Shelton Benjamin

[9.0] "8.9 - truly one of the best to ever do it. on the short list of best athletes to ever do it. apparently on an even shorter list of one of the best humans to ever do it. still going strong at freaking 51! a true pro and a gentleman"

[9.0] "Shelton being able to do what he does as well as he does it, and at the age he does it too? its down right incredible. He's nothing short of a wrestling machine, he hasn't aged a bit from his time in WWE to AEW. Shelton's always had "it" he can cut a great promo, he's phenomenal in the ring and can go the distance with anyone good or bad. He has had numerous moments from the Shawn Michaels match on Raw, the 1st MITB match along with its spots, his matches in New Japan against Shinsuke Nakamura in the G1 tournaments, Team Angle, his feuds with Swerve in AEW, Hurt Business/Syndicate. He is miles better than most of the top stars today athletically, can cut better promos than most of them too. He deserves to be in so many more top 5 lists that he gets."

[8.0] "He's very probably a better wrestler than Austin. He is better than Rock and Sting, much better than Cena and miles above what Hogan could do. Difference is all those mentioned had that extra 10%. Charisma, dynamism or whatever you want to call it. Supreme athlete and had a great career. 9 is too high, 8.5 really with an obvious ceiling."

[9.0] "9.5/10 from me, Accomplishments - 8.5, Charisma/Character Work - 7.5, Cultural Significance - 8, In-Ring Skills - 9.5, Longevity - 10 and Move-Set - 8.5 = 8.8 rounded up to 9/10."

[9.0] "This man is an absolute wrestling machine. Team Angle took the whole tag team division to another level. Selton's single run was great as well. I really hoped that he would've been the one to beat Honky Tonk Man's IC title record. When he was the Gold Standard he should've won the ECW title. I beleave he could have been a main eventer."

[9.0] "Shelton Benjamin is one of those guys where you watch him and just know WWE left something on the table. I'm not saying he should've been the face of the company, but he absolutely should've gotten at least a short world title run at some point. The talent was clearly there. In-ring, he was insanely talented. One of the best pure athletes WWE has ever had. He was explosive, smooth, and just effortless with everything he did. The obvious issue was always the promos and overall personality. He never really connected on that level, and I get why that held him back in WWE's system. But at the same time, it always felt like they never really tried that hard to present him as more than a midcard guy either. There were definitely moments where they could've pulled the trigger and just didn't. Even then, he carved out a really solid career. Great tag work, reliable singles guy, and someone who could slot into any role and deliver. Not an all-time great, but way better than just "good.""

[6.0] "He's kind of one of those guys like Dolph Ziggler/Nic Nemeth where people spent so long saying he was underrated that now I feel like he is overrated. How many great matches was Shelton apart of? The answer is 0. Yes, we can talk about how WWE held him back but when he left WWE he never had a great match in ROH, NJPW, or AEW. Obviously he's a talented and athletic guy but it's okay to admit he's not great."

[5.0] "If I have to get back in time 11 years to find a good match you were part of that doesn't give you any higher points. In fact it makes you have a lower rating. This man is loved by the fans that is the only reason why people don't focus on the fact he has massively gotten worse as a worker for the past decade"

[9.0] "Shelton Benjamin is so underrated. He puts 100% percent effort into every match he puts in and they're always entertaining. He's done good stuff in the hurt business and the hurt syndicate too. I hope he gets a singles push before he retires, he's so deserving of it, imo."

[8.0] "This guy is criminally underrated. I'll never understand why he never became a big star. He's incredible in the ring and has proven time and time again that he can hang with top guys."

[8.0] "Easily one of the most underrated wrestlers in the entire business. Saying what I already saw Chris Van Vliet saying, the fact that an athlete such as great as Benjamin never got an world title is insane for everyone hear and look about. Not a single promotion ever pushed him into the main card and that is really a shame. My favorite part of his career is easily the AEW points, but I know an thing or two about his japan tour, really should look more about it."

[8.0] "everyone already knows he's underrated of course, i really wish they could've invested more time into him. I think i can confidentally say they may have left behind some money on the table with shelton. considering some of the talent they were pushing at the time why not you know? a certified human highlight reel when he was on his best. some of wwe's best ladder matches are thanks to this man. along with his work with team angle they should've at the least gone for a world heavyweight push. but i think it's for reasons i wont get into. shelton continue to be great!"

