Christopher Michael Benoît (born May 21 1967 in Montréal, Québec), is a French-Canadian professional wrestler currently wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown! brand. Benoit, who grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, is widely known as one of the most technically proficient and skilled wrestlers in the world, and one of the most dedicated employees in the WWE. He trained in Calgary, Alberta under Stu Hart in his "Dungeon" (and later the New Japan Dojo) and became one of the many stars to emerge from Stu's watch, alongside notables like Bret and Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Lance Storm, Chris Jericho, and others. He has held many titles in numerous promotions, the most prestigious being WWE's World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW Championship. Currently Benoit is on an indefinite sabbatical due to a shoulder injury. He was written out of storylines due to an attack by Mark Henry.
| Chris Benoit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 21, 1967 Montreal, Quebec |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Pegasus Kid Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit |
| Billed height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Billed weight | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Trained by | Stu Hart, New Japan Dojo |
| Debut | November 22 1985 with Rick Patterson vs. Karl Moffat and Mike Hammer |
Early career
Chris began his career in 1985 in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion. Chris Benoit's first match was a Tag Team Match on November 22, 1985 for Stampede Wrestling, teaming with Rick Patterson to defeat "Butch" Karl Moffat & Mike Hammer in Calgary, Alberta. He won several International Tag Team and British Commonwealth titles there, and had an excellent series of singles matches with Johnny Smith, before Stampede's demise in 1989, and at that point he departed for New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name and mask of The Pegasus Kid, the name a tribute to his wrestling hero The Dynamite Kid. He would eventually lose the mask in Mexico and would later change his ring name to simply Wild Pegasus. While with NJPW, he came into his own as a performer in matches with luminaries like Jushin Liger, Shinjiro Ohtani, Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero), and El Samurai. In 1991, he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title from Liger, his first major championship. He would eventually lose the title, and his mask, back to Liger. He would go on to win the Super J Cup tournament in 1994 by defeating the likes of Black Tiger and the Great Sasuke, which, to this day, is considered one of the best wrestling cards of all time, solidifying his status as one of the foremost junior heavyweights in the world.
Throughout the time before his run in the United States, he had also competed in Mexico and Germany, where he won a few regional championships. He even had a short run in WCW between 1992 and 1993, but was unsuccessful in gaining any momentum.
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Upon his permanent return to the U.S. in 1995, he signed with Extreme Championship Wrestling. In the time he was with ECW, Benoit dropped his Pegasus gimmick for "The Canadian Crippler", contrary to belief this name was not started from the night he broke the neck of Sabu, Joey Styles clearly calls Benoit "The Crippler" before the incident even happens. He would be promoted as one of the finest wrestlers of the day, and just break his opponents in half. Paul Heyman would have him cut long monologue promos to give him the chance to come out of his shell and to express a tough, dark persona. He would then feud with Sabu, Al Snow, and long time adversary in the international market, 2 Cold Scorpio.
Later, he and Dean Malenko won the ECW Tag Team Titles from Sabu and Tazmaniac. After winning, they were initiated into the Triple Threat, led by ECW Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas. This created enough excitement to attract the attention of the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Benoit would eventually have a few tryout matches for the WWF in the cold in dark matches being managed by Ted Dibiase and was the first choice to play the role of "The Ringmaster". (The role would end up going to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin) After being unable to obtain a proper work visa to compete for ECW and being told that as a WWF competitor he would not be able to work in Japan, Benoit decided that he would return to Japan instead of wrestling in the US until learning about the New Japan/WCW talent exchange. This led to Benoit signing with WCW in late 1995.
World Championship Wrestling
Benoit was quickly made a member of the reformed Four Horsemen in 1995, alongside Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and Brian Pillman. When Pillman abruptly left the company for the WWF, Benoit was placed in an ongoing feud with Kevin Sullivan (who was a booker), and booked a feud in which Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan's real life wife Woman. Forced to spend time together to make the affair look real, (hold hands in public, share hotel rooms, etc.) Benoit and Nancy developed feelings for each other and began having a real affair. Nancy left Sullivan and WCW in 1997. Benoit beat Sullivan in a retirement match, but Sullivan continued to use his booking authority to hold Benoit back.
