Chris Benoit: Greatest Hits

Chris Benoit: Greatest Hits


Yes this may seem a bit controversial, but this is about Benoit the wrestler, not the real person. This will cover his time from WCW to WWE.


Trying to find Benoit's matches are a pain in the ass, as you can't skip to them on the streaming bar since they aren't listed. At least they're quite easy to find as there's usually a big gap on the bar where a match should be.


Chris Benoit vs 2 Cold Scorpio
From Superbrawl 1993. This is Benoit's first proper PPV appearance (I don't think Clash of the Champions counts since that's on free tv). Jesse Ventura put Benoit over in commentary, mentioning his time in Stu Hart's infamous dungeon. Both guys showed tremendous athleticism here and really impressed the live crowd. They were given plenty of time and they used it well. A great match with an awesome finishing sequence. ***3/4



Chris Benoit vs Jushin Liger
From Starrcade 1995. At this PPV it was WCW vs NJPW for the World Cup of Wrestling. I suspect that these two guys may have had some matches in Japan, so they may know each other quite well. Benoit was a member of the Four Horsemen at this point. A great match with some nice counter-wrestling, and the crowd was solidly behind Benoit, even though he was a heel. Liger nearly botched the finish but it wasn't too bad. ***1/2


Chris Benoit vs Kevin Sullivan : Falls Count Anywhere
From Great American Bash 1996. These guys really did not like each other, even in real life. They wasted no time in starting off as they went straight into the audience, using the FCA stipluation well. This felt like a war as these guys just beat the absolute shit out of each other. This is the kind of stuff you could only see in ECW at the time. Definitely a stiff contest as every shot looks real. Awesome match and one of Benoit's best early on in his career. ****1/4



Chris Benoit vs Jeff Jarrett
From Mayhem 1999. A 32 man (and one woman) tournament took place on Nitro to decide a new World Champion. Only four men remained on this night, including these two, Bret Hart and Sting. Crowd was totally behind Benoit since the show takes place in Toronto. This was a great match, but the constant interference towards the end was annoying. One of the only good Jarrett matches I can remember as Benoit moves to the finals. ***3/4



I was gonna review the finals from Mayhem 99, featuring Benoit vs Hart, but it was nowhere near what I was expecting. I thought these guys would tear the roof down, but it ended up being a standard WCW main event with awful interference that pissed me off, and a heatless crowd. Very disappointing match that doesn't deserve to be in the Greatest Hits of Benoit. Match rating is **1/2. Let's just move onto the WWE years shall we? There's gonna be a ton of Benoit vs Jericho matches to rate, and I can't wait!



Too Cool & Rikishi vs The Radicals
From No Way out 2000. Here we have the first PPV featuring the Radicals: Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko. Eddie Guerrero was there for moral support, but left quickly when Rikishi attacked him. A good match here that showed off the skills of the Radicals, and kept Too Cool strong as well. The crowd may have not been that hot, but it didn't affect it too much. ***



Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XVI. The European and the IC Titles are on the line here, as both are held by Kurt Angle. First fall is for the IC belt, and the second fall is for the European. Angle and Jericho would go down in history as Benoit's greatest opponents, but here they were still new to each others styles, so it wasn't as great as you would think. However, this was still a damn good match, even if the crowd didn't care. Benoit wins his first Title in WWE as he hits the flying headbutt for the IC Title. Jericho won the European Title. ***1/2



Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho
From Backlash 2000 and the IC Title is on the line. The start of a long and awesome feud here. Jericho wasn't the European Champ here and I don't know when he lost it. This was a great match filled with awesome counter wrestling, and they cut a nice pace throughout. The DQ finish does spoil it a bit, but at least they'd have future matches together. It was still an awesome match though. ****



Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho : Submission Match
From Judgment Day 2000. I was really looking forward to this one, due to both guys being known for their submissions. You didn't get matches like this in the WWF at the time as it was during the Attitude Era which was more about hardcore matches. But these guys showed that this kind of wrestling can be a ton of fun, and put on a great contest. I especially like the Walls of Jericho submission on the ring ropes. Great stuff here. ***3/4


