Chris Benoit is one of the best wrestlers in the world, he has it all high-flying, brawling ability, and he is a very good technician. He is big in Canada, Japan and Mexico, and now he is making his mark in the USA.

Chris Benoit was born in Montreal, Canada in 1967 and moved west to Edmonton with his family some 12 years later. Here he discovered professional wrestling, namely Stampede Wrestling, owned by the legendary Stu Hart.
Benoit was fascinated by the skills and charisma of a certain wrestler, The Dynamite Kid, who inspired Benoit to become a pro. wrestler. Benoit attended many wrestling shows, he started talking to the wrestlers, and then working with the ring crew, which in the summer of 1985 led to Stu inviting Benoit down to train in Calgary.
Benoit made his pro. debut later in December 1985 in Calgary, where Benoit and Rich Patterson defeated Karl Moffat and Mike Hammer. In 1986 Benoit teamed with Ben Bassarab to capture the Stampede Tag Team Championship from Wayne Farris (Honky Tonk Man) and Ron Starr. The young team quickly lost the belts, but together with Keith Hart, Benoit once again became tag team champion.
In the end of 1986, Benoit moved to Japan to enhance his skills, he stayed there for almost nine months. Benoit had his first match in New Japan in January 1987. As the autumn of 1987 beckoned, Benoit's business relationship with New Japan came to an end, therefore he returned to Calgary and Stampede Wrestling.
Benoit started teaming with Johnny Smith, who later turned on Benoit, and the two started feuding over the British Commonwealth mid-heavyweight title. Chris won the title four times between March 1988 and July 1989. Benoit also won the tag team titles with Lance Idol, and later Beef Wellington. Benoit also teamed with Davey Boy Smith to take on his idol Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith. It all came to an end, in December 1989, when Stampede went under.

When Stampede folded, Benoit got a call from New Japan, who offered him a job. Benoit returned to New Japan, where he marked his return at the Tokyo Dome show, February 10th, 1990. Benoit became the masked Pegasus Kid, who became a proverbial thorn in Jushin Thunder Liger's side, Benoit once did a power bomb of the top rope on Liger. Before a live crowd of more than 60,000 people, Benoit and partner Naoki Sano defeated Jushin Liger and Akira Nogami.
Six months later Benoit defeated Jushin Thunder Liger for the IWGP Jr. heavyweight title, in doing so, Benoit became only the second westerner to hold the title (Owen Hart was the first). Benoit lost the title back to Liger, some 3 months later. April 7, 1991, Benoit crashes to Liger in a mask vs. mask match. In 1994, Benoit came close to winning the title again in a tournament, but fell in the final to Norio Honaga.
In March 1991, Chris moved to Mexico and the Universal Wrestling Alliance, where he captured the WWF light heavyweight title from Vilano III, in the meantime Benoit and partner David Taylor also had time to win the CWA World Tag Team title from Miles Zrno and Franz Schumann in Bremen, Germany. Vilano III won the WWF light heavyweight title back 18 months later. Benoit returned to New Japan, and by that he and David Tayler had to vacate the CWA World Tag Team title.
Benoit competed for the first time for a US-based organisation at June 16th, 1992, when he teamed with one of his partners from Stampede, Beef Wellington, in the NWA World tag team tournament hosted by WCW. Benoit and Wellington was defeated by the team of Jushin Thunder Liger and Brian Pillman. Benoit once again returned to New Japan.
WCW was very satisfied with Benoit's performance, so they signed a one year contract with him, which started in January 1993, but Benoit's commitments with New Japan took priority over WCW. Perhaps his commitment with New Japan was the reason, that Benoit was mostly used as a jobber.
But 1993 wasn't that bad for Benoit between May 25 and June 15 the Top of the Super Junior took place. It is a tournament where the wrestlers are divided in two groups, fighting against everybody in the group, the wrestlers get points for victory and draw, the two best from each group advance to the semifinals, where it turns into a knock out tournament. The Pegasus Kid advanced to the semifinals, where he received a bye since his opponent, Jushin Liger was injured, In the final Benoit took on El Samurai, who couldn't stop the fresh Benoit, who became the winner of the Top of the Super Junior 1993.
1994, April 16th in Tokyo' Sumo Hall, The Super J Cup, was arranged, a one night knock out tournament to find the best light heavyweight wrestler. The Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit (When Pegasus Kid lost his mask, he called himself Wild Pegasus) defeated the Black Tiger to advance to the semifinals, here waited the Super Delfin, who Benoit was able to overcome. In the final waited no other than the Great Sasuke, and in a classic match, Benoit came out victorious. Benoit has said, that it undoubtedly was the hardest night of his wrestling career.
In 1994, Benoit wanted to wrestle in the USA, the WWF offered him a spot, which he accepted, but it didn't live up to his expectations, since he was mostly used as a jobber. Benoit then started wrestling in the independent scene, and he was immediately offered a place at ECW, which he gladly accepted, but Benoit also wrestled in New Japan during his stint with ECW. During his stint with New Japan and other promotions, Benoit wrestled every superstar of the light heavyweights, and he proved, that he is one of the best.

