10 Topics "Crossface" Movie Needs To Address

6. The Most Underrated Wrestler In The World

Chris Benoit WMXX
WWE.com

After the Sullivan feud was over, Benoit was a popular superstar. Despite his skill and reputation with the fans, though, WCW wasn't the kind of place where a guy like Benoit was going to become a top star. Men like Sting, Lex Luger, Randy Savage and Kevin Nash were being paid big money and had a perception of being draws, so future stars like Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho remained on the undercard.

Nevertheless, Benoit became very popular with hardcore fans, a so-called "Internet darling" of the Attitude Era. As WWE started to become increasingly competitive with WCW based upon smart usage of WCW castoffs like Steve Austin, Mick Foley and The Undertaker, fans started to wonder if Benoit wouldn't be better off plying his trade elsewhere.

Still, Benoit stayed in WCW, working his tail off to make the company's undercard consistently entertaining. In 1998, he was voted Most Underrated Wrestler by fans of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter - when would his time come?

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013