wwechick1982
04-16-2004, 06:55 AM
As I look back to the glory days of wrestling when the likes of Steamboat, Santana, Superfly and countless others ruled the squared ring, I notice something that has been in the black hole of wrestling: the mat technicians. There has been Bret and Owen Hart, then they were followed by the Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle and finally Chris Benoit. It has been Benoit that has truly taken that part of wrestling to a whole new level and we've seen it countless times. In this Rachel's 50 Cents, I'll be talking about the man, the Heavyweight World Champion: Chris Benoit. He has been a diamond in the rough for nearly all his career, but it only took one tap out to make him a legend.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
I don’t know where my passion for wrestling comes from, since I’m the only person in my family that have been watching it nearly all my life. I guess it came from seeing the good guys slam the bad guys down and getting their just rewards for being *******s. I guess it also could’ve been the mat technicians of the day like Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and the sneaky tactics king, Ric Flair, who was my first favorite wrestler. I guess it could’ve been the likes of Tito Santana and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who defied convention and racial barriers to do it their way. Whatever the case, I have a passion for wrestling that even I don’t know the real reason how it came about; but slowly my passion died down, but the Attitude Era of the then WWF happened. The likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the “Real Man’s Man”, Steven Regal and countless others that showed up. Like their predecessors before them, they defied convention and did it their way; then the up and comers like The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, two tag teams that have gone on to successful singles careers in the company, the WCW shipjumpers like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho and the divas Lita, Trish Stratus, Ivory and Molly Holly that seemingly brought my kind of wrestling back.
I think out of all the aforementioned people, Chris Benoit was the one that truly stood out to me like no other, since the days of Steamboat. It was Chris Benoit that I cheered on no matter if he was a heel like he was with the Radicalz or a face like he is now, I cheered my ass off. Now the man who worked nearly 20 years to get his main event spot has it and he is also the Heavyweight World Champion; no one thought that Benoit could do it, since Triple H has been the holder for what seems like a million years. He has been the most dominant wrestler on either rosters for eternities. What Chris Benoit did was what no one has been able to do: he made Triple H tap to the Crossface and everywhere the fans cheered. We knew that the WWE all ready knew the outcome, but we didn’t care, OUR Chris Benoit won the title that for his entire WWE career has eluded him. When he was forced out with a neck injury that has taken out so many of the Superstars, he sat on the sidelines waiting for his turn. He waited with the patience that I couldn’t understand and when he came back, it had been way too long, but we never forgot him.
Chris Benoit is one in a million, but I don’t have to tell you guys that. You know that he’s just that every time he comes down that ramp, that toothless smile on his face and that championship belt around his waist. He may not be the best mic handler, but that doesn’t matter because we know that he’s that damn good; he is the best mat technician of the day and he’s shown it over and over. He has had some of the best matches of his career and we’ve watched them all as he went from a WCW shipjumper (where he was the champion not even for a day!) to a WWE Superstar and Heavyweight World Champion. I remember when the Radicalz invaded the WWF, they sat at ringside and watched, and their eyes intently set in the ring; it was Chris Benoit’s stare that got me the most. I knew that he had a purpose, more so than either one of them, with Eddie Guerrero being the only other; you could see it in his eyes. He knew that he wanted to wrestle in the WWF ring and that’s what he did after leaving the then failing WCW, he went on to win the tag titles and the Intercontinental title, but that main prize eluded him, then disaster struck: he was put on the shelve with a neck injury, that has shelved the likes of Rhyno, Stone Cold, Lita and Edge.
He came back with a vengeance, starting a program with Kurt Angle on Smackdown; he also put on good matches with others and seemed to put John Cena and Matt Hardy over in perfect timing with their popularity. It wasn’t until he won the Royal Rumble of 2004 and went to Raw to challenge the Heavyweight World Champion, Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania XX, that people really took notice of him. The Triple Threat match for the title that also included Triple H’s former friend and DX partner-in-crime, Shawn Michaels, was one of the best main events of any PPV. When all was said and done, Triple H tapped to the Crippler Crossface and Chris Benoit became the new Raw Heavyweight World Champion. The next night on Raw, Chris Benoit walked out from behind that curtain with the title belt around his waist and put Triple H, who had been complaining about Benoit, in his place. He pointed out that he was new World champion and no matter where Triple H went; he Benoit would make him “tap and tap and tap and tap and tap and tap again!”
What does the future hold for Chris Benoit? For now, he is content with where his career is headed and I am to. He has finally gotten his hands on the thing that has eluded him; it took him nearly 20 years to get where he’s at today. He went against all odds, he suffered a neck injury, he survived WCW, and he waited patiently for his turn and survived backstage politics. He never had to have his friends fight his battles for him, he never asked for pity when people said it was a shame that no one noticed his great talent and he most importantly, didn’t compromise his beliefs, which I thank him for. If it hadn’t been for Chris Benoit, I would be paying my hard earned money on NWA: TNA or not even be a professional wrestling fan. Chris Benoit is one in a million, you don’t have to tell me and you don’t have to tell him, he already knows.
