| Wrestling World |
Profile: Shelton Benjamin
Before signing a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and training at Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he teamed with Brock Lesnar to become a three-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion, Shelton Benjamin enjoyed success as an amateur wrestler, first at the University of Minnesota before going on to become a two-time South Carolina State Heavyweight Champion.
He debuted for WWE on the December 26, 2002 episode of SmackDown with fellow collegiate wrestler Charlie Haas as Team Angle, serving as backup to heel WWE Champion Kurt Angle. On June 12, 2003, newly babyface Kurt fired them both in response to their recent losing streak, and the duo renamed themselves The World's Greatest Tag Team, remaining heel. Together they won the WWE Tag Team Titles on two occasions, before Benjamin moved to the Raw brand in the 2004 Draft Lottery.
Flying solo on Raw as a babyface, Shelton scored three upset victories over top heel Triple H and feuding with his faction Evolution. At Taboo Tuesday, he was voted by fans as the challenger to Chris Jericho's Intercontinental Title, and went on to win the gold. After the decade's longest title reign at the time, he eventually lost the belt to Carlito on the challenger's first night on Raw.
Benjamin drew attention with his innovative offense in the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21, but did not win the match. In December 2005, he began a heel turn after a motivational speech by Shawn Michaels had an adverse effect. He would soon be joined by his on-screen mother, with Momma Benjamin bossing Shelton around and cheating at ringside to help him win matches, leading him to his second Intercontinental Title. She was eventually taken off television with the story of a heart attack caused by former champion Ric Flair, and Shelton continued his title reign alone, turning more heads in his second unsuccessful Money in the Bank outing at WrestleMania 22. Afterwards, he traded his title to and from ladder match winner Rob Van Dam.
Later in 2006, Benjamin began playing the race card in promos, claiming that he'd been held back because of the color of his skin, and criticizing fellow African American wrestlers Cryme Tyme of propogating racial stereotypes with their behavior. In December, he was suddenly joined by Charlie Haas to reform The World's Greatest Tag Team, and have since resumed their role as a polished heel unit, this time on the Raw brand.
|
| |
|