Later that year, Benoit had a rivalry with Booker T. Both men had trained at winning the WCW Television Championship, but both were unsuccessful. This led to a competition to see who would go on to be the number one contender for the title, which would set up the Best-of-Seven series. Benoit won the first three falls, and Booker came back to tie in the next three encounters. Their final match was set before the Great American Bash. While the referee was down, Bret Hart came to interfere on behalf of Benoit, in hopes of him joining the New World Order. Benoit refused, and told the referee what happened, and got himself disqualified. Booker thought it was a hollow victory, so they were to have a match the Bash to see who go on to fight Dave Finlay later that night. Both made a valiant effort with Benoit delivering suplexes and Booker giving a multitude of hard kicks. It ended with a missile dropkick by Booker, and he went on to fight Finlay for the belt later that night. This elevated both men's careers considerably as singles competitors, and both would remain at the top of the midcard with their matches. In 1999, he resumed teaming with new Horseman and former ECW partner Dean Malenko in a series of WCW World Tag Team Championship matches against Raven and Perry Saturn, and were among the best of the year. Benoit and Malenko defeated Curt Hennig and Barry Windham to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship, and later in 1999 he would win the United States title as well. He formed the "Revolution" team with Malenko, Saturn, and Shane Douglas around this time, highlighting his unhappiness with WCW management.
Benoit's most notable match of 1999 would be his match with Bret Hart on WCW Nitro in October 1999, in Kansas City. The match was a tribute to Owen Hart, in the building where Owen's tragic incident that caused his untimely death occurred. In November, he wrestled Bret in Toronto, Ontario in the finals of a World Heavyweight title tournament. He lost that match, and by January 2000, WCW had made their last try at keeping him, giving him the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at the Souled Out PPV. However, due to disagreements with management and to protest the promotion of Kevin Sullivan to head writer, Chris Benoit left the company, forfeiting his WCW World Title in the process. Despite the fact that this title win is recorded in wrestling history, Benoit himself rarely recognizes it, preferring his World Heavyweight Championship win at WrestleMania XX in 2004.
World Wrestling Entertainment
Two weeks after being granted their release from WCW, Benoit, Malenko, Saturn and Guerrero made their WWF TV debuts on Raw, coming out of the crowd to attack the New Age Outlaws. They were dubbed The Radicalz. After the group turned heel, Benoit was quickly put into a feud with Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle, and in April 2000 he won his first championship in the WWF, the Intercontinental Title.
Because of how often he defended his WWF Intercontinental Title, Chris Benoit has been called the "fightingest" Intercontinental Champion in WWF history. A high-profile feud with The Rock (who was the WWF Champion at the time) filled out the remainder of 2000. Their feud revolved around Benoit being Shane McMahon's hitman trying to take down The Rock, and forcing him to tap out. In fact, Benoit "won" the WWF title twice during 2000, but both times the decision was reversed both times by then "Commissioner" Mick Foley and the match restarted due to Benoit's cheating.
2001
He remained the Intercontinental Champion into 2001, which he lost the belt to Chris Jericho in a ladder match at the Royal Rumble. He turned face after the other Radicalz kicked him out of the group. Just a few weeks later, he had an altercation with Kurt Angle over who was the better technical wrestler, and had a match against him at WrestleMania X-Seven. The two had a match with a great deal of mat and chain wrestling for an extended period of time, but Angle won, via cheating, and started a feud between the two, during which they had a variety of specialty matches. One was an "ultimate submission" match at Backlash, which Benoit won 4-3 at sudden death overtime. That led to a three falls match at Judgment Day with one fall being a ladder match with Angle's medals suspended above the ring, because Benoit stole them and put them in his pants a few weeks prior. Angle won, due to Edge and Christian's appearance. In May, they would have a steel cage match. Benoit was about to win, when Steve Austin closed the door on his face. Angle climbed out the other way for the win.
In May 2001, Benoit would later team with old rival, Chris Jericho, to defeat Triple H and Steve Austin in a match for the WWE World Tag Team Championship. The same week, Vince McMahon booked the new champions in a TLC Match against the masters of the match: Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and the Dudley Boyz. This would be the first TLC match to be shown on network television, which Jericho and Benoit won. They held on to the titles for a month, before losing it to the Dudley Boyz.
