How did the WWE fuck up with this guy?

[Mr. Nerfect]

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The WWE had such an opportunity with Shelton Benjamin here. Yeah, it's nothing new to say, but from getting support from Stone Cold Steve Austin in the back, to just coming off as "good enough" to hang with the best, to Chris Benoit coming out to support him...this just got fans excited about Shelton Benjamin.

And the bits during the match where Shelton pats Triple H on the face, and lets him know how close he was to losing the match were just awesome moments. The man has excellent charisma as a babyface. I'm glad Shelton is getting a push. He could be a top face for the company someday.

[Theo Dious]

I'd hardly say that WWE has "fucked up" with Shelton. He hasn't been used to his full potential, but he's hardly ruined. When (if) they want to give him a serious push, it'll be accepted by marks, who accept anything, and even more in-the-know fans who have always known what he's capable of. Honestly I think that having underused him may be a good thing for the longevity of his career; if they'd continued with his bland face IC push, he'd have gotten really stale, and if he'd been pushed into a main event he'd have ended up being totally buried. A good, solid, long-term mid-card slot isn't always a bad thing, just ask JBL and Jeff Hardy.

[Impact!]

Me: Yo Jeff, A good, solid, long-term mid-card slot isn't always a bad thing, right?

Jeff: Dude...What?

[Pardeep 619]

I forgot just how great that match is. In a way WWE did fuck up with Shelton Benjamin, but like Darth Tedious said, he's hardly ruined and someday he could be a main eventer

[RP]

Look how fat Triple H was then

[BigDaddyCool]

Shelton is great in the ring, but sucks on the mic. If he is ever going to be a maineventer, it will be like how Jeffy Hardy is finally making it now.

[BigDaddyCool]

Also, Shelton needs less generic looking tights.

[Kane Knight]

When Shelton was last pushed, he wound up botching several times in big spots and the like. It wasn't Brock's SSP at Mania, but surely the consistency with which he botched spots might contribute to his lack of push?

[BigDaddyCool]

I hear Shelton is an amazing funny guy has trouble translating that to his proformances.

[Theo Dious]

I hear Shelton is an amazing funny guy has trouble translating that to his proformances.

If you want to see him succeeding, watch the video of when he did the Monday Night Football parody with Vince and Trish. At the point where Vince says "You may not be aware of this... but you're an African American!" look at Shelton's face.

[HeartBreakMan2k]

Yeah, like KK said it's very much on Shelton. He has been given the ball to where he could be on the recieving end of a huge push - but he botches it. He has this amazing habbit of fucking up in the ring when he is in a position where he can't.

[BigDaddyCool]

If you want to see him succeeding, watch the video of when he did the Monday Night Football parody with Vince and Trish. At the point where Vince says "You may not be aware of this... but you're an African American!" look at Shelton's face.

I recall that. Shelton can at times be funny or entertaining. But it is conistancy that he needs to improve on.

[Theo Dious]

Very true. But that just proves that he shoudn't be main eventing, and probably got pushed harder than he should have. They never should have split up WGTT. Though they should have given them a far better name.

[Kane Knight]

I hear Shelton is an amazing funny guy has trouble translating that to his proformances.

Probably why he's been pushed before. The McMahon logic seems to be "I like him, let's give him a push." Someone who's entertaining backstage can easily get a push when they shouldn't.

If you want to see him succeeding, watch the video of when he did the Monday Night Football parody with Vince and Trish. At the point where Vince says "You may not be aware of this... but you're an African American!" look at Shelton's face.

It really is too bad he's not consistent enough.

Yeah, like KK said it's very much on Shelton. He has been given the ball to where he could be on the recieving end of a huge push - but he botches it. He has this amazing habbit of fucking up in the ring when he is in a position where he can't.

It almost sounds like WWE did the right thing for once, saw that maybe he wasn't ready, and de-pushed him.

Very true. But that just proves that he shoudn't be main eventing, and probably got pushed harder than he should have. They never should have split up WGTT. Though they should have given them a far better name.


The problem being, WWE logic is "This team is over. Let's split them up and push them in completely different ways."

It's also part of the whole "let's sign people without even seeing them wrestle" mentality thye've had going.

I'm sure Shelton could be amazing, though.

[Theo Dious]

It really is too bad he's not consistent enough.

If he can fix that small problem he could be a great asset for years to come.

Thinking of Benjamin here, hasn't he worked like 4 years without injury?

[Kane Knight]

If he can fix that small problem he could be a great asset for years to come.

Thinking of Benjamin here, hasn't he worked like 4 years without injury?
I don't remember him being injured.

And yeah, if they can work with him, they can have greatness. The problem is, do they even bother doing that?

[Theo Dious]

They've worked with Jeff, I don't see why he wouldn't get his chance. It may take a few years, but it will probably happen.

[St. Jimmy]

Shelton was actually better with CAW music and no mic. Is it just me, or were the RAWs on Spike always a little better than the ones on USA?

