5 things you probably forgot about Chris Benoit

#2 He won his debut Royal Rumble match

When did Chris Benoit win the Royal Rumble as the number one entrant?

Almost four years after making his WWE debut, Chris Benoit competed in his first Royal Rumble match. Benoit was the very first entrant, and he spent over an hour in the match - while eliminating a total of six-men, including Big Show, who he, in the end, threw over the top rope to win his first Rumble.

With this win, Benoit was supposed to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 20, but soon Shawn Michaels was added into the mix. As a result, Benoit went on to face Triple H and Michaels for the title in a triple threat match at The Show of Shows, where he forced Triple H to tap out to the Crippler Crossface and, with this, he also marked the first time the main event of WrestleMania ended via submission.

Benoit held the title for almost 150 days before losing it to Randy Orton at SummerSlam that year. A few months later, Benoit won the United States Championship after he made Booker T tap out to the Crippler Crossface at No Mercy PPV.