Who Deserved It More?- Benoit or Guerrero

[Little Jerry Lawler]

In 2004, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit broke through the glass ceiling and won their first world championships at No Way Out and Wrestlemania 20 respectively. Eddie would go on to hold the belt until The Great American Bash and Chris until Summerslam. They entertained the fans and put on great matches along the way but who truly deserved it more?

I would say Chris Benoit deserved it more than Eddie Guerrero and I'll tell you why. Even when they were both on Smackdown, Benoit was given main event spots more often than Guerrero. Benoit had the match with Angle in early 2003 and he feuded with Brock for the latter part of the year which resulted in him winning the 2004 Royal Rumble. Before Guerrero's win at No Way Out, he was fighting for the tag team titles with Chavo. With Benoit, you could sort of have saw it coming but not so much with Guerrero. Of course, Eddie was under different circumstances with Brock Lesnar about to leave and his feud with Goldberg.

I've always felt that the crowd connected more with Benoit than Guerrero. I could always get behind a Benoit match more so than a Guerrero match. Smackdown was less stacked than Raw at the time so would it have sufficed to say that Eddie would have gotten his world championship later in the year instead of No Way Out? To me it's a shame that when Benoit was champion, the focus was more on Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Benoit performed some damn good matches against them, Kane, and Randy Orton as champion. People tend to remember Eddie Guerrero's reign more than Benoit's. Maybe it was because Eddie was more charismatic than Chris. I'm still glad that both got their time on top but with Chris, it never felt like he was on top and that's why I think he deserved it more.

So do you think both deserved their world championships or do you feel one deserved it more than the other? Also, how would you feel if one got it while the other one didn't?

 

[NSL]

I'm going to go with Benoit, simply because he was better, and had been higher on the card than Eddie for a long time. Even if for a short time, he held the title in WCW. Eddie was always a great mid-carder, and came from nowhere to win his belt.

Benoit as a champ had the ability to put on better main event matches, and put more people over. In hindsight, Eddie was less of a headcase (imagine that), and probably was better for the company on the business end, but I can't say he was, or would be, a better champ.

 

[Blade]

Benoit had deserved it since WCW. They put the title on him when it was vacant, and he deserved it then. But he didn't get to keep the title because he left over the backstage crap that was going on in WCW. But he still showed that he deserved to be in the main event with his early feuds in WWF with Jericho and Angle. His match with Angle at Wrestlemania X7 showed that he definitely deserved a main event push. And he was getting it, too until he got the neck injury and had to start from the beginning. And then he put on more classics when he returned, including the legendary match with Angle at the Royal Rumble 2003. So yeah, Benoit had deserved it for 4 or 5 years.

Eddie, on the other hand, had only become main event material in my eyes when he adopted the Lie, Cheat and Steal gimmick. That's when he became the most entertaining guy on Smackdown. His matches were always good, but he needed something to properly push him into the main event, and the L,C,S gimmick was it.

But overall, I think Benoit deserved it more because he'd been waiting so long for the championship he deserved. Benoit had been championship material before he'd even entered the WWF. But Eddie wasn't ready until after the Radicalz, after the attitude era and after the mullet.

 

[Lancer]

I have to say that I was glad to see each of them get a world title, as it felt way overdue for the both of them. But I have to agree with the majority here and say that Benoit deserved it more.

He out himself on the radar in WCW with his hard-nosed technical style, eventually joining the Four Horsemen and gaining victories against the nWo....while Eddie was captain of the Latino World Order and getting dismantled by the nWo night after night. Once Benoit came to the WWE, he had 4-star feuds with Angle and The Rock, even wrestling for the WWE Title on several occasions. If he had not been sidelined by his neck injury, he might have obtained the belt sooner. Eddie was stuck with...Chyna.

When Eddie became champion, if I remember right, he won the right to challenge Lesnar by winning a battle royal on Smackdown. I thought to myself, "Man, he's going to get squashed." When I found out later on that he had won the WWE Championship, my initial reaction was "WTF?" and then I was glad he had finally gotten there. But it was one of those moments where you went, "Really?"

The video package for Benoit's match against HHH and HBK at Wrestlemania 20 for the World Heavyweight Championship put it the best, as he stated himself in the promo that he had scratched and clawed for 18 years, and that it was his destiny to become champion. It truly felt like it was his destiny all along.

