What If Shelton Benjamin Was Still With WWE?

[TheJbody]

Shelton Benjamin was regarded to a lot of people as a future world champion. But, after 8 years in the WWE he never got that kind of push and was released in 2010. If he was not released in from the WWE where would Shelton Benjamin be right now?

 

[Big Papa Santo]

He's in my top 3, 1. RVD, 2. HBK, and 3. Shelton Benjamin, so as you can imagine i was pretty PO'd when they let him slip through their fingers, he was one of the most athletic superstars that they have ever had, i was just watching the WM25 MITB ladder match when he did that dive off the ladder, i marked out lol, but i don't believe that even if he was still with the company that he would be a world champion,although he proballey would of notched a couple more singles titles under his belt, but it is great and nostalgic to see him and Haas in ROH.

 

[Azane]

He'd be helping NXT or on Superstars, with the occasional match getting squashed on RAW.
Benjamin has great athletic ability, and a good enough look, but his charisma is really non-existant, he can't main event with WWE because they put entertainment over the actual wrestling (Not a knock of compliment, just how it is). Benjamin just doesn't appeal to the average WWE fan, since he's boring as a character (whether it's creative or his fault, is a whole nother topic).

Benjamin wasn't going anywhere, his fizzled US title run was the best he'd get with WWE. The fact he's doing well for himself with RoH is a good thing, RoH puts more into the actual wrestling than they do the showmanship so it's a much better fit for Shelton.

 

[Dagger Dias]

If he was not released in from the WWE where would Shelton Benjamin be right now?

Exactly where he was when he left. Shelton had good runs with the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, and then of course he had his tag team with Haas. Shelton was never any good on the mic but had several impressive moments in the ring. The furthest up the card he ever would have gotten was the ECW Championship if he had won that as his Gold Standard character. Shelton just never struck me as a potential world champion because he acted as though he was content with being a midcarder. Had he put forth more effort he might have seen a world title run or two. If he remained with WWE then all he would have accomplished in the past year and a half would be another Intercontinental Championship reign and an appearance in the Money In the Bank matches for crazy spots.

 

[The Future Rises]

He would be jobbing out to the likes of Del Rio and competing on Superstars. The WWE released him because they had nothing to do with him. He seriously lacked charisma so he never got that big push someone as talented in the ring as he is is expected to get. If the WWE didn't have anything for him then why would they have now? The roster is packed with talent and a lot of guys are desperately trying to get some TV time. So far the only one that has been able to make it from jobbing and competing on Superstars to midcard level is Zack Ryder, and he actually has a lot of charisma that the WWE wouldn't let him show so he just took matters into his own hands.

I just don't see where Shelton would fit with today's roster, like I said they would just job him out because he lacks one of the most important things you need to have to make it big, charisma.

 

[123NewChamp]

If Shelton Benjamin was still in WWE. I think he would've helped headline a couple of Raw's and Smackdowns, and on a slim chance to none problably a little title reign as WWE Champ. But the problem with him was that he and Carlito the WWE felt they were half-stepping with their in-ring performance. May I remind you that when Benjamin was in WWE he was basically the most athletically superstar in WWE. But to be honest, I think he would problably be dominating the midcard ranks by now. Because he done became Tag Team Champ, worked the beginning stages of a midcard level push, so if you not going to reward him a WWE Title reigns or multiple reigns, then he might as well dominate the midcard level of competition.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If Shelton Benjamin was still in WWE, he'd be on the exact same level as he had been or possibly a bit lower. He'd probably be relegated to NXT or Superstars appearances most of the time and, in my view, that'd be the best place for him.

I've seen Benjamin in ROH and he's still the same dull, one dimensional, uncharismatic wrestler there as he was in WWE. I doubt that's ever likely to change because it's just who Benjamin is. He had good runs as Intercontinental & United States Champion in WWE but ultimately wasn't able to make most fans give a damn. Benjamin is a great athlete with a lot of legit wrestling credentials. It means absolutely nothing, however, if he's unable to get the fans really behind him and Benjamin was never able to do that in WWE. He was given pushes and title runs, he just couldn't get to that next level.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

He'd be helping NXT or on Superstars, with the occasional match getting squashed on RAW.
Benjamin has great athletic ability, and a good enough look, but his charisma is really non-existant, he can't main event with WWE because they put entertainment over the actual wrestling (Not a knock of compliment, just how it is). Benjamin just doesn't appeal to the average WWE fan, since he's boring as a character (whether it's creative or his fault, is a whole nother topic).

