10 Classic WrestleMania Moments (WWE Won’t Ever Brag About)

6. Chris Benoit's World Heavyweight Title Win

Chris Benoit Eddie Guerrero
WWE.com

The image of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero celebrating their shared ascent to the pinnacle of pro wrestling, under a snowstorm of confetti, wasn't merely triumphant: it was impossible.

Neither man fit the remit of a WWE headliner, the former especially. Benoit lacked the charisma, size and marketability to convince Vince McMahon what his legion of hardcore fans were already convinced of: that Benoit compensated with a best in the world-level workrate amplified by unprecedented intensity. Guerrero was a far more colourful character, but his personal demons did not bubble, unseen, beneath the surface. His struggles with addiction manifested as public "episodes". Guerrero wasn't merely short. He was a known liability. None of that mattered on March 14, 2004. Their brilliance and the pathos of their symbiotic story was recognised on the Grandest Stage - the stage usually reserved for the household names. Obviously, the events of June 2007 have erased this stunning and emotive visual from WWE canon, erasing in parallel Benoit's currency with a large portion of his public.

This is something that by all rights shouldn't have happened and, in a grim irony, effectively did not.

In this post: 
Hulk Hogan
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!