 

[Schoolboy-Chris]

It is difficult to say for sure because I always felt that both guys really deserved it. That moment from WM20 when they are both standing together victorious was easily one of the most emotional wrestling related moments I have ever experienced.

Because of the lives of both wrestlers and how they ended it is easy to get sidetracked and overlook wrestling ability in favour of life choices etc. When I read Guerrero’s book the amount of hardship and discrimination that he battled made me feel really elated once he finally reached the pinnacle of the wrestling business.

However on wrestling ability and overall match quality I think Benoit would have to get the nod. He has just had a huge number of classics over a great career, and even though I felt like he was in a bit of a slump around the time of his death I still used to tune in to see him. Guerrero was a fantastic wrestler, I just didn’t connect with him in the ring as much as with Benoit, who I think was a wrestling machine matched by very few.

 

[Freddy4190]

Benoit. He had to work harder to get there. Eddie had that undeniable, classic Latino Heat, that oozing charisma. That definitely helped him. Benoit didn't have that charisma, he didn't really have a 'character.' He was just a normal sized dude, who was an incredibly skilled technical wrestler. He was ruthless. He was dangerous. He was the "crippler." So, maybe he did have a character.. but not to the extent of Latino Heat. Chris Benoit busted his ass just to get noticed and stay relevant. I was so happy when he won the belt.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Eddie Guerrero, by far. He had far more charisma, fans cared about him more, and he sold more tickets. That alone is good enough for me. Then of course you have the fact that Guerrero didn't kill his family, including a small child, and I'm good. Sorry for people who feel like it doesn't matter, but to me, that always matters when talking about things like "deserved".

 

[X]

Eddie Guerrero, by far. He had far more charisma, fans cared about him more, and he sold more tickets.

All of those are incredibly arguable. The ratings went up when Benoit was champion, and the fans definitely, definitely cared about him, a hell of a lot. His winning the World Title at WM XX was one of the most emotional moments in wrestling history. As for selling more tickets, that's very arguable, especially considering Benoit's popularity and acclaim in Japan during his Wild Pegasus days.

That alone is good enough for me. Then of course you have the fact that Guerrero didn't kill his family, including a small child, and I'm good. Sorry for people who feel like it doesn't matter, but to me, that always matters when talking about things like "deserved".

You cannot bring the murders into this discussion, because it has nothing to do with this. That's like dismissing Kurt Cobain's music because he killed himself, or dismissing Roman Polanski's film work because of his rape charge. It's irrelevant in this discussion, especially considering the murders happened years after both Guerrero and Benoit won their titles. It's fine and dandy to say now that he didn't "deserve it", but put yourself back in 2004-5, and there's no doubt that Benoit deserved it. He busted his ass for this business for years and years, he drew wherever he went, and he was possibly the single greatest technician that professional wrestling has ever seen.

Both men deserved their title wins, but Benoit deserved it more in my opinion.

 

[gd]

They definetly both deserved it. Benoit and Eddie were each extremely over and hard working wrestlers. They had accomplished a lot in their careers and it was only a matter of time befoer they eventually reached the pinnacle of the sport.

However, I'm not going to but one against the other. Benoit was the better in ring workers and Eddie was the better entertainer. Both of those things have a place in the wrestling business, which is why they got where they did. However, if you were to combine Eddie's charisma with Benoit's wrestling, you'd have a superstar on your hands. Both guys were very good and deserved a world title reign, but neither were superstars who should've remained there forever.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

You cannot bring the murders into this discussion, because it has nothing to do with this.

Well, I can if I want to. I'm not saying YOU have to.

That's like dismissing Kurt Cobain's music because he killed himself, or dismissing Roman Polanski's film work because of his rape charge.

Most people DO view the work of both of these examples through the prism of their outside actions. "Have you seen that Roman Polanski film?" "He's that creep who raped that young girl, right? Hell no I haven't seen it, and I won't."

It's irrelevant in this discussion, especially considering the murders happened years after both Guerrero and Benoit won their titles.

To you it's irrelevant. To me, sorry, whenever Benoit's name comes up, I can't just pretend that it didn't happen.

It's fine and dandy to say now that he didn't "deserve it", but put yourself back in 2004-5, and there's no doubt that Benoit deserved it. He busted his ass for this business for years and years, he drew wherever he went, and he was possibly the single greatest technician that professional wrestling has ever seen.