[RGWhat316]

I've been a big Shelton fan ever since that match with HHH in '04. And it seems the biggest problem is consistency. He knows he can pull great matches out whenever he wants to, but it doesn't seem to happen all the time. But he always steps it up whenever he fights the main eventers. I even remember the match with Shawn in 05 when HBK superkicked Shelton when he was flying from the other side of the ring.

I'm hoping he is in line for an ECW title feud with Punk heading into Mania. Since I don't believe that the Chavo/Punk feud is gonna be a long lasting feud. Then going to Punk/Shelton at Mania with Shelton winning the belt.

[Kane Knight]

I don't think it's that he doesn't want to, so much as that he chokes or whatever. I don't think he can turn it on or off.

[BigDaddyCool]

Shelton choking they way he did/has/does points out why the young guys need to pay their dues before getting a gaint push. They haven't built up the mental tools to handle the pressures of the mainevent. Now, some start botching moves like Shelton did and like Kennedy is now. Some let it go straight to their heads and start shitting in bags like Orton did. And some just think they are hot shit and have nothing left to achive in the sport and walk away like Brock did.

Paying dues isn't always about the veteran midcard jobbers just wanting to hold down young talent. It is about letting the young guys develope skills they lack, such as Shelton needing conistancy.

[Theo Dious]

BDC, once again proving why he is lord and master.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It's good that Shelton's personality is getting some love here. The guy has got bundles of it, it just doesn't always shine, which I do not think is entirely Shelton's fault.

To be honest, I'd say the guy's biggest problem is that he is nervous. It explains why he occasionally chokes up on the mic, while at other times he is fine. The man is perfectly capable of talking and talking fine, but he just hasn't had the practice to really develop into a promo king. I think it's the same with some of his bigger spots.

The guy is agile as all hell, but something is obvious in his head. The WWE does not, and could not, ask John Cena to jump to the top rope in a single leap. Yes, Shelton can do it, but with the WWE planning out a majority of matches these days, and Shelton being one of the few guys who occasionally gets to do something exciting (well, he used to), it makes me think that his spots aren't natural, and it's not always Shelton's idea to springboard in, or jump up to the top. I think it's the WWE asking him to do it, trotting him out like a pony, and getting him to do tricks he probably shouldn't be doing.

By the way, I think Shelton starting his botch period after his initial push on RAW ended. I didn't forget about it when I made this topic. Besides, I'm kind of more focused on how the WWE dropped the hot potato with Shelton on this occasion. As some have pointed out, things aren't ruined for Shelton, but this particular series of events was not following up on, and I'm just asking us to entertain the "what ifs."

[BigDaddyCool]

I remeber a few years back, every internet smark was railing against paying dues. Since then we have had an explosion of young wrestlers not paying dues. And ratings are way down. I'm not saying that young wrestlers getting pushed to the moon before they know what they are doing in the ring has killed ratings, but I pretty sure it hasn't helped either.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I remeber a few years back, every internet smark was railing against paying dues. Since then we have had an explosion of young wrestlers not paying dues. And ratings are way down. I'm not saying that young wrestlers getting pushed to the moon before they know what they are doing in the ring has killed ratings, but I pretty sure it hasn't helped either.

To be fair, a lot of rallying was against guys like Jericho still being held down. People aren't usually too big on the "hey, it's a new guy, let's make him WWE Champion!" mentality, which is closer to what the WWE has adopted.

There needs to be a happy balance. Yes, new guys need to learn, but that doesn't mean they should be jobbed to oblivion, either. A lot of guys are getting called out of the developmental system way too early. Chris Masters was probably the most glaring example of that.

[BigDaddyCool]

To be fair, a lot of rallying was against guys like Jericho still being held down. People aren't usually too big on the "hey, it's a new guy, let's make him WWE Champion!" mentality, which is closer to what the WWE has adopted.

There needs to be a happy balance. Yes, new guys need to learn, but that doesn't mean they should be jobbed to oblivion, either. A lot of guys are getting called out of the developmental system way too early. Chris Masters was probably the most glaring example of that.

Paying dues and jobbing someone to "oblivion" are not the same. Paying dues and being buried are not one in the same. Right now MVP is paying his dues and getting a decent push all the same time. Quit being so myoptic and black and white in your thinking.

No one here is arguing that Shelton needs to be jobbed out.

[Fox]

I remember when Benjamin pinned Maven like twice in five minutes at New Year's Revolution. Now THAT'S a burial.

Benjamin has a lot of skills that just need to be honed for him to be great. I think he's doing good and feeling good about this whole "Gold Scale" gimmick he's trying to pull off, and I do hope that it works for him and gets him on the WM card this year against Punk.

I'd like to see him get more air-time as a face in the future. I've always liked the types of faces that are extremely athletic and can do the high-flying stuff along with the mat-wrestling stuff (HBK, RVD, Hardy, etc).

[Kane Knight]

Shelton choking they way he did/has/does points out why the young guys need to pay their dues before getting a gaint push.

Halfass reasoning.

[addy2hotty]

Shelton is the goods, I've always said it.

