Shelton Benjamin Returning to WWE?

[MOExecution]

There have been recent reports on WrestleZone.com about WWE having interest in superstars like; MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Both men have gone on record through Twitter and have said that they have not been contacted by WWE in any way. Further speculation rises as Shelton Benjamin has given his notice and has been released from his ROH contract to possibly negotiate with WWE to make a return.

Now, I for one am on the fence about a Shelton Benjamin return. He is a great athlete and has given us some memorable moments in the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches and competed in some fantastic matches against some major players. He is a former IC, US, and tag team champion. Shelton competes at a level where he could put on main event caliber matches.

Then here comes my worry, if he comes back to the WWE I do NOT want to see Benjamin doing the same shtick he was doing before he left which is basically what Kofi Kingston is doing currently. Being stuck in the mid/tag division, being a babyface, and putting on some good matches. What is the point of bringing someone back that will not amount to anything and you will most likely release in the next five years (he is 37). There is no point and I would think it would be a waste of time on both WWE's and Benjamin's part. I think that Benjamin will just be used to do exactly that too. Come in, put on good matches, put over the younger talent, and when they have nothing for him, he's gone.

I know that people may be thinking to themselves, "Well, a new, younger generation is currently being built and Benjamin has no part of it." Sure, that may be true, but then why bring him back? You have guys like; Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd who could accomplish the same thing. I feel like through this all WWE will be spending a little bit more money and Benjamin is seeing dollar signs in his eyes. Do not get me wrong. Seeing Benjamin back in the WWE will be great, hell, you are sure promised some great matches, but knowing that he will not amount to anything except putting over younger talent and collecting a check makes the situation a bittersweet one. I hope otherwise.

- Do you think Shelton Benjamin will return to the WWE?
- What are you thoughts about Shelton Benjamin returning?

 

[Sid Schmid]

I can't see him returning to be honest. The WWE have got R Truth to fulfill the role you mention. The same with MVP too. I'd rather see someone who was a legit main event contender come back such as Jeff Hardy above Benjamin and MVP.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I can't see him returning to be honest. The WWE have got R Truth to fulfill the role you mention. The same with MVP too. I'd rather see someone who was a legit main event contender come back such as Jeff Hardy above Benjamin and MVP.

Yes, Jeff Hardy the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion whose contract reportedly expires in three months should ask for his release now, cause hes got nothing going for him. Stick with the purpose of the thread.

Shelton Benjamin is different. Some need to understand its been almost three years since his last televised appearance for WWE, which included him walking around backstage. Since his release he - along with Charlie Hass, might I add - has improved as an overall performer. Whereas in Ring of Honor all you truly need is in-ring skills to get by, Wrestling's Greatest Tag Teams takes the microphone almost every taping. Hass is the better of the two, but Shelton has improved on the stick.

His athletic ability is still intact, his charisma is probably at the same level but with a more believable vocal prowess which Shelton was told to work on before being released, this could be a successful run for him, if used correctly. Every ROH fan knew he'd leave at some point, at least for now we still got Charlie Hass.

 

[Master JM]

I'd actually be extremely ecstatic if Benjamin came back to WWE. He was, and still is, one of the most athletic dudes in wrestling and as you undoubtedly know, was being pushed to the moon around 2004-2005 and fizzled out due to a lack of speaking ability.

I haven't seen his work in ROH so I can't tell if he has improved on the mic, but if he did, I don't see anything stopping him. I do know that he was in a tag team with Charlie Haas, which could be reformed in WWE to give the tag team division an even bigger boost.

I've considered a few possibilites for his return, the first being my above suggestion of The World's Greatest Tag Team reforming. He could, potentially, be involved with The Shield, using his release as an excuse to complain about injustice, although I don't see that happening and The Shield is fine as a stable at the moment.

Personally, if done correctly and slowly, I'd like to see him getting pushed to the main event (not necessarily the WHC/WWE Championship, more of an upper mid-carder and occasional main eventer) by working up the card. He could return as a heel and beat Kofi Kingston (a transitional champion at best) for the Intercontinental Championship and go forward from there.

