Why Should I Care About Shelton Benjamin?

[Thriller Ant]

Honest question. I hear all the time about how screwed over this guy is. How he never gets pushes even though he is the most talented guy on the roster. I have seen numerous posters say that Shelton deserves some kind of World Title run. I don't buy any of it.

It is obvious that the man is athletically gifted and has talent inside the ring, but he suffers from the same problem that guys like Evan Bourne and Carlito are currently suffering from: apathy. Nothing about the man's personality, attitude, or promos makes me give a damn about him. I haven't seen tonight's ECW yet, and I will comment after I have, but I'm sure I still won't care. Like I said, his in-ring work is very good, but it isn't at the level that can make me care about him, especially in a promo-heavy company like WWE.

So can someone, anyone please tell me why I should care about Shelton Benjamin?

 

[AlreadyKnow]

Honestly, you shouldn't. I think Shelton is one of those guys who will be stuck in the midcard for life.

First off, the guy isn't very good at talking on the mic. Every promo I've heard him cut is mediocre at best. You'd think after about 6 years of being a singles competitor he'd get better over time, but his work on the mic is still as dull as it was earlier.

Also, it isn't like he's some amazing guy in the ring. He's above average, but other than Money in the Bank, can you name any other noteworthy standout Benjamin match? Other than those few upset wins over Triple H in 2004, he hasn't done much.

While he could get better, right now Benjamin is just fodder on the roster.

 

[BlakkVI]

Honest question. I hear all the time about how screwed over this guy is. How he never gets pushes even though he is the most talented guy on the roster. I have seen numerous posters say that Shelton deserves some kind of World Title run. I don't buy any of it.

It is obvious that the man is athletically gifted and has talent inside the ring, but he suffers from the same problem that guys like Evan Bourne and Carlito are currently suffering from: apathy. Nothing about the man's personality, attitude, or promos makes me give a damn about him. I haven't seen tonight's ECW yet, and I will comment after I have, but I'm sure I still won't care. Like I said, his in-ring work is very good, but it isn't at the level that can make me care about him, especially in a promo-heavy company like WWE.

So can someone, anyone please tell me why I should care about Shelton Benjamin?

Um...for the record, in terms of "apathy", Carlito > Shelton. But yea, Shelton himself knows that he has a lot to work on and its sad that for a man thats been around for so long and has held titles, STILL can not cut a decent promo to save his life - they're usually lifeless or he stutters during them like he's nervous or forgot his lines.

 

[hermogenes]

Well, eventhough I am Shelton fan, I tend to agree with most claims about him:

- lacking charisma
- good athleticism
- will never go beyond midcard

I really wish he would improve on the mic, since it would be a thrill to see him in a championship match. But I believe Shelton is happy where he is, and Vince is probably happy as well.

Vince has in Shelton a reliable wreslter (has he been out because of injury in the last 6 years?), is willing to help young stars (Kofi & Sheamus) and gets a reasonable reaction either as heel or face.

This is the definition of a good company worker...but that's the point, he will only ever by good, not great!

 

[The Doctor]

To tell you the truth, I didn't much care about him until he turned face and started chasing the ECW Championship. When he was number one contender, it seemed like he really stepped up his work, both in-ring and on the mic. Perhaps he was trying to impress the top brass, but for that moment, he impressed me.

Sadly, his emotion seems to come in waves. At that time, he was definitely riding a crest. But before that, he was in a trough. He was quite uninteresting. If only he could get that passion he had when he was number one contender and keep it on all the time, then I (and maybe you) would care.

 

[SpoodBeest]

The truth is you have no reason to care for the guy. He might have been something if his career kept the momentum it had in 2004 or even 2005, but since that heel turn in 2006 his career has done nothing but plummet.

The man really does have zero personality, but he is good in the ring, sometimes great if he wants to be. But the thing is since his debut he hasn't been able to develop a character at all. He has just been Shelton Benjamin. The closest he has gotten to having somewhat of a character was when he had the moniker of "The Gold Standard" but even that doesn't count.

