Did He Have A Real Chance?

[The Extract]

Shelton Benjamin. Did he ever really have a chance at becoming the Wwe or World Heavyweight Champion? I believe that he could have. He was an amazing athlete and IMO, is up with some of the greats in the "best to never win the big one" disscussions. But, he was in the World's Greatest Tag Team in 2002-2004, held the Intercontinental Championship for the rest of 2004, John Cena and Batista had the titles in 2 great World Title runs in 2005, John Cena was still holding the Wwe title in 2006, and Shelton was drafted to ECW in 2007, in 2008 he moved to Smackdown to hold the US title, then was moved back to ECW in 2009 and stayed there until he was released.

Because he was doing all of that, he didn't eneter the World title scene, but by 2007 he wasn't doing anything really, so that's when they really should have pushed him to the top. AKA, the Wrestlemania MitB ladder match in 2008, or the MitB in 2009. Instead they gave it to CM Punk, and even though that turned out to be a good move, who's to say that Shelton wasn't the better move?

Now it's your turn. Did Shelton Benjamin have a chance at the big one?

 

[HBsam31]

Shelton Benjamin had great matches with HBK and HHH both. Remember the sick Sweet Chin Music Shelton got from HBK. That match a lone should have gotten him some attention. The athletic ability was there, and he did get high profile matches. Lets face it the guy could not talk in front of a crowd. Check out some of the pre recorded promos he did. They experimented with that for him very briefly. They were good. When he got in front of a live crowd he just couldn't talk effectively. Now onto the question at hand. Yes I believe he was given a chance. Like I said they went as far as letting him cut his promos backstage pre recorded for a time, and he was given the high profile matches, and for some reason either he himself couldn't get over or there was just something that was happening that WWE would not totally pull the trigger with him. It was a shame all of his talent went to waste, but I think he had a good amount of chances to make something happen.

 

[GrandSword]

Shelton Benjamin was/is an amazing talent inside the ring. He actually trained Brock Lesnar in the ways of "pro" wrestling. It was his promo skills that held him back and lead to WWE trying to get him over adding things like his Momma and the singing gimmick to try and get him to the next level.

He was very close and the IWC was dying for a Benjamin/Angle Wrestlemania match where Angle would put over Shelton, but it just didn't happen and Angle defeated him in a random Raw match.

Bret Hart was terrible at promos at one time too and Gorilla Monsoon I think it was suggested he wear the sunglasses to bring up his confidence. Maybe something like this could have helped Benjamin as he could have been a Hitman type character that goes out and technically defeats his opponents but add a bit more high flying flash to it as well. I thought of him as his generations Ricky Steamboat.

The guy had a shot, but without the mic skills the WWE just didn't pull the trigger on him. There was also rumours of him being lazy in the last few years of his tenure as well. I'm a fan of the guy and I hope he drops the dead weight of Charlie Hass and comes back to the WWE or joins TNA. He deserves to be on a more international tv show.

 

[Last Man Standing]

There was a time Shelton Benjamin was red hot and on his way strait to the top. Not only did he have a great IC title run, He was the highlight at Wrestlemania's MITB and many times on RAW. And then he goes into an ill conceived heel turn and being aligned with his "mother". And those few months completely ruined all of his momentum. It cause irreconcilable damage.

The Gold Standard gimmick was a step in the right direction. And his U.S. title win was long overdue. His mic skills weren't great but not as bad as some seem to believe. But this is a case of WWE failing to showcase his strengths while hiding his weaknesses. And THAT is what a good booker is suppose to do.

 

[Headman]

Shelton had zero personality. He never had a feud worth noting not because he wasn't given the chance, but because he couldn't get anyone to give a crap about him. He was never over. The most over he had ever been was with his "Mama" and no one will remember him for anything other than taking a hellacious super kick from HBK. Hell, his lengthy title reign wasn't even worth mentioning because the belt just sorta disappeared while he had it. Shelton was boring as hell. He was a decent athlete but that's it.

