CHRIS BENOIT Height: 5' 10"
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There was a time when Chris Benoit was considered the greatest Superstar
to never hold the World Heavyweight Championship. However, after a journey
of more than a decade that included more valleys than peaks, Benoit picked
the biggest possible stage to earn the biggest prize in sports
entertainment when he defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania
XX to achieve his dream and stand as the very best in the business. Benoit's journey to get to World Wrestling Entertainment began in his hometown in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After working years in Canada, Japan, Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, Benoit finally entered WWE in 1999, along with his friends Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. Benoit quickly found success in WWE, capturing the Intercontinental Championship numerous times, and even becoming WWE World Tag Team Champion along with Chris Jericho. However, his dream was to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and when he sat out a year due to injury, there were doubts as to whether he would ever realize his dream. Since returning to the ring in June of 2002, Benoit has proven to be stronger than ever before and his star has risen at an extraordinary pace. Late in 2003, Benoit came within seconds of defeating Brock Lesnar and capturing the WWE Championship. As a result of his success, SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman apparently derailed Benoit's dream when he declared that Benoit would never receive another opportunity to win the WWE Championship. That move would prove to be the best thing to ever happen to Benoit. At the 2004 Royal Rumble, Benoit joined one of the most exclusive clubs in the history of sports entertainment when he was the first entry into the rumble and survived 29 other men to win the match -- an incredible 61 minutes and 34 seconds in the ring! The victory allowed Benoit to move to RAW where he finally reached the top of the mountain with his WrestleMania XX victory. Fittingly, after forcing Triple H to tap out to earn the World Heavyweight Championship, Benoit was first congratulated by Guerrero himself as the two Champions embraced after they both took similar paths to the top. |