He hasn't been screwed like so many people say because he hasn't ever been great. Sure it's one thing to work a good match, but you also have to be an interesting television personality as well. I could see if he had skills that made him untouchable on the stick, as well as being gold (pun not intended) in the ring, then some people may have an argument to his current position on the roster.

For me he is there because the man screams "Midcarder 4 life". I especially thought of him as such when he bleached his hair blonde

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

I've been a big fan of Shelton for a long while...but even I have to agree that Shelton just doesn't have any personality and is shit on the mic. And it kind of bothers me that Shelton...for some reason...doesn't slap the hands of the fans on his way to the ring. He's a face, yet he does nothing that should convince the people that he's supposed to be cheered, other than the fact that he's up against a heel.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, people go on and on about MVP but I think he's bland in the ring, and it's a shame you can just merge the two and have MVP's mic skills and Shelton's ring skills lol. MVP/Gold Standard, same type of nickname.

Shelton though, seems like he's in Matt Hardy territory - although much more talented in the ring in my eyes. Both just aren't going to be world champions.

 

[Big Sexy]

Shelton is one of the most entertaining in ring performers in the WWE. He is always putting on very good matches no matter who he is in the ring with. Fuck, last night he made Vance Archer look good. Shelton while not great on the mic has definitely improved. You don't have to be The Rock or Chris Jericho on the mic to be a great superstar. He may not show it very often on the mic but he is very charismatic when he is performing in the ring and I'd rather have that then a guy who can talk but puts on boring matches.

Nothing about the man's personality, attitude, or promos makes me give a damn about him. I haven't seen tonight's ECW yet, and I will comment after I have, but I'm sure I still won't care. Like I said, his in-ring work is very good, but it isn't at the level that can make me care about him, especially in a promo-heavy company like WWE.

You talk about how bad Shelton is on the mic and say that the WWE is a promo-heavy company, yet you are rocking a Jeff Hardy avatar. You want to talk about absolute shit on the mic? Jeff Hardy was horrendous at cutting promos. Definitely worse then Benjamin. So don't criticize a guy as a performer when all he really lacks is mic skills, especially if you support someone like Jeff Hardy.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Shelton is one of the most entertaining in ring performers in the WWE. He is always putting on very good matches no matter who he is in the ring with. Fuck, last night he made Vance Archer look good. Shelton while not great on the mic has definitely improved. You don't have to be The Rock or Chris Jericho on the mic to be a great superstar. He may not show it very often on the mic but he is very charismatic when he is performing in the ring and I'd rather have that then a guy who can talk but puts on boring matches.

I never said his matches weren't good, I just have no reason to care about him. Good matches can only get you so far, especially since the ones in WWE don't really tell stories like a lot of the indy companies do.

You talk about how bad Shelton is on the mic and say that the WWE is a promo-heavy company, yet you are rocking a Jeff Hardy avatar. You want to talk about absolute shit on the mic? Jeff Hardy was horrendous at cutting promos. Definitely worse then Benjamin. So don't criticize a guy as a performer when all he really lacks is mic skills, especially if you support someone like Jeff Hardy.

I never said Jeff Hardy was good on the mic. In fact, I agree that he wasn't that great. But he actually can put personality into his promos and can get a reaction from the crowd. Shelton, on the other hand, sounds like little more than white noise in the background. He doesn't put much, if any, emotion into his promos and the lack of reactions from the crowd reflects that.

