Weight: 225 lbs.
Finishing move: The Crippler Crossface
Titles held: 2x WCW/World Champ, 4x WWE Intercontinental Champ, 4x WCW/WWE United States Champ, 3x World Tag Team Champ, 1x WWE Tag Team Champ, 3x WCW Tag Team Champ, 1x ECW Tag Team Champ, 3x WCW Television Champ, 2004 Royal Rumble Winner
Nicknames: The Wolverine, The Canadian Crippler
Benoit arrived in the WWF along with his disgruntled buddies from WCW: Eddie Guererro, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko. They were invited to Raw in the beginning of February 2000 by Cactus Jack. They sat in the front row and when The Road Dogg tried to get in their faces, they jumped the barricade and laid out the New Age Outlaws. They were given a chance by Triple H to get contracts by beating DX in a best of three series on Smackdown, but they failed. The next Raw, they turned on Cactus in exchange for contracts from Triple H. Benoit then teamed with Saturn and Malenko to take on Too Cool and Rikishi Phatu at No Way Out, but they lost. Benoit then got involved in the Chris Jericho/Kurt Angle feud. A two fall Triple Threat match was made for WrestleMania 2000, with both Angle's European and IC belts on the line. Benoit pinned Jericho in the first fall to become IC Champ, but was pinned by Jericho in the second fall for the Euro title. Jericho challenged him to a match at Backlash for the IC belt, but Benoit won by DQ. Benoit then made a challenge to Jericho for Judgment Day for a submission match, which Benoit won with the Crippler Crossface. Benoit qualified for King of the Ring over Road Dogg and X-pac, but days before the tournament, lost the IC belt to Rikishi. Benoit vowed to get revenge and hit Rikishi with a chair in their first round KOTR match, DQing him. Benoit applied the Crossface on Rikishi's injured arm. He received a WWF Title Match against The Rock at Fully Loaded. A stipulation was added that if the Rock was DQed, Benoit would win the title. That happened, and Benoit left with the title until Mick Foley came out and ordered the match to continue due to the Rock being innocent of the cause of the DQ. Benoit was then pinned. He beat Chris Jericho in a two out of three falls match at SummerSlam, and again walked out of a PPV as Champ, this time at Unforgiven. In a Four Way Match against The Undertaker, Kane, and The Rock. However, UT's foot was on the rope during the pinfall and the match was restarted and Benoit pinned. He feuded with Triple H after headbutting his wife Stephanie. He lost to HHH at No Mercy. In the weeks that followed, the Radicalz were reformed and teamed to beat Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Chyna, and K-Kwik at the Survivor Series. Benoit won his third IC title from Billy Gunn at Armageddon.
Benoit lost the IC belt at the Royal Rumble, in a Ladder Match against Chris Jericho. Along with X-pac and Eddie Guerrero, he challenged Jericho at No Way Out in a Fatal Four Way, but Jericho once again retained. At odds with Guerrero after the match, Benoit left the Radicals. He helped William Regal and Kurt Angle go after Rock and Austin, but grew fed up with Kurt. He challenged him to a match at WrestleMania, which Benoit lost. After attacks by Regal and Angle, Chris Jericho came to his aid and they became friends by necessity. Regal booked Benoit in a 30 Minute Ultimate Submission Match againt Angle at Backlash, with the winner being the one to score the most submissions in thirty minutes. With the score tied, Benoit tapped to Angle's anklelock after the final bell. Overtime was ordered, and Benoit managed to secure the Crippler Crossface and get Angle to tap. Irate, Angle confronted him the next night, Benoit knocked him out and then took his gold medals. He kept them from Kurt until Judgment Day, where they were to wrestle in a two out of three falls match. The first would be only pinfalls, the second only submission, and the third would be a Ladder Match. Angle managed to win with help from Edge & Christian. Benoit returned later that night as Jericho's mystery partner in the Tag Team Turmoil Match. They won over Edge & Christian and received a tag title shot the next night on Raw. They beat Triple H and Austin for the belts. With HHH injured, Benoit and Jericho got shots at Austin's World Title but came up unsuccessful. Benoit sustained a neck injury, but wrestled in a Triple Threat Match against Austin and Jericho at King of the Ring, but Austin managed to retain his title.
