Benoit as champion...

[Batsu]

you know, lately, here and otherwise, I have heard complaints about Benoit as champion.

Well, that's fine...

...most Benoit fans know that he isn't stellar on the mic (in fact, that works to his advantage in some cases, see his brief alliance with John Cena, when he was still on Smackdown)

...most Benoit fans know that his strengths are in the ring.


Though, with all of his seemingly lack of charisma, Benoit has been the most interesting champ since Kurt Angle (if you're talking about boring promos, I think Brock Lesnar and HHH since '02 have taken the cake in that area).

Why? Just get Benoit angry... in the ring, I can't help but get geeked out when he looks like's about to rip someone's face off. That intensity isn't matched by any of the other champions of late....I'm not sure even Stone Cold Steve Austin in his prime was like that.

Speaking of which, I think Benoit is more of an "Austin" style champ than a "Rock" or "HBK" style champ, which is what people expect of WWE champions nowadays....and that's cool. WWE needs an angry, credible guy at the top. They really haven't really had one for a while.

Rock was a mean...flashy champ, sorta like Ric Flair, then he became the babyface champ they all intended him to be once he entered WWE. Triple H tried to duplicate this kind of champ, but it really didn't suit him. HHH was more of a cold, mean champ, with little flash, just that fearsome attitude. (His "face" run didn't even seem like that...it kind of disappointed me, in retrospect.)

Angle, even as heel, still seemed like the "nice-guy", credible champ.

I dunno what to call Chris Jericho's reign... but it didn't seem like "Chris Jericho" when he was champ.

and Lesnar... he tried to be the "Austin" style champ, as did Undertaker, but they both seemed out of their element... esp. Lesnar because he seemed very, very green as champ. The F5 helped his cause, but I dunno...

Guerrero seems to be more of a "people's champ" than The Rock was until he became THE face of WWE (around the time he returned from shooting The Scorpion King, during the WCW/ECW/WWF feud). No where near as popular, but as highlighted in his feud with Bradshaw, he really does seem like he's for "the people".

but Benoit...he's filled the kind of intense void that has been left since the early days of Stone Cold and The Rock (or even Stone Cold and Bret Hart)...he's a very "mean", "don't mess with me" kind of the "Kurt Angle" champion.

...I don't care if he drops the belt in a month, two months, or even two weeks on Raw.

The fact that Benoit is a champion in WWE is a good thing. Time will tell.

[Nark Order]

Yeah, it totally looked like he wants to eat people alive when he gets pissed off. Intense...

[Bazooka]

I would like to see Benoit hold onto that title till SS, getting victories over Micheals, HHH and Jericho.

He should be heel by the time Vengance comes in July, there he could have a feud with Jericho(where he retains). SS would be the time he drops the belt back to HHH, so Hunter can start a feud with Orton. Orton should go over at Survivor Series, and reign as champ till Wrestlemania where he drops it to Jericho. Finally, Jericho drops the belt back to Benoit a couple months later. :cool:

[Kane Knight]

The problem is that shit booking like Backlash will be used as proof that Benoit can't draw.

[Kane Knight]

Erroneously, I might add, just to clarify.

I'm not saying Benoit can't draw, just that spin is the name of the game.

[Funky Fly]

Benoit = the goods. He's long past due as champ, so **** the Benoit-bashers.

[Kane Knight]

They don't deserve to be fu</>cked.

They deserve to be anally raped with a cinder block...

[Goldbird]

^^^

with some durians stuffed inside...

[Boondock Saint]

Benoit iz da manzzzzz

[Goldbird]

^^^

no doubts about that

[SeanMC]

One thing that annoys me about his reign(and I support Benoit as much as you do) is that the WWE isn't making him the focus of Raw if ya get me, he's only been in 1 main event(not including the PPV) since being champion f-uck he was even thrown down to the first match on the card the other week, that's what really annoys me,good thing HHH is gone, maybe the ratings will go up now!

[big_bluto]

Infuriating when the WWE gives a wrestler a push and then decides half way through to do the rest half-assed... i.e. A fairly good match with a crap finishing move.
(ducks for cover in case the Orton fans take offence!) ;) :p

[SeanMC]

Actually, i haven'tseen raw this week so i might've been wrong he's now been in two main events, am i right?

[MVP]

Infuriating when the WWE gives a wrestler a push and then decides half way through to do the rest half-assed... i.e. A fairly good match with a crap finishing move.
(ducks for cover in case the Orton fans take offence!) ;) :p*Gives you a Loose Cannon protective shield

[MVP]

Anyway, Benoit and Eddie are the best champions WWE has had since Kurt Angle, I don't see any reason why to have either of them drop their titles anytime soon. Though a Benoit heel turn would be pretty cool sometime in the distant future. Eddie on the other hand I can't see turning heel just because he'll always get face pops.

[Loose Cannon]

Infuriating when the WWE gives a wrestler a push and then decides half way through to do the rest half-assed... i.e. A fairly good match with a crap finishing move.
(ducks for cover in case the Orton fans take offence!) ;) :p



http://cubepix.tripod.com/RingsideWith/RandyOrton/WWERaw/120202/tn_01.jpg

We have just been informed that the Church of Orton has heard the response of big_bluto and has found that: THOU has broken Commandment #4

THOU SHALL NOT USE DEROGATORY WORDS WHEN SPEAKING OF THE RKO.