Unfortunately, I'm not the most creative person in the world and therefore cannot come up with anything even remotely original for Benjamin, so that's all I've got.

In a nutshell, yes I would like to see him come back, and the chances are fairly high if the rumors are to be believed.

 

[yur_momma]

yeah he was a great in ring talent, id love to see him back, especially in the tag team scene. but i suspect he will be used to dethrone antonio caesaro.

 

[silrock316]

Bottomline there is just a select group of wrestlers in the history of WWF/WWE/WCW that had incredible in ring skills but were always below average on the mic and in appearance.

Benjamin and Morrison are the two most prominent ones off the top of my brain. Actually Kofi is another one that fits that mold. These are all guys that are very athletic and the WWE brass loved at one point or another but there is always just something missing. None of the 3 will ever be major players and I will take that to the bank.

So I really couldn't careless if he comes back. He might get a nice little pop for his reappearance but then would dwindle right back down to the midcard like he ALWAYS did.

Now if the WWE is just interested in stockpiling the midcard as a card filler. Hell yeah bring him back, right off the bat a match between him and Ziggler would be great. Tell me it wouldn't? I just don't see the point unless he just wants a slightly bigger contract to what he has now and doesn't mind being a card filler because thats all he is.

 

[Sid Schmid]

Yes, Jeff Hardy the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion whose contract reportedly expires in three months should ask for his release now, cause hes got nothing going for him. Stick with the purpose of the thread.

I only mentioned Hardy as an example of an old WWE superstar returning. It seems worthless bringing Benjamin back. He is a great athlete but he would just get lost in the mid-card shuffle like he did 3 years ago.

If WWE bring back old superstars it has to be someone the fans would care about, hence my mention of Hardy.

 

[Last Man Standing]

I'd do anything to see Shelton return. Hopefully this time he can get on track & stay on track. Now I don't necessarily expect him to Main Event WM anytime soon, but a good run as IC or US would be great.

 

[Slash-LN]

I'm a fan of Shelton so I'd be happy to see him come back. Even if it just means he's coming back to help younger talent develop. I understand people want their favorites to have a nice run at the top but honestly I can't see how it would be bad for him to come help younger talent.
So yeah if they want to bring him back for any reason I'd be happy about it.

 

[Lee]

He's terrible. He has the personality of a sieve. He's had push after push after push and has dropped the ball several times. His best two matches were with Trips and HBK. He was racist as fuck to Yoshi Tatsu on ECW. The most over he ever was was with his momma. He's a midcarder at best and that division is stacked.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

According to something I just read, it seems that Benjamin & WWE are legitimately negotiating. The report states that Benjamin gave his notice to ROH, so that's a sign that negotiations are going well. If this is legit, then he probably will be back in WWE.

As far as Benjamin being in the mid-card picture or tag team scene, I've got no problem with him coming to WWE. It's when all this talk of making Benjamin a main eventer that I have problems with the guy because he doesn't have the personality to do pull it off. The WWE gave Shelton Benjamin the ball several times but he was just ultimately never able to run with it. The most Benjamin was ever over was when he first showed up as part of Team Angle with Charlie Haas, and a lot of that was due to the fact that Kurt Angle was their leader. Then there was the time Benjamin brought his "momma" to be his manager. He was given lengthy runs as IC & US champ, he got big wins over guys like Jericho & RVD but was never able to capitalize on any of it.

Benjamin is a great athlete and there's always use for guys with Benjamin's athletic abilities, but the guy isn't a main eventer. He wasn't even a main eventer in ROH and you'd think that ROH is where someone like Benjamin would thrive in the main event spot.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Benjamin is a great athlete and there's always use for guys with Benjamin's athletic abilities, but the guy isn't a main eventer. He wasn't even a main eventer in ROH and you'd think that ROH is where someone like Benjamin would thrive in the main event spot.