 

[gd]

You shouldn't. Shelton is quite shit. Actually, he's good at times. Sometimes for months straight he can fool you into believing he's a good wrestler. Especially if there's a ladder match involved. He'll be set up for a big push, and then disappear. Shelton's been on the doorstep of stardom countless times, but hasn't been able to capitilize because of his extreme lack of charisma/interstingness. Sure, he's had a few good matches over the years, but he'll never be able to put it all together.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Shelton is one of the most entertaining in ring performers in the WWE. He is always putting on very good matches no matter who he is in the ring with. Fuck, last night he made Vance Archer look good. Shelton while not great on the mic has definitely improved. You don't have to be The Rock or Chris Jericho on the mic to be a great superstar. He may not show it very often on the mic but he is very charismatic when he is performing in the ring and I'd rather have that then a guy who can talk but puts on boring matches.



You talk about how bad Shelton is on the mic and say that the WWE is a promo-heavy company, yet you are rocking a Jeff Hardy avatar. You want to talk about absolute shit on the mic? Jeff Hardy was horrendous at cutting promos. Definitely worse then Benjamin. So don't criticize a guy as a performer when all he really lacks is mic skills, especially if you support someone like Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy makes the crowd care about his matches even if it seems that he jumps off stuff all the time. Still though, he is more entertaining than Benjamin even if Hardy isn't great on the mic. Shelton may know how to wrestle even though he botches a lot, but if you can't make the crowd care about your matches then you aren't worth shit and that is the territory Benjamin is heading in. Sidious brought up a while back that there needs to be managers and Benjamin is the PERFECT example of somebody who needs one. He's uninteresting on the mic and has been his entire career. Somebody like Lesnar didn't need to talk on the mic as he let Heyman do it for him. Benjamin needs that same type of person if he wants any shot at a world championship.

 

[Notorious718]

Shelton Benjamin has been given so many chances to become a big star but he has failed time and time again to capitalize on those chances to step into the main event scene. Many have mentioned Shelton being a great wrestler but sadly, being a good wrestler won't be enough to get you over in WWE these days. Just look at Jack Swagger. On top of all that, Shelton is incredibly generic with absolutely no personality and is very boring on the mic. The guy can wrestle a good match now and again but other than that, there is honestly no particularly good reason for you to care for him.

 

[Big Sexy]

I never said Jeff Hardy was good on the mic. In fact, I agree that he wasn't that great. But he actually can put personality into his promos and can get a reaction from the crowd. Shelton, on the other hand, sounds like little more than white noise in the background. He doesn't put much, if any, emotion into his promos and the lack of reactions from the crowd reflects that.

What personality did Jeff Hardy ever bring into a promo other then that ******ed dance he did on his way to the ring? Hardy's promos had 0 personality. And wrestling isn't all about being able to talk. Shelton is bad on the mic but not nearly as horrible as most people make him out to be. I'm not saying you should think Shelton is the greatest thing ever and should be in the main event all the time, but his matches are more then entertaining enough to make people care about him.

Jeff Hardy makes the crowd care about his matches even if it seems that he jumps off stuff all the time. Still though, he is more entertaining than Benjamin even if Hardy isn't great on the mic. Shelton may know how to wrestle even though he botches a lot, but if you can't make the crowd care about your matches then you aren't worth shit and that is the territory Benjamin is heading in. Sidious brought up a while back that there needs to be managers and Benjamin is the PERFECT example of somebody who needs one. He's uninteresting on the mic and has been his entire career. Somebody like Lesnar didn't need to talk on the mic as he let Heyman do it for him. Benjamin needs that same type of person if he wants any shot at a world championship.

What crowds are you watching? Shelton's matches almost always get good reactions. Even when he is a heel he still gets oos and ahhs from the crowd after a big spot. Shelton is one of the best in ring workers in the WWE and is constantly putting on solid matches. I can't remember the last "bad" match Shelton had.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

What personality did Jeff Hardy ever bring into a promo other then that ******ed dance he did on his way to the ring? Hardy's promos had 0 personality. And wrestling isn't all about being able to talk. Shelton is bad on the mic but not nearly as horrible as most people make him out to be. I'm not saying you should think Shelton is the greatest thing ever and should be in the main event all the time, but his matches are more then entertaining enough to make people care about him.



