’00 – ’01: Angle, Benoit, and the Legendary Matches
Was there ever such a stacked roster as the late WWF/early WWE period? The company had the best of both WCW and ECW, and while those company’s rising stars were not yet main eventers in their new place of employment, they wrestled several memorable mid-card feuds. Fans of this era will no doubt remember Jericho’s feud with Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle.
After losing the IC Title to Kurt Angle at No Way Out 2000, Jericho and Angle’s feud would expand to include Chris Benoit. In a 2-out-of-3 falls match at WrestleMania that saw Angle lose both the IC and European Titles, Benoit and Jericho would face off in a long, exciting feud. Jericho would capture the title twice more during this rivalry. He would go on to urinate in Commissioner William Regal’s tea both literally and figuratively (at WrestleMania X-Seven), before – and drink in this foreshadowing, maaaaaann – dropping the belt to Triple H on the April 3, 2001 taping of SmackDown.
Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho were a perfect match. Both were hard-hitting, technical ringmasters from rival wrestling cities in Canada. Jericho had a bit more personality, but Benoit had more in-ring intensity. Their matches were breathtaking and brutal. Jericho insisted that he would fight Benoit, “on a boat or with a goat,” and judging by their match stipulations, he almost did. In perhaps the most famous of all their meetings, Benoit defended the IC Title against Jericho at Royal Rumble 2001 in a ladder match.
The bout was an all-out slugfest, complete with one of the most brutal spots in WWE history. With Jericho outside the ring, Benoit hit the ropes to attempt a suicide dive. As Benoit flew through the air, Jericho clocked him in the head with a steel chair. Benoit absorbed the blow fully and crash-landed on the floor. This incredibly violent moment was replayed many times during the match, with Jerry “The King” Lawler finally admitting on commentary, “This is maybe my favorite [chair shot] of all time!”
It was a match and a feud for the ages, and it represents the best of this period in the WWF.
Recommended Matches:
Chris Benoit (c) vs. Chris Jericho – Backlash 2000
Chris Benoit (c) vs. Chris Jericho, Submission Match – Judgment Day 2000
Chris Benoit (c) vs. Chris Jericho, Ladder Match – Royal Rumble 2001
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. X-Pac – No Way Out 2001
Next Page: A Detailed Look At Chris Jericho’s History w/ The IC Title Ahead Of His IC Match At NJPW’s Dominion (cont.)