November 19th, 1994, Benoit became the Crippler Chris Benoit in ECW, when he hurt Sabu so bad, that Sabu suffered a fractured vertebrae and bruising of the spinal chord. Benoit later joined forces with Dean Malenko in ECW to go after the tag team titles. Benoit certainly lived up to his name, The Crippler, when he made a run-in, February 4th, 1995, where he powerbombed Sabu off the top turnbuckle, onto and through a table, with Rocco Rock lying on the table, because of the incident Rocco Rock had to use a wheelchair.
February 25th, Benoit and Malenko defeated ECW tag team champions, Sabu and the Tasmaniac to get the gold. Benoit and Malenko also performed a serious number on the Public Enemy, especially the wheelchair bound Rocco Rock, they clotheslined him into the guard rail at approximately 15 miles per hour. Unbelievable, but as Benoit has said about ECW, "it is unlike any other promotion in the US, You can, within reason, do whatever you want to do". Together with Dean Malenko and Shane Douglas, Benoit formed the Thriple Threat, which with it's different formations have caused havoc in the ECW.
April 8th, 1995, The Three Way Dance between Tasmaniac/Sabu (Replaced by Rick Steiner since Sabu no-showed), Public Enemy and Benoit/Malenko. Public Enemy regained the titles that evening, but if it hadn't been for Tasmaniac and Rick Steiner, I am not so sure of the result. Soon after Benoit and Malenko went to where The Big Boys Play, WCW.
Benoit entered the Best of Super Junior '95, which took place between June 23 and July 13. The Best of the Super Junior is the Top of the Super Junior with a new name. This time the Wild Pegasus also advanced to the semifinals, and here waited the Black Tiger, but he couldn't stop Benoit, who wouldn't let 1995 go by without winning a tournament. In the final Benoit took on Shinjiro Ohtani, the two fought a great match, but after nearly 20 minutes of action, Benoit stood in the centre of the ring as the winner of the Best of the Super Junior 1995.

