As we all know, professional wrestling is filled with “what-ifs” and what could have been. So many superstars with the potential to rise above the rest are often relegated to supporting roles despite being more agile, technical, high-flying, and talented. For some, it has become almost a national past-time to look at certain talents and wonder why they never broke through that invisible glass ceiling, or as is so often the phrase in wrestling, grabbed the brass ring.

It simply takes watching one match featuring Shelton Benjamin to understand how special of talent he is. The man who was once the roommate of the ‘Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar as well as a training partner and friend, Shelton Benjamin, had and still has the tools to be a top talent. Breakout performances became the norm for the man once known as the ‘Gold Standard,’ yet he always seemed to be a cube trying to fit in a triangular hole during his WWE run. While we all know that Shelton would consistently be one of the best parts of any show he was on, his fingers would always scrape against the brass ring, never being able to grasp it fully. Today, we see what could have been.

Reimagining Shelton Benjamin’s 2005 WWE Run

After being one of the star talents of Ohio Valley Wrestling, the developmental territory run by Danny Davis and Jim Cornette, as part of the same class that produced certifiable Hall Of Famers like John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Batista, WWE would bring Shelton Benjamin to the main roster as part of Team Angle with partner Charlie Haas. Brought in by Paul Heyman to serve as stablemates to the WWE Champion Kurt Angle during his feud with Brock Lesnar, the team would be successful from the word go, collecting several accolades along the way. After their partnership with Kurt Angle dissolved, they became known as the World’s Greatest Tag Team, a moniker that certainly fit them perfectly at the time. They would even win the WWE Tag Team Titles from Los Guerreros, the same team they would later lose them to. The group had a good run, but the team's end would come in the 2004 Draft when Shelton Benjamin was drafted to the RAW brand on his own. He would immediately splash by defeating Triple H in his first match, then feuding with Triple H and his cohorts in Evolution. Later in the year, fans would select him to have a match with Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday, unseating him for the title and going on to have a record reign. Many will point to his performance at WrestleMania 21 in the first Money In The Bank ladder match. Despite Edge being the one to walk away with the title, all anyone was talking about was Benjamin’s spectacle of a performance. And it is here where we see what could have been with Shelton Benjamin’s singles run in 2005.

As we would see in reality in 2005, the build towards Backlash will involve Shelton feuding with Chris Jericho. Not only does it follow up on Jericho being the one who Shelton defeated for the Intercontinental Championship back in October. This is also good for Shelton as he gets to work with a bonafide main event talent to help lift him in Jericho. Given Jericho’s propensity for helping lift talents and his undeniable skills on the microphone, Jericho’s proper task in this effort is to help bring out more of Shelton’s personality and mic skills to not only secure a place at the top of the upper mid-card but potentially open a route to the main event scene. The two trade jabs and compete in a game of oneupsmanship in which Jericho usually uses less than honourable tactics to pull ahead. On the second final Raw before Backlash, the two are put into a Beat The Clock Challenge with the winner getting to choose the stipulation for their Backlash title match. Shelton would be tasked with facing Edge, while Jericho would face off against old rival Chris Benoit. Following a great back and forth between Edge and Benjamin that passes the 10-minute mark, Edge walks out on the match, taking the count-out loss at 11:22 as he has nothing to lose. With Shelton watching on from backstage, Jericho and Benoit have another one of their classic bouts. At the 9-minute mark, Edge causes a referee distraction, allowing Jericho to hit a low blow and lock in the Walls Of Jericho for the win at 10:13.

Jericho cuts a promo saying neither of them could win the Money In The Bank match. Still, despite how good Shelton may have looked, Jericho has a proven track record in ladder matches, and he will climb the ladder to win back his Intercontinental Championship. The following week on the go-home show, we see a tag match pairing Shelton and Benoit against Edge and Jericho. After a solid back-and-forth 10-minute match, Benoit locks Edge in the Crippler Crossface. Still, as Shelton tries to cut off Jericho, he inadvertently gets pushed onto Benoit, breaking the hold and allowing Edge to roll him up for the victory. 

Finally, at Backlash, Jericho and Benjamin compete in a solid 18-minute Ladder Match full of familiar and new spots. Jericho can lock in the Walls Of Jericho on the ladder as he did in his match against Chris Benoit at the 2001 Royal Rumble. Still, Benjamin can batter Jericho’s knee to break the hold, leading to Jericho falling to the mat and Benjamin grabbing the title for the victory.

The next night on RAW, Benjamin again teams with Chris Benoit, this time against the team of The Hurricane and Rosey. As expected, the two outwrestle their opponents easily. Still, another miscommunication results in a collision in the ring, with Benoit being knocked out outside of the ring resulting in a count-out loss. The two agree afterward in a backstage segment to battle the following week as the beginning of a friendly rivalry with no bad blood resulting from the mistakes made in the ring. The following week the two battle in a solid 8-minute match that Benjamin wins with a T-Bone suplex. The friendly rivalry continues over the next few weeks but is paused for Benoit to have a match at ECW One Night Stand against Eddie Guerrero, as in our reality. 