Yep and that is why he got a huge pop by beating Triple H and was the one who polled the highest in Taboo Tuesday 2004 to challenge Jericho for the IC Title. Yep average fans do not care for him enough to give him a title shot.

Its not because fans didn't like him. From what I heard backstage dirt sheets it was becasue managment felt he wasn't making enough effort to improve himself. That he seemed to be the guy contented to showup and collect a paycheck.

Apparently it mean he was a guy with all the talent but little passion.

So that basically answers the question. If Benjamin just had the passion he could still be in the WWE and probably being in the main event spot, otherwise he would probably just be floating in the mid card. He has the ability and has all the talent in the world ... it just depends on how much he wants it.

 

[Lowdown]

People forget the best push that Shelton ever got was when he beat HHH back in '03, if I recall. It was kind of a big deal for him and he did get quite a decent reaction at that time, especially considering that Trip was the champ at the time. I enjoyed his first run with the IC belt. But when his gimmick became "The Gold Standard", he looked like a bad version of the Rock circa '98-99 mixed with Dennis Rodman. He was never great or good on the mic, but he made up for it with athleticism. Unfortunately it takes a lot more to make it in WWE, so in all honesty I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did. So to answer your question, I feel he would just be stuck on the low-to-mid card side of the roster, probably jobbing on Superstars like someone mentioned previously. Right now, Shelton's in the best place to showcase his in-ring skills IMO.

 

[reed214]

no offense to anyone who would get upset, but im soo sick and tired of people saying "well he doesnt have the personality to have a run in the main event"... this half-ass "sounds good" excuse isn't just for shelton but for a lot of the other guys people label. example--the great khali, mark henry, kane, batista, jeff hardy, rey mysterio, the undertaker (not his character to have a personality but he fits none-the-less) alll have been world champion and none of them has the personality of a shoe. they all relied on their gimmick to get the world title.not one of them has ever blown you out of the water with a promo

that being said, would shelton get a main event push by now? probably not. but we did say that to almost all of those guys (except batista and taker). he had the ability to work with anyone and his gimmick, which is ignored even today (being able to wrestle) should have been enough to get him a world title run. WWE can make anyone a world champion that they want and you will buy into it whether you want to or not. did you ever think the Miz would beat cena at mania when he was the joke half of Miz/morrison wearing those fidora's and rediculous outfit?? no you did not.

they always seem to freak out every handful of years when people realize there are no black wrestlers in the company so pushing one to the wwe title would make sense. and did i mention how great shelton was in the ring? imagine if you heard vickies "excuse me" and out walks U.S champion Ziggler, jack swagger AND world champion Shelton Benjamin (wow, could you imagine a better *wrestling* stable). if you hated him b/c of his lack of greatness on his promo's, then a great manager would solve that. if that didn't fix it then you hate him b/c the wwe hasn't told you to love him.

the wwe has the power to put anyone over and make them get over and they have done this by forcing mediocre superstars down our throats (you.. and they know who im talking about) so Shelton Benjamin could easily be a world champion and I hope he comes back to the E to get the title run he deserves.

apologies for the rant.

 

[Da Truth]

There's been many stars who have come through the WWE and been in the World/WWE Title several times without much charisma such as Benoit, Jeff Hardy, even Khali early on, etc. I think Benjamin would be a big asset in the E during the last year and a 1/2 to present. I think sometime during this period, with so many young stars around, he would be getting the Mark Henry treatment. He would probably be a heel & feuding consistently with Sheamus. Whether a upper mid-carder or maineventer WWE is truly missing a great in ring performer.

 

[tnablows]

Does anyone remember awhile back when Shelton Benjamin was sort of feuding with HHH. Well if you don't, it was Sheltons "push" he was the guy that HHH couldn't beat. That was his tease at Main Event.

If my opinion, if Shelton was still with WWE, he would be feuding with Cody Rhodes. He would be a multiple time Intercontinl Champion, and him and Cody would have brought the title back to a "healthy prestige". Apparently I'm the only one who thinks Shelton Benjamin, would be successful...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

All Shelton Benjamin ever had was the fact that he was athletic and a good technical wrestler, that's where it begins and ends for him, that sums up half the current roster in WWE.