Benoit was put out of action for almost a year with a neck injury. He returned on Memorial Day 2002 on Raw, though he had been drafted to the Smackdown brand after the roster split. He was confronted by his old teammate Eddie Guerrero, who was having his problems with Steve Austin. When Austin beat up Guerrero later in the night, Benoit attacked Austin, helping out his old friend. However, Austin walked out of WWE shortly thereafter, and Benoit and Eddie blamed Raw owner Ric Flair for it. Flair defeated Eddie at King of the Ring, after Benoit's interference was countered by Bubba Ray Dudley. Benoit and Guerrero went after Bubba Ray and Spike, but lost to them in a table match at Vengeance. Benoit won the Intercontinental Title from Rob Van Dam, and then jumped to Smackdown, along with Eddie Guerrero. They helped Kurt Angle go after the Rock, and then teamed against Edge, Rey Mysterio and John Cena. Benoit lost the Intercontinental Title back to RVD at SummerSlam, and then the partnership with Angle started to dissolve. Benoit beat Angle at Unforgiven, but then Stephanie McMahon forced them to team when she created a tournament for Smackdown's tag team titles. If either man struck the other during a match, that man would be suspended for a year without pay. Benoit and Angle managed to beat Billy Kidman and John Cena, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and at No Mercy, Edge and Rey Mysterio for the titles despite hating one another. They dropped the belts to Mysterio and Edge a few weeks later, and were eliminated first in a Triple Threat Match against Edge and Mysterio and the Guerreros at Survivor Series. Benoit's friendship with Eddie broke down, and Benoit beat him at Armageddon.
Benoit beat the Big Show for a shot at his former partner Kurt Angle's WWE Title at the Royal Rumble. Though Angle beat him, Benoit received a standing ovation from the fans afterward. Benoit and Brock Lesnar beat Angle and Team Angle in a handicap match at No Way Out, after their partner Edge sustained a serious neck injury. A few nights later, Benoit announced he had a new partner, the returning Rhyno, and they went after the belts. They were in a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania XIX against Los Guerreros and Team Angle, but Team Angle emerged victorious. Benoit entered a tournament to crown a number one contender to Brock's WWE Title at Backlash. Benoit beat A-Train and Rhyno, but lost to John Cena in the finals. Benoit got into it with Nunzio and the FBI after they couldn't seem to "whack" him on national television. He teamed with Rhyno and Spanky at Judgment Day, but lost to the FBI and John Cena. Stephanie McMahon brought back the US Title to Smackdown, and Benoit entered the tournament for it, beating Rhyno in the first round and Matt Hardy in the next round. He lost in the finals to Eddie Guerrero at Vengeance, after Rhyno turned against him. A Fatal Four Way match was set for SummerSlam for the belt, as Eddie took on Benoit, Rhyno and Tajiri. Eddie won again, and Benoit settled things with Rhyno. However, he incurred the wrath of A-Train, who lost to Benoit on two separate occassions. A-Train became obsessed with beating Benoit, and got his chance at No Mercy. However, he didn't count on Benoit's vast arsenal of submission holds, and Benoit made him submit to a sharpshooter, in tribute to his trainer Stu Hart, who had died a few days earlier. Benoit was the first man approached by Angle to be on his team at Survivor Series. During the match, Benoit made WWE Champion Brock Lesnar tap out to the Crossface. A battle royal for a title shot occurred on Thanksgiving, with Benoit and John Cena co-winning after hitting the floor at the exact same time. Benoit beat Cena the next week for a title shot, but lost to Lesnar later in the night, thanks to Lesnar cheating. Heyman stated that Benoit came too close for comfort and that he would never get a title shot again as long as he was GM.
There's no holding me back
I'm not driven by fear, I'm just driven by anger
and you're under attack
I'm just climbing up slowly
I'm the one and only, I...
The tease, the way you lie
are stored in your mind
The fear, the hole inside
They hit here
But whatever you need
Whatever you've got
Whatever you want
I'll take back again
But whatever you need
Whatever you've got
Whatever you want
I'll take back again