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| Yes | 59% | 189 votes | Total: 319 votes | |
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Add to FavoritesIn 1994, I was nine years old and was introduced to Chris Benoit. I had already been a wrestling fan, both WCW and the WWF. An older friend of mine got his hands on a 2nd generation VHS copy of the Super J Cup. I was blown away. Although now looking back, Sasuke had a much better night, but that first time I saw Chris Benoit, he became my favorite wrestler in the world. He was my favorite up to his death, and murderous rampage.
There is no doubt that he is one of the best in-ring performers to ever lace up a pair of boots and walk down the aisle. Is he replaceable? Absolutely. No one is irreplaceable. Benoit has already been passed by a much younger and in my opinion better talented performer already. "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. He is not in the WWE, or TNA, watch him in Ring of Honor or Pro Wrestling NOAH; and you'll be hard pressed to disagree.
On a stand point of in-ring work alone, Danielson has surpassed Benoit a few years ago. Matches against KENTA, Samoa Joe, and Nigel McGuinness pass Benoit's matches with Sasuke and Kurt Angle. Benoit had a very particular group of wrestlers he performed well against. Danielson is like Ric Flair and Kenta Kobashi; he could have a classic match with a broomstick. Danielson's good matches are better than great wrestler's best matches.
Danielson shares the same level of absolute toughness that Chris Benoit portrayed. Wrestling with a broken orbital is no easy task. I had my orbital bone broken in the military, and it was excruciating. Danielson, much like Benoit, routinely puts his body on the line, often times injuring himself legit.
Admittedly, Chris Benoit in my viewpoint is one of the better performers I have ever seen in my 19-year long fandom of professional wrestling. I still watch his matches, I may not like the man anymore, but I will not cease watching his matches. Many people claim they will never watch his matches because of what he did to his family and to himself. If they really had that mentality, professional wrestling would not be on their television at all. I think that it helps my stance, on Benoit being replaceable because of what he did, the horrible devilish deed. It also helps that Bryan Danielson is simply incredible and his trademark entrance music and "I have until FIVE ref" makes me want to watch every match he's in.
Wrestling shares the same fate as other sports. With time, the new generation of performers will ultimately be superior to their counterparts. Like how Michael Jordan passed Wilt Chamberlin as the greatest professional basketball player. Many have come since Jordan's third retirement, but none has passed him yet. LeBron is by far the closest, but the torch is not in his hands yet. The torch is in Danielson's hands now.
Learn more about this author, Sean Kelly.
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No
There have been very few superstars who could take a traditional wrestling match and make it into something spectacular. Many wrestlers have needed the hype of an added stake or element to the match; while there were always those special few who could dazzle the fans with down-to-earth, professional wrestling. The list includes legends such as Dean Malenko, Kurt Angle, and, of course, Chris Benoit.
In some of the last matches of Chris Benoit, we saw how incredibly gifted he was. In one of his last matches alive, he competed against Edge on Smackdown, which he would without doubt lose because of Edge's current status being far too superior to Benoit's. But despite the loss, Benoit put up an amazing performance, and in return, his loyal fans gave him a standing ovation, which echoed after he lost a match to Bobby Lashley on the WWE's first ever Tri-Brand Draft to determine which brand would get the next draft pick.
Benoit didn't just bring an amazing flare to the traditional variety of matches, but he also left people with their jaws slack on the floor in other matches, such as a TLC match for the World Tag Team Titles on Smackdown with Chris Jericho as his partner. Though there were amazing stunts he performed in the match, the fact he returned to the ring after apparently being injured during one of the stunts to win the match and retain the titles with Chris Jericho, showed his grit and determination.
It's daunting to think how he would have altered the terrain of ECW if he had stayed alive and won the ECW Championship. He could have accomplished what Morrison had done, and usher in a new sense of extreme athleticism into ECW, only with a much more main-stream superstar as a champion. But whatever the results would have been, we cannot be sure, for his life was unfortunately cut short by his own hands.
Chris Benoit offered so much and sacrificed so much to the WWE, and just about every organization he performed in. He took the idea of a strong grappler to a whole new level, leaving people in suspense as he locked in the dreaded Crippler Crossface, and inspiring fans as he climbed to the top rope to deliver his patented diving headbutt.
There are many other superstars who can help to carry on his legacy. People who he had an influence on and helped to mold into the wrestlers they are today. Then there will always be people not even competing yet, still training for the day they can enter into the independent circuit. Every generation has their heroes, and one day there will be someone who might fill in the shoes of Chris Benoit, to an extent. But no one can ever fully replace him. No one could ever live up to the name of the Rabid Wolverine, nor could anyone ever match his talents. Benoit will always be remembered as one of the greatest of all time (if not the greatest technical wrestler of all time), even if due to the day his life ended he won't be drafted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His memory will live on.
Learn more about this author, Nicholas A. Levack.
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