He explained this in an interview he recorded around the time he and Charlie signed their ROH contracts. They'd been pushing WWE to put them back together as WGTT near the end of their runs, but WWE wouldn't do it because they didn't see the need for them to be a tag team. So when both were free agents they wanted to reform WGTT and do it under their terms, hence why they signed for Ring of Honor. They knew ROH would always have a strong tag team division and that they wouldn't be coerced into splitting up.

At this stage they've done all they can as a team. Shelton was the star of WGTT in WWE, Charlie Hass has been the star in Ring of Honor. If Shelton leaves and Hass stays Charlie will probably be pushed hard as a singles guy. They've been using him more-so as a singles guy when Shelton is on tour in Japan anyway.

 

[Brewski]

For me I honestly don't care about how he'll move up and down the card, Shelton Benjamin wrestling whoever is great for me in the WWE. OP made an argument about having great matches but not moving up the card, I don't know about you but that whole "great matches" part is why I watch wrestling. The Gold Standard delivers. Sign him and call it a day, there's too many potential match ups to pass up with him.


Also, anyone who compared Benjamin to MVP or Truth is ridiculous; they're not similar in the slightest other than being black mid carders.

 

[klunderbunker]

Shelton was an incredibly athletic guy and probably the best all around athlete the company has ever seen.


That was seven or eight years ago.

Now, we have Kofi Kingston to jump around like that and he's about six years younger. At the end of the day, whatever Shelton brought to the table beforehand is probably gone now. I'm not saying he's worthless but I don't see the need to bring him in. You don't bring in a guy who used to be an amazing athlete that can't talk when he'll be 38 next year. He never cracked the main event and there's no need to see him come back and try to regain whatever glory he once had.

 

[BaconBits]

Shelton was an incredibly athletic guy and probably the best all around athlete the company has ever seen.


That was seven or eight years ago.

Now, we have Kofi Kingston to jump around like that and he's about six years younger. At the end of the day, whatever Shelton brought to the table beforehand is probably gone now. I'm not saying he's worthless but I don't see the need to bring him in. You don't bring in a guy who used to be an amazing athlete that can't talk when he'll be 38 next year. He never cracked the main event and there's no need to see him come back and try to regain whatever glory he once had.

The reports I've read about these talents coming back wouldn't lead to Shelton being near a belt anyways. From what I've read, the whole initiative is about bringing back solid workers to work with to develop, and put over, the influx of new talent coming up. They're not going to be near the top of the card anyways (although a rash of injuries could see it happen, I'm sure)

A guy like Shelton is tailor made for a role like this. Dude is very solid in the ring and can make almost anybody look good, and I'm sure he can impart some knowledge to the youngins too. MVP would be awesome for it too.

And it makes sense for the dudes coming back, too. They can make a much bigger pile of money than they will anywhere else while they still can.

 

[Pedigree1]

Man this is a cruel cruel business. Shelton was the most athletic guy ever IMO! Guy could do it all. Wrestle circles around the roster and had good charisma! Problem though at least to me he was never over with the crowd.

Plus the poor guy could not talk on the mic to save his life! We all know talking on the mic is probably more than half the battle. He has been gone for what 3 years now? At 38 what can he do that Kofi cant do? Kofi is better on the mic and just as athletic IMO. Shelton was very good but really i dont see him offering much. Its a shame i think WWE missed the ball on him but now its just too late

 

[d_henderson1810]

Bottomline there is just a select group of wrestlers in the history of WWF/WWE/WCW that had incredible in ring skills but were always below average on the mic and in appearance.

Benjamin and Morrison are the two most prominent ones off the top of my brain. Actually Kofi is another one that fits that mold. These are all guys that are very athletic and the WWE brass loved at one point or another but there is always just something missing. None of the 3 will ever be major players and I will take that to the bank.

So I really couldn't careless if he comes back. He might get a nice little pop for his reappearance but then would dwindle right back down to the midcard like he ALWAYS did.

Now if the WWE is just interested in stockpiling the midcard as a card filler. Hell yeah bring him back, right off the bat a match between him and Ziggler would be great. Tell me it wouldn't? I just don't see the point unless he just wants a slightly bigger contract to what he has now and doesn't mind being a card filler because thats all he is.

