20 Mind-Blowing Facts About WCW
13. Chris Benoit Never Lost The WCW Title
By January, 2000, WCW was a mess, both on-screen and behind the scenes. It was a company without direction, desperately looking for someone, anyone who could sweep in and take control. Kevin Sullivan was the main booker, having replaced Vince Russo, who had been told just to sit at home and stop losing money for the company.
That may seem like a harsh statement, but it's how Russo was viewed at the time. His three month reign as chief booker had been an unmitigated disaster, and instead of bringing WCW closer to the WWF, it had actually set things back! Sullivan scrambled, putting the World Title on Chris Benoit at the Souled Out PPV, mainly due to injuries suffered by the likes of Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett.
Utterly fed up with the shenanigans in the company, Benoit (along with Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero) decided to leave, signing with the WWF quickly. Before departing, Benoit offered to drop the title to anyone of WCW's choosing on his final Nitro appearance, but management just told him to return the physical belt and be on his way, further damaging the reputation of the tarnished gold.