Penance: Watching Mr. Orton RKO Mic Foley at WM 20 30,000 TIMES.

[big_bluto]

http://cubepix.tripod.com/RingsideWith/RandyOrton/WWERaw/120202/tn_01.jpg

We have just been informed that the Church of Orton has heard the response of big_bluto and has found that: THOU has broken Commandment #4

THOU SHALL NOT USE DEROGATORY WORDS WHEN SPEAKING OF THE RKO.

Penance: Watching Mr. Orton RKO Mic Foley at WM 20 30,000 TIMES.


meh....seen it a few times already.....
If I may draw your attention to the RAW captions for this week....

http://raw.wwe.com/results/041904/images/09.jpg
Orton: Can you get him to make me look more over?
Edge: Course, dude! He's my brother. Now, how over would you like?
Orton: Very over please.
Edge: You'll have to lend me your title for the period of 4 weeks.
Orton: Only if he can make me look very over and give me a real finishing move.
Edge: Hey! He's a hairdresser, not a miracle worker!
;)

[Sephiroth]

Benoit is indeed the goods. :y:

[Stickman]

I want a Benoit and Jericho fued. I don't want to see HHH or Orton for the title. I could stand HBK as a champ only if he had a gimmick. But Jericho is the man.

[The CyNick]

I dont think they've found a niche for Benoit just yet. At first they had him out there and he was in matches, and it seemed like they were trying to build him up as a fighting champ who doesn't say much. However, lately Ive noticed they seem to want to make him look really happy all the time, smiling and what not. His promo in Calgary was good, but that was a pro-Benoit crowd, so its hard to judge him by that crowd.

In the ring he's awesome, there are very few guys who can match his intensity in the ring. He's kinda like Bret in that his work is safe but believable and he really looks like he wants to beat the sh!t out of his opponent.

The only real beef I have with his title run thus far, and SeanMC brought it up is that he hasn't been the focal point of the shows post-Mania. After Mania they had the draft, where HHH and Eddie main evented, then they focused on HHH-Shelton leading to Backlash, and Benoit only main evented when he was in tag matches. I dont like that. I believe if you have the World Title, then you should be in the main event (unless some other title is on the line and the world title isn't).

I mean we still haven't seen a PPV that wasn't focused on HHH, and until I see that I'll see Benoit as a transitional champion. Hopefully they let Benoit and HBK tear it up on PPV and dont blow the thing off on TV.

[Rock Bottom]

I agree about Benoit portraying intensity. I think they're doing an excellent job on his credibility. And they're giving special meaning to his submission. Usually, all the top main eventers like NEVER tap clean. And when they do it's just for heat when the ref's back is turned. JR said something along the lines of, "Everyone would tap out to the Crossface," which is a return to back in the day when Hart would lock on the Shooter, and everyone would pop - because they knew it was over.

[KillerWolf]

I would like to see Benoit hold onto that title till SS, getting victories over Micheals, HHH and Jericho.

He should be heel by the time Vengance comes in July, there he could have a feud with Jericho(where he retains). SS would be the time he drops the belt back to HHH, so Hunter can start a feud with Orton. Orton should go over at Survivor Series, and reign as champ till Wrestlemania where he drops it to Jericho. Finally, Jericho drops the belt back to Benoit a couple months later. :cool:
ya got it all figured out, do ya?

[Batsu]

One thing that annoys me about his reign(and I support Benoit as much as you do) is that the WWE isn't making him the focus of Raw if ya get me, he's only been in 1 main event(not including the PPV) since being champion f-uck he was even thrown down to the first match on the card the other week, that's what really annoys me,good thing HHH is gone, maybe the ratings will go up now!

Yeah, I see what you mean.

I'm not sure if Benoit himself is ready for Raw to be the "Benoit" show. When he first went to Smackdown, however, I felt like it was more The Benoit (Angle, and Guerrero) show than that of the champion, esp. during the Undertaker, Lesnar, and Big Show reigns. Now it has become The John Cena Show. I think the only champions that got the shows focused on them in recent years were HHH, Stone Cold (remember '01), and maybe The Rock (though, he seemed to be more in control of the show when he wasn't champ and was looking for revenge).

The CyNick was also right about the continued focus on HHH, which I agree, needs to change. I had high hopes for HHH being the focal point, but a month or so into his "face" reign (post-quad injury in early '02), it fell into steep decline. When HHH started that "Ric Flair" impersonation without all the "WOOO"s, it got even worse. The only high point was maybe HHH vs Goldberg and him putting the bounty out on Goldberg (sadly, I didn't get to see much of this)...and yet the focus is still on him. Slowly, but surely it's shifting. Already I can see the beginnings of an Orton/Edge feud that might be a Stone Cold/Rock-ish feud for the IC belt. That's gonna be cool.

but it's like, would you rather Benoit be champ, or 7 more months of HHH?

Even though HBK and Goldberg have had brief reigns as champ, you can pretty much say that from 2002 on, the "WWE" and "WCW" belts have belonged to HHH.

(funny how he went from being brutally buried in WWE to the guy from whom they can't take away a little bit of the focus...)