[10.0] "The greatest all-around in-ring worker in wrestling history. He can have a catch-as-catch-can style match because he came up as an amateur, he can keep up with a lucha spot-fest, he can do extreme (just look at how many early MITB matches were made memorable by him), he's an underrated tag team great, and he can work King's Road too. Who else in wrestling history can claim to do all of this, not just well, but at an upper-echelon? The one criticism you can levy against him is his mic ability was never quite enough to be a superstar in mainstream American wrestling (and, in all fairness to him, he was never booked in a way that helped him), but I don't think that outweighs his unparalleled greatness in the ring and longevity."

[9.0] "Is he amazing on the mic? No. But he's better than he gets credit for, imo. And in the ring, he is unbelievably good and was the blueprint for a lot of today's ultra-athletic offense. The fact that he's still having such great matches at age 50 is crazy."

[8.0] "50 now and still an absolute beast. An unsung hero for his entire career but his work was always there to elevate whatever he was in."

[8.0] "I really like Shelton a lot, I think he's great but I always thought like he could be potentially better. He has a great physique, he's strong, but also technical (certainly thanks to his wrestling past). Maybe the mic is his weakness, because I don't remember particular good promos. Still, great wrestler in-ring."

[8.0] "He is the shining example of an incredible talent that has gone under appreciated most of his career. He is like the mascot of "top 10 most impressive wrestling spots" type videos. Anything involving shelton is worth checking out, the only exception being the mama's boy gimmick, which is no fault of his own."

[10.0] "I will forever die on the hill that Shelton Benjamin is the best wrestler from that 2002 OVW class. Great athlete and a great technical wrestler. One of the better tag workers ever as well. His promo skills aren't great but that was never a problem for guys like Brock. Shelton is an underrated all time great who deserved better than what he was given in his prime."

"Great wrestler, very good in-ring and had a excellent run from 2003-07. Good journeyman and huge longevity. Pretty sad he never had a real opportunity during that time, he had almost everything to be a top dog in WWE."

[10.0] "Shelton Benjamin is a once-in-a-generation athlete. His speed, power, agility, and explosiveness were off the charts, and he made moves look effortless that most guys wouldn't dare try. Whether it was flying off ladders, leaping to the top rope in one bound, or chain wrestling circles around his opponents, Shelton was always the smoothest guy in the ring. For a stretch, Benjamin was the most exciting wrestler on Raw. But WWE never pulled the trigger. They gave him the "Gold Standard" gimmick, they put him in the Money in the Bank matches where he stole the show every year, but they never gave him the consistent push toward the world title scene he earned. Benjamin's promos were never his strength, but his in-ring work and natural charisma made up for it. Even in his later years, whether it was his run in New Japan, ROH, or his Hurt Business stint, Shelton still delivered at a high level well into his 40s. He adapted, evolved, and kept his game sharp while others slowed down. Shelton Benjamin is the perfect example of a guy whose in-ring talent far outpaced the opportunities he was given. But through it all, he maintained a career of longevity, consistency, and respect from both his peers and fans who always knew what he was capable of. Shelton Benjamin is one of wrestling's purest athletes, a ring general, and a performer whose highlight reel alone makes him a legend. Even if the system never gave him the crown, fans knew he was always gold."

[10.0] "(keep in mind I have only seen his run up until about 2007 or 8) UNDERRATED. His late 2004/early 2005 is one of the best ever, he was on fire here. His bell to bell material can not be appreciated enough, always shined like the brightest of diamonds. He has always looked in top physical condition. He's VERY good looking. A dynamic repertoire and in many ways pioneered the modern use of turnbuckles and ropes. Sells well and gels well with EVERYONE. Very giving, has the ability to help elevate and bring out the best in most. Smooth as silk and ridiculously agile. Outstanding in singles, tags or gimmick matches. If you're "one of them" I guess we dock points for lack of promos but his ring work showed character, charisma, ingenuity and he is a joy to rewatch again and again ~ and since I base my criteria mostly on watchability, return viewings score high of course!"

[8.0] "Shelton Benjamin is one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time, I really enjoy his work, the guy is a fantastic athlete, he's super fast in the ring, great technician, can work stiff, I love his style, he's a ring general, great worker. Shelton is probably not the guy that will deliver an instant classic, but as a weekly worker he's amazing, he has a lot of interesting solo runs, and also a very prolific stint with Charlie Haas on the tag division. This guy has proved to be interesting working solo, tag and with a stable, a very valuable asset to any company."