Why should I? I was underinformed back then. Maybe, given what we knew at the time, he "deserved" it, but we didn't know everything. So because I lacked enough information I should give him a pass in certain discussions? Negative, ghost rider.

 

[X]

Well, I can if I want to. I'm not saying YOU have to.

How can you judge whether or not someone deserved something in 2004 by actions they committed in 2007? That just doesn't make sense.

Most people DO view the work of both of these examples through the prism of their outside actions. "Have you seen that Roman Polanski film?" "He's that creep who raped that young girl, right? Hell no I haven't seen it, and I won't."

Umm, no they don't. Nirvana remain an incredibly popular band and still sell millions of albums, and Roman Polanski is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers ever. Chinatown is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. In fact before his recent arrest most people either didn't know about the charge, or they just didn't care. I don't judge a Polanski film on his actions outside of his work, because it has nothing to do with his work. Just like the Benoit murders have nothing to do with his work as a wrestler.

To you it's irrelevant. To me, sorry, whenever Benoit's name comes up, I can't just pretend that it didn't happen.

You don't have to pretend it didn't happen, but it's really not relevant in this topic. Explain to me how something that happened in 2007 is relevant to a title win in 2004.

Why should I? I was underinformed back then. Maybe, given what we knew at the time, he "deserved" it, but we didn't know everything. So because I lacked enough information I should give him a pass in certain discussions? Negative, ghost rider.

Again, how can you judge whether someone deserved a title win in 2004 by actions they committed outside of wrestling in 2007? That's like saying OJ Simpson didn't deserve to be in the movie The Naked Gun because of the murders he was suspected of a decade later. It really has nothing to do with the topic.

 

[Proof]

Listen, Chris Benoits reign was a token reign. It was out of pity and if you don't believe me, just look at his reign. Before he died, he was going to win the ECW title, held by all time greats such as the Sandman and Whipreck. Eddie Guerreros reign wasn't, since the suppose the show was suppose to be built around him and because he was about to win his second world title when he passed away. He couldn't handle the pressure of being the world champion. I knew for a fact that when Benoit lost the belt, he was never going to win it back. He was boring, uncharismatic , terrible mic skills, and had a generic look. They had him almost job to Eugene for the world title. They didn't have enough faith in Benoit, so they put him in the mid-card (where he always belonged) as the world champ. The show was built around HBK/HHH and Eugene for Gods sake. Vince giving him the belt out of pity was a big mistake, since we all know how he destroyed his legacy.

Guerrero was plain better. If I wanted to build a show and you gave me this option, I would have gone with Guerrero, who could connect with the fans and had charisma coming out of everywhere. Eddie deserved it much more. And how can you say freaking Benoit connected with the crowd more than Eddie? Wasn't Orton cheered over Benoit in Chris's HOMETOWN? Didn't he lose a popularity contest (Cyber Sunday votings) when he came in third behind Kane and THE SANDMAN (who debuted in the summer of that year)? Better connection? lol..Come on now.

 

[Pathogen]

I'm gonna go with Benoit, simply because he was always my preference. Though of course, Vince will come on WZ and censor this thread and brainwash us all to forget what an outstanding wresler Benoit was.

 

[MVs Prodigy]

I have to go with Eddie Guerrero. Face or Heel he always got over with the fans better. Ill give credit to Benoit for being a great superstar. Eddie just was more athletic, had more charicma and was better on the mic. Putting the tragedies behind, if both men lived they would of had amazing, terrific careers. But Eddie would have done better. Before he died he was promised another title reign. But before Benoit passed he was going to ECW to face Punk for the title(thats why Morrison got his chance). Eddie just had it better with the big boss.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Actually what Benoit did in 2007 is irrelevant to what happened in 2004 and really doesn't need to be brought up. My original post is discussing at the time they won their championships not what happened three or four years down the line. I know what Benoit did was bad but everytime I watch one of his old matches, that never pops into my mind because I appreciate Benoit the wrestler.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Listen, Chris Benoits reign was a token reign. It was out of pity and if you don't believe me, just look at his reign. Before he died, he was going to win the ECW title, held by all time greats such as the Sandman and Whipreck. Eddie Guerreros reign wasn't, since the suppose the show was suppose to be built around him and because he was about to win his second world title when he passed away. He couldn't handle the pressure of being the world champion. I knew for a fact that when Benoit lost the belt, he was never going to win it back. He was boring, uncharismatic , terrible mic skills, and had a generic look. They had him almost job to Eugene for the world title. They didn't have enough faith in Benoit, so they put him in the mid-card (where he always belonged) as the world champ. The show was built around HBK/HHH and Eugene for Gods sake. Vince giving him the belt out of pity was a big mistake, since we all know how he destroyed his legacy.

