Shelton Benjamin was one of the most athletically gifted performers to ever grave a WWE ring. There are few who could perform with the grace and agility of the 'Gold Standard' who, at nearly 250lbs, was far from a cruiserweight. Benjamin was signed to the company at the request of Brock Lesnar, whom WWE paid $250,000 per year just to train in OVW. Benjamin shone in developmental and was called up in 2002 to act as part of Team Angle. It was a good gig, but Benjamin was clearly capable of more than being a punching bag. He and Charlie Haas put on some great matches and eventually split from Angle. They were prematurely broken up in April 2004, with Benjamin drafted to Raw. It was a pleasant surprise when Benjamin scored a couple of victories over Triple H and feuded with the likes of Randy Orton over the Intercontinental Championship. Benjamin was on a role, having great matches before enthusiastic crowds. Then he apparently dissed a respected road agent and was saddled with a losing streak and 'Momma Benjamin' manager. His WWE career would never truly recover. He reformed his team with Haas and then had a decent run as the 'Gold Standard' before his release. United States, Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles are nice, but Benjamin should have been a World Champion, with his talent.
