Chris Benoit entered Royal Rumble 2004 with major odds stacked against him by SmackDown General Manager, Paul Heyman. First of all, he and John Cena had to win a handicap match to even qualify for the Rumble, and when he did Paul Heyman vindictively placed him in at #1. Benoit lasted for sixty-one minutes, thirty seconds and eliminated six men including The Big Show, who he conquered to win the match itself. He became the second man, after Shawn Michaels nearly ten years earlier, to enter the Royal Rumble at #1 and go the distance to win the match. After the Royal Rumble, Benoit jumped from SmackDown to Raw to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the main event, and shared an emotional moment with his friend Eddie Guerrero as both men who many thought would never be world champions held belts by the end of WrestleMania XX. Unfortunately, Benoits story does not have a happy ending, and his tragic legacy has been well documented over the years. WWE do not currently acknowledge his accomplishments, and there is fierce debate over whether they should, but those matches are still there for fans who still remember Benoit as one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet.