 

[DethMetal]

I don't think that he was, and it's a real shame. Shelton Benjamin was probably the best athlete that WWE had at the time. His matches with Triple H and Shawn Michaels were both phenomenal as an earlier poster said, and you'd think that something would get going with Shelton after such impressive showings. I think that his heel stint as the Gold Standard was alright. He didn't have the greatest mic skills in the world, but I remember his best work being as a heel.

[YOUTUBE]4CVbKlRwXak[/YOUTUBE]

This was a great promo, at least for someone as unaccomplished on the microphone as Shelton. It was simple, effective, and it worked. I think with a little more work, Shelton would've been the complete package. It's a shame that his talents were never utilized to their full potential.

 

[Loveless]

In years past the WWE would simply have given him a manager or a personality that doesn't require talking, a la, Benoit. That they didn't doomed him and it'll doom 90% of their current roster too.

 

[Ethelion]

Did Shelton Benjamin have a chance at the big one? Did he ever really have a chance at becoming the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion?

If anything, Shelton Benjamin had a chance at the big one, at least in becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. The only thing that was holding him back was his mic skills, like what everyone else has been saying. Did he even have mic skills to begin with? I can't even remember his promos when he brought in his "momma" and even during his stint as the Gold Standard.

However, he stood out of the rest of WWE's high-flyers. Unlike John Morrison and Kofi Kingston, he actually had the build of a world champion. He didn't even start as a high-flyer. He simply added it, along with his technical skills, to his repertoire, making it possible for heavyweights to be VERY flexible.

Even though giving the Money-in-the-Bank Briefcases to CM Punk in 2008 and 2009 turned out to be a good move, who's to say that Shelton wasn't the better move?

Again, the answer is mic skills. Both were given the chance to speak during their WWE Careers. Shelton flopped. Punk fluorished.

 

[Warhood]

Wow. That promo posted by Dethmetal, really did it for me. Reading the thread to begin with the ideas in my head was that he did not really have a chance in the WWE. I always remember him as basically a spot person who was able to use his Athletic Ability to pull off some crazy moves in MitB. He was solid in the ring, came up really well, and honestly I don't remember one gimmick he had that was not extremely boring. He came up on the kurt tails (Get it) of Kurt Angle, in the worlds greats tag team. He had a solid partner in Charlie Hass, and he in a way made a name for himself where Charlie really couldn't.

In that itself, Shelton had the real chance. He was one to flourish after the tag teams, while Charlie sank. However, he did seem to have a ceiling. His mic skills always seemed to fall short in the ring, though the promo provided by Dethmetal obviously shows he had some talent at it. Maybe with a little work he could have had a major opportunity in the WWE.

The one thing that keeps me from saying he did not really have a chance in the WWE is unfortunately his race. He is African American, and from what I have heard/seen African Americans in the WWE really are not utilized to their full potential (Ala: Kofi Kingston, R-truth, Bobby Lashley...ect). I feel bad saying it, but it honestly seems to me like that is the biggest reason he never got to where we could have called him a true star.

 

[RicSpade]

Ok I will give Benjamin his due he made Money in the bank matches look spectacular, but two things held him back, 1 his mic skills were and IMO from ROH still terrible, and two from what I remember there were reports of his backstage attitude getting him heat with the brass, he was a great tag competitor and during his singles run he was good, but without a mouth piece he'll never be main event material. not in TNA ROH or WWE, and if he had a heyman back then or even had angle as his mouth piece during his singles run maybe just maybe he stood atleast one shot, but other then that no I don't see Benjamin as ever having a chance as being a world champion.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I have to say no.

There are some problems with Benjamin depending on who you ask or talk to. He had issues with some people in management over his work ethic and his mike skills.

