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Chris Benoit PROFILE |
Chris Benoit profile written by
Wayne K. Wilkins
The story of "The Canadian Crippler" Chris
Benoit is the living, breathing image of a
success story turned into pure tragedy. Chris
Benoit was born into a loving family but had
aspired to become a professional wrestler from a
young age. Knowing this, his father, Michael
Benoit, bought him his first weight set and
Chris quickly began training every day. Chris
Benoit's inspiration for professional wrestling
grew from a love of seeing the sport live by his
Father and his Grandfather, whom Chris used to
travel around Canada with to visit the live
events.
Chris had quickly began training
to become part of the sport that had seduced him
so much, he became wreaking passion for it and
still continued to visit the live shows,
idolizing his fan-favorite Dynamite Kid Tommy
Billington. One day, Chris bucked up the
courage, and after a live wrestling event, he
knocked on the locker room door hoping to meet
his idol and to his surprise, The Dynamite Kid
answered the door. Chris Benoit confessed that
Billington was his hero; he flexed his muscle
and said "I want to be just like you, I am
training."
From that day forward, Chris
poured every ounce of his heart and his soul
into professional wrestling and after years of
training with the legendary Stu Hart in the Hart
Family Dungeon along with the likes of Bret
Hart, Chris made his debut for Stampede
Wrestling in Calgary, the professional wrestling
organization ran by the legendary Stu Hart and
the Hart Family.
Chris fitted in so well
and advanced so quickly in the dungeon that he
became somewhat of a Hart family member and they
only grew closer and closer together. In fact,
after Chris Benoit's death in June 2007, Bret
Hart himself commented that the death of Chris
Benoit is like living through the Owen Hart
situation all over again.
Chris went on
for much success in the Wrestling business. He
was never much of a talker and preferred to do
his business in the ring, the same way The
Dynamite Kid had done. He achieved cult status
in Japan under the moniker of The Pegasus Kid, a
tribute to Billington, engaging in legendary
matches with the likes of Jushin "Thunder" Liger
and 2 Cold Scorpio. Following Japan, he made his
way to Extreme Championship Wrestling, a
professional wrestling organization ran by Paul
Heyman, there, he revamped his feud with 2 Cold
Scorpio due to the amazing in-ring chemistry
they had together in Japan which was very well
received, as well as teaming with his best
friend Dean Malenko and winning the world
tag-team championships in the process.
Following ECW, Chris went on with his friends
Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko to World
Championship Wrestling where success was sure to
follow. Both Chris and Malenko went on to join
The Four Horsemen, the most famous professional
wrestling faction in the history of our sport,
and this is where his mainstream success and
fame began. Despite being portrayed as a heel,
Benoit developed a cult fan base of followers of
pure professional wrestling. Basically, talent
over gimmick, and this was exactly what Benoit
lived and breathed. Chris Benoit stayed with WCW
until he won the World Heavyweight Championship,
before leaving the company the following day and
jumping ship to the World Wrestling Federation.
The WWF is where Chris Benoit achieved
the most success, but also the most tragedy. HE
suffered a broken neck, but after a year out, he
came back stronger than ever and within just 2
short months he claimed the WWF intercontinental
championship. Aside from that, he also resumed
his successful tag team with Dean Malenko until
Malenko retired in 2001, putting an end to The
Radicalz which jumped ship from WCW to the WWF
which included Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero,
Dean Malenko and of course Chris Benoit himself.
2004 was without the pinnacle in Benoit's
career. In January he won the Royal Rumble
match, one of the WWE's most famous yearly
spectacles, and he went on to Wrestlemania 20 to
claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
During the same night, his best friend Eddie
Guerrero had also won a WWE championship on the
Smackdown brand of the show, and the two
embraced and celebrated together at the end of
the show, signalizing that they had done what
they had set out to do all those years ago.
Benoit continued his success in both main
event and midcard status winning the United
States championship numerous times until losing
it to Montel Vontavious Porter, elevating MVP's
career to superstardom in the process the way
only Benoit could.
Benoit's life came to
an end following an unfortunate tragedy in June
2007, however, he will be remembered for his
professional wrestling prowess and without a
doubt is one of the greatest technical wrestlers
of all time. Long live the legacy of "The
Canadian Crippler."
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