Guerrero was plain better. If I wanted to build a show and you gave me this option, I would have gone with Guerrero, who could connect with the fans and had charisma coming out of everywhere. Eddie deserved it much more. And how can you say freaking Benoit connected with the crowd more than Eddie? Wasn't Orton cheered over Benoit in Chris's HOMETOWN? Didn't he lose a popularity contest (Cyber Sunday votings) when he came in third behind Kane and THE SANDMAN (who debuted in the summer of that year)? Better connection? lol..Come on now.

The Orton/Benoit match was in Toronto and Benoit is from Edmonton. One of the reasons Guerrero won it is because Lesnar was leaving. If Vince was smart, he should have let Benoit stay on Smackdown after the Royal Rumble so he could take it from Lesnar. Benoit put on great matches as champion and it was a shame that the focus was more on HBK/HHH. Giving the title to Benoit was not a mistake and they knew that from his previous matches with Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin. Guerrero never had previous shots at the title before his win so Benoit was more ready than Eddie. Benoit connected with the crowd just as good as Eddie did. His intensity and his determination was his gimmick and the crowd loved him for it.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

People are really revising history to say that Benoit was crazy over with the vrowd. The Wrestlemania win was an emotional moment, but the guy didn't often draaw very big reactions. Eddie always was more over and more charismatic, and no matter how much it bothers the IWC, that's more important then in-ring workrate.

 

[Coco]

People are really revising history to say that Benoit was crazy over with the vrowd. The Wrestlemania win was an emotional moment, but the guy didn't often draaw very big reactions. Eddie always was more over and more charismatic, and no matter how much it bothers the IWC, that's more important then in-ring workrate.

Sure is. But coming from a HUGE Eddie Guerrero mark (As in very enthusiastic about my Eddie Guerrero markdom. I'm not huge at all. I'm really rather slender.) and a guy who decidedly liked Eddie way more than Benoit when both were alive, Benoit deserved the belt more when each man first got the top strap in 2004.

Benoit had been an upper midcarder on the brink of breaking through since he'd come to the WWE in 2000, had been involved in many a major championship bout against the likes of The Rock, Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, and Kurt Angle, and all around had better long term build-up for his win than Eddie did. He'd also won the big belt in WCW before he left. This is a no-brainer no matter how much one likes Eddie, how much better Eddie would have been for business in the long run, or how much one likes to frown on Benoit.

A few other points I'd like to touch on:

-Benoit should have taken the belt from Brock at Mania given the build-up. The random move to Raw and the choice of Eddie vs. Angle has always reaked of bad fan fiction to me no matter how much I liked the end result.

-Emphasis occasionally being put on how main eventing was a new experience for Eddie Guerrero was a great touch and helped me like him even more as champion. He seemed like even more of an underdog than he already would be and I really bought into him more as his reign went on than I did Benoit, even though I felt Benoit had a pretty solid reign as well.

-Eddie's connection with the fans, his amazing personality as both a face and a heel, and what he did for WWE with the growing Hispanic audience would have led him to greater long term success than Benoit. He would have been a multiple time World Champion and would have reached AT LEAST Chris Jericho's current status. Heck, he could have had Jeff Hardy's popularity today had he not died and reached Edge's level or even made some of Edge's endless title reigns unnecessary. Benoit peaked and dropped off, but the sky was the limit for Eddie Guerrero.

 

[Proof]

The Orton/Benoit match was in Toronto and Benoit is from Edmonton. One of the reasons Guerrero won it is because Lesnar was leaving. If Vince was smart, he should have let Benoit stay on Smackdown after the Royal Rumble so he could take it from Lesnar. Benoit put on great matches as champion and it was a shame that the focus was more on HBK/HHH. Giving the title to Benoit was not a mistake and they knew that from his previous matches with Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin. Guerrero never had previous shots at the title before his win so Benoit was more ready than Eddie. Benoit connected with the crowd just as good as Eddie did. His intensity and his determination was his gimmick and the crowd loved him for it.