He had flaws, no question.The biggest, for me, was on the mike. I tend to grade people on a scale starts with Suck, Okay, Good, and Great at the very top. Benjamin was okay for me. Still room for improvement, but not horrible. But a lot of performers had flaws. Batista was lousy on the mike, and not great in the ring but he had a look so he gets the shot. Cena is a great entertainer on the mike, and less than stellar in the ring but he gets his shot. Benoit isn't solid on the mike, but great in the ring, so he gets a shot. Orton isn't great on the mike, but he gets a shot. Henry not great on the mike or in the ring, he gets a shot. Swagger isn't great on the mike, he gets a shot. Now I'm not saying Benjamin is in their league in terms of value to the company, (imo, he's better in the ring than Batista,Cena,Henry in the ring and just as good if not better than Swagger and Orton), I'm just saying there have been other performers with flaws too, who still got a shot at being champ.

I had two problems with how Benjamin was used in WWE. I hated how Haas was used as well but let's stay on Benjamin,

1) I thought it was crap to have the guy in 5 MITB matches, being the highlight of many of those matches and not give him one win. Even if he failed when cashing it in, it would have been something. And if he's that horrible on the mike, find him a mouthpiece like a Heyman or somebody. The whole thing on the mike bit is really a lame excuse because you can find ways around that.

2) The Momma thing. That was the worst thing I've ever seen. They couldn't think of anything better than that ? He's a Mama's boy that's the best creative could come up with ? Where would he go with a bullshit storyline like that ? How does someone like Benjamin come from Team Angle to a Mama's Boy ? How does Haas come from Team Angle and become an impersonator ? The WWE creative has some really stupid ideas.

I think he just needed a little more mike time or a manager. He also needed a person to help him plan out a match that was great not just good, but great match in terms of storytelling, a problem that affects a number of performers in the WWE. I think if WWE gave him those things he would have done well as a wwe champ on ECW, SD or even Raw.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I really don't know how people can think that a guy with zero mic skills, zero charisma and zero personality had a legit shot at being World Champion. Shelton Benjamin had 1 saving grace and that was when he was in the ring he was rock solid, could put on a great match and could hang with the best of them, the problem with that is outside the ring he couldn't.

There's a reason why Benjamin never had a long program with top guys, its because he couldn't, there's no other way to say it. Benjamin is a good mid card guy but in my opinion he's used best as an enhancement talent, someone that helps others get over and that's it. I could deal with him even being IC Champion but outside of that I would never want him higher on the card.

Bret wasn't the best on the mic either, he wasn't the most charismatic but he was at least passable and was good enough in both aspects that he could get the job done as being champion and being "The Guy", Shelton can't. If he improves greatly on the mic, can find some personality and charisma I would have no issues with him being World Champion but unfortunately he never showed it.

Another issue with Benjamin is he was the definition of complacent. After he got put in a singles position when did he ever improve on anything? That's the problem with guys like Benjamin and Carlito, they are good but they never push themselves and never put in the effort to improve their game. When you have an attitude like that can you really blame the WWE for not pushing these guys harder?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The worst part of the Momma angle was that it clearly wasn't his own mother, it was a comedienne known on TV.

Shelton had the tools and had WWE had proper managers then yes he had a great shot, but the problem was ultimately WWE has a certain way they treat black wrestlers. They bleach their hair (Butch Reed and Shelton), they make them stereotypical (Cryme Tyme/Godfather/Flash Funk/PTP) or they try to "Rock" them, (Hawaiian shirt, Sunglasses etc)
Shelton went through phases of them all... he should have been pushed for what he was, a legit contender to Shawn Michaels as the "Showstopper", as for most of his run he was right up there.

Why could Shelton not have been in Evolution over Orton? for example...

But for years the reports also stated that Shelton had become "settled" in the mid-card and that is what ultimately led to his release. That in itself shouldn't be an issue, as I think if a lot of the younger guys (and the IWC) accepted that not everyone is gonna be the champ then the business would get back some of it's credibility.