At King of the Ring, Benoit was put in a triple threat for the WWF Championship against the champion, Austin, and former partner, Jericho. In the match, Benoit had landed hard on his neck. Benoit underwent major neck surgery in June of 2001. He ruptured a disc, which fragmented into his spinal column. Bone spurs came about after years of aggravation and the usual wear and tear. The injury required spinal fusion surgery, which sidelined Benoit for the rest of 2001. This injury is played on every warning before a WWE PPV or DVD starts.
2002
During the first WWE Draft he was picked by McMahon third to be part of the new SmackDown! roster, although still on the injured list. However, when he returned, he did so as a member of the RAW roster, where he would feud with Steve Austin briefly. He, and Eddie Guerrero, were then moved to Smackdown during a storyline "open season" on wrestler contracts, with Benoit bringing his newly won Intercontinental championship with him briefly before Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a Number 1 Contenders match and returned the title to RAW by beating Benoit at SummerSlam.
After returning to SmackDown!, in October he was crowned the first winner of the WWE Tag Team Titles, alongside foe and partner Kurt Angle after winning a tournament. They both turned face again by betraying Los Guerreros. The two made an impressive combination, but they could not stand each other.
2003
Angle won his third WWE Championship from the Big Show, and Benoit faced him for the title at Royal Rumble 2003. Though Benoit lost the match, he received a standing ovation for his efforts after an exciting match, in which both men displayed an unreal amount of intensity in a very technically-sound match. Benoit went to the tag team ranks, and began teaming with the returning Rhyno. At WrestleMania XIX, the WWE Tag Team Champions, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, would have to put their belts on the line against Benoit and his partner Rhyno, and Los Guerreros in a triple threat match. Team Angle retained by pinning Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Benoit stayed at the middle of the card for the next few months, feuding with John Cena and the Full Blooded Italians, and teaming with Rhyno occasionally. In June 2003, the United States Championship was reactivated, and Benoit participated in the tournament for the belt, first beating Rhyno, then Matt Hardy in the second round, but losing the final to Eddie Guerrero. The two would feud over that title for the next month, and Benoit was now in major title hunts, and had a great rise in popularity. He would defeat the likes of A-Train, Big Show, and Brock Lesnar by submission. General Manager Paul Heyman wanted to hurt Benoit, so he made his life difficult. Brock Lesnar cost him a chance at becoming champion and from having him get to be champion. The Royal Rumble came around, and when he won the qualifying match, he was placed in the number one spot. He guaranteed victory, because Paul Heyman could not break his will.
2004
On January 25 2004, Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble, last eliminating Big Show, and thus earned a WWE Championship title shot at WrestleMania XX. As a result of the long-standing Royal Rumble tradition that the winner receives a shot at the world champion at WrestleMania and the fact that there were effectively two world champions due to the brand split, Benoit exploited a "loophole" in the rules and challenged World Heavyweight Champion Triple H instead of the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. This "loophole" clause has become standard storyline practice, with the Royal Rumble winner being free to choose which title he will challenge for.
With this win, Benoit became one of only two men to enter at #1 and win the Royal Rumble (Shawn Michaels was the first) and he set the record for being in a Rumble match the longest at 1:01:34, surpassing Ric Flair's legendary record of 59:26, Shawn Michaels' Rumble win, and narrowly surpassing Bob Backlund's record of slightly over an hour (1:01:10). However this record would be surpassed by Rey Mysterio two years later, at the Royal Rumble 2006 (Mysterio would enter at #2). Mysterio would last over 62 minutes before winning.
Though the match was originally intended to be a one-on-one match, Shawn Michaels, whose Last Man Standing match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight Championship ended in a draw, thought that he deserved to be in the main event. When it was time for Benoit to sign the contract putting himself in the main event, Michaels superkicked him and signed his name on the contract, which eventually resulted in a Triple Threat Match between Michaels, Benoit, and then champion Triple H.
On March 14 2004, at WrestleMania XX, in what is considered by many to be one of the most memorable moments in WWE history, Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his devastating signature submission move, the Crippler Crossface. It marked the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission. After the match, an emotional Benoit celebrated his win with his good friend Eddie Guerrero, the then reigning WWE Champion. The two of them came to WWE together and on that day, they were standing in the ring at Madison Square Garden, both of them world champions (this moment was considered significant because many felt that both men were once "too small" to be world champions). It is considered the win the biggest of Benoit's 18 year career, as he won his first official World Championship in the main event of the biggest show of the year (it would, in fact, be voted the 2004 PWI Match of the Year, only the sixth WrestleMania main event to do so).