If Shelton Benjamin was in the WWE now he would be in the same place he was before he left, wrestling on opening card matches and superstars.

Shelton Benjamin is a perfect example of someone who could have become bigger but instead played it safe and never tried to better himself in any way, shape or form. Shelton Benjamin was the exact same person when he left that he was when he came in outside of blond hair and that's the problem a lot of wrestlers currently have.

The reason guys like Punk, Cena, Miz and Orton are the ones at the top of the card is because they all grew as performers and characters. None of them settled on what was "safe" and all constantly continue to push forward, evolve and become something much greater than what they were when they started. None of them played it safe, all of them pushed themselves every day to become a little better than they were the day before.

Shelton Benjamin got a decent push as a tag and singles wrestler and became complacent with his spot, never tried to grow and when you do that eventually you will fall down the ladder to newer, fresher faces and veterans who constantly grow and improve.

 

[One to Remember]

First off thats a young ass ***** right there and i dont know one that dont have charisma.

What I find the most annoying about these threads is you have the same people who slobber over Lesner, trashing Shelton. But both had the same personality and shared tag gold on three occations. Why was Brock given the push when he and shelton had nearly identical backgrounds?

Shelton Benjamin could had been a WWWF heavyweight champion im sure just looking at how guys like Bob Backlund dominated. It is an outrage when a legit wrestler is being ragged on by fans of fake wrestling which goes by the odd moniker of "sports entertainment."

He had serious viability as a heel champion and I wish he had reformed the Nation of Domination on ECW with Henry, Atlas, and Cryme Tyme. I loved his attitude problem and I would had loved to had seen him rally others against the system. The blonde hair was bold, the gold standard character showed arrogance and confidance.

 

[Vincent Michaels]

Shelton, to me, was a new Rob Van Dam. When he first came in, he could wow you with his flashly high-flying out of nowhere offense. Except when you get past that, what else is there really?

The difference to me however was that Van Dam had somewhat of a natural charisma that kept fans interested in him. Plus whenever he got mic. time, he always seemed to have that natural, calm voice that you could easily understand that seemed to fit with his layed back type character. Benjamin to me however, always seemed like he tried too hard to produce that type of intensity whenever he spoke, which honestly never came off very well.

Also, another huge difference was that Van Dam never turned heel. I mean who ever really saw a heel that used a lot of flashy moves and high flying offense? Plus, he always seemed to have that sort of one-dimensional type voice as a heel that he had as a face. He never showed any real diversity so that he could play a face or heel. He was just...there, and when you get to that point. you either need to try and get better, or stay where you are and fall slowly back down.

So yeah, at this point he'd likely be somewhere in the low midcard on Raw or something because of his name value as a former Tag Team Champ/Midcard Champ, and that's probably as high as he could be at this point.

 

[SD619]

If Shelton Benjamin was still in the WWE, i think that he would be at the level that Kofi Kingston is right now. He would be involved in various mid-card feuds and would be a multi-time tag champion. I highly doubt that he would have won the WWE or Heavyweight title. At best, he might have had an impressive stay in the Rumble or even be in an EC match. But not more that that.

 

[Workrate]

Shelton's only problem, in my opinion, was not being able to cut a promo. He couldn't talk at all. As far as in-ring skill set and look go, I can't think of many guys better. Unless that were to change, he'd probably still be middling around not doing much. If he ever got that together and received a dedicated push, I could 100% see him as a main event caliber talent.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Hmmm if Shelton Benjamin was still in the WWE.

he still wouldn't be over.
He still couldn't cut a promo.
Smarks would still love him because of his MOVEZ and ATHLETIKS.
JoMo wouldn't be as over or as loved by the smarks because shelton would have his place as the "flippity athletic guy with no character skills whatsoever and isn't pushed because he isn't over but the smarks think he should be".

yea, that's probably right. A push doesn't get you over. Shelton beat HHH three times and never got very over. Santino is given a fuckin hand puppet and a snake finish and a comedy gimmick and is over.

 

[Headman]

First off thats a young ass ***** right there and i dont know one that dont have charisma.

What I find the most annoying about these threads is you have the same people who slobber over Lesner, trashing Shelton. But both had the same personality and shared tag gold on three occations. Why was Brock given the push when he and shelton had nearly identical backgrounds?