Shelton for me was the equivalent of a Tito Santana by the end, someone who would always work hard and make others look awesome, but they were never going to get the title unless something major happened.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

What a shame you can't take C M Punks mic skills and put them into Shelton. If you could you would have one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Unless you can hold your own on the mic in wwe then your not likely to become WWE or World Champion. OK there have been people over the years that have become champion who have sucked on the mic but they were all bigger then what shelton was. Shelton is fairly small in comparison and if guys like Shawn Micheals or C M Punk were as bad as Shelton was on the Mic then I don't think they would have become champion either. John Morrison had the same problem. He was a fantastic Wrestler and could hold his own with anybody in the ring. but at the end of the day his mic skills let him down and stopped him from becoming Champion.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

I saw Shelton debut on Raw against HHH and they tore the house down. I truly believe Shelton could have been a main eventer, but he ended up fading into midcard obscurity as a spot monkey until he became expendable.

I think Shelton should have been given the "Mason Dixon" character from Rocky Balboa. He would have a manager. The gimmick would be about how is the best pure athlete alive today and the 'Gold Standard' among what all athletes try to become. Have him come out with his bling and fancy clothes, hell even give him an entourage of other superstars and divas. Then you put him on a winning streak, win a title or two. Because if he had an AW type by his side you know he would be a mainstay in the main event.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Enough already with the mike work. It's a bullshit excuse. Khali can't talk or work and he was a champion. Mark Henry isn't great on the mike or in the ring and he's a champ. Batista can't talk or work in the ring but he was a champ, Swagger isn't great on the mike (but can work) and he was a champ, Orton is so boring on the mike, (you hope a sniper will shoot the mike or him),but he can work in the ring, and he's a champ, so how on Earth can any one say that Benjamin didn't have the tools to be a champ because of his mike skills when we've had all these other performers with the same problem (in addition to others), having a championship run ?

As far as his, Carlitos's, MVP's or any one else's complacency or bad attitude is concerned, it's hard to be happy in a place where you're passed over after nearly 10 years of work in favour of other people who are less, talented and/or tenured as you are. I mean who could be happy with that ? Who can blame any one for being complacent in that atmosphere ? People have spoken up and asked for more input, suggested ideas for themselves only to be ignored, released and labelled as having a bad attitude. It's a lose-lose situation for a lot of performers in the WWE, so they keep their mouth shut and just do their job.

 

[Lowdown]

Enough already with the mike work. It's a bullshit excuse. Khali can't talk or work and he was a champion. Mark Henry isn't great on the mike or in the ring and he's a champ. Batista can't talk or work in the ring but he was a champ, Swagger isn't great on the mike (but can work) and he was a champ, Orton is so boring on the mike, (you hope a sniper will shoot the mike or him),but he can work in the ring, and he's a champ, so how on Earth can any one say that Benjamin didn't have the tools to be a champ because of his mike skills when we've had all these other performers with the same problem (in addition to others), having a championship run ?

As far as his, Carlitos's, MVP's or any one else's complacency or bad attitude is concerned, it's hard to be happy in a place where you're passed over after nearly 10 years of work in favour of other people who are less, talented and/or tenured as you are. I mean who could be happy with that ? Who can blame any one for being complacent in that atmosphere ? People have spoken up and asked for more input, suggested ideas for themselves only to be ignored, released and labelled as having a bad attitude. It's a lose-lose situation for a lot of performers in the WWE, so they keep their mouth shut and just do their job.

I agree in that mic work does seem to be overrated in this respect. Shelton had just about all the tools to at the very least be WHC. Now as far as WWE champ? I don't know. This is going to read like its racist, but to be fair, who has been the last WWE champ that was black? I could say Rock but he's half black and half Samoan. I could get blasted and its cool, just throwing it out there. Anyway, Shelton could be in the same league as Brock, Benoit, and Bret. I'll even throw in Lashley. The whole momma gimmick was dumb (thanks, Vince), but Shelton made a good mid-card champ with the IC and US belts. He could make a good HW champ in ROH. He's put on spectacular matches with some of WWE's best. So he deserved at least one run with the big strap.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I don't want WWE to put a title on any one who isn't the best option for them. I think if you have a performer who is horrible and black, don't put the belt on him. Do I think it has to do with race in Benjamin's case ? I don't want to believe that. I think they just believed he wasn't the right fit as heavyweight champ on Raw, ECW and SD, which I disagree with. I think there was some politics involved but I don't think it was motivated by race.

