Chris Benoit. A name that is synonymous with greatness to all wrestling fans out there. I was sitting in class when I received the news from Peter, and I must say, the first thing that hit me was devastation. Today, I, Kenneth Thexeira,
Thexman aside, commemorate the life and career of the late, great “Canadian Crippler” Chris Benoit.
Back when I started out watching wrestling, I noticed this Canadian grappler on WCW. The dude put on more than decent matches regularly and in January 2000, I was pleasantly surprised to see that very man, Chris Benoit, along with Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn make their WWE debuts. His debut match is still etched my mind. Haha, as a little mark, I remember cheering on Benoit, hoping he’d put Triple H in his place with a good wallop or two to earn his “contract.”
Though he began his career in the WWE as a
heel, his solid work rate and no-nonsense technical style saw him garner an increasing amount of fan support. Stone Cold Steve Austin had a helluva heel title run in the year 2001, and one of the most memorable incidents of the run? Benoit delivering not three, but
TEN German suplexes to Austin in Benoit’s hometown of
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Although he came up short of winning the title, this was definitely a memory in itself.
When he was paired with Kurt Angle in that unlikely alliance in the fall of 2002 to compete for the WWE Tag Team Titles, the result was fabulous television, as both men churned out excellent matches and entertainment
simultaneously. Who can erase the image of Kurt precariously attempting to
hug Benoit while celebrating their title win? Or how both men bickered over their winner’s trophy til they destroyed it in their ensuing fracas?
Stuff of legend, my friends.
Speaking of Angle, at the Royal Rumble 2003, both he and Benoit put up a SPECTACULAR match with Angle’s WWE championship on the line. The match rocked back and forth, counter after counter, near-fall after near submission. Ultimately, Benoit came up short again, but I still recall the standing ovation he received for his efforts. HUGE POP.
In December 2003, Benoit wrestled for the WWE title against Brock Lesnar at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Huge pop again, displaying how well respected the man is all over the world. I for one thoroughly enjoyed his performance, the evening’s main event. A teased title win did get many of us
Kallang-ers sitting on the edge of our seats. My dad even managed to get a shot of the Crippler in
mid-air, as he was delivering his Diving Headbutt to Brock Lesnar.
2004 was perhaps the most significant year of the Rabid Wolverine’s life. Benoit began the year on a high by winning the Royal Rumble although he was entrant number
1, the man with the least odds of winning(by winning he became the second ever man in history to do that, after Shawn Michaels in 1995). Surprisingly, Benoit decided to jump to Raw to challenge Triple H for his World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania XX.
People out there, at WMXX, Benoit, along with Shawn Michaels and HHH put on a
performance of a lifetime in their triple threat match for the Title, which ended with Benoit forcing the mighty HHH to submit to his patented Crippler Crossface, thus rendering him the victor and new World Heavyweight Champion. The man took a
nineteen year journey to reach the top of the mountain, and as a fan, I felt for him. Elation and joy that was filling me was sent even further through the roof when his best friend, then WWE Champion
Eddie Guerrero came out to celebrate with him. The sight of the two best friends celebrating amidst the confetti and roaring fans due to the successful culmination of their journey to the top of the Wrestling industry was something that I will treasure forever.
Over the next few years, Benoit began moving into the role of a
“helper” in the business. While still maintaining his fearsome reputation, he went on to battle and feud with a number of rising stars, helping to elevate them to the upper echelons. Most recently, Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, put up a series of captivating matches for Benoit’s United States Championship, which was ultimately won by MVP. This isn’t a bad thing, as Benoit had just played a significant role in elevating a promising star like MVP nearer to the
Main Event picture.
Chris Benoit was recently drafted over to the ECW brand, and unknown to some, Benoit is actually an ECW Original, having wrestled there in the mid-nineties. I was excited beyond belief with this move, and in my opinion, I felt Benoit was the
most significant Draft Pick this year, as he was set to be the new face of ECW. Hands-up if you predicted along with me and many others that Benoit was gonna be crowned ECW World Champion at Vengeance over CM Punk(who by the way, Benoit was obviously gonna engage in an epic feud with). See? The wheels were set in motion for him to take centre stage again. Due to his untimely demise, we can only dream of what could have been.
Now many news reports and various investigators have begun assuming things regarding the deaths of Benoit and his family. I shall not touch on nor shall I comment on those matters here, as what I am doing is
celebrating his WWE career. At the same time, I would like to state that Chris Benoit enjoyed a successful career prior to the WWE as well, namely in Japan, ECW, and WCW. This post basically covers his WWE career through my eyes, as how I had watched and experienced it. Therefore, for more information on the rest of The Crippler’s career and life, visit
http://www.wwe.com/,
www.411mania.com./wrestling or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit .
To conclude I would like to narrate a little tale of mine. Back in 2002, prior to the Smackdown! Tour in February, Benoit visited our sunny island for a promotional appearance/autograph session. Even though I was a scrawny and pesky 13 year-old then, I already had cultivated a great amount of love and respect for
‘Toothless Aggression’. Lol. When it was my turn to go on stage to get The Crippler’s autograph, all of a sudden, I was halted by security; the session had ended. I nearly broke down at the sight of Benoit waving to the fans; the Benoit picture in my hand, signature-less. Though I managed to catch him in action
LIVE in 2003, deep down, I still wanted his autograph.
Chris Benoit was scheduled to appear in Singapore at Bugis Junction on the 6th of July for an autograph signing again. I jumped at the news and was ready to skip class just for “The Crippler”. I waited so eagerly. And today, I was hit by the unbearable news. Today, I, along with millions of wrestling fans, am left mourning the passing of a true legend. It just seems surreal, especially with the fact that his wife, Nancy “Woman” Benoit, and son, Daniel Benoit, was taken as well.
People who know me well know how much Chris Benoit meant to me as a performer as well as a role-model. Chris Benoit was one of my favourite wrestlers
of all time, and will always remain to be. At the end of the day, we have to wipe our tears and rise from our sorrows. Life’s like that after all.
However, in more ways than one, here I am, a Chris Benoit fan, still eagerly awaiting his autograph; the Benoit picture still in my hand, still signature-less.
I should be off to bed now. My thoughts and prayers are with the Benoit Family. Along with your family, Chris Benoit, may you
Rest in Peace. I love you and I know I am going to miss you.
Thanks for the memories, Chris.Labels: 1967 – June 25, 2007), Rest in Peace Christopher Michael Benoit (May 21
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