Angle, Benoit put on another clinic

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

Angle, Benoit put on another clinic

 

 

LOS ANGELES – Sept. 22, 2002 – Chris Benoit sat alone in the locker room after the conclusion of Unforgiven. He had a noticeable lump underneath his left eyebrow from knocking heads with his opponent, Kurt Angle, while executing a belly-to-back suplex.

 

An ice pack sat next to him on the floor. Benoit didn’t want to put it on his face because he said the stinging of the ice hurts more than the injury itself. His surgically repaired neck, however, was feeling fine; but as much as fans may find it hard to believe, Benoit still insists that he’s not 100 percent recovered from the injury.

 

“It’s progressing,” he said. “Physically I feel great, but it’s more of a mental thing. I don’t feel like I have my full instinct back. It’s real minor things that maybe the people don’t notice, but I notice.

 

“Even if I get to the point where I say I’m 100 percent physical and 100 percent mental, I’m still going to pick my stuff apart. I’ve always been like that.”

 

Benoit said he still feels his neck jar from time to time, but not from doing the moves that fans may assume would cause it.

 

“I’ve been doing belly-to-backs, my flying headbutt – everything feels good,” he said. “It’ll be something like when someone takes my legs out from under me – a basic back bump – and it’ll jar. Something stupid like that, real easy, and I feel it. But I’d rather have that then have it happen when I do something big, because then I’d know it’s not at full strength."

 

“I think my neck has its own little brain now and it’s playing practical jokes on me.”

 

Told that Benoit says he’s not 100 percent yet, Angle immediately responded, “He’s lying. Honestly, he’s better than he’s ever been.”

 

The Rabid Wolverine, though, was feeling great after his match tonight. And the man who admittedly normally lets his actions do the talking for him, actually felt like talking.

 

“These kind of matches, they have a place on my mental trophy case,” Benoit said. He mentioned his match against William Regal at the Brian Pillman Memorial Show, his battle with Bret Hart at WCW’s Owen Hart Tribute at Kansas City’s Kemper Arena and his match with Angle at WrestleMania X-Seven as others he’s proud of. “This’ll be a match that’s definitely on the top shelf.

 

“In this business I’ve wrestled in every country where wrestling in strong,” he continued. “I’ve wrestled in Canada, Japan, Europe and the U.S. I’ll have been wrestling 17 years the first week in December. Kurt stands out, out of everyone I’ve ever seen come in the business is 17 years. So it’s an honor to be in the ring with him, not only because of his amateur background, but also because of how good he is.”

 

Meanwhile, Angle said he considers Benoit “the best worker in the business. I love wrestling Chris. He’s just so sharp and precise.

 

”Angle and Benoit are perhaps the two most versatile competitors on the roster. They’re certainly among the most respected by both fans and Superstars. As a sign of that respect, they went out and battled tonight – neither one of them as a fan favorite – yet the audience responded, and their match ended up being arguably the most exciting of the night.

 

“Before tonight, I would have said that was almost impossible,” Angle said, referring to pulling off a “heel vs. heel” match. “After tonight, (I know) if you tell the right story, you’ll get that fan reaction.”

 

Angle added that the was no “ref bump,” no foreign objects, no cheap shots and no low-blows in their match.

 

“It just proves that old-school is better than anything else, and that’s what we all have to come back to,” Angle said. “Old-school with a new-school flavor.”

 

Said Benoit, “I was a little concerned before going out there because I didn’t know if people were going to care whether I was beating Kurt up or Kurt was beating me up.”

 

Benoit paused and then added, “I love wrestling. I’m not much or a puncher or a kicker. Kurt is a wrestler as well. I don’t think they had a fan favorite, but they saw we were putting our hearts and souls in it and doing something we both love. Even if fans don’t ‘like’ me, I believe that they respect that. We wrestle. We bring something different to the table when we do that.”

 

Benoit says that he appreciates that fact, in the age of sports-entertainment, fans can still get behind a good match.

 

“I’m not the greatest person at getting on the mic and explaining my feelings,” he said. “I’m not the greatest person at letting people know how I feel. I’ve always been like that for my whole life. I’ll show you how I feel rather than tell you."

 

“It feels good when people can appreciate the work I do out there. It’s not just me; I had a great opponent tonight.”

 

Angle said he believes his rivalry with Benoit will eventually be considered one of the all-time greatest.

 

“I look forward to the future with Chris,” Angle said. “You look at The Rock vs. Triple H, Undertaker vs. Stone Cold (Steve Austin). The next one is going to be Angle-Benoit, and I think it’s going to be better only because Chris and I have such great chemistry together.”