What crowds are you watching? Shelton's matches almost always get good reactions. Even when he is a heel he still gets oos and ahhs from the crowd after a big spot. Shelton is one of the best in ring workers in the WWE and is constantly putting on solid matches. I can't remember the last "bad" match Shelton had.

That's the problem right there. He shouldn't have to resort to high spots when he was a heel. It shows that he has a lack of psychology in the ring and doesn't have confidence in his other movesets. Shelton is nowhere near one of the best workers in the WWE. You maybe can't remember the last 'bad" match he had but the last "good" match I remember him having was five years ago and nothing has changed since.

 

[Thriller Ant]

What personality did Jeff Hardy ever bring into a promo other then that ******ed dance he did on his way to the ring? Hardy's promos had 0 personality. And wrestling isn't all about being able to talk. Shelton is bad on the mic but not nearly as horrible as most people make him out to be. I'm not saying you should think Shelton is the greatest thing ever and should be in the main event all the time, but his matches are more then entertaining enough to make people care about him.

If his matches are so great, why don't people care about him? Jeff would use voice inflection and emotion and intensity into his promos. Shelton speaks in a boring, monotonous tone the entire time.

What crowds are you watching? Shelton's matches almost always get good reactions. Even when he is a heel he still gets oos and ahhs from the crowd after a big spot. Shelton is one of the best in ring workers in the WWE and is constantly putting on solid matches. I can't remember the last "bad" match Shelton had.

Like LJL said, he shouldn't be using high spots as a heel. He gets no pop when he comes out, and a few of those oos and ahhs when he jumps really high during his matches. Then they end, and the people go back to not caring. I never said that Shelton was bad in the ring, go back and look. I said that he's not good enough to make people care about him unless he somehow acquires a personality.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I really don't care about Shelton Benjamin. I totally agree that he is very talented in the ring. He has a combination of size and speed that isn't really matched right now. He can work with big and small guys, and make just about anyone look good...IN THE RING!

Out of the ring, he is really, really bad. On the mic, he might be the worst guy in the company. He's kind of a meathead, and fumbles over his words. He has no natural talking ability, nor does he have any charisma (on the mic). I would say he needs a manger to do the talking for him, but that won't work either (eventually he will have to speak for himself). He isn't a Kane type monster (who could talk, by the way), so it just wouldn't make any sense to see someone else talking for a perfectly normal guy.

I really do think this guy is going to be a mid carder forever. He has the in-ring ability to be one of the top guys in the company, but his promo cutting skills are no good. And not being able to talk will limit his ability to have meaningful, emotion feuds with other superstars. I actually think it's going to be hard for him to consistently hold either the U.S. title or IC title as well. He is just too awful on the mic, and that pains me to say because he is a hard worker and freakishly athletic. Maybe this guy was meant for the tag division, but it's just too bad that they DON'T HAVE A TAG DIVISION!

 

[Big Sexy]

That's the problem right there. He shouldn't have to resort to high spots when he was a heel. It shows that he has a lack of psychology in the ring and doesn't have confidence in his other movesets.

Actually Shelton as a heel didn't use that many high spots and did change his move set. I was just pointing out that he still did get reactions when he had the occasional high spot.

Shelton is nowhere near one of the best workers in the WWE

He is easily in the top 10 as far as ring work goes.

You maybe can't remember the last 'bad" match he had but the last "good" match I remember him having was five years ago and nothing has changed since.

Did you miss his ladder match with Christian from a couple months ago? How about his matches with Taker from Smackdown last year? He also had some good matches with Kofi during his first ECW stint and also with MVP on Smackdown.

 

[Big Sexy]

If his matches are so great, why don't people care about him? Jeff would use voice inflection and emotion and intensity into his promos. Shelton speaks in a boring, monotonous tone the entire time.