This was Benoit's first official WWE World title win - he had "won" the WWF Title on two occasions, once at Fully Loaded and once at Unforgiven 2000. However, both times the decision was over-ruled. This was Benoit's first real World Heavyweight Title reign in any promotion after a series of controversially reversed decisions in both WWE and WCW. The triple threat was hailed by many fans as one of the year's best matches. The rematch was held at Backlash in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At one point in the match, with the referee knocked out, Earl Hebner ran in to call the match while Michaels had Benoit in a sharpshooter, a clear reference to the Montreal Screwjob. However, it was Michaels who ended up submitting to Benoit's sharpshooter, allowing Benoit to retain his title, once again proving he was worthy of the main event. The next night in Calgary, he and Edge won the World Tag Team titles from Batista and Ric Flair, making Benoit a double champion.
On August 15 2004, Chris Benoit was defeated by Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam. His reign had lasted 5 months, with 7 straight pay-per-view victories. The Crippler would then feud with Edge leading to Taboo Tuesday where Chris Benoit, Edge, and Shawn Michaels were all put into a poll to see who would face Triple H. for the World Heavyweight Title that night. Shawn Michaels received the most votes and as a result Edge and Benoit were forced to team up to face the then tag team champions, La Resistance, in the same night. However, Edge didn't show up to the match and Benoit was forced to take on both members of La Resistance by himself, but he still managed to win the World Tag Team titles. At Survivor Series 2004, Benoit would side with Randy Orton's team while Edge teamed with Triple H's team, Edge was able to pin Benoit after a Pedigree but Benoit's team won. This would lead to various wrestling matches, as well as a steel cage and triple threat, also with Triple H.
2005
Their rivalry would end at New Years Revolution, where Edge would feud with Shawn Micheals and Benoit would enter the 2005 Royal Rumble. Benoit entered the Money in the Bank show at Wrestlemania 21, where Benoit had the match won but Edge hit him with a steel chair restarting their feud. At Backlash 2005 Edge defeated Benoit after a brick shot in a Last Man Standing Match.
On June 9 2005, returned to SmackDown! after being the first man selected by the Smackdown side in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. Benoit appeared at ECW One Night Stand, defeating Eddie Guerrero and at the end of the night delivered a flying headbutt to his former WCW boss and former RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff.
On July 24 2005 at The Great American Bash in Buffalo, New York, Benoit failed to win the WWE United States Championship from Orlando Jordan. Benoit faced Orlando Jordan in a rematch for the United States Championship at SummerSlam 2005. Benoit defeated Jordan in 25 seconds with the Crippler Crossface to win the title. On the next two editions of SmackDown!, Benoit defeated Jordan by submission in 23.4 seconds and 22.5 seconds. Two weeks later, Benoit defeated Jordan by submission in 49.8 seconds. Benoit then started wrestling Booker T in some friendly competitions, but it was all a ploy, as Booker and his wife, Sharmell, had robbed Benoit out of the U.S. title.
Chris Benoit appeared on RAW on November 14 2005 (taped on the November 13, the same day as the death of Eddie Guerrero, for Guerrero's tribute show hosted by both RAW and SmackDown! superstars. Benoit was devastated at the loss of his best friend Eddie and was very emotional during a series of video testimonials, where he clearly said that he loved Eddie and will never forget him with tears steaming down his face as he broke down in sorrow, which was a testament to the friendship that endured between Benoit and Guerrero throughout both men's careers. The same week on SmackDown! (also taped on the 13th), Benoit defeated Triple H in a tribute match to his fallen friend. Following the contest, Benoit, HHH, and Dean Malenko all assembled in the ring and pointed to the sky in salute of Guerrero.
