History Wrestling / ChrisBenoit

Christopher Michael Benoit grew up in Canada idolizing such wrestlers as [[{{Wrestling/BretHart}} Bret "The Hitman" Hart]] and The Dynamite Kid; in 1985, at the age of eighteen, Benoit debuted in Canada's Stampede Wrestling. From there, Benoit went to various overseas promotions for a number of years (mainly in Japan), then made his debut in [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} ECW]] in 1994. It was in ECW where Benoit earned the nickname "The Crippler": during a match with Sabu, he performed a back body drop, but Sabu landed right on his head and broke his neck. Though this was an accident, Benoit's "Crippler" nickname stuck with him for the remainder of his career.

*** SantinoMarella uses a standing variant, but he barely connects with it.
** Benoit himself fell victim to the Crossface in a Wrestlemania match with KurtAngle. As the two men grappled, Angle eventually caught Benoit in the Crossface, and Benoit got him back a few moments later when he caught Angle in the Angle Lock.

** Benoit IS included in the most recent edition of the ''WWE Encyclopedia,'' though his entry ends with Wrestling/RandyOrton defeating him for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-h.html WWE RAW World Heavyweight Title]] at [=Summerslam=] 2004.

*** Similar to the above, the former {{Wrestlecrap}} message board (now the Freakin' Awesome Network Forums) would replace Benoit's name with [[BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] (e.g., [[strike:Chris Benoit]] Hardcore Holly won the 2004 Royal Rumble and defeated TripleH to win the World Heavyweight Championship), and would plaster Holly's face over Benoit's face. (It's also been done with LanceStorm on account of both being great Canadian technical wrestlers.)

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: One has to wonder if the WWE would be willing to exploit his death ala EddieGuerrero had he died under other circumstances.

** Benoit IS included in the most recent edition of the ''WWE Encyclopedia,'' though his entry ends with [[{{Wrestling/RandyOrton}} Randy Orton]] defeating him for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-h.html WWE RAW World Heavyweight Title]] at [=Summerslam=] 2004.

* WorthyOpponent / TheRival: KurtAngle and ChrisJericho.
** WhatCouldHaveBeen: At ''Vengeance 2007'', ChrisBenoit was slated to win the ECW Championship and later work a program with CMPunk.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Canadian Crippler (left) with best friend [[{{Wrestling/EddieGuerrero}} Latino Heat]], in what may be the biggest FunnyAneurysmMoment in Wrestlemania history.]]

* [[AuthorExistenceFailure Wrestler Existence Failure]]: Benoit's no-showing ''Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007''.

The next four years saw Benoit slowly built up into a main event caliber wrestler, producing classic matches with the likes of [[{{Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin}} "Stone Cold" Steve Austin]], [[{{Wrestling/KurtAngle}} Kurt Angle]], [[{{Wrestling/EddieGuerrero}} Eddie Guerreroo]], and [[{{Wrestling/Edge}} Edge]]. His time on ''[=SmackDown's=]'' tag division in 2002 resulted in the classic trio of teams known as the "[=SmackDown=] Six"; teaming with KurtAngle, Benoit would face the team of {{Edge}} and ReyMysterioJr at ''No Mercy 2002'' in what was easily a Match of the Year candidate and arguably one of the greatest tag team matches ever.

'''Chris [=Benoit=]''. The name invokes one of two images: that of one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever, or that of a man whose final days were spent committing the most horrific acts of his life.

* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: Quite a few people believe that Benoit did not kill himself or his family, rather they believe that Kevin Sullivan (a high ranking member of Satanic church)-Nancy's ex-boyfriend, murdered him and his family and the deaths were staged to look like a suicide, [[http://letsrollforums.com/chris-benoits-family-wwe-t22357.html?s=c8ed6ec3b9c718e34bc47a9bb43203ea&s=a6d67a7c756d90e572a50bb7fdd5f165& more info on this page.]] The theory could be motivated by people not wanting to believe that one of their favorite wrestlers brutally murdered his own wife and son.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Canadian Crippler (left) with best friend [[EddieGuerrero Latino Heat]], in what may be the biggest FunnyAneurysmMoment in Wrestlemania history.]]