Like LJL said, he shouldn't be using high spots as a heel. He gets no pop when he comes out, and a few of those oos and ahhs when he jumps really high during his matches. Then they end, and the people go back to not caring. I never said that Shelton was bad in the ring, go back and look. I said that he's not good enough to make people care about him unless he somehow acquires a personality.

Exactly what matches are you guys watching? Shelton might not get a fucking HBK pop as a face or get Jericho like heel heat, but don't give me this "the crowd is completely silent" bullshit.

As far as Hardy goes he may have tried to change up his voice to get this emotion and intensity of which you speak, but he failed miserably. Shelton is not good on the mic, but once again he also is not nearly as shitty as everyone makes him out to be and he has vastly improved in that area.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Actually Shelton as a heel didn't use that many high spots and did change his move set. I was just pointing out that he still did get reactions when he had the occasional high spot.



He is easily in the top 10 as far as ring work goes.



Did you miss his ladder match with Christian from a couple months ago? How about his matches with Taker from Smackdown last year? He also had some good matches with Kofi during his first ECW stint and also with MVP on Smackdown.

Easily in the top 10 you say? If you going to throw out declarations like that, then where is he in your top 10 and who he is better than and I'll be happy to tell you why you are wrong.

I saw all those matches you mentioned. I just didn't think they were great than the matches he was having five and six years ago. He did help Kofi a bit but Benjamin was in the same position before and after as he has been most of his career.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Exactly what matches are you guys watching? Shelton might not get a fucking HBK pop as a face or get Jericho like heel heat, but don't give me this "the crowd is completely silent" bullshit.

As far as Hardy goes he may have tried to change up his voice to get this emotion and intensity of which you speak, but he failed miserably. Shelton is not good on the mic, but once again he also is not nearly as shitty as everyone makes him out to be and he has vastly improved in that area.

Go watch this weeks ECW again. They are completely silent until he goes for the cheap pop and says "Who Dat."

As for Hardy, once again, I never said he was great on the mic, but I fail to see how he "failed miserably" to get emotion and intensity in his voice when he clearly had emotion and intensity in his voice. Shelton is boring as shit on the mic, simple as.

 

[knockaroundguy13]

It sucks because theres absolutely no doubt the guy has unreal talent, and can get it done in the ring, but his lack of personality will always be his downfall. At the end of the day, to the casual wrestling fan, the ring work is only 50% of the equation. People want to be entertained on the microphone as well as in the ring, and unfortunately he cant cut a promo to save his life. I find it hard that he hasnt been able to improve in 5 years, and thats what leads me to believe he doesnt put forth the effort he needs to, thus making him undeserving of a decent push. Sadly, he'll be nothing more than a solid mid-carder, with main-event mat skills.

 

[Big Sexy]

Easily in the top 10 you say? If you going to throw out declarations like that, then where is he in your top 10 and who he is better than and I'll be happy to tell you why you are wrong.

It's hard to tell someone they are wrong when you know they are right.

I'll put Jericho, Punk, Mysterio, Taker, Christian, and HBK ahead of him. That places him at 7. An argument can be made for HHH, Cena, and Orton but even that keeps him in the top 10.

Go watch this weeks ECW again. They are completely silent until he goes for the cheap pop and says "Who Dat."

If by completely silent you mean yelling "who dat" after everything he said then yes they were. And what the fuck is wrong with cheap pops? New Orleans as a city is at an all time high of course as a face he's going to play to the crowd and say that. He would have been stupid not to.

As for Hardy, once again, I never said he was great on the mic, but I fail to see how he "failed miserably" to get emotion and intensity in his voice when he clearly had emotion and intensity in his voice.

I could get into the ring and raise my voice a little that doesn't mean I'm showing emotion or intensity.

Shelton is boring as shit on the mic, simple as.

He still isn't good, but he has improved a lot. Here's an example

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3qjbk_ecw-11-12-07-shelton-benjamin-promo