"Shelton Benjamin is one of, if not the most underrated wrestler in WWE history. His 1st stint with the company was really good, but could've been even better had they wanted to actually develop his character. His 2nd, was very lackluster, but I still feel he deserved way more, I would've given him a world title run, even if just a short one. We all know his pure athletic ability is above most, let's hope AEW does something meaningful with him"

"This was great stuff. Sheldons athleticism and power mixed with Marks brawling ability made a fun match to kick off the Continental Classic."

[8.0] "Longevity is this mans game. He has never been overwhelmingly good on the mic but in the ring he still shines to this day. Gets over a high flyer style that looks realistic and doesn't ever go over the top. Also Mama Benjamin takes SB from a 7 to an 8."

[6.0] "Shelton is still somehow running off the vapours of being decent 20 years ago. He had some good matches but the way people talk you would think he had an amazing run somewhere for 10 odd years and an unfortunate warehouse fire means the tapes are lost to time."

[8.0] "A very talented wrestler .You can always rely on shelton for good matches on any given tv, ppv or even c shows.His runs with intercontinental title were memorable.His spots in the mitb were highlights of his career.And he is also a good human"

[8.0] "Shelton is one of the best natural athletes WWE has ever seen. His work in the ring speaks for itself. As a tag team or singles wrestler, Shelton often stole the show. Unfortunately, his lack of promo skills ended up holding him back from reaching the next level. His work with his momma was entertaining, but it did make him look like a chump. Shelton's peak in WWE was from 2003-2005. I wish his second run in WWE during the late 2010s-early 2020s fared a little better. He still had so much to offer."

[8.0] "If Jeff Hardy was world champ material, then so can Shelton Benjamin, im saying that is because everyone said he wasnt "good on the mic" or "he didnt have enough charisma", Hardy wasnt good on the mic and he was the most popular human being in 2008, and Shelton had charisma, just look at his entrances and matches, bro had aura back then and its the truth, he could have been something if WWE actually tried with him but didnt."

"Team angle was the best thing going on at WWE during that era. Benjamin & Haas had athletic abilities far beyond believe. Together they set the standard for future tag teams like Alpha Academy. Shelton's single career had ups and downs. The matches he had where always good/great. Some angles, sheltons momma... weren't too great. It was very welcome to see him return to WWE after 6 year hiatus."

[4.0] "Yall forever defend this man for what? I used to be a fan & I was so hyped pushing for him to get any opportunity but goddamn theres a reason he wasnt getting the shots some of the fans thought he deserved. This man sucked on the mic had the most basic personality hes athletic but his matches arent must watch or even want to watch. At best his matches are formulaic with a few like him going against one of the GOATs in Shawn Michaels & the MITB ladder matches where he got to be a highlight were good but it was clear hes not that guy for matches. His role was perfect if not better than what he was a great midcarder who could get pushed up and down the card with ease & an excellent tag wrestler."

"9/10 solid athlete and you folks probably wont like me but I will stand by the idea he shouldve won MITB at Wrestlemania 25, he in my opinion is one of the best wrestlers to never win the world heavyweight/WWE Title, top 10 midcarder in my opinion"

[8.0] "One of the best pure athletes in all of pro wrestling. Shelton had the size, the speed, the agility, and the endurance that only an elite few had. On top of that, he could do the mat wrestling, he could do the high flying stuff, he could do the power stuff, he could do just about any kind of style you'd want to see for a guy of his size, and do it just as skillfully as anyone that had ever done it. What hurt him, at least on the main stage, was he didn't have the personality, or the promo ability to go along with being the top tier athlete that he was, and no one creatively knew how to book around that."

[8.0] "One of my favorite mid carders of all time. Great in the ring but suffered from a total lack of charisma. Guys like Jack Swagger became world champions in WWE though so I dont see why Shelton couldnt have had at least one world title run."

[6.0] "Wrong place at the wrong time is pretty much the key for Shelton Benjamin. Even then, when he went to NOAH and New Japan, he wasn't a perfect fit. He's a decent allarounder and an above average tag guy, but he had the benefits of coming up in Heyman-era Smackdown where that could be best protected. It's a shame he deliberately got fucked over in WWE, but at the same time I struggle seeing how he had the intangibles to be 'the guy.' A good athlete but feels more like Angle-lite in the way he wrestles with maybe a fourth of the charisma. His failed runs elsewhere makes me think what could've been if he had a start elsewhere at peak athleticism, but we'll never know."