Although, I do admit that I find the number of black performers who get a crack at the championship (heavyweight, IC, tag team etc.) let alone wear the belt in WWE over the years has been very disappointing, I don't think that's the reason for Benjamin not getting a chance.

 

[Lowdown]

I don't want WWE to put a title on any one who isn't the best option for them. I think if you have a performer who is horrible and black, don't put the belt on him. Do I think it has to do with race in Benjamin's case ? I don't want to believe that. I think they just believed he wasn't the right fit as heavyweight champ on Raw, ECW and SD, which I disagree with. I think there was some politics involved but I don't think it was motivated by race.

Although, I do admit that I find the number of black performers who get a crack at the championship (heavyweight, IC, tag team etc.) let alone wear the belt in WWE over the years has been very disappointing, I don't think that's the reason for Benjamin not getting a chance.

I was making a side point just to talk really. Didn't necessarily mean that in Shelton's case, per se. But that's why I said that he could've made a decent WHC.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This is a question that's been asked time and time again with the answer always being the same.

WWE gave Shelton Benjamin several significant pushes during his time there and the man was just never able to get to that next level. Inside the ring, Shelton Benjamin shines like a brand new penny. Nobody's every denied that Benjamin couldn't deliver quality stuff inside the ring. In the grand scheme of things, that's only part of the issue and not really the most important issue.

Benjamin's problem is that he has the charisma & personality of a month old corpse. Charisma is something that you've got, or at least have the potential to be brought out in in, or you don't. It can't just be taught or implanted somehow. Otherwise, pro wrestling would be absolutely jam packed with guys like The Rock. WWE gave Benjamin long runs with both the IC & US titles and he went no further. They gave him wins over huge stars like Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, matches against guys like HBK & Triple H but he just couldn't get over the hump.

As for the promo that was provided, I didn't see anything extraordinary at all. His delivery was completely bland, there was little to no energy or intensity to it. He just talked with, mostly, the same dull monotone voice that he always used. If anything, it just showed how lackluster Benjamin's personality is. There was zero passion inserted into that promo and that was always Benjamin's problem. All in all, Benjamin failed to connect with the fans and have them care about him as a personality. If you don't have that, then it doesn't matter how good you are inside the ring or how you look or how athletic you are. If you can't make the fans care, then you're not getting to that next level. Just look at John Morrison. In 2011, the WWE pushed him a number of times into the WWE Championship picture. He put forth some great matches no doubt, but his lackluster personality kept him from getting the attention and interest from fans that guys like CM Punk, John Cena, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow and others have gotten and/or are currently getting.

The WWE gave Benjamin solid opportunities but he just couldn't make them work. There's only so much that a wrestling company can do. They can't just maufacture main event level stars on an assembly like and pump them out everyday. Every wrestler that didn't make it as a main eventer seems to claim that they weren't "used right" or were "held down". It's easier to take than accepting the possibility, and in many cases the cold hard truth, that they just didn't have what it took.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I couldn't disagree more... in the main Shelton was not used correctly within the pushes he got. He held titles and was always over enough when he held those titles... Using a fake mother ruined a whole promising run, could they not have used his own mum?

Absolving WWE in Shelton's case is not fair or right... it's THEIR job to turn the raw materials into something, through creative gimmicks, writing and marketing. Shelton had the same raw tools in abundance that Bret Hart had, that Shawn Michaels had and that Triple H had and more if you count his NCAA background.