2006
After controversy surrounding a title defense against Booker T, Theodore Long set up a "best of seven" series between the two. Booker T won three times in a row, due largely to his wife's interference, and Chris Benoit faced elimination in the series. Benoit would win the fourth match to stay alive, but Booker then suffered a legitimate groin injury. Randy Orton was chosen as a stand-in, and Benoit defeated Orton twice by disqualification. However, in the 7th and final match, Orton defeated Benoit with the help of Booker T, Sharmell, and Orlando Jordan, and Booker T captured the U.S. title. However, at No Way Out, Benoit got revenge on Booker by making him tap out to the Crossface to finally win the United States Championship to finish the series.
At WrestleMania 22, Benoit lost the U.S. Championship to JBL. Benoit used his rematch clause on the April 14, 2006 Smackdown! for JBL's U.S. Championship. The title was defended in a steel cage, which Benoit lost after a low blow from JBL.
Benoit would take part in the 2006 King Of The Ring tournament only to be defeated by Finlay in opening round. At Judgment Day 2006 Benoit would get his revenge and defeated Finlay in a very physical grudge match with the Crippler Crossface. On the May 26, 2006 edition of Smackdown!, Mark Henry viciously attacked Benoit during a match. Benoit later told WWE.com he was taking an indefinite sabbatical.
Various internet reports state that Chris Benoit will be returning to the WWE on July 25, 2006 at the Friday Night SmackDown! Taping (to be aired July 28, 2006) to start a fued with Mark Henry, which will eventually set up at match between the two on August 20, 2006 at WWE SummerSlam.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
- As Chris Benoit
- Crippler Crossface (Crossface hold)
- Diving headbutt
- Sharpshooter
- Three Amigos (Combination three vertical suplexes)
- Rolling German suplexes
- Top rope german suplex
- German suplex
- Rolling snap suplexes
- Top rope snap suplex
- Snap suplex
- Backhand chop
- Dragon suplex
- Gutwrench suplex
- High angle belly to back suplex
- Lariat
- High speed powerbomb
- Forearm Tackle
- Superplex
- Muta lock
- Dragon Screw
- As Pegasus Kid and Wild Pegasus
- Signature Double Team Moves
- Crippler Crossface and Walls of Jericho (with Chris Jericho)
- Crippler Crossface and Ankle Lock (with Kurt Angle)
- Crippler Crossface and Texas Cloverleaf (with Dean Malenko)
- Diving Headbutt while a chair is placed on a wrestler's head (with Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson)
- Nicknames
- The Crippler
- The Canadian Crippler
- The Rabid Wolverine
- Toothless Aggression
- Managers and Valets
- Signature taunts
- Cut the throat; after delivering a trifecta of German Suplexes, Benoit slowly takes his thumb, and intensely makes a slashling motion across his throat, he then goes to the top turnbuckle for the diving headbutt or begins the submission manuver The Crippler Crossface
- Cut the air; as an alternative to the throat slash, he takes his arms, and makes an "X" in the air, then goes to the top turnbuckle.
- Rubbing hands; Paul Heyman promoted Benoit as having ice water running through his veins, and kept warm by rubbing his hand together, this was followed by locking them together to symbolize the end and possible crippling of the opponent.
- Pound the chest; as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero, Benoit will perform the Three Amigos, then, like the his German to cut the throat taunt, he looks around, and slaps his chest with one hand like Guerrero did, usually resulting in an "Eddie" chant.
Personal life
Benoit idolized The Dynamite Kid growing up, and stylized himself after him. When he began wrestling, he wrestled as "Dynamite" Chris Benoit, as a tribute to the Kid. He also began using the Diving Headbutt and the Snap Suplex, some of the Kid's trademark moves.
Benoit's entrance theme music is "Whatever", performed by Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. This song is a vocal version of his earlier WWE theme music, "Shooter". This is a more aggressive version of Dynamite Kid's theme song.
When he was in WCW, Benoit was booked to have an affair with rival Kevin Sullivan's wife Woman aka Nancy Daus. The feud was booked to look as real as possible, and soon became reality. Nancy left Sullivan and the company in 1997. Sullivan used his booking power to get revenge on Benoit, burying him at all turns. This eventually led to The Radicalz leaving WCW for WWF in early 2000 when Sullivan was given full control of the company. He had his first child with Nancy Daus-Sullivan together on February 25, 2000, a son named Daniel Christopher Benoit. Benoit has a son, David, and a daughter, Megan from his ex-wife.