In September Benoit and Malenko joined the WCW, they started teaming like in ECW, but the booking committee soon found out that these two guys had even better potential as single wrestlers.
Benoit did get a minor push, one month after he signed. Benoit got a shot at the United States Heavyweight Champion, Kensuke Sasaki. Benoit lost the match, but he showed his talents in the match. Unfortunately Benoit's much deserved push didn't last long. Then he joined the Four Horsemen, which at the time consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Brian Pillman and Benoit. Benoit and Pillman started teaming, but it didn't last long, as Pillman started a feud with Kevin Sullivan and his Dungeon of Doom. When Pillman suddenly left WCW, they stood with an unsettled feud, so Benoit took Pillman's place. Woman who was the Four Horsemen's valet, soon stood by Benoit's side.
The feud with Sullivan got underway during BattleBowl 96, Benoit and Sullivan was paired, and none of them was happy about it. So Benoit and Sullivan used most of their time fighting each other than Public Enemy. Benoit and Sullivan have had many memorable matches, at the Great American Bash, they fought in the men's bathroom, they used trash cans, tables and chairs. Benoit won the match after suplexing Kevin Sullivan off the top of a table.
But Benoit and Sullivan continued their feud at Bash at the Beach 1996, where the team of Sullivan and the Giant defeated Benoit and, fellow Four Horseman member, Arn Anderson.
Benoit the went on to Hog Wild, where he had to face his former ECW partner, Dean Malenko, the match is considered to be one of the most technically brilliant matches in WCW history, the match went to a 30 minute draw, and the 5 minutes overtime also went to a draw, before Benoit got the win in the second overtime.
 The Dungeon of Doom was still a thorn in the side of Benoit, the Giant beat him at Clash of the Champions, and when Benoit had a rematch with Sullivan at a house show, the Dungeon attacked Benoit in the bathroom, where they beat him up.
In the start of 1997, Benoit and Sullivan still feuded, the feud got hotter because Woman and Sullivan are married, and WCW played it out like Benoit had made her see, that Sullivan was not the right for her, and thereby taken her away from Sullivan. Sullivan then countered by bringing in Miss Jacqueline, who became a thorn in Woman's side. Benoit defeated Sullivan again at Clash of Champions and at SuperBrawl VII in a San Francisco Death Match, where Benoit performed a splash from the top rope onto Sullivan, who laid on a table in the ring, Miss Jacqueline also took a bump, when she covered Sullivan with her own body.
At Spring Stampede 1997, Benoit and Malenko again had to go against each other, this time for the US title. It looked like Benoit was on his road to victory, when Kevin Sullivan interfered.
Sullivan and Benoit was apparently not finished with each other, and with the help of the Dungeon of Doom, Sullivan had the upper hand, until he disappeared in May. Benoit still feuded with the Dungeon, and at Slamboree he lost a Death Match to Meng. This was the setup for a return Death Match between these two athletes at the Great American Bash, where Benoit was victorious, using the Crippler CrossFace. After the match, they were both carried out on a stretcher. Kevin Sullivan returned in June, and it looks like Benoit and Sullivan will go the final round, at the Bash at the Beach 97 in a retirement match, in my point of view this match can go only one way, and of course Benoit was victorious.
The 4 Horsemen got a new member, when Arn Anderson retired, and it was Curt Hennig, who took Arn's spot. Hennig turned on the Horsemen at Fall Brawl, which will result in a long feud with Hennig and the nWo for the Horsemen. The feud turned dramatically, when Flair in a phone call at Nitro (09/29/97) disbanded the Horsemen until his return. Benoit was scheduled to meet Hennig at Halloween Havoc for the US Title, but instead it became Flair vs Hennig, which leaves Benoit out in the cold again. I expect Benoit to win the TV Title very soon, and thereby take Arn Anderson's spot as the Enforcer of the Horsemen. Benoit nearly won the TV Title from Saturn on a recent Nitro, but instead the Title bout turned into a new feud with Raven's Nest, who has attacked Benoit on several occasions. This feud is very much like the feud Benoit had with the Dungeon of Doom, where he has to go through all the members to get to the boss, Raven.
Steve McMichael has also been involved in the feud and so has Dean Malenko, could a reunion of the Horsemen be far away?
At Souled Out, Benoit and Raven finally had to slug it out in an Anything Goes Match, which showed that both of them can be extreme. After a lot of moves, which involved a chair, Benoit was able to put Raven in the Crippler CrossFace, Raven wouldn't give up, but Benoit was declared the winner when Raven passed out. The Flock then entered the ring to finish the job that Raven couldn't, but Dean Malenko came to the rescue of the Crippler. Since then Benoit and Malenko have had some great tag team matches against Eddy Guerrero and Chris Jericho.
Lately the WCW has realised what potential Benoit have and they have put him in the run for the WCW US Title, Benoit faced Diamond Dallas Page for the title at Thursday Thunder 02/05/98, but he wasn't able to get the duke due to interference from Raven and his Flock. Benoit got a shot at the US Title at SuperBrawl, but came out with the short end of the stick. Again the WCW just use Benoit to get other wrestlers over, what a waste.
The WCW will have a Three Way Dance for the US Title between DDP, Raven and Benoit. The events leading up to the event happened at Nitro, March 2, where Raven and his Flock attacked DDP, when Benoit came to the rescue, but DDP hit Benoit, and a slugfest erupted, but when Raven re-entered the ring they attacked him in union.
In a tag team match featuring Benoit and DDP vs Raven and Saturn things turned ugly, Benoit had Raven in the Crippler CrossFace, when DDP used his Diamond Cutter on Saturn, they hit Benoit, who got mad and started attacking DDP, which brought more heat to the Three Way Dance. At Uncensored in an ECW style match the three opponents clashed, but Diamond Dallas Page where able to win the match, after the match Benoit helped DDP to his feet. The following night Benoit lost to Raven in a great brawl, this will put Benoit out of the title picture, and it was even worse when Benoit jobbed to Scott Norton at Thursday Thunder, what the WCW wants with Benoit I don't know. Benoit got a TV Title match against Booker T at Nitro, March 23, it was an exciting match where both wrestlers showed what they are capable of, the time limit expires, and Booker could walk away with the gold, the next week we saw the two wrestlers go at it again, but with the same result, can the WCW not come up with anything better? Benoit saved Booker T from a chair shot by La Parka, Booker offered his hand to Benoit, who responded with a slap, way to go. Benoit has been wearing the Hitman's Hockey Team jersey to some of his matches, a thing to come? If Benoit don't get the TV Title the WCW will surely direct him to the Cruiserweight Title, but this will ruin his reputation.
At Spring Stampede, Benoit and Booker T clashed, of course Booker nailed the referee with a kick, Benoit then put on the Crippler CrossFace on Booker, but since there were no referee, Benoit tried to get the referee up, but Benoit got nailed with the Harlem Sidekick for the win. Will Benoit ever win a title in WCW?

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