'''ChrisBenoit'''. The name invokes one of two images: that of one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever, or that of a man whose final days were spent committing the most horrific acts of his life.

Christopher Michael Benoit grew up in Canada idolizing wrestlers like BretHart and The Dynamite Kid; in 1985, at the age of eighteen, Benoit debuted in Canada's Stampede Wrestling. From there, Benoit went to various overseas promotions for a number of years (mainly in Japan), then made his debut in {{ECW}} in 1994. It was in ECW where Benoit earned the nickname "The Crippler": during a match with Sabu, he performed a back body drop, but Sabu landed right on his head and broke his neck. Though this was an accident, Benoit's "Crippler" nickname stuck with him for the remainder of his career.

In 1995, Benoit returned to WCW (he had a short run there in 1992 and early 1993), and after impressing management with his in-ring work, RicFlair had Benoit become a member of the Four Horsemen stable; it was during this time that Benoit would feud with Kevin Sullivan, who was also a WCW booker at the time. The angle was that Sullivan's on-screen valet (his wife Nancy) was having an affair with Benoit; to keep the angle steeped in kayfabe, Benoit and Nancy were forced to spend time together to make it appear that they were having an affair. The end result, however, was that Chris and Nancy actually did have an affair, and Nancy left Kevin Sullivan to marry Benoit.

For the next few years, Benoit would go on to win fans over with his in-ring work, but would never break through to the main event level until VinceRusso and Ed Ferrara came into WCW in 1999 during the MondayNightWars; however, when the two were suspended and Kevin Sullivan was placed back on the booking team, Benoit and a number of other wrestlers revolted and delivered an ultimatum to management: he goes, or we go. To attempt to appease this group of wrestlers, Benoit was booked to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at ''Souled Out 2000''. This was not enough to please them, however, and Benoit - along with EddieGuerrero, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko - were granted their releases after the event.

The next four years saw Benoit slowly built up into a main event caliber wrestler, producing classic matches with the likes of StoneColdSteveAustin, KurtAngle, EddieGuerrero, and {{Edge}}. His time on ''[=SmackDown's=]'' tag division in 2002 resulted in the classic trio of teams known as the "[=SmackDown=] Six"; teaming with KurtAngle, Benoit would face the team of {{Edge}} and ReyMysterioJr at ''No Mercy 2002'' in what was easily a Match of the Year candidate and arguably one of the greatest tag team matches ever.

*** Santino uses a standing variant, but he barely connects with it.

* Go to Taimapedia and search for...well, any random gibberish you can think of. Just type in any five or six random letters and hit 'ENTER' -- you should see an error page that says "There were no results matching the query." Now search for "Chris Benoit".

** In an interview with ''WWE Magazine'' in 2009, {{Vince [=McMahon=]}} stated that he took the O.J. Simpson approach when it comes to mentioning Benoit: it's not okay to promote him, but they can't ignore his accomplishments.

Weeks later, the four men would show up on ''[[{{WWE}} WWF Raw]]'', coming out from the crowd to attack several wrestlers. Calling themselves "The Radicalz", Benoit and company would end up signaling the beginning of the end of WCW; a little more than a year after their debut in the company, WCW folded and was purchased by WWE.

* BroadStrokes: If it were up to the {{WWE}}, he wouldn't exist. But since he's won so many titles and was such a great wrestler, they can't undo the past.

** WhatCouldHaveBeen: At ''Vengeance'' 2007, ChrisBenoit was slated to win the ECW Championship and later work a program with CMPunk.

* AlternateUniverseFic: Benoit was the star of a popular fan-fic on GameFAQs' PWB called ''2[[CatchPhrase 4-Real]]'', a parody of the thriller series ''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]''. In it, he had to thwart a conspiracy that would force RobVanDam to job to Triple H at ''Wrestle Mania''.

* AlternateUniverseFic: Benoit was the star of a popular fan-fic on {{GameFAQs}}' PWB called ''2[[CatchPhrase 4-Real]]'', a parody of the thriller series ''[[TwentyFour 24]]''. In it, he had to thwart a conspiracy that would force RobVanDam to job to Triple H at ''Wrestle Mania''.

