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Chris Benoit competed in three WWE tryout matches in 1995 before joining WCW. ECW legend Shane Douglas recently explained why the Canadian's size played a part in WWE initially rejecting him.
At five-foot-nine, Benoit was often one of the smallest male wrestlers on the card. He lost untelevised WWE bouts against Adam Bomb, Bob Holly, and Owen Hart in June 1995. However, the company's decision-makers opted not to hire him at the time.
In an interview with WSI's James Romero, Douglas said Benoit was deemed too small to work for WWE:
"At 253 pounds, I was a small guy in wrestling. I mean, small guy. You’ve got Kevin Nash, 6' 10", 6' 11". Undertaker, 6' 10", 6' 11". Monsters walking around. You literally feel no matter how big, no matter how much muscle you pack on, you were still a little guy in wrestling. On the street you're a monster. You walk into this world, suddenly you shrink up, right? Benoit was obviously shorter – probably 5' 10", 5' 9", in that range – but, boy, could he go in the ring." [3:15 – 3:49]
Chris Benoit eventually joined WWE in 2000. Despite his size, the former WCW wrestler overcame the odds to become one of the company's most prominent stars. In 2004, he defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H in the WrestleMania 20 main event to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
Shane Douglas compares Chris Benoit to Brian Pillman
Wrestling legend Brian Pillman played football before getting into the wrestling business in 1986. The former WCW and WWE star suffered from medical problems as a child, forcing him to spend a lot of time in hospital.
Shane Douglas added that Chris Benoit and Pillman both worked harder than others to become major players in the wrestling industry due to their size:
"Much like earlier with Brian Pillman always being the smaller guy, then exceling into the NFL and everything, because he'd gotten told that so many times. 'I'm gonna show you guys.' And Benoit the same thing. Chris knew that he had to be twice as good as everybody just to get a look. And, man, the way that progressed into the ring was stunning." [4:34 – 4:56]
Although Benoit is widely viewed as one of the greatest wrestlers ever, his legacy has been tarnished by the circumstances surrounding his death. In 2007, the former World Heavyweight Champion killed his wife and son before taking his own life.
What are your thoughts on Chris Benoit? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
