10 Wrestlers Who Became World Champions At The WRONG Time
4. Chris Benoit
Tony Schiavone ushered in the new millennium by promising that Souled Out 2000 would set the tone for WCW's year and decade to come. That's laughable looking back, because the group would only exist full-scale for another year and change. Meanwhile, Chris Benoit's career with the company would only run for another 24 hours.
That didn't stop bookers from putting the big gold belt on him.
Benoit beat Sid Vicious for the World Title in a spirited main event. Then, he handed the title back to WCW chiefs and left for the WWF before Monday's episode of Nitro made air. The timing couldn't have been worse from WCW's perspective, but...what the hell were they smoking anyway?! Benoit didn't want to be in the promotion anymore, let alone World Champ of it.
His head had been turned by the lure of better organisation over on the McMahon side. Maybe showing this kind of faith in the Canadian in 1998 or 1999 would've sold him on staying put longer than he did. Instead, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn fled for greener pastures.