** In an interview with ''WWE Magazine'' in 2009, {{Vince McMahon}} stated that he took the O.J. Simpson approach when it comes to mentioning Benoit: it's not okay to promote him, but they can't ignore his accomplishments.

** Benoit himself fell victim to the Crossface in a Wrestlemania match with KurtAngle. As the two men grappled, Angle eventually caught Benoit in the Crossface, and Benoit got him back a few moments later when he caught Angle in the Angle Lock.

** Best example: someone injured his arm with a chair during the first-ever Money in the Bank at {{WrestleMania}} 21. He almost won anyway...until Edge hit his injured arm with a chair when he was at the top of the ladder under the briefcase.

* KangarooCourt: Was a member of {{The Undertaker}}'s "Wrestler's Court".

* [[SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying Somewhere A Zoologist Is Crying]]: Benoit, whose nickname in WWE was "The Rabid Wolverine," would often be seen early in his career wearing tights with an image of a ''wolf'' on them. Never mind that wolves and wolverines, despite both being carnivorous mammals, are not even in the same family (wolves being canids, or dogs, while wolverines are closer to bears and weasels).

*** Similar to the above, the former {{Wrestlecrap}} message board (now the Freakin' Awesome Network Forums) would replace Benoit's name with [[BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] (e.g., [[strike:Chris Benoit]] Hardcore Holly won the 2004 Royal Rumble and defeated TripleH to win the World Heavyweight Championship), and would plaster Holly's face over Benoit's face. (It's also been done with LanceStorm on account of both being great Canadian technical wrestlers.)

* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: Quite a few people believe that Benoit did not kill himself or his family, rather they believe that Kevin Sullivan (a high ranking member of Satanic church)-Nancy's ex-boyfriend, murdered him and his family and the deaths were staged to look like a suicide, [[http://letsrollforums.com/chris-benoits-family-wwe-t22357.html?s=c8ed6ec3b9c718e34bc47a9bb43203ea&s=a6d67a7c756d90e572a50bb7fdd5f165& more info on this page.]] Though clearly, the theory is motivated by people not wanting to believe that one of their favorite wrestlers brutally murdered his own wife and son.

*** Similarly to GameFaqs, [[ImageBoards /wooo/]] treats Beniot like a ''literal'' unperson - along with the vacant title reigns, any posted images of Benoit are met with reactions along the lines of "Why would you post a blank image?" and video clips of Benoit interviews are treated as if the interviewer is talking to themselves.

*** [[ImageBoards /wooo/]], conversely, treats Beniot like a ''literal'' unperson - the time periods of his title reigns are discussed as if the title were vacant, images of Benoit are met with reactions along the lines of "Why would you post a blank image?" and video clips of Benoit interviews are treated as if the interviewer is talking to themselves.

*** Similar to the above, the former {{Wrestlecrap}} message board (now the Freakin' Awesome Network Forums) would replace Benoit's name with [[BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] (e.g., [[strike:Chris Benoit]] Hardcore Holly won the 2004 Royal Rumble and defeated TripleH to win the World Heavyweight Championship), and would plaster Holly's face over Benoit's face. (It's also been done with LanceStorm on account of both being great Canadian technical wrestlers.)

* [[IconicCharacters Iconic Wrestler]]

*** Similar to the above, the {{Wrestlecrap}} message boards would replace Benoit's name with [[BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] (e.g., [[strike:Chris Benoit]] Hardcore Holly won the 2004 Royal Rumble and defeated TripleH to win the World Heavyweight Championship), and would plaster Holly's face over Benoit's face. (It's also been done with LanceStorm on account of both being great Canadian technical wrestlers.)

*** Similar to the above, the {{Wrestlecrap}} message boards would replace Benoit's name with Hardcore Holly (e.g., [[strike:Chris Benoit]] Hardcore Holly won the 2004 Royal Rumble and defeated TripleH to win the World Heavyweight Championship), and would plaster Holly's face over Benoit's face. (It's also been done with LanceStorm on account of both being great Canadian technical wrestlers.)