Shelton Benjamin could had been a WWWF heavyweight champion im sure just looking at how guys like Bob Backlund dominated. It is an outrage when a legit wrestler is being ragged on by fans of fake wrestling which goes by the odd moniker of "sports entertainment."

He had serious viability as a heel champion and I wish he had reformed the Nation of Domination on ECW with Henry, Atlas, and Cryme Tyme. I loved his attitude problem and I would had loved to had seen him rally others against the system. The blonde hair was bold, the gold standard character showed arrogance and confidance.

They both wrestled in college, that's about all they had in common. Brock has a technically sound monster of a man with charisma with the ability to draw. Shelton on the other hand is a technically sound, medium sized wrestler with no personality or ability to cut a promo. He had been given years to connect with the fans including a few big pushes but was never able to do so. The fact that you bring up putting him in a New Nation of Domination shows how little there actually was to do with him which is the exact problem the WWE was faced with when they decided to finally pull the plug on him.

 

[TheGamea]

he'd still be a jobber, im not tryna be funny but the MIZ reign would have totally derailed ANY chance of him getting up there, it would be a nice foe for zigglar at best

 

[One to Remember]

They both wrestled in college, that's about all they had in common. Brock has a technically sound monster of a man with charisma with the ability to draw. Shelton on the other hand is a technically sound, medium sized wrestler with no personality or ability to cut a promo. He had been given years to connect with the fans including a few big pushes but was never able to do so. The fact that you bring up putting him in a New Nation of Domination shows how little there actually was to do with him which is the exact problem the WWE was faced with when they decided to finally pull the plug on him.

Like i said before i could see him with the title without being a heel. They gave him a good buid up to the NOD leadership gimmick and with Henry and Atlas on ECW it would had went over great. He had gripes, his bitching, like Christian's would had garnered sympathy and heat.

Again with Lesner, if SB had a less librarian sounding name and bulked up would he be Brock? Seriously?


P.s. Vince michaels i think RVD's followers consisted of stoners and wannabe stoners after awile. This calm and meloness u speak of mmakes me wonder whether or not you think Leo from that '70s Show would also make a great WWE champion...

 

[J.J.]

The circa. 1999 Sisqo look wasn't working for him. Such a great talent I was thrilled to see come from developmental territory. I had such high hopes for him. Honestly I think he would be floating around near the top of the card aligned with someone(ie. The Miz/R. Truth). Definitely don't think he would be wearing heavyweight gold. It's really tough to say given he definitely would've held his on Smackdown with Randy Orton and Christian.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

First off thats a young ass ***** right there and i dont know one that dont have charisma.

What I find the most annoying about these threads is you have the same people who slobber over Lesner, trashing Shelton. But both had the same personality and shared tag gold on three occations. Why was Brock given the push when he and shelton had nearly identical backgrounds?

Shelton Benjamin could had been a WWWF heavyweight champion im sure just looking at how guys like Bob Backlund dominated. It is an outrage when a legit wrestler is being ragged on by fans of fake wrestling which goes by the odd moniker of "sports entertainment."

He had serious viability as a heel champion and I wish he had reformed the Nation of Domination on ECW with Henry, Atlas, and Cryme Tyme. I loved his attitude problem and I would had loved to had seen him rally others against the system. The blonde hair was bold, the gold standard character showed arrogance and confidance.

Is this a joke? Lessie had charisma. He was a character that people believed in. No one believed in Shelton, he was just some athletic guy who did athletic things.

Leave race out of this. It doesn't matter. Black, white, yellow, or mexican, shelton sucked.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Like i said before i could see him with the title without being a heel. They gave him a good buid up to the NOD leadership gimmick and with Henry and Atlas on ECW it would had went over great. He had gripes, his bitching, like Christian's would had garnered sympathy and heat.

Again with Lesner, if SB had a less librarian sounding name and bulked up would he be Brock? Seriously?


P.s. Vince michaels i think RVD's followers consisted of stoners and wannabe stoners after awile. This calm and meloness u speak of mmakes me wonder whether or not you think Leo from that '70s Show would also make a great WWE champion...

No, Shelton could have been called "Mr. Kickass" and 400 pounds of solid muscle and he wouldn't be Lesnar. Lesnar had intensity. Shelton didn't. He didn't have any emotion. He looked like ted dibiase looks. Like a guy trying to think of what to do next and focusing on not fucking up.