lived, in terms of pure workrate. He was absolutely incredible every single time he stepped in the ring.

Well said, wrestling as a whole is one of the sleaziest businesses there is, we may all be fans but you cant deny that there's an underbelly to it thats very unfortunate.

Anyway, I did find it hard to watch the end of WM20 afterwards, tbh I rarely watch any of his matches anymore, but yet when I do they're always amazing, as a worker, in the top 3 with Angle in his prime and Shawn Michaels

ShawnRaven

grandmaster wrote: »

Simply can't stand watching him or anything with him in it, since the tragedy.

That is not what this thread is for. If you've nothing to contribute about his ability, then don't post.

Machismo Fan

His cage match with Angle still amazes me. Incredible stuff.

barochoc

He was no doubt an excellent athlete but wrestling is fake so I personally don't consider his achievements anything other than fake or fixed!

Benoit was obviously a very troubled man & he should have been helped by friends, family & The WWE. The tell tale signs are always there. He shouldn't be judged for the tragedy but remembered for the entertainment he provided to all his fans. Anyone who came here to rip him apart is not & was never a fan therefore you should ignore their comments. They're only here to p!ss you off. Be the bigger person & ignore it.

By the way, try watching UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, K1 or any other MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) & I guarantee you'll find superb athletes fighting & wrestling at a level you never knew possible.

UFC is where Brock Lesnar is now & he's fighting for the Heavyweight Title on July the 12th. Should be available on Setanta 1. 1st WWF/WWE wrestler to successfully cross over to MMA. Ken Shamrock if you remember went from UFC to WWF about 10 or more years ago & was successful but never returned back to form when he tried real fighting in UFC again.

Have a look here:

http://100.ufc.com

ShawnRaven

barochoc wrote: »

By the way, try watching UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, K1 or any other MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) & I guarantee you'll find superb athletes fighting & wrestling at a level you never knew possible.

By the way, there's an MMA forum. Try visiting it.
We know WWE is staged/predetermined.

Two weeks ban for your efforts, and thank your lucky stars it's not permanent.

chokehold

First time poster, long time lurker. In my opinion Benoit overachieved, big time! I think people in the WWE saw how passionate he was and really pushed him as hard as they could (without resorting to the Cena-style-ram-down-our-throats push). His matches with Angle, Booker, Guerrero, Malenko, Liger, etc were awesome and his work ethic was second to none but at the end of the day, he just didn't have a character which connected. He could never cut that killer promo. As good as he was, I think Eddie Guerrero was a much bigger loss. IMO, his character, his promos and his wrestling ability would have made him one of the top three stars in wrestling today.

gimmick

But it was because of his ability and work ethic that he was pushed. If anything he under achieved because of his charisma or lack thereof.

I am not sure I agree that Guerrero is a bigger loss. Both were just massive losses to the business.

chokehold

I definately think he over achieved. In WWE, character is everything. I would be hard pushed to think of anyone in WWE history who has been made world champion with as little charisma as Benoit. He, to me, was a high mid-carder at best. Don't get me wrong, he could have a tremendous match with anyone but you couldn't put him over on the strength of his promos alone. Eddie's work with Chyna and his team with Chavo capitalised on a hispanic sterotype which people could connect with.

gimmick

Yes, he probably needed a mouthpiece alongside him, like Shane McMahon when he was fueding with Rock in 1999ish.

People make out he was some sort of robot when it came to charisma which I think is a little unfair. His ability at telling a story in the ring, where it should matter most, made up for his flaws on the mic. I see what you are getting at, I just don't agree with you.

Penn

Promo-wise, he was alright. Definitely not great. I loved Rock vs HHH in 2000, from Wrestlemania to King of the Ring. Then at the next PPV Fully Loaded, it was the Rock against Benoit. Match was pretty good, but the lead up to it was very disappointing coming off the back of Rock/HHH.

I actually really liked The Radicalz too. They had great entrance music, great wrestlers who could hold their own individually. Wish they'd stayed together longer.

chokehold

The Radicalz would have been so much better if Shane Douglas came over with them. Burying them on the first night in didn't help either.

McConnon

His match with William Regal at the Brian Pillman tribute show (which is on his Hardknocks DVD) was a CLASSIC match! It was that very match that really made me appreciate both Chris Benoit and William Regal as in-ring performers.

His stuff from Japan is AMAZING too! If you've never seen his work overthere your really missing out.