 

In addition to stealing the show every night, Benoit may have other incentives for being arguably the best wrestler in the world. He’s a quiet leader who would love to see wrestling – mat technique, ring psychology, etc. – continue long after he retires.

 

“It’s a lost art. I like watching guys come up who do that,” Benoit said, mentioning John Cena, Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin as good young wrestlers.

 

“There’s a lot of young guys coming up. I want them to always keep that part. I don’t want wrestling to get too far away. The psychology, the storytelling – it’s very important.”

 

Credit: WWE.com

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

<Angle said he believes his rivalry with Benoit will eventually be considered one of the all-time greatest.

 

“I look forward to the future with Chris,” Angle said. “You look at The Rock vs. Triple H, Undertaker vs. Stone Cold (Steve Austin). The next one is going to be Angle-Benoit, and I think it’s going to be better only because Chris and I have such great chemistry together.”>

 

Taker/Austin is not a great one, IMO.

 

I'm surprised no one ever mentions the Ego Angle has.

[Guest Army Eye]

I'm sure he meant Austin vs. Bret ? Heh.

[Guest Brian]

They still haven't really totally clicked though. Angle's brawling thing was way out of place. Everything else was really good, but I think Eddie and Edge did just as well if not better, the difference probably being that Angle and Benoit had a match that was much more difficult to pull off.

[Guest gthureson]

Angle may have an ego, but he seems to be more than willing to look at the lights on the ceiling when the time comes. Perhaps it comes from the amateur background and the fact that he only went to pro wrestling after TV broadcasting fell through, but he seems to approach it as a job.

 

A job he is very good at, and won't hestitate to tell you, but a job nonetheless.

 

Rather than others who seem to, how to put it diplomatically, not know when to break kayfabe to even themselves and lie down for the opponent when its the best thing for all concerned.

[Guest Anglesault]

Now, you would think after this article, they would, you know, DO SOMETHING with Angle and Benoit. Silly me. They are stuck in some heel/heel time filler feud! Because THEY'RE SMALL, GET IT! THEY CAN PUT ON THE MATCH OF THE YEAR, BUT THEY CAN'T BE MAIN EVENT TITLE THREATS BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALL! That Vince, he's a genius.

[Guest evilhomer]

You can only put the title on a HOSS BY GAWD. That's just nature, like the wind and rain, you can't fight it.

 

On a less cynical note, there's only so long that these small guys can continue to tear the house down and steal the show before they're put at the top. One thing I noticed was that everyone stood up and took notice as soon as Angle's music hit. That attention can't wallow in the upper midcard forever can it?

[Guest Anglesault]

One thing I noticed was that everyone stood up and took notice as soon as Angle's music hit. That attention can't wallow in the upper midcard forever can it?

Oh, yes it can. It most certainly can, and will.

[Guest Kid Kablam]

I'll have to agree with Anglesault here, just look at WCW's ignorance on the issue. They stuck with their big men up until the very end, and see what it got them. Now one could make an argument for HBK, but for the most part you have to have a certain build in WWE, and in much of wrestling, to have fans and management notice. And that's a sad situation, but it seems to be the situation.

[Guest Lord of The Curry]

"Meanwhile, Angle said he considers Benoit “the best worker in the business. I love wrestling Chris. He’s just so sharp and precise."

 

Jesus H. First the new RAW magazine calls Angle the best in the business, now Angle is pimping Benoit. JR must be shitting himself. A little skit, if you weeel....

 

HHH: Hey Jim.

 

JR: Oh, hey Hunter? Been studying some tapes lately? Trying to learn more about the business?

 

HHH: You betcha. I was watching an old Edouard Carpenteir vs Lou Thesz tape that taught me a lot. Listen Jim....I've gotta ask you someting. You read RAW magazine, right?

 

JR: Bah gawd I sure do, it's because of me that there's a clause in the magazine that says it's gotta have at least 3 hosses a month in it.

 

* HHH slams JR up against a wall*

 

HHH: *Points to cover* What the fuck does that say???!!

 

JR: Uh......$5.99 Canadian?

 

HHH: No you goddamn Hoss-lovin freak! " Kurt Angle: The Best in The Business". What the fuck is that? You better fix that soon JR, or else certain tapes involving you and a certain Undisputed Champion may surface.

 

JR: Bad gawd Hunter, you promised you wouldn't show those tapes to anybody.

 

HHH: Yes, and you in turn promised to always make sure I was referred to as "The Best In The Business", even if my workrate was sucking ass. Now fix it!

 

JR: Yes sir.....