Shelton Benjamin

Name: Shelton Benjamin

Height: 6 foot 2

Weight: 245 pounds

From: Orangeburg, S.C.

Finishing Move: T-bone suplex

Career Highlights: WWE Tag Team Champion; Intercontinental Champion

For a long time, Shelton Benjamin was known as the “other” WWE Superstar from the University of Minnesota. He may have been former WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar’s collegiate teammate (and also Lesnar’s coach for one year) at Minnesota, but Benjamin is a Superstar and has proven to have a future perhaps as bright as Lesnar’s once was, as a member of the Raw roster.

Benjamin is a unique athlete because he not only possesses the in-ring skills to compete with the best, but his background as an All-American in track gives him a speed advantage better than most in WWE. He’s capable of catching anybody with his speed and then keeping that opponent down with his skill. This combination has caught the attention of everybody on Raw.

Benjamin came to WWE initially as part of Team Angle with Charlie Haas and learned much from Kurt Angle. In fact, Angle’s teaching was so good that Team Angle quickly became WWE Tag Team Champions. While Angle was recovering from neck surgery, Team Angle began to have thoughts of their own and soon after Angle’s return, Angle decided to "fire" Haas. When Benjamin stood up for his friend, he too was "fired". Benjamin and Haas soon to become the Self-Proclaimed World’s Greatest Tag Team.

Benjamin eventually left Smackdown! and joined the Raw roster, breaking up the tag team. At Raw, he quickly proved himself a force to be reckoned with, until he was sidelined by a fractured hand. After his return, he set his sights on the top. At Taboo Tuesday, his hard work paid off when he defeated Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship. A week later, he retained the title, earning the respect of Y2J. Unfortunately, he also made an enemy of Christian, who sent hired gun Viscera to destroy Benjamin. After being manhandled by the 500-pounder, Benjamin fought back, defeating Viscera and enraging Christian.

Whatever his future holds, Benjamin has become a dominant force on Raw. Many feel his Raw success has come as a result of his unique style. Benjamin not only possesses the in-ring skills to compete with the best, but his background as an All-American in track gives him a speed advantage better than most in WWE.