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You say that there are a select group of guys who were average on the mike, but were still at the top.

Were the guys you were thinking of any of the following:-

Bret Hart:- Was never a maestro on the mike, but was an incredible talent. 5-Time WWF/E Champion.

The Undertaker:- In his first stint, he was a silent mortician, with Paul Bearer speaking for him. In fact, Undertaker rarely cuts promos (even though he is brilliant on the mike), because it doesn't suit his gimmick to cut long promos. Multi-time WWE and World Champion.

Kane:- Hardly spoke under the mask for the first few years, yet, especially when he teamed with X-Pac, was one of the most over guys in WWE. Two-time WWE and World Champion.

Chris Benoit:- 18-year veteran, who has performed in the ring like few others, yet was never known for his stickwork. Yet that did not stop people cheering when he won the World Title at WM20. Former WCW and WWE World Champion.

Brock Lesnar:- Kept from speaking very much, because his stickwork sounds like that of a ******ed child. Yet is a two-time WWE Champion.

Dolph Ziggler:- The IWC's favourite. You guys all love him, but I wouldn't say that he cuts fantastic promos (if he could speak, why would he need Vickie to speak for him), yet you people have no problem thinking that he should main-event Wrestlemania....every year! One-time World Champion.

Andre The Giant:- Could hardly speak English, yet is one of the most famous wrestlers not just in WWE history, but altogether. One time WWF Champion.

If these people could get over, without stickwork, then why couldn't Shelton Benjamin or John Morrison? Is it rather that WWE didn't use Benjamin or Morrison right, and you fans just don't rate them, rather than any lack of stickwork?

 

[HBsam31]

I have to say I enjoyed Shelton in ROH teaming with Charlie again, and I would like to see him face the young talent WWE has now. I like the role that is being reported of coming in to help develop and put over talent. He was always really great in the ring, but if they didn't pull the trigger on him then I can't see it happening now. I am one that always wished they would have used him a bit better in the past, but for today's WWE I think it would be a good thing to see him in the ring again even if he is just going to be used to put over the younger guys. I think he is perfect for that part.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I hope he doesn't return to WWE, to be quite honest. I never liked Shelton Benjamin that much. Sure, he had great in-ring skill, but it takes far more than that to make it anywhere past the midcard titles. Shelton was terrible on the mic and it was obvious that he was not going to make the effort to improve, he didn't seem to care. I wasn't a fan of the "World's Greatest Tag Team" either, that name hardly fit them as I can think of at least a dozen other teams who were far better. Then we have that horrible "Gold Standard" gimmick he had....

There's nothing Shelton Benjamin could do years ago that guys like Kofi can't do now. He brings nothing significant to the table, so there's really no point in bringing him back when they have others more worthy of a push already on the roster. Benjamin had his chance years ago and did not deliver. If he does come back he could always be used as a jobber who makes those being pushed look good since he does have decent skills in the ring, but I hope he does not see a push of his own and WWE would hopefully spare us the torture of listening to his promos.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

Shelton was an incredibly athletic guy and probably the best all around athlete the company has ever seen.


That was seven or eight years ago.

Now, we have Kofi Kingston to jump around like that and he's about six years younger. At the end of the day, whatever Shelton brought to the table beforehand is probably gone now. I'm not saying he's worthless but I don't see the need to bring him in. You don't bring in a guy who used to be an amazing athlete that can't talk when he'll be 38 next year. He never cracked the main event and there's no need to see him come back and try to regain whatever glory he once had.

KB, you have good points but I think they want him for the same reason it was previously rumored WWE wanted to re-sign MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Not to push them to the moon, but because the mid- and upper mid-card divisions lack veterans who can help to get younger guys over. This whole Brad Maddox thing would be much better as a greenhorn vs. veteran angle rather than the bullshit, "We'll job you out a dozen times before having you finally win a match" angle they're doing now. What veterans WWE does have (Kane and Mysterio) aren't being used in auxiliary roles, but rather have their own storylines. It's just good to have guys like MVP, Finlay, Benjamin and other veterans around. But you're right, none of them will likely ever be pushed close to the main event, especially with SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many promising newcomers debuting all the time.

