Ain't No Stopping Me Returning... Now?

[MC Rae]

As I'm sure many of us have already heard Mr Shelton Benjamin worked a dark match on last weeks RAW in Houston, Texas. He's not signed a contract as of yet but it seems like this could be likely after WrestleMania.

Now, Shelton was fired from the company not too long ago really and whilst he seemed to have a fairly comfortable role in the company and was a staple in the Money In The Bank ladder matches, he recieved a handful of pushes but never seemed to get over enough with the crowd. I think he certainly lacked in the charisma department and his promo skills were nothing to be desired. He was also a frequent 'Botchamania' star.

Personally, I was never wholly impressed with the guy, I enjoyed his in-ring work at times but I was hardly disappointed when he was fired.

So if indeed he is re-signed by WWE, what would you like the company to do with him? Would you sit him in a cushty mid-card role or maybe you believe he could be more? What would WWE's gain be in re-hiring Benjamin?

 

[Luke Flywalker]

IMO, their best bet with this guy is to put him in a tag team if they ever plan on reviving the division. I always liked Shelton in-ring, he was given a huge push on his Raw debut by beating Triple H something like 3 weeks in a row, one of them being a clean pin, so the company likes the guy enough to do that.

Unfortunately, I don't see Shelton being given a singles career at this point unless someone has done major work with him on his character. No gold-standard, no world's greatest singles star... if you want to push his amateur background, fine... but do it in a way that you aren't doing with Swagger... give this kid a really dominant streak of wins by pin AND submission (a submission hold could work). I hate to say it, but for a technical wrestler in today's world, you HAVE to be "ruthless" and that's why Benoit, Brock and Angle succeeded at getting over in the ring.

 

[Montana]

I think he's under contract to ROH for a little while longer, unless they release him to go.

Personally i think he'd but better in TNA, but that's such a shit-show company right now, i don't think i'd advise anyone to go there. So ROH is a safe bet until WWE comes knocking.

If he return to the WWE, he will be stale in 6 months or less, and will probably go back to his old role as a midcard face, with no chance of breaking the main event.

 

[noumenon]

The guy was in the company for nearly a decade and failed to get over with every single angle and gimmick he was put in. The most over he was ever was due to his fat immobile mother in a wheel chair.

 

[MizMasta3000]

Bring back Abe Washington as his mouthpiece. The guy has all the tools he just can't talk.

 

[Beer Money Army]

I think he's under contract to ROH for a little while longer, unless they release him to go.

Personally i think he'd but better in TNA, but that's such a shit-show company right now, i don't think i'd advise anyone to go there. So ROH is a safe bet until WWE comes knocking.

If he return to the WWE, he will be stale in 6 months or less, and will probably go back to his old role as a midcard face, with no chance of breaking the main event.

I agree on that. I like Shelton. But in some parts of his career he lack being inconsisant. He would be good in helping a youth talent just like a Billy Gunn or Hardcore holly use to do.

 

[Airfixx]

^^^Having guys that can't get over 'helping' the young guys is rather ill advised wouldn't you say?

What would the future hold if he returned to WWE? Jobbing to Cody, Drew & Sheamus I'd have thought.

The guy has all the tools he just can't talk.

...Nor call a match.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Good ole Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler v. 1.0 sans Vickie getting him heat and a better in ring talent.

 

[Airfixx]

Man, you really got issues with Ziggler, eh?

I just don't see any plus points in Shelton apart from his natural athleticism (which doesn't count for much in this game)... All but no charisma, sloppy as hell and much of the time looks lost in the ring (particularly as a heel).

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

^^^ there I nothing redeeming about the guy except vickie. Bad hair, generic look, mediocre on the mic at best and he certainly is no better in the ring than the other 10 floundering mid carders. His best matches have been against noted ring generals and otherwise he's a Billy Gunn clone who hasn't gotten as over. So if you're going to push the guy why not bring back his black counterpart?

 

[MizMasta3000]

According to his twitter, Nexus and Miz are totally green.

 

[Airfixx]

^^^ there I nothing redeeming about the guy except vickie. Bad hair, generic look, mediocre on the mic at best and he certainly is no better in the ring than the other 10 floundering mid carders. His best matches have been against noted ring generals and otherwise he's a Billy Gunn clone who hasn't gotten as over. So if you're going to push the guy why not bring back his black counterpart?

To be fair though, Ziggler has had (carried or otherwise) more memorable matches in the last 18 months (vs. Kofi, JoMo, Mysterio, Bryan & Edge... Notably, some of which was without Vicki!) than Shelton amassed in 7+ years with the company.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

^^^His series with Trips was very solid and his matches with HBK trump almost anything on that list sans the work done with Rey and Bryan. And then the matches he had with WGTT were some of the best tag wrestling the E put on in the last decade What does Vicki have to do with Ziggler's matches by not being there? The work alone won't get you over and he gets micro heat at best when he's in the ring with or without her. When she's on the mic, it's her drawing the heat to herself although it should hypothetically rub off on Ziggler, but it doesn't. To be fair to Benjamin, the fans would have bought into him as champ better than Ziggler, after his two straight wins over Trips. Both are equally uncharismatic and if they have room on the card for an uncharismatic athlete with a bad dye job, what's wrong with bringing in his black counter part? At the very least it's an affirmative action hire.

 

[Airfixx]

^^^His series with Trips was very solid and his matches with HBK trump almost anything on that list sans the work done with Rey and Bryan.

Generally the only thing I ever see cited by the Shelton fanboys.

And then the matches he had with WGTT were some of the best tag wrestling the E put on in the last decade

Granted, I never saw masses of their SD matches togther, but from PPVs and a sprinkling of TV, I never really saw what all the fuss was about.

.....Any quality examples of WGTT at work?

What does Vicki have to do with Ziggler's matches by not being there?

Nothing as such, but seemed appropriate to point out given your post seemed to insinuated that he's nothing without Vicki.

The work alone won't get you over and he gets micro heat at best when he's in the ring with or without her.

I entirely understand this, but in most instances, Shelton was lucky to even get "micro heat" as you put it.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

The jist of my statements are that they are one of the same. They lack charisma, are a little talented in the ring, but just aren't what their repsective fanbases see them to be.