Benoit's lost tooth is usually credited to training or an accident early on in his wrestling career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet Rottweiler. One day, Benoit was struck with the top of the Rottweiler's head beneath his chin, and his tooth "popped out".
Although Benoit had been previously introduced as hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, in 2003 Vince McMahon decided that he was to be introduced as "now residing in Atlanta, Georgia", as Benoit had been living there since his time in WCW. The rationale was that American fans would be more likely to get behind him if he were perceived to be American (the same occurred to Chris Jericho when they started introducing him as "born in Manhasset, New York"). Still, Benoit received a hometown hero's welcome when he defended the World Heavyweight Championship in Edmonton at Backlash 2004, where he defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H in a Triple Threat Match.
Championships and accomplishments
- 1-time ECW World Tag Team Champion (w/ Dean Malenko)
- 4-time British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champion
- 4-time Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champion (1-time w/Bif Wellington)
- 1-time World Heavyweight Champion
- 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion
- 2-time WWE United States Champion
- 3-time WWE World Tag Team Champion (w/ Chris Jericho and twice w/Edge)
- 1-time WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ Kurt Angle)
- 1-time WWF Light Heavyweight Champion as The Pegasus Kid (not recognized by the WWE)
- 2004 Royal Rumble winner (one of two wrestlers, along with Shawn Michaels, to enter at #1 and win)
- Thirteenth Triple Crown Champion
- 1993 Top of the Super Junior tournament
- 1994 Super J Cup tournament
- 1995 Best of the Super Junior tournament
- He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 2003)
- 1994 Best Technical Wrestler
- 5 Star Match: vs. Great Sasuke (Super J Cup '94, New Japan Pro Wrestling)
- 1995 Best Technical Wrestler
- 1998 Most Underrated Wrestler
- 2000 Most Outstanding Wrestler
- 2000 Best Technical Wrestler
- 2002 Match of the Year (with Kurt Angle vs Edge and Rey Mysterio)
- 2003 Best Technical Wrestler
- 2004 Most Outstanding Wrestler
- 2004 Feud of the Year (vs Triple H and Shawn Michaels)
- 2004 Best Technical Wrestler
- 2004 Best Brawler
- PWI ranked him # 69 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- 2004 PWI Wrestler of the Year (won with a PWI record of 72% by voters)
- 2004 Feud of the Year (vs. Triple H)
- 2004 Match of the Year (vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H)
- PWI ranked him # 1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of 2004.
Championship succession
Records
- Chris Benoit is the first person to retain the World Heavyweight Championship belt in an Iron Man Match, as he successfully defended the title against Triple H on the July 26 2004 edition of RAW. Shawn Michaels won the WWF World Championship at Wrestlemania 12 in an Iron Man Match against Bret Hart and Brock Lesnar won the WWE Title from Kurt Angle in an Iron Man Match in September 2003.
- Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle were the first WWE Tag Team Champions on WWE Smackdown!
- Chris Benoit became the second person to win the Royal Rumble match with the #1 draw. The first was Shawn Michaels in 1995. Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble match in 2004, by eliminating Big Show last.
- Chris Benoit is the third shortest WWE World Heavyweight Champion, behind Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, at a billed height of 5 ft 10 in.
- Chris Benoit is the second lightest WWE World Heavyweight Champion (behind Rey Mysterio), at a billed weight of 234 pounds (100 kg.)
- Chris Benoit had the record for staying in a Royal Rumble the longest time, up to the 2006 Royal Rumble match. In the Royal Rumble 2004 (which he won), he stayed in there for 61:34, surpassed by Rey Mysterio's 62:15.
- Chris Benoit won the WWE United States Championship in 25.5 seconds, the shortest match held for that title that resulted in the championship changing owners. He also holds the record for quickest title defence, which was 22.5 seconds.
- Chris Benoit's current pay per view/ supercard record currently is 56 wins, 51 losses, and 2 no contests (both on the same card, November to Remember 1994, where he first broke Sabu's neck, then had a no contest with 2 Cold Scorpio afterwards).
- Benoit is the second person to have become a WCW and WWE triple crown champion. Bret Hart accomplished this before him.
- Benoit is one of few wrestlers who have managed to beat the top superstar of RAW Triple H three times in a row.
External links
