Did Big Show Prevent Benoit From Winning The Title?

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Brock Lesnar's first singles loss came at the hands of Big Show at Survivor Series in 2002 when Heyman turned on his former client. I think KB stated that Big Show injured Lesnar at a house show and that's why they made the title change. Let's say that injury didn't happen. When would have Lesnar lost the title?

Enter Benoit who was on a roll when he came back to the WWE after a year long injury. He had great matches with the likes of Angle and Guerrero and had momentum going into Wrestlemania until it suddenly disappeared. I loved the Angle vs. Lesnar Wrestlemania match but what I would have had happen was for Lesnar to keep the title and remain heel and Benoit to win the Royal Rumble that year. We never got to see that Benoit vs. Lesnar PPV match and Benoit winning the title would have been a equally great moment as it was at WM 20. Also, it would give Kurt Angle more time to get his neck surgery than he originally did.

Is there a part of you that thinks that Benoit would have won the title at Wrestlemania 19 if Show hadn't injured Lesnar?

What did you think of Lesnar's face turn, his feud with Angle leading to their match, and would have Benoit fared better being champion on Smackdown instead of Raw?

 

[The Brain]

I don’t think WWE ever wanted Benoit taking the title off Lesnar. Lesnar vs. Angle was the dream match for mania that year. I remember WWE Magazine hinting that the match would take place at mania several months ahead of time. The match between two awesome amateur wrestlers is what everyone wanted to see. That was one of my most anticipated matches ever. Remember Angle was injured before mania. It was very much in question that he would be able to wrestle at the show. I remember the rumor at the time was Benoit would wrestle Lesnar if Angle couldn’t. I would assume if WWE was fully comfortable with that match they would have just done it and not risk any further injury to Angle.

As for the face turn it was just something that had to happen. It was another one of those cases where people liked the heel so much and cheered him to the point where he had to become face. Benoit probably would have fared a little better as champion on Smackdown instead of Raw but now we’re talking about something that happened a year later and after Lesnar left WWE. For 2003 Angle vs. Lesnar was the right match to go with and a great and natural rivalry.

 

[TCBT]

I don't remember Benoit having that momentum you talk about. At least not until a year later. He was respected, yeah, but after a year-long absence, it took him some time to gain some steam. The same happened to Edge, who came when storylines and feuds were already formed and he didn't really fit in anywhere. The fans didn't pop as much as the WWE expected, so he turned heel.

I don't think anyone held Benoit down, nor did anyone prevent him from winning the Title. Afterall, he broke records in the Royal Rumble, and went on to win the Title off of Triple H at WM. I don't think he could've had it better....

 

[Headman]

I don't remember Benoit having that momentum you talk about. At least not until a year later. He was respected, yeah, but after a year-long absence, it took him some time to gain some steam. The same happened to Edge, who came when storylines and feuds were already formed and he didn't really fit in anywhere. The fans didn't pop as much as the WWE expected, so he turned heel.

I don't think anyone held Benoit down, nor did anyone prevent him from winning the Title. Afterall, he broke records in the Royal Rumble, and went on to win the Title off of Triple H at WM. I don't think he could've had it better....

Agreed. Benoit wasn't even close to the title at that point. Big show and Lesnar had a pretty hot feud going, so I think it just made sense to throw in a title change.

 

[Heartachetonight926]

Agreed. Benoit wasn't even close to the title at that point. Big show and Lesnar had a pretty hot feud going, so I think it just made sense to throw in a title change.

Well he did face Kurt angle at the royal rumble for the WWE title a few months before mania, so I wouldn't say he "Wasn't even close".

But I do agree that it wouldn't of meant as much if he won it that year, something about his WHC win at Wrestlemania 20 just seemed so right.

 

[DeathClutch]

You're missing the point.
Benoit was never going to win the big one until the right time.
Look at his WWE career, Fully Loaded 2000 & Unforgiven 2000 both titles in his grasp to be pulled away, King of the Ring 2001 and he gets injured, WWE were building him and Jericho up, once Benoit returned he was pretty much doing nothing in the title picture until Royal Rumble 2003 in a CLASSIC with Kurt Angle to have that pulled away only added to can be Chris win the big one?? then in late 2003 he feuded with Brock and lost his title match on SMACKDOWN then he went into the Rumble won it and won the title at the biggest WrestleMania in history.

WWE wanted Lesnar/Angle at WrestleMania 19 and probably wanted Lesnar to role in with the championship, hense why Angle won the belt so soon after Big Show, so WWE could still do the match, then when Angle was injured WWE considered going with Benoit/Lesnar but Angle fought threw the injury.

 

[ckg]

WAT AFOOL THANK THE GODS FOR THE BRAIN TO JUSTIFY THIS SILLY QUEST BY A (MARK) BIG SHOW CAME BACK AT A MASSIVE EVENT WHICH WAS THAT SURVIVOR SERIES BEST EVER....SHOW WAS THE MIDDLE MAN TO PASS THAT TITLE TO ANGLE TO SET UP THE BIG MATCH
LESNAR HAD NO TIME OFF FROM ANY INJURY SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD STICK TO FACTS SUCKKAAAA

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

WAT AFOOL THANK THE GODS FOR THE BRAIN TO JUSTIFY THIS SILLY QUEST BY A (MARK) BIG SHOW CAME BACK AT A MASSIVE EVENT WHICH WAS THAT SURVIVOR SERIES BEST EVER....SHOW WAS THE MIDDLE MAN TO PASS THAT TITLE TO ANGLE TO SET UP THE BIG MATCH
LESNAR HAD NO TIME OFF FROM ANY INJURY SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD STICK TO FACTS SUCKKAAAA

Since I believe that your asinine post was directed at me, let me deal with you son and show you how it's done.
1. Survivor Series 2002 was shit in which the icing on the cake was HHH letting his buddy Shawn win the title. Everything else was forgettable.

2. Lesnar didn't have a match for over a month I believe after Survivor Series because he was "suspended." I wonder why was that. It couldn't have anything to do with him being injured at a house show, wouldn't it?

When you get done reading this, find out what the word "mark" means, use some lowercase letters, and come back with something better.

 

[BK Styles]

WAT AFOOL THANK THE GODS FOR THE BRAIN TO JUSTIFY THIS SILLY QUEST BY A (MARK) BIG SHOW CAME BACK AT A MASSIVE EVENT WHICH WAS THAT SURVIVOR SERIES BEST EVER....SHOW WAS THE MIDDLE MAN TO PASS THAT TITLE TO ANGLE TO SET UP THE BIG MATCH
LESNAR HAD NO TIME OFF FROM ANY INJURY SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD STICK TO FACTS SUCKKAAAA

To add to what Little Jerry Lawler said, punctuation is your friend

Onto the topic. Benoit at that point was the guy who you could believe would win the title, but was more comfortable in the upper mid-card. Angle/Lesnar was the dream match because of their successful amateur backgrounds; the two best pure wrestlers in the company, contesting for the biggest prize in the top wrestling company in the world.

I don't think Big Show injuring Lesnar had anything to do with it; if they were gonna give Benoit the belt, they could have had Benoit face Lesnar and 'injure him'.

It's a nice thought to ponder on, but Benoit wasn't destined to win it around then, as good as he was. A better question on that point would have been "had Benoit not been injured in 2001, what could have been?", because as previously mentioned, he was on a roll just before his injury layoff.

Good thread, none the less.