Chris Benoit vs The Rock
From Fully Loaded 2000 and the WWF Title is on the line. If Rock is disqualified, he loses the Title to Benoit. Looks like they decided that Benoit was good enough for a big push. God knows why they stopped it though. This was a fantastic match that showed that Benoit deserved to be a main event player in the WWF. Benoit gave Rock one of his best matches here. Benoit almost became the WWF Champ by DQ, but Foley restarted the match and Rock won it back. ****1/4



Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho : 2/3 Falls
From Summerslam 2000. Aside from their awesome ladder match (which I'll get to soon), this seems to be their highest rated match. This is only the second time I've watched it and it was even better this time. You would never believe that these two were best friends because they looked like they had such hatred for one another. The arm psychology was very well done too. The match ended 2-1 to Benoit. Incredible stuff. ****1/2


Chris Benoit vs Triple H 
From No Mercy 2000. Benoit gave Stephanie McMahon a headbutt and is still a heel. If someone did that today they would be cheered more than Daniel Bryan. He also cost HHH the chance to face the Rock tonight, so this was personal. The psychology was very good in this match, with HHH going after Benoit's leg, and Benoit going after HHH's arm. Shocking for a HHH match I know. A fantastic match from both men. ****1/4



Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho : Ladder Match
From Royal Rumble 2001 and the IC Title is on the line. Finally these two fearsome rivals reach their final encounter, and boy did they try to destroy each other. This isn't the high-flying ladder match that you would expect, as these guys just wanted to beat the other up. The most (in)famous moment of the match comes from a suicide dive from Benoit as he goes head first into a steel chair, and it looks absolutely brutal. It was a war, and a terrific one at that. ****1/2



The Wrestlemania X-Seven match is rated ****1/4, but I'm keeping that for Kurt Angle's Greatest Hits if I ever get round to it.


Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle : Ultimate Submission Match
From Backlash 2001. Angle cheated to beat Benoit at Wrestlemania, so this feud had to continue which was perfectly ok with just about everyone. This is like an Iron Man match, except that you can only gain a point by a submission. Angle and Benoit for a guaranteed 30 minutes? Oh hell yeah! This was a lot like their Mania match as they started with mat wrestling then decided to go to town on one another. A terrific contest with some awesome submission wrestling. ****



A couple of months later, Benoit would injure his shoulder at the King of the Ring PPV and wouldn't return for another year.




Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
From Unforgiven 2002. These guys have had quite a few PPV battles together and I don't think there's a bad one among them. Angle was pissed with Benoit after Benoit laughed at Kurt while he was taking a stink face from Rikishi. Do you really need a story like that for these two guys? I could watch these guys trading suplexes and submission holds all day long. A short but fantastic contest here that featured nearfalls and great drama all the way through. One of the best of 2002. ****1/2


Can I just say that I am so happy that the Network exists so that people can watch these matches that they might have never seen before.



Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit
From No Mercy 2002 and the newly made Smackdown Tag Titles are on the line. Their prestige didn't last that long. I haven't seen this match for almost ten years, so I've been aching to watch it again to see why it was so popular, and it's not hard to see why. This was an amazing contest, and is probably the best tag match I've ever seen. This one was filled with action from start to finish, with the final ten minutes being especially exciting. From awesome double team moves to close nearfalls, this one had just about everything you need for an awesome match. A must-see classic in my eyes. *****



Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit
Hmmm, I wonder if this'll be a good match? (Shitty sarcasm there). Anyway, these two were feuding after Guerrero cost Benoit a shot at the WWE Title. I don't think these two need a storyline to have a match. The multiple german suplexes were awesome. The Chavo run ins were a little annoying, but they suited Eddie's character. As good a match as you may expect from the two with a technically sound contest. ***3/4



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
From Royal Rumble 2003 and the WWE Title is on the line. I'm still pissed off at the fact that the HHH/Steiner match was given a rematch, and this one didn't happen on PPV again. No wonder 2003 was an bad year for the WWE. Anyway enough of the negativity, because we just came out of hell and into heaven with this bout. An absolute technical masterpiece that has to be seen. Easily the Match of the Year. This might be their best contest together, and that is saying a hell of a lot. This one definitely made up for the last two blunders. I didn't want this to end, but unfortunately it had to as Angle retains with the ankle lock. After the match Benoit gets a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. Unbelievable stuff. *****




Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit
From Vengeance 2003. Someone give a medal to the guy that put this as the opener. Great idea that was always gonna end well. This was for the newly (re)made US Title, though sadly it would end up redundant for the next ten years or so. Of course this was a great match, how could it not be with these two in the ring? This is why I watch wrestling, to see two very talented guys trying to prove who's better with a very entertaining match, and that's exactly what we got here, a great, technical bout from the masters of technical wrestling. Eddie cheating towards the end was great too. A classic match. ****1/4



The 2004 Royal Rumble Match
The best Rumble ever? If you can get over the fact that Benoit won the match, then, arguably, it is. It's easily my favourite Rumble match ever. The 1992 Rumble comes close, but 2004 just beats it. For its one hour run time, it's entertaining all the way through, and, unlike most other Rumble matches, it doesn't have a dull moment. Benoit winning was also an amazing moment at the time, which has obviously been extinguished now. Amazing match that I would say is must-see, and a great example of how to book a Rumble. *****



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Wrestlemania XX and the World Title is on the line. The Wrestlemania match that WWE wishes they could forget about. Yes the emotional impact has been destroyed due to Benoit's tragic actions, but this, at least in my mind, is still one of the greatest matches of all time and easily the best triple threat ever. All three guys worked very hard to make this a memorable match, with HHH and HBK giving themselves brutal looking blade jobs to add to the drama. Benoit and Eddie Guerrero embracing after the match is still one of my favourite moments in wrestling history and the match is just amazing. One of the best. *****



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Backlash 2004 and the World Title is on the line. It's a tough task to try and make a sequel as good and memorable as the original, but this one just about managed it. It didn't have the emotional impact of the original, but the in-ring action speaks for itself. The crowd was totally behind Benoit (surprised that wasn't edited) and absolutely against HBK, as they bombarded him with the usual 'You Screwed Bret' chants. Even if this wasn't as good as the Mania triple threat, it's still one of the best three way matches ever, and an exceptional main event to cap off one hell of a show. ****1/2



Chris Benoit vs Kane
From Bad Blood 2003. This might just be Kane's best singles match of his entire career. It had some added intensity thanks to Kane's earlier attack in the night, and Benoit was still selling the pain. Benoit did a great job of making Kane look like the most powerful guy on the roster. The finish was awesome, as Benoit finally got the crossface locked in, and the crowd was just begging for the monster to submit. Fantastic match that made both guys look great. ****



Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit
From One Night Stand 2005. As is usual with these two, a great match has been made. Two of ECW's best ever technical wrestlers here. It's sad that this is the last PPV match that these two would face each other in. Maybe the last match they ever had together. Just a great wrestling bout here as it should have been, showing off the wrestling side of ECW. ***1/2



Chris Benoit vs Booker T
From No Way Out 2006 and the US Title is on the line. Booker won the US Title in his best of seven series with Benoit by using a sub (Randy Orton) and Booker cheated to give Orton the win and that gave Booker the Title. Benoit wanted payback. This one did have its slow moments, but it got better and better as it went on. They were given plenty of time and they used it well. A great match. ***1/2



Chris Benoit vs Finlay 
From Judgment Day 2006. Finlay cost Benoit a shot at becoming the King of the Ring and so we have this match. I'm guessing that they needed a potential show-stealing match because that is exactly what we got here. A stiff match from two very stiff workers. These guys were given over 20 minutes to work and they used that time well to give us an awesome, drag-out, knock-down contest. Great stuff and a potential MOTYC for 2006. ****



Chris Benoit vs William Regal
From No Mercy 2006. Quite the impromptu match here. If they were smart they would have advertised this match, as it would have gotten pure wrestling fans excited for it. This was Benoit's return match. Two stiff workers going at it. Regal was busted open after a nasty headbutt from Benoit. The only thing I didn't like about this match was the amount of time it got. Should have gotten more time. Very stiff technical bout. It's not often that an impromptu match is the best of the night, although Armageddon would do the same two months later. ***1/2