View Full Version : Question about Benoit in 2000
First of I would like to say that this is my first thread and would just like to say hi
Now the question that I have about Benoit is back in 2000 when the radicals had just joined. On smackdown there were the three matches to see if the radicals were worth contracts. In the tag team match between Guerrero and Saturn and the New Age Outlaws Eddie dislocated his elbow and Road Dogg picked up the win but if i remember correctly wasn't the original plan that Saturn and Eddie would win and then Benoit would beat HHH.
If this had happened do you think that Benoit would have been put in the main event scene quicker and wouldn't have won the title at least two years later than he should have. I mean he would have beaten the Game who had just beaten Cactus Jack in a street fight and almost looked unbeatable and was at the peak of his career.
Post your thoughts on this
The CyNick
05-13-2004, 03:10 PM
I dont recall the planning from that show, but it seems unlikely to me that HHH was willing to put over a vanilla midget.
The whole booking of Benoit, and to a lesser extent the rest of the Radicalz was ass backwards in the early going. I can see why they didn't push the other guys to the moon, but Benoit should have been a main eventer from day one. Basically he came off WCW TV as the WCW Heavyweight Champion. Why not use that, to build up Benoit as the next Heavyweight Contender. They could have kept Mania the same, but set up Benoit for a title match right after Backlash that year. Rock-Benoit would have been a tremendous feud, but it didn't happen. Instead Beoit was beat on his first day in, and he seemed like nothing special. Which is sad.
The booking was for Malenko to lose, Saturn and Guerrero to win and for Benoit to lose.
The booking was for Malenko to lose, Saturn and Guerrero to win and for Benoit to lose. Alright sorry for the mix up
Anyway Benoit should definetly been a main eventer from day one but I suppose it was sort of a good thing because it led to some 5 star matches with Jericho. But he should have been in the title scene much earleir than he was. He proved that he was a main event player at the Royal Rumble 2003 with Angle. That match only just about saved that event after the shambles that was the Steiner vs HHH match.
aaronkyle86
05-13-2004, 05:30 PM
I always wondered why Billy Gunn kicked out of the frog splash. Guerrero should have gone ahead and gotten the 3 count since he injured himself. That way the storyline wouldnt have been screwed up either.
ColdwaVer
05-13-2004, 08:31 PM
...Benoit should have been a main eventer from day one. Basically he came off WCW TV as the WCW Heavyweight Champion.
Which is odd because that was the second time Vince passed on the chance to play that one, along with the time Flair showed up not only as (technically) the WCW Champion, but with the flipping belt over his shoulder. Hell that time they actually tried putting Flair's title over Hogan's with the "real world's champion" angle.
The Show Off
05-13-2004, 08:58 PM
Personally I never looked at Chris Benoit as a main eventer until last summer, when he came back from his neck injury, before that he seemed to be forced into being in the main events and it didn't fit. I think Benoit's root to the title was the best way to do it. Benoit still isn't a good enough character to make me want to watch the show. He always puts on great matches but he has no real orignal personality. That's why Benoit will never be one of the best ever.
In 2000 Triple H was in great wrestling shape, and he didn't put on shit for matches like he does now, but at that time Vince wanted to capitalize on Triple H being World Champion and drawing with him, Austin, The Rock, and Mick Foley in the main event scene.
I can't say for sure that Benoit would've drawn as much as them when he first joined WWE, but he was definitely a main eventer from day one. I'm just thankful that Benoit got a taste of the main event scene around the end of 2000.
Batsu
05-14-2004, 01:46 AM
Yes, indeed. The Rock-Benoit feud brought another dimension to both their characters. I like that the "reversal" of the decisions, added a huge chip to the shoulder of Benoit (SL wise)...from that point Benoit shouldn't have ever been competing for lesser belts.
I think Benoit's best period in WWE was when he was feuding with Steve Austin. The 10 German Suplexes match was great...they never, ever got to end that rivalry right. With Benoit having a neck injury and Austin quickly leaving the company.
Personally I never looked at Chris Benoit as a main eventer until last summer, when he came back from his neck injury, before that he seemed to be forced into being in the main events and it didn't fit. I think Benoit's root to the title was the best way to do it. Benoit still isn't a good enough character to make me want to watch the show. He always puts on great matches but he has no real orignal personality. That's why Benoit will never be one of the best ever.
What about when he had "won" the WWF title on two straight PPV's before having the decisions overturned? He looked exactly like a main eventer then. They dropped the ball on him big time but they'll never admit it of course.
Ferocious
05-14-2004, 08:09 PM
I always wondered why Billy Gunn kicked out of the frog splash. Guerrero should have gone ahead and gotten the 3 count since he injured himself. That way the storyline wouldnt have been screwed up either.
Looking back at Eddies dislocated shoulder thing, he was cheating that long ago to I seem to remember him hiding a lead pipe in his sling and trying to hit Rikishi with it.
I always wondered why Billy Gunn kicked out of the frog splash. Guerrero should have gone ahead and gotten the 3 count since he injured himself. That way the storyline wouldnt have been screwed up either.
Eddie is very old school and that means making impromtu storylines out of injuries. He called the finish since there was no point in him going over since he would be out of action anyway. The fact was it was on Smackdown and they could have retaped the Malenko match or changed the finish to the Benoit match to keep the score 2-1 but didn't for only reasons they know.
Heyman
05-14-2004, 11:21 PM
Who gives a sh</>it if Benoit wasn't a main-eventer back then?
He's a main-eventer now!
As for year 2000 - I do not believe that he should've been a main-eventer at the time.
The Rock and Jericho were clearly the top faces, while Triple H and Angle were clearly the top heels.
The CyNick
05-14-2004, 11:25 PM
Who gives a sh</>it if Benoit wasn't a main-eventer back then?
He's a main-eventer now!
As for year 2000 - I do not believe that he should've been a main-eventer at the time.
The Rock and Jericho were clearly the top faces, while Triple H and Angle were clearly the top heels.
The point is they pissed away money, and could have had another main eventer, which would have been helpful while business was going down.
Its just like with the WCW thing. Guys like Hogan, Goldberg, Sting and others didn't "deserve" to be the top guys because the WWE had better talent at the time, but they should ahve been and pushed right to the top for the sake of making more money.
Heyman
05-15-2004, 12:59 AM
The point is they pissed away money, and could have had another main eventer, which would have been helpful while business was going down.
At the time, The Rock and Triple H were dominating the main-event scene (and with the impending returns of Austin and Taker), it would've been those 4.
HOWEVER - I think the fans were far more receptive towards Jericho and Angle.
While I believe that the WWE should have created new main-eventers in year 2000, I do not believe that Benoit should've been one of them (atleast not at the time). Those two NEW spots should have gone to Jericho and Angle.
Who says it should have been limited to 2 guys? And Angle had only been in the business for 9 months when he got the world title.
Goldbird
05-15-2004, 07:06 AM
Who says it should have been limited to 2 guys? And Angle had only been in the business for 9 months when he got the world title.
That's because Angle had won the Olympic Gold Medal before and it's really an established honour, so obviously wwe pinned their hopes on angle. :p
You don't need to give me excuses. I agreed with them pushing Angle. I'm just pointing out a fact. I also though they should have put the WWF title on Jericho when they did the first Dusty finish against HHH on Raw and I thought they should have given Scott Steiner the world title on his debut to capitalise on what they knew (or should have known) would be a short impactful run.
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