These guys all started off great in the ring but weak on the mic. They were given time, space and gimmicks and often mouthpieces... Shawn grew on the mic cos he worked successively with Sherri, then Nash, then Hunter, who in turn had worked with Mr. Perfect... all these people could talk and talked for Shawn and Hunter till Hunter worked out he could talk for 20 minutes and forgot about less is more... Bret got by in the end because his gimmick lent itself to the "man of few words", he was over without talking much in 1988 much less 1997.

Shelton was never afforded that kind of luxury because it wasn't really there. Kurt Angle was himself relatively new when Team Angle was around. Haas wasn't ever any good on the mic unless aping someone else and the momma thing bombed... Now why, when Lesnar was around could they not have added Shelton to a stable, after all they were both NCAA level, the tension between them would have been an interesting dynamic of the 2 with Heyman!

Or as I said make him part of Evolution instead of Orton so he worked with Flair and Trips?

WWE made these choices, not Shelton. They made the calls to utilize him a certain way and then bounce him out cos they didn't work. I personally think he'll be back and possibly sooner rather than later. This new Punk angle with Heyman could lend itself to some guys who Vince "canned" coming back, Colt Cabana, Shelton the kind of guys that Punk would work with in a stable!

Shelton probably did get complacent or just realistic... After all if there is a glass ceiling, if you keep pushing to break through, eventually you either get through or get cut...

 

[jacdnwarrior]

WWE consistently did this to many performers. Give them a push then halt it, then push them, then halt it. They kill the momentum of the performer and kill any interest the audience has in backing them. And why do they halt it ?

1) They piss off somebody higher up on the political ladder, backstage.
2) The tell off a doctor handling the administering of the wellness program
3) They date the wrong woman or man in the company
4) They make a mistake in the ring
5) Vince gets bored with them.

They had 3 shows, ECW, SD and Raw. Shelton should have been champ on one of those. Shelton is just a part of a much larger issue that affects WWe today. They let go or lost Carlito, MVP, Kennedy, Haas, Benjamin, Harry Smith and are currently wasting Drew McIntyre, Ted Dibiase Jr., Kingston, Swagger, R-Truth, Christian right now, with nonsense like this. And when they don't go too high up on the card and/or get released they get labelled as having a lousy attitude or just didn't have what it takes to make it to the next level. That is a stroke job. That's a lie cooked up to hide their mishandling of their talent. A flasehood WWe is using to hide their own shortsightedness in storylines and pushes.

Is it any wonder the main event is the same boring shit ? Punk facing Cena for 100 times or Del Rio still fighting Sheamus ? Is it any wonder Vince has to beg former talent like the Rock and Trish and Austin to come back to get them the needed interest and ppv buyrates they want ? The main event roster is too damn thin. A problem they created by not cultivating their young talent as well as they should have, for the future of the WWE.

 

[theBec2101]

He did, but he want good on the mic at the time. And them the whole momma thing it all went down hill. I thought he was going to revamp with the gold standard but never happened. He had some great matches and did some amazing things in the ring though. Its a shame. Maybe if he would of stuck around he might of got a shot. He and Punk or Him and D. Bryan would of been great matches I think.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

There was a moment when Shelton became a made man. That was the match he had against HBK. It was easily a 5 star match, featured on a RAW no less. It was perhaps the best match I had seen in years at the time. Most guys would have catapulted to stardom from there. Instead, Vince and company thought it would be appropriate to give him a "Mamma" to accompany him to ringside. Shelton became the victim of a really awful gimmick, which in turn took the focus off his stellar in-ring work. He went right back down to the mid-card, and almost faded into obscurity. Sure, it can be argued that his mic skills weren't the greatest, but there have been champions who were terrible on the mic as well (Jeff Hardy, anyone?).

 

[DirtyD79]

No. He was what he was, a solid midcarder. He just didn't have that extra something to be a world champion. But that's ok. You need solid performers all throughout the card. You can't just put all the stars in the main event and then fill out the card with the crap leftover. Of course it didn't help that they gave him that stupid Mama's boy gimmick with a horrendously racist caricature as his mouthpiece/Mama.