HHH v Chris Benoit

[Loss]

HHH v Chris Benoit - WWF Smackdown 02/03/00

 

Immediately, I have to ask why this match is even happening. The WWF managed to lure away WCW World Champion Chris Benoit, without him having ever lost the belt, and not only is it the very first match Benoit has on TV, but it's put on a throwaway Smackdown? With HHH going over in relatively clean fashion? I know the initial plan was for this to end in controversial fashion until Eddy Guerrero was injured earlier in the evening, but putting Benoit over here would have set up a Benoit/HHH feud whenever they wanted to do it, without compromising the HHH/Rock and HHH/Foley feuds at all. There's also the issue of HHH arguing immediately when Benoit debuted that he was overrated and was merely capable of being carried to a good performance, the sort of talk that immediately stopped after this match. The backstory, in some ways, is more fascinating than the match itself.

 

Still, the match is quite good, and it sees HHH look better than he normally does. Benoit was largely still wrestling the same style he had been in WCW, so the match has a little more depth to it, and the match builds from sequence to sequence instead of just throwing the Germans and crossface attempts out there. Those attempts are there, but they accomplish the smaller things as well, like HHH rolling out of the ring to regain his composure, slowing down the typical sprint style the company had on display at the time. HHH, to his credit, bumps well off of a vertical suplex and a baseball slide, but the differences in Benoit's style and the WWF style are readily apparent when the transitions sneak in, if only because HHH relies on a lot of his company's cliches like Irish whips and drop toeholds into steel steps. In many ways, this match is a meeting of the minds, with both wrestlers having two different approaches to working a match and finding a common ground in the middle, although it's still Benoit who's the impressive one here -- HHH's high knee means much more when Benoit ducks two lariats first. The crowd actually chants for Benoit's comeback and he gets in the not-yet-neutered rolling German suplexes to a great pop, and the way they get there is more progressive and sensible than the way Benoit gets there in 2004/2005. HHH was more physically capable five years ago than he is now, no question, but some of the same problems he has now existed then -- Benoit reversing out of a pedigree, for example, can't happen until HHH let's go of his arms first.

 

All said, the style clash probably isn't visible to the naked eye, but it's obvious to anyone who pays attention to these things. Benoit will always be great, but matches like this have forced him to dumb down his style to make sure he gets all of his spots in, even if it's at the risk of not having as good a match. Typical wrestling philosophy has always been to put the match over first and yourself over second, but that's not really in play with HHH's interpretation of what wrestling should be.

 

***

[Resident Evil]

HHH v Chris Benoit - WWF Smackdown 02/03/00

 

Immediately, I have to ask why this match is even happening. The WWF managed to lure away WCW World Champion Chris Benoit, without him having ever lost the belt, and not only is it the very first match Benoit has on TV, but it's put on a throwaway Smackdown? With HHH going over in relatively clean fashion? I know the initial plan was for this to end in controversial fashion until Eddy Guerrero was injured earlier in the evening, but putting Benoit over here would have set up a Benoit/HHH feud whenever they wanted to do it, without compromising the HHH/Rock and HHH/Foley feuds at all. There's also the issue of HHH arguing immediately when Benoit debuted that he was overrated and was merely capable of being carried to a good performance, the sort of talk that immediately stopped after this match. The backstory, in some ways, is more fascinating than the match itself.

 

Still, the match is quite good, and it sees HHH look better than he normally does. Benoit was largely still wrestling the same style he had been in WCW, so the match has a little more depth to it, and the match builds from sequence to sequence instead of just throwing the Germans and crossface attempts out there. Those attempts are there, but they accomplish the smaller things as well, like HHH rolling out of the ring to regain his composure, slowing down the typical sprint style the company had on display at the time. HHH, to his credit, bumps well off of a vertical suplex and a baseball slide, but the differences in Benoit's style and the WWF style are readily apparent when the transitions sneak in, if only because HHH relies on a lot of his company's cliches like Irish whips and drop toeholds into steel steps. In many ways, this match is a meeting of the minds, with both wrestlers having two different approaches to working a match and finding a common ground in the middle, although it's still Benoit who's the impressive one here -- HHH's high knee means much more when Benoit ducks two lariats first. The crowd actually chants for Benoit's comeback and he gets in the not-yet-neutered rolling German suplexes to a great pop, and the way they get there is more progressive and sensible than the way Benoit gets there in 2004/2005. HHH was more physically capable five years ago than he is now, no question, but some of the same problems he has now existed then -- Benoit reversing out of a pedigree, for example, can't happen until HHH let's go of his arms first.

 

All said, the style clash probably isn't visible to the naked eye, but it's obvious to anyone who pays attention to these things. Benoit will always be great, but matches like this have forced him to dumb down his style to make sure he gets all of his spots in, even if it's at the risk of not having as good a match. Typical wrestling philosophy has always been to put the match over first and yourself over second, but that's not really in play with HHH's interpretation of what wrestling should be.

 

***

There's also the issue of HHH arguing immediately when Benoit debuted that he was overrated and was merely capable of being carried to a good performance, the sort of talk that immediately stopped after this match

I've heard bits and pieces about this and I thought I rememberd an interview from awhile back where HHH said "Benoit can be carried to a good match" when Benoit's name come back. I've also heard I believe Meltz say the Hunter was saying Benoit couldn't work in 2000. Do you know much about this?

 

 

if only because HHH relies on a lot of his company's cliches like Irish whips and drop toeholds into steel steps.

I've only seen part of this match. Wasn't the drop toehold a Benoit move at the time? He was taking some bumps off that in 99 WCW like when he wrestled Devon Storm on WCWSN.

 

 

Typical wrestling philosophy has always been to put the match over first and yourself over second, but that's not really in play with HHH's interpretation of what wrestling should be.

So you're saying here that top priority in WWE matches is to hit your signature spots all the time even if it's not good for the match and that HHH feels that's the best way to do the wrestling because the hitting of your sig spots puts you over.

 

That's my #1 pet peeve in the WWE. You look at Tajiri who can do a lot of stuff in the ring (not picking on Tajiri here( and you know he HAS to hit the springboard back elbow, the Tarantula and the kick to the face in ever single match almost every time. Repeat for several other wrestlers. I think I know partly why they do this but it's just so repititive and predictable.

[Loss]

I have never heard HHH say Benoit had to be carried to a good match publicly, but he very well may have. It's not like he'd ever be reprimanded for it if he was anyway.

 

The use of the steel steps was always something I saw more in WWE than in WCW. Raven was the first one who I saw who started using the drop toehold into an object on a regular basis, but it eventually carried over to the WWF style when HHH started doing it. At least that's how I remember it. It may have been different. Memory may be hazy, but it seems like Benoit may have done it to Raven at Souled Out '98 as a revenge spot. Is that correct?

 

And yeah, that's my biggest gripe with the WWF style. They market wrestling to a fault -- it makes them great money, but they look at wrestlers at entities and their signature spots as slogans, kinda like Coke and "Can't Beat The Real Thing". From a business perspective, it makes sense, but there may be matches when Benoit would be better off not even going for the crossface, but he has to do it every time because he has shirts that say "Master of the Crossface".

 

Taijiri became such a spot machine in WWE. I think Rey Misterio Jr has done a better than just about anyone of working around the limitations of the style, as he always has to do that contrived 619, but he does what he can to make it seem natural.