The night after the two resume their feud, Benjamin begins to show heel tactics in both the ring and his promos which are steadily improving. He hints at a big surprise, saying he is going back to his past for inspiration. He begins coming to ringside during Benoit’s matches, causing distracting finishes that result in Benoit going on a losing streak. On the go-home show before Vengeance, Benjamin finally leans fully into being a full-blown heel, attacking Benoit with a steel chair during a match against Chris Masters. Following the attack, he tells Benoit that he will face him at Vengeance with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. 

The two battle at Vengeance in a hard-hitting, technical affair that sees Benoit getting the upper hand when who should come out to the ring but the man who brought Shelton into the WWE, Paul Heyman. This causes an obvious big pop from the crowd and when Benoit sees him, it causes enough of a distraction once again for Benjamin to hit him with the Pay Dirt for the victory.

The next night on RAW, Benjamin and Heyman come to the ring to cut a promo detailing their history together and why Heyman came back. Heyman says that despite Shelton being the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of the new millennium, he never receives the respect he truly deserves. He details Shelton’s history as an amateur wrestler and even brings up his friendship with Brock Lesnar, a name which is still quite taboo to bring up at the time. He talks about watching his work in Ohio Valley Wrestling and how he is arguably the best pure athlete in WWE. Benoit comes out to interrupt, leading to a challenge for Benjamin. He says if Benjamin is as good technically as he says, then he would have no problem in facing him at the upcoming SummerSlam in an Ultimate Submission match. Benjamin is eager to accept, but Heyman tells him he has already had his shot and needs to earn it if he wants his match. Heyman tells him he will have to defeat another one of his former associates in a match to get what he wants. Benoit immediately accepts without even knowing who his opponent will be. Later that night, Benoit comes to the ring, and Heyman comes out to introduce his opponent for the evening, The World’s Largest Athlete, The Big Show. The Big Show dominates Benoit throughout the match,, puts Benoit on the top rope, and signals for a giant Chokeslam. As he delivers the move, Benoit grabs the arm, reversing the hold, and brings Showdown into a Crippler Crossface, leaving Show no choice but to tap out. Both Heyman and Benjamin, who are watching from the top of the ramp, are enraged that Benoit was able to pull it out, and the match is set for SummerSlam.

Given Benoit's and Benjamin's technical prowess, the Ultimate Submission match is a back-and-forth showcase of their talents. As the 30-minute timer ends with both men tied at one submission a piece, Benjamin can roll out of a Crossface and hit the Pay Dirt. To add insult, he locks in the Crossface on Benoit, who has no choice but to tap out with less than a minute to go. Unfortunately for the Rabid Wolverine, he does not have enough time to try even the count, and Benjamin retains his Intercontinental Championship. Following the match, Benoit begrudgingly offers a handshake, which Benjamin accepts, only to low blow Benoit and leave laughing with Heyman.

Now solidified as the man to beat in the upper mid-card of RAW, Benjamin begins offering an open challenge over the coming weeks. Each week, Heyman arranges for non-descript, non-roster talent to accept the challenge, with Benjamin continually making easy work of his opponents. This leads to an open challenge at Unforgiven. As Heyman and Benjamin stand in the ring waiting for another “local talent” to accept, we go backstage to find their guy lying on the ground, beaten down by someone. As they wonder what happened, the open challenge is accepted by the recently turned face, Chris Masters. Despite the surprise advantage, Benjamin can escape with the Championship intact after purposely hitting Masters with a steel chair in front of the referee.

The two begin to feud, interfering in each other’s matches until they are set for a match at Taboo Tuesday, where the fans can choose the stipulation. They are set to collide at the show in the fans’ decision of a No DQ match, so Benjamin can’t slip out by disqualification. After a good 12-minute match, Masters can lock in the Master Lock, and Benjamin passes out, losing his Intercontinental Championship at the same event he won the previous year.

From here, Benjamin is open to reuniting with his former Team Angle mentor in a loose partnership as both men choose to have Paul Heyman as their manager. Angle would continue his feud with John Cena over the WWE Championship. Benjamin is in a feud with Shawn Michaels, which carries through the rest of 2005, ending with another star-making performance at that year’s Armageddon.

This is, of course, just one route that WWE could have taken with Shelton Benjamin, a talent who spent far too long as an underneath guy despite his incredible in-ring talent. Adding someone like Paul Heyman, arguably one of the top 3 most remarkable mouthpieces in wrestling history, it bypasses his supposed “lack of charisma.” 2005 was a rough year for the RAW roster, which was depleted outside of the main event, and allowing a talent like Benjamin to anchor the upper mid-card would have been a great option, but of course, all we can do now is sit back and wonder, what if?

How would you have booked a successful run for Shelton Benjamin in 2005?