[8.0] "Great wrestler, but lacking in charisma mainly because he wasn't the strongest on the mic. Had some pretty great singles matches with HHH, HBK, Jericho and Kurt Angle and was mainly known for being in a tag team with Charlie Haas and then winning the intercontinental title on RAW while fueding with Chris Jericho. Sadly in WWE he was always given a pretty lackluster gimmick later on and kind of ruined his character. He also didn't have the best mic skills considering that he just wasn't very good at coming off loud and arrogant. He did some cool stuff in Japan too. But I don't think people can complain about him not getting the world title when he did get a pretty generous mid card push."

[7.0] "Shelton in my opinion is one of the best mid carders of all time. He was a guy who could be plugged into anything and make it happen. He was never really world champion guy for me but he was a great Intercontinental Champion. He could just captivate everyone in the crowd and I think deserved better during his time"

[8.0] "HANDS DOWN, one of the most underrated talents of this generation. Not the best in the promo department but in-ring, he's absolutely one of the most gifted performers out there. I remember him when he was teaming with Charlie Haas as apart of Team Angle and thinking just how great he was going to be when he gets a chance to be a single. I remember when he was drafted to RAW and him having those fantastic matches against Triple H, only to capture the Intercontinental title shortly thereafter. I feel like his lack of personality really held him back in Vince McMahon's world of sports entertainment but he's been able to carve out a fine career despite it."

[8.0] "Great athlete and amateur wrestler who hit the ceiling as Intercontinental champion. Not quite good enough charisma wise but will go down as a great champion with Haas or on his own in WWE and ROH, had standout moments with HBK and the Springboard Superkick counter, Team Angle and as part of the World's Greatest Tag Team onto being the veteran to Cedric in the Hurt Business. A great example of a guy who's Hall of Fame worthy but never quite made the top rankings."

[7.0] "Never got the run he deserved, though for a bit it looked like he was heading that way. Unfortunately, him getting the "big momma" manager gimmick relegated him to the undercard for the rest of his career. Great in the ring, with tremendous athletic ability."

[8.0] "There were so many times they could've strapped the rocket to Shelton, but they never did, and it's a damn shame. Absolutely deserved to be a world champion, if only once. Don't count out his New Japan run, either."

[8.0] "Underrated pro wrestler. His first run in WWE had such potential but he never got above midcarder. His in-ring ability was amazing, and his charisma was outstanding. The crowd was behind him but never got a chance. He was good in ROH and NJPW afterwards. His second WWE run had potential again with the Hurt Business but was once again wasted."

[8.0] "He is one of the greatest IC champion ever, he was great in the WGTT, he had great matches with Shawn Michaels and performances in the MITB, he will go down as one of the most underrated talents. As he's got older he's added muscle and changed his ring style and it still a competent hand on the roster and I always look forward for seeing him -but unfortunately his matches tend to either be on main event or are squash matches."

[8.0] "He has been underrated for nearly the entirety of his carreer, which is a damn shame. Now that the Hurt Business are coming back together, I hope that there is one last big 200 day US title reign planned for him because he deserves it for all the years of blowing everyone's mind. Wether he is the Gold Standard or Shelton X Benjamin, he has always brought it."

[7.0] "This guy just doesn't age. Looks the same now as he did when he first broke into WWE. His athleticism in the ring was a joy to behold but it always meant something and he has some excellent offence. A brilliant seller as well so you can always rely on him for solid matches which was often called upon in his NJPW run. It's a shame we never got more from Shelton because I always felt he could get over if the bookers decided to run with him for a bit."

[8.0] "Perhaps we are in front of one of the most underrated wrestlers in WWE (or wrestling in general). I always liked him, his wrestling was fast and pretty good. I wish he would have had another direction in his career, he's just too good."

[7.0] "He is one of the most underrated wrestlers in WWE in terms of wrestling ability. Maybe he didn't get pushed because he lacked charisma and his gimmick is very boring."

"Shelton Benjamin deserves more love and appriciation. He is almost 50 years old and still spectacular in ring performer. Team angle was way ahead of their time. Now they woul be AEW tag team champions."

[8.0] "Shelton is a really outstanding player. Talented, agile, fast, athletic. Good in ladder fights and in team fights. Inborn talent and appearance partially compensate the shortcomings of a microphone. He is currently cosmically underrated. The fact that he was brought down to the Main Event fights could be considered a crime against wrestling."

[7.0] "A really solid Wrestler, most Benjamin matches that I've watched have been good or better, his athleticism and physique make for a compelling performer and his selling is often very good, a great solid performer and undoubtedly a great addition to any roster he is a part of."