Chris Benoit is one of the most well-rounded athletes of all time in professional wrestling. Born on May 21, 1967, Chris Benoit always dreamed of becoming a pro-wrestler. His idol was the Dynamite Kid (former partner of current Hart Foundation member Davey Boy Smith). He was trained in the famous Hart dungeon in Calgary by the great Stu Hart (who has also trained stars like his sons Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith, as well as Brian Pillman, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, Chris Jericho and many others). Chris made his pro-debut in December of 1985 in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary. He was a constant undercard wrestler during the years he
wrestled Stampede, and even went after the North American title. He would soon win the tag titles with Ben Bassarab beating
Wayne Ferris and Ron Starr for the Stampede Tag Team Championship on March 1, 1986. They lost them almost straight away, but then he teamed with Keith Hart, to get the same belts, this time from Wayne Ferris and the Cuban Assassin. Chris would then win the British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight title from the Great Gamma on March 19, 1988 in Calgary. He would win that same title three more times from Johnny Smith (who was billed as Davey Boy's brother) all three of those times. In between those title reigns, he held the Stampede Tag Team
Championships, again. He teamed with Lance Idol to beat Jerry Morrow and the Cuban Assassin, on October 7, 1988. He then won the straps with Biff Wellington defeating Makhan Singh, and Vokhan Singh, on December 30, 1988. During the time of the British Bulldogs split up, Benoit would team with Davey Boy to feud with the new British Bruisers (Dynamite Kid & Johnny Smith) which is what helped Chris gain a lot of popularity and respect from fans.
Chris was very successful in Japan as he won various tournaments, and various titles. He first won his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title from Jushin Thunder Liger on August 19, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan. He lost it back to Liger, also in Tokyo, on November 2. On September 27, 1994, lost a tournament final to Norio Honaga in Osaka, Japan, in a match for the same title. He went down to Mexico to wrestle for a while in early 1991, he defeated Villanos III for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, in Naucalpan on March 3, 1991. He went on to lose the belt back to Villanos III, on September 13, 1992. At this time, the belt was not recognised by the WWF, and was soon to become part of the J*Crown Championship. Benoit later wrestled in Japan under a mask as "Wild Pegasus", and won the New Japan "Top of the Super Junior" Tournament. In the first round, he beat Shinjiro Ohtani. Then in the second round, he fought to a draw with El Samurai, but both advanced. In the third round, Benoit beat Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero) with a tombstone piledriver from the second rope. And then, it was time for the final. Chris Benoit once again took on Shinjiro Ohtani (former WCW Cruiserweight champion) and once again, won. In that match, he also used the second rope tombstone piledriver. He became the 1995 New Japan Top of the Super Junior Tournament Champion.
From there, Benoit went to ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling). During that time, he recieved a try-out with the WWF. He was managed by Ted DiBiase, and he jobbed to Owen Hart, Bob 'Spark Plugg' Holly, and Adam Bomb. Chris did not sign with the WWF, as it was obvious that they were not in need of him and would have jobbed him from there on. February 25, 1995, Benoit and partner Dean Malenko would win the ECW tag straps from Sabu and Taz. The highlight of Benoit's ECW career was when he broke 3 of Sabu's vertebrae after driving him through a table. That incident is apparently what earned him the nickname "Canadian Crippler"
At the end of 1995, after One and a half years in Extreme Championship Wrestling, Chris Benoit was signed by one of the Big Two, World Championship Wrestling. It was October 1995, to be exact, and WCW had ideas of teaming Chris with ECW teammate, and co-Tag Team Champion, Dean Malenko. They even teamed once in WCW, at Halloween Havoc 1995, in a
dark match, which they won, over the Blue Bloods, Lord Steven Regal and Earl Robert Eaton. Chris got his big break when he became a member of the elite Four Horsemen with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and his good friend and fellow-Calgary dungeon trained Stampede star Brian Pillman (also a member of the great Hart Foundation). Chris would then be managed by Nancy Sullivan and start a major long-lasting feud with the Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan. In WCW, fans have learned to respect Chris Benoit, but he still extremely underrated and very underused. Hopefully, in time, the Crippler will finally get his break.
