10 Things We Learned From Chris Jericho's Podcast On Chris Benoit's Death
3. Wrestling Benoit Was Intense, But Not Difficult
Given Benoit's intense, brooding personality, it's easy to assume that working with him between the ropes was no easy task. The Canadian was often described as tough to deal with backstage, but according to Jericho, this wasn't the case in the ring. Benoit worked strong and hard, but his ultimate goal was to have the best possible match, not get himself over, and he'd mastered the art of calling his matches on the fly.
Jericho spoke of a time when Benoit was wrestling Diamond Dallas Page, who used to plan his matches with great detail, right down to specific facial expressions. This was the polar opposite of Benoit's approach, and upon learning he was wrestling DDP one night, Chris went missing. Page couldn't find him to plot the match, and he panicked, only for Benoit to re-emerge 10 minutes before bell time, and they went on to have a fantastic match regardless.
Benoit was strong and athletic, but never overly stiff, though Y2J did mention that his fellow Canadian once knocked him out with a single slap. He was fearless, too, with Jericho recalling one particular spot where Benoit said he'd take an unprotected chairshot straight off a tope - a grim thought, knowing what we do today.