 

[123NewChamp]

I think Shelton Benjamin will return to WWE problably by Royal Rumble 2013. I think all he needed was a break. He was kinda in a dry spot from being in the lower midcard level on the C show WWECW. But Shelton is one of the most Athletic Superstars in Wrestling. Also he's one of the best wrestlers on the roster before he left, and will be when he comes back. He always put on great matches with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton. I can't wait to see the in ring chemistry with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, CM Punk, Antonio Cesaro, Shaemus, Alberto Del-Rio. So yeah WWE is gonna get great work out of Shelton Benjamin. My only hope is that they don't start him back from where he left off if he does decides to come back.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

He won't rise past the mid card, so it wouldn't be all that bad. Then again, he is one of the least interesting men in the history of professional wrestling.

Outside of leaping ability and a decent build, he has nothing to offer. I've seen a few comparisons to Kofi, and I think that's fair. I'm not a fan of Kofi. Actually, I think he's awful. Shelton's worse. Better athlete, even less entertaining/interesting.

I don't see the point.

 

[Rayne]

Sounds like a winning idea.

First, and this is going into a signature once I finish this post, there are more jobs in professional wrestling than 'world champion'. If you have the idea that everyone you hire is hired because they could someday be a main eventer, you are wrong.

Here's what Shelton Benjamin does well- he makes other people look good, without crowding the spotlight. It's not a glamorous role, but it's a necessary one that few people do well. (Think Matt Hardy, before he got all fat and creepy. If you can remember that, he was damned good at getting people over.) R-Truth's in that role right now, and to be honest, he isn't really good at it, but at least he gets a solid pop in the middle of the card when things tend to drag.

The WWE has quite a few young kids right now that could be well served by a program with Shelton Benjamin.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I don't get the people who say 'he's not a main eventer, so I don't see the point in bringing him in'.

Not everyone is a main eventer, and not everyone can be one either. I don't care if you invent a time machine, gather up a roster of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, The Undertaker, Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino and Gorgeous George in their primes and put on a show. SOME of those guys will not be main eventers anymore, because that's not how it works. You will have to have some of those guys putting over the other guys, and guys taking on smaller roles than others.

Benjamin is a good hand. He can put on a good match. He's got name value. You NEED guys like that on your roster, if for no other reason than to make the guys who you DO want to main event look good enough to be believable as main eventers.

Before RAW, Nitro, and weekly PPV quality matches (this is going back a ways), you had what is now referred to as 'enhancement talent' (never an industry term until the Internet, but that's another discussion). These were the guys on TV who always lost. Were these guys bad workers? The majority of the time no they weren't. In fact, many times they were some of the more talented workers on their rosters, and it was their job to make sure that the guy across the ring from them looked as good as possible, so that they could draw money. Without those guys, promotions would have had a harder time getting their people over.

That's all you're using Benjamin for here, albeit in a more high profile manner. He'll have storylines. He won't lose every single night. But his main job will be to get people over in the ring, and it's much better to use a vet like Benjamin who's on the downside of his career for that role, over a fresh face from NXT who you'll just end up leaving the stigma of a loser with... and who wouldn't be experienced enough to pull off the role anyways.

I'd prefer if they brought him back with Haas and use those guys to put over the tag division... but it's good to have him back solo too.

 

[Sega]

Hmmm. This could be interesting if Shelton has improved his mic work. This is a guy who always could ''go'' in the ring and the only thing that held him back was his awful mic work. I saw him wrestle in NJPW and it seemed to me that he has improved a LOT since his time in WWE. But as of right now I don't see a spot for him anywhere. I don't think he has a large fan base either. If they decide to sign him back then he should be involved in an important feud and not something insignificant. Or he could go to the WWE for the money. If split on him returning. He never left an impact when he was with the WWE, but his recent work in ROH and NJPW did. So we'll just have to wait and see IF he comes back. Things can change any time.