I don't think a couple of botches is the reason for his depush, I think he came out of TWGTT at the wrong time. If I recall, there was about 4/5 wrestlers all pushing Triple H for the title around that point and that was during Hunter's domination period. Then they went crazy with him, bringing his Mom in (not the least entertaining angle), getting a pretty big win over Flair, then suddenly dropping it/her and leaving him with no real personal character development or storyline to move forward with. Then shoving him back in to the worst Tag Team division in living memory, having shockingly bad skits with Cryme Tyme (mainly due to their inability to be entertaining), and jobbing out to them when they clearly had little skill in the ring. The right thing to do was to push them as the best tag team again and clear up on both shows. Instead we get the same old stuff from Londrick. He was the victim of IMO poor booking.

He needs his time to shine in singles, is twice the performer Lashley or Punk are, and deserves a run with the title on ECW.

HOWEVER, I don't think he'll ever be a Raw level champion, or have the sort of crowd support that Jeff has had that could lead to maybe a short reign.

Hell, they could make him ECW champ and have be so arrogant about it that he challenges Taker at Mania and have him take the streak. Wouldn't be too bad, done right.

[Kane Knight]

Shelton is the goods. I've always loved both members of WGTT. However, he really has screwed up at key points.

[BigDaddyCool]

Halfass reasoning.

Shut up, he was too young. If he was given more midcard time before going right int to the mainevent he might still be mainevent now.

[Kane Knight]

Shut up, he was too young. If he was given more midcard time before going right int to the mainevent he might still be mainevent now.

And that's why it's half-ass reasoning. You're using unfounded speculation to back up a point based on more unfounded speculation.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Paying dues and jobbing someone to "oblivion" are not the same. Paying dues and being buried are not one in the same. Right now MVP is paying his dues and getting a decent push all the same time. Quit being so myoptic and black and white in your thinking.

No one here is arguing that Shelton needs to be jobbed out.

You misunderstood me. I know the different between "paying dues" and being buried, but my point was that the treatment the WWE gave some of their hottest stars over the years isn't really "paying dues," in the first place. "Paying dues," whilst getting pushed back down the card does feel like a play to keep a guy from the top.

Besides, I'd argue that a lot of the guys that people argued against paying dues had actually paid their dues in the first place. Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho, for example. These guys had been all over the place, been on TV and PPV for years, and putting on great matches. They were also very over with the WWE crowd, and people were willing to accept them as main eventers. They were not allowed to main event, however. This is in contrast to Kurt Angle, who won the WWE Championship within a year of debuting with the company.

Paying dues is fine with unestablished and inexperienced talent, and I agree with it, I'm just pointing out there is a difference between the two forms of "paying dues."

[BigDaddyCool]

And that's why it's half-ass reasoning. You're using unfounded speculation to back up a point based on more unfounded speculation.

I was using my full ass. Don't talk about what you don't know, you ain't my mama. :foc: (There needs to be a smiley face that does those snaps.)

[Kane Knight]

Are you sur I'm not your mama?

[BigDaddyCool]

Fairly.

[Theo Dious]

Are you sur I'm not your mama?

Fairly.

That's the scariest thing I've ever heard. I'd say I want my mommy, but it'd probably end up being Alienoid...

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's the scariest thing I've ever heard. I'd say I want my mommy, but it'd probably end up being Alienoid...

Don't be stupid, Darth.

I'm your second dad. :shifty:

[FakeLaser]

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[thedamndest]

lol FakeRazor wrestling forum post

[Mr. Nerfect]

LOL, that titantron is pretty fucking great. Although, if I am not mistaken, it says his name is "Shelton Benjamins."

How can people say that Shelton does not have charisma. The man is damn hilarious in that. This is the kind of gimmick his "Gold Scale" gimmick should turn into. Yeah, you have to be careful not to completely turn the guy into a joke, but that's the kind of personality Shelton could show off and pull off fantastically.

[Indifferent Clox]

Benoit was never good on the mic....

(insert Benoit Tragedy joke here...)

[Kane Knight]

LOL, that titantron is pretty fucking great. Although, if I am not mistaken, it says his name is "Shelton Benjamins."

How can people say that Shelton does not have charisma. The man is damn hilarious in that. This is the kind of gimmick his "Gold Scale" gimmick should turn into. Yeah, you have to be careful not to completely turn the guy into a joke, but that's the kind of personality Shelton could show off and pull off fantastically.

"Charisma" is thrown around as a catch-all reason not to like or push or whatever someone.

Shelton's got decent charisma before he ever opens his mouth. He's got a decent presence, and tends to be likable or hatable as is mandated by his gimmick. so, yeah.

Shelton could be greatness in the long run.

[94 SVT Cobra]

Me: Yo Jeff, A good, solid, long-term mid-card slot isn't always a bad thing, right?

Jeff: Oh yeah, the mids are real good around here, just ask shelton benjamin but lately ive been trying to get HHH with some of that good purple ha......oh you meant wrestling.

[The Lone Wolf]

He is still young and he is fianlly starting to get a gimmick that actually works so we will see what happens from here.

[The Gold Standard]

Shelton is one of the best wrestlers in the business. The thing that held him back was his mic skills. Since he has been on ECW he has gotten better and better with his promos. I don't see him as a top face because I think he is a better heel, but I do see him as a secondary heel, like Kennedy is