Benoit was Canadian and I found it weird that they cheered Orton over one of their own. How did Benoit connect with the crowd just as good as Eddie, when Benoit lost to the freaking Sandman and Kane in voting contest. A heel Batista in the beginning of 2005 was cheered over Benoit. Eddie had to brutally beat up Rey Mysterio when he turned heel, and the fans still cheered for him. They turned Eddie heel in 03 for a short while and had to turn him face again because he was one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster (as a heel). And just because he had more shots than Eddie, doesn't mean he deserved it more. With that logic, we can say that Khali deserves to be world champ more than most guys. There are a lot of wrestlers who worked just as hard as Benoit and never got their due. Benoits reign was nothing more than a token reign. When he lost the belt, he was never going to win it again. Eddie was in a main event feud with Batista, arguably the most popular wrestler in the WWE at that time, before he passed, and would have been a multi time world champion by now. Benoit was wrestling Elijah Burke and jobbing to the Miz and MVP, before he passed. His career was already over.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Benoit was Canadian and I found it weird that they cheered Orton over one of their own. How did Benoit connect with the crowd just as good as Eddie, when Benoit lost to the freaking Sandman and Kane in voting contest. A heel Batista in the beginning of 2005 was cheered over Benoit. Eddie had to brutally beat up Rey Mysterio when he turned heel, and the fans still cheered for him. They turned Eddie heel in 03 for a short while and had to turn him face again because he was one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster (as a heel). And just because he had more shots than Eddie, doesn't mean he deserved it more. With that logic, we can say that Khali deserves to be world champ more than most guys. There are a lot of wrestlers who worked just as hard as Benoit and never got their due. Benoits reign was nothing more than a token reign. When he lost the belt, he was never going to win it again. Eddie was in a main event feud with Batista, arguably the most popular wrestler in the WWE at that time, before he passed, and would have been a multi time world champion by now. Benoit was wrestling Elijah Burke and jobbing to the Miz and MVP, before he passed. His career was already over.

Being Canadian doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get cheered every time you wrestle there. I'm sure Chris Jericho and Edge can tell you that. Maybe it was because Eddie was worse as a heel that they decided to turn him face again. The same happened with Randy Orton when he turned face because the crowd just wasn't buying into it. MVP should thank Benoit for what he did because if it wasn't for Benoit, MVP would probably be released now. He did a lot for the midcard wrestlers and that shouldn't be forgotten.

 

[Proof]

Being Canadian doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get cheered every time you wrestle there. I'm sure Chris Jericho and Edge can tell you that. Maybe it was because Eddie was worse as a heel that they decided to turn him face again. The same happened with Randy Orton when he turned face because the crowd just wasn't buying into it. MVP should thank Benoit for what he did because if it wasn't for Benoit, MVP would probably be released now. He did a lot for the midcard wrestlers and that shouldn't be forgotten.

The thing is that you are saying Benoit had such a great connection with the fans, just as good as Eddie (which, in my opinion, is ridiculous), yet someone who was never world champion got cheered over him in his home country. Bringing in Jericho and Edge into this is unnecessary because we are talking about Benoits connection with the fans. About Eddie Being worse as a heel. I thought his run as a heel in 05 is one of the best heel runs ever. People already respected him. If somehow The Rock came back and turned heel, are you are going to tell me that they are going to boo him? He is well respected. Austin, Angle, Rock, Taker...people respect them. They don't buy into them because they respect them. Turning them heel was a big mistake because they still got cheered and were well established. Comparing Orton (who was practically new at that time) to Eddie (a veteran) isn't logical.

 

[theviolentmessiah]

I'm going to have to go for Benoit on this choice. When the Radicalz first made the jump to WWF Benoit was the leader and he took The Rock to the limit with the title. Before that Benoit was far earlier in conquering the IWGP Junior division, the first J Cup champion is an amazing feat. Benoit had also been putting on great in ring work for much longer, Eddie's early matches in Japan weren't even in Benoit's league, Benoit worked hard and long and deserved that title belt for sure.