I don’t know where my passion for wrestling comes from, since I’m the only person in my family that have been watching it nearly all my life. I guess it came from seeing the good guys slam the bad guys down and getting their just rewards for being *******s. I guess it also could’ve been the mat technicians of the day like Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and the sneaky tactics king, Ric Flair, who was my first favorite wrestler. I guess it could’ve been the likes of Tito Santana and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who defied convention and racial barriers to do it their way. Whatever the case, I have a passion for wrestling that even I don’t know the real reason how it came about; but slowly my passion died down, but the Attitude Era of the then WWF happened. The likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the “Real Man’s Man”, Steven Regal and countless others that showed up. Like their predecessors before them, they defied convention and did it their way; then the up and comers like The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, two tag teams that have gone on to successful singles careers in the company, the WCW shipjumpers like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho and the divas Lita, Trish Stratus, Ivory and Molly Holly that seemingly brought my kind of wrestling back.
I think out of all the aforementioned people, Chris Benoit was the one that truly stood out to me like no other, since the days of Steamboat. It was Chris Benoit that I cheered on no matter if he was a heel like he was with the Radicalz or a face like he is now, I cheered my ass off. Now the man who worked nearly 20 years to get his main event spot has it and he is also the Heavyweight World Champion; no one thought that Benoit could do it, since Triple H has been the holder for what seems like a million years. He has been the most dominant wrestler on either rosters for eternities. What Chris Benoit did was what no one has been able to do: he made Triple H tap to the Crossface and everywhere the fans cheered. We knew that the WWE all ready knew the outcome, but we didn’t care, OUR Chris Benoit won the title that for his entire WWE career has eluded him. When he was forced out with a neck injury that has taken out so many of the Superstars, he sat on the sidelines waiting for his turn. He waited with the patience that I couldn’t understand and when he came back, it had been way too long, but we never forgot him.
Chris Benoit is one in a million, but I don’t have to tell you guys that. You know that he’s just that every time he comes down that ramp, that toothless smile on his face and that championship belt around his waist. He may not be the best mic handler, but that doesn’t matter because we know that he’s that damn good; he is the best mat technician of the day and he’s shown it over and over. He has had some of the best matches of his career and we’ve watched them all as he went from a WCW shipjumper (where he was the champion not even for a day!) to a WWE Superstar and Heavyweight World Champion. I remember when the Radicalz invaded the WWF, they sat at ringside and watched, and their eyes intently set in the ring; it was Chris Benoit’s stare that got me the most. I knew that he had a purpose, more so than either one of them, with Eddie Guerrero being the only other; you could see it in his eyes. He knew that he wanted to wrestle in the WWF ring and that’s what he did after leaving the then failing WCW, he went on to win the tag titles and the Intercontinental title, but that main prize eluded him, then disaster struck: he was put on the shelve with a neck injury, that has shelved the likes of Rhyno, Stone Cold, Lita and Edge.
He came back with a vengeance, starting a program with Kurt Angle on Smackdown; he also put on good matches with others and seemed to put John Cena and Matt Hardy over in perfect timing with their popularity. It wasn’t until he won the Royal Rumble of 2004 and went to Raw to challenge the Heavyweight World Champion, Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania XX, that people really took notice of him. The Triple Threat match for the title that also included Triple H’s former friend and DX partner-in-crime, Shawn Michaels, was one of the best main events of any PPV. When all was said and done, Triple H tapped to the Crippler Crossface and Chris Benoit became the new Raw Heavyweight World Champion. The next night on Raw, Chris Benoit walked out from behind that curtain with the title belt around his waist and put Triple H, who had been complaining about Benoit, in his place. He pointed out that he was new World champion and no matter where Triple H went; he Benoit would make him “tap and tap and tap and tap and tap and tap again!”
What does the future hold for Chris Benoit? For now, he is content with where his career is headed and I am to. He has finally gotten his hands on the thing that has eluded him; it took him nearly 20 years to get where he’s at today. He went against all odds, he suffered a neck injury, he survived WCW, and he waited patiently for his turn and survived backstage politics. He never had to have his friends fight his battles for him, he never asked for pity when people said it was a shame that no one noticed his great talent and he most importantly, didn’t compromise his beliefs, which I thank him for. If it hadn’t been for Chris Benoit, I would be paying my hard earned money on NWA: TNA or not even be a professional wrestling fan. Chris Benoit is one in a million, you don’t have to tell me and you don’t have to tell him, he already knows.