Chris Benoit’s in-ring legacy has all the time sparked debate, however Ken Anderson simply dropped a narrative that provides a twist to Benoit’s standing behind the scenes in WWE—straight from the mouth of Vince McMahon himself.
In a current interview with Elite Wrestle Speak, Anderson talked about Benoit’s work ethic, depth, and the way his personal self-critical nature may’ve value him large within the eyes of the WWE boss. Based on Anderson, Paul Heyman as soon as prompt that Benoit ought to be given a championship run—just for Vince McMahon to close it down with a brutally chilly remark.
“There was a narrative as soon as… Paul Heyman advised me. They had been seeking to put the title on anyone new, and Paul threw Benoit’s title on the market. Vince was like, ‘However he sucks although.’”
Heyman apparently needed to step in and remind Vince who he was speaking about.
“Paul was like, ‘Are we speaking about the identical man? Chris Benoit?’ Vince goes, ‘Yeah, each time he comes again, he beats himself up. He’s all the time saying, it sucked, it sucked, it sucked.’”
Anderson believes that Benoit’s self-deprecating angle gave Vince the fallacious impression solely.
“In Vince’s eyes, when you say you suck, then you definitely suck. Paul needed to persuade him—‘No, he doesn’t suck. He’s simply actually exhausting on himself.’”
Ken additionally defined how intense Benoit was within the ring—all the time pushing for realism, all the time demanding extra, and by no means glad with mediocrity.
“He was very, very intense. ‘Carry your shIt, as a result of I’m gonna deliver mine.’ And if one thing minor acquired tousled, he’d beat himself up over it.”
Benoit’s dedication to the craft was unquestionable. But even that wasn’t sufficient to override Vince’s brutal first impression. In an organization the place picture and presentation are the whole lot, Benoit’s humility could have value him greater than anybody knew.
Do you assume Vince McMahon was too fast to guage Chris Benoit’s talents—or was Benoit’s intense character simply an excessive amount of behind the scenes? Drop your ideas within the feedback beneath—we wish to hear what you assume.
Please credit score Ringside Information when you use the above transcript in your publication.
November 9, 2025 10:23 pm