Shelton Benjamin

[Xemmy]

With his age, I question bringing him in. Because I don't want to see him jobbed out to younger talent. Yet. At his age, he should begin to put guys over. But I'd like to see him get in a dominant, memorable year before transitioning into that role. If you don't think he's WWE champion material then Hell, give him that mid card title and let him own it for a year. Take on all comers in workhorse matches. Then elevate the NXT guy that finally comes in and takes it.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

There's virtually no chance whatsoever of Shelton Benjamin becoming WWE World or Universal Champion; if it didn't happen 10 years ago, it's almost certainly not gonna happen now.

Benjamin was in wwe with legends like Angle, Triple H, Taker, Michaels, Edge, Jeff, etc. IMO he's just as good(even better than some), talent wise as Zayn, Cesaro, Ambrose and the rest. The only thing that may hold him back this time around is his age.

 

[OYDK]

Benjamin was in wwe with legends like Angle, Triple H, Taker, Michaels, Edge, Jeff, etc. IMO he's just as good(even better than some), talent wise as Zayn, Cesaro, Ambrose and the rest. The only thing that may hold him back this time around is his age.

What's holding him back is the fact that he's not being brought in to be a main-eventer. People are assuming WWE is just going to give him a push and see what happens with Benjamin and that's not the case. They hired him to fill a specific role. That role includes adding some depth to the roster, helping the younger guys along and adding some credibility to their wins.

Sure he might gain some momentum out of the gate but that's only so a win over him means more later down the line. Anyone expecting some sort of AJ Styles run is going to be sorely disappointed.

 

[@smarkmouth]

In reality, he should stay away. Benjamin is just going to be buried, fed constantly to every NXT call-up and made to look like a joke, like all veteran talents.

I know this is one of your "go-to" arguments, but it only ever holds water when it's a former champion or someone of other merit. Let's be realistic; Shelton Benjamin had two memorable singles matches in his career. Beyond that, a staple in highlight reels for multi-man spectacles. I like him a lot, he's a five star athlete, but a 2-3 star worker. There isn't much better use for Shelton Benjamin than laying on his shoulders.

 

[Starkist]

He's a talented guy who will be stuck in either the mid card or tag scene. He should have a decent run but it still isn't the star power Smackdown Live needs.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Benjamin was in wwe with legends like Angle, Triple H, Taker, Michaels, Edge, Jeff, etc. IMO he's just as good(even better than some), talent wise as Zayn, Cesaro, Ambrose and the rest. The only thing that may hold him back this time around is his age.

Sure, in some ways, he's as good or possibly superior to some of the guys today just as he might have been with wrestlers 10 years ago. Inside the ring and as an athlete, Benjamin brought quality but I've never seen him forge a solidified connection with fans on some sort of deeper level; it's why he's been a tag team & mid-card wrestler almost exclusively for all the companies he's worked for since leaving WWE.

My original point about Benjamin not being a main eventer this time around did have more to do with his age than anything else but, at the same time, Benjamin will ultimately be used as helping to elevate the wrestlers who're still going to be helping to carry WWE for much of the next decade.

 

[@smarkmouth]

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/737093-big-update-shelton-benjamin-not-returning-to-wwe-at-this-time

Unfortunate to hear. He wouldn't of been a draw but I was looking forward to seeing him. Seems like this discussion is about to switch into a "Who will they sign instead" thread.

C'mooooooon Sandow.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As @DW alluded to, the story on the main page, and various other sites, is that Benjamin won't be returning to WWE as he's about to undergo surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

There's no time table mentioned regarding how long it'll be until he's fit to return as this was apparently uncovered while Benjamin was undergoing the battery of medical tests WWE puts wrestlers through before they're officially signed, especially if they're 40 and over. Based on wrestlers who've dealt with similar injuries, like Cesaro, I'd say it'll be a good 5 of 6 months before Benjamin is medically cleared but it ultimately depends on the severity of the damage. As a result, he MIGHT be cleared in time to compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXXIII next year. If things go as well as can be hoped, he might wind up being a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble next year.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In an update on Benjamin, he very recently sat down with Jim Ross on his Ross Report show and discussed things. Benjamin has suffered a full tear of his rotator cuff as well as several other minor tears were discovered. According to Benjamin, he'd been wrestling with the injury for about 10 weeks and that he believes the injury happened after he took what he calls a "unique suplex" while wrestling for Noah. He says that he hasn't discussed his options yet, but the injury will require surgery followed by intense physical therapy that could be 6 to 12 months.

So Benjamin definitely won't be coming to WWE anytime soon and, who knows, by the time he gets back up on his feet again, this window might well be closed for him. I was never a huge fan of Benjamin, but it's a lousy thing whenever any wrestler gets injured so severely that such a huge amount of time is spent out getting the injury taken care of. And at Benjamin's age, this may possibly have been his last shot in WWE and some potentially really big money.