WCW · ECW · WWF/WWE • 1985–2007
Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit was one of professional wrestling's most technically accomplished performers — a WCW and WWE World Heavyweight Champion whose in-ring work is documented here as historical record. WWE removed Benoit from its official archives following the events of June 2007.
- Born
- May 21, 1967
- Died
- Jun 24, 2007 (age 40)
- Hometown
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Height / Wt
- 5'10" / 220 lb
- Active
- 1985–2007
- Signature
- Crippler Crossface, Flying Headbutt
The Career Ledger
The record of Chris Benoit
A curated ledger of Chris Benoit's most significant matches. Cross-checked against WWE.com, Wikipedia and Cagematch.
| Result | Opponent | Event | Date | Stipulation | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Triple H & Shawn Michaels | WrestleMania XX | Mar 14, 2004 | World Heavyweight Championship — Triple Threat | Benoit makes both tap — Crossface on HHH; Sharpshooter on HBK |
| Win | Steve Austin | WWF Raw | May 28, 2001 | WWF Championship — Montreal-style finish | Vince orders bell rung with Austin in Crossface |
| Loss | Steve Austin & Triple H | WWF Backlash 2001 | Apr 29, 2001 | WWF Tag Team Championship — w/ Chris Jericho | Power Trip beats Benoit & Jericho for tag titles |
| Win | Steve Austin & Triple H | WWF Raw | May 21, 2001 | WWF Tag Team Championship | Benoit & Jericho win — Triple H tears quad; Power Trip ends |
| Win | Kurt Angle | WWE Royal Rumble 2003 | Jan 19, 2003 | Singles — submission match | Benoit wins submission bout — all-time technical classic |
| Win | Kurt Angle | WWE SmackDown | various 2002 | Best-of-7 submission series | Benoit wins the submission series — one of WWE's best TV programmes |
| Loss | WCW title — Sid Vicious | WCW Starrcade 2000 | Dec 17, 2000 | WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Benoit vacated title before this — technical championship controversy |
| Loss | Chris Jericho | WWE Raw | 2004 | Singles — post-WM XX | Jericho wins in post-WM programme |
- WinTriple H & Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania XX · Mar 14, 2004
World Heavyweight Championship — Triple Threat · Benoit makes both tap — Crossface on HHH; Sharpshooter on HBK
- WinSteve Austin
WWF Raw · May 28, 2001
WWF Championship — Montreal-style finish · Vince orders bell rung with Austin in Crossface
- LossSteve Austin & Triple H
WWF Backlash 2001 · Apr 29, 2001
WWF Tag Team Championship — w/ Chris Jericho · Power Trip beats Benoit & Jericho for tag titles
- WinSteve Austin & Triple H
WWF Raw · May 21, 2001
WWF Tag Team Championship · Benoit & Jericho win — Triple H tears quad; Power Trip ends
- WinKurt Angle
WWE Royal Rumble 2003 · Jan 19, 2003
Singles — submission match · Benoit wins submission bout — all-time technical classic
- WinKurt Angle
WWE SmackDown · various 2002
Best-of-7 submission series · Benoit wins the submission series — one of WWE's best TV programmes
- LossWCW title — Sid Vicious
WCW Starrcade 2000 · Dec 17, 2000
WCW World Heavyweight Championship · Benoit vacated title before this — technical championship controversy
- LossChris Jericho
WWE Raw · 2004
Singles — post-WM XX · Jericho wins in post-WM programme
| Result | Opponent | Event | Date | Stipulation | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Triple H & Shawn Michaels | WrestleMania XX | Mar 14, 2004 | World Heavyweight Championship — Triple Threat | Benoit wins — makes HBK tap to Sharpshooter |
| Loss | Kurt Angle | WrestleMania X-Seven | Apr 1, 2001 | Singles — submission count-anywhere | Angle wins — classic submission bout |
WrestleMania record: 1-1
Technical precision
How Chris Benoit won — and lost
Benoit's technical toolkit was among the deepest in wrestling — the Crossface, the rolling German suplexes, the headbutt, and the Sharpshooter gave him multiple credible submission and pin paths in any match. His intensity made every move look genuinely dangerous.
WM XX
Triple threat title win — one of WrestleMania's most celebrated main events in real time (before June 2007)
2001
Power Trip programme with Austin and Jericho — produced some of Raw's greatest matches of the era
Crossface
One of the most protected submission holds in wrestling — rarely escaped, always decisive
CTE
Posthumous brain research found Benoit had the CTE of an 89-year-old — now cited in concussion research across sports
Title history
Championship history
Chapter by chapter
Career timeline
Debut
Begins in Stu Hart's Dungeon in Calgary — same system as Bret Hart and Brian Pillman.
WCW arrival — The Crippler
Develops the 'Crippler' character in WCW — credible, intense, and technically elite.
WCW peak
Multiple five-star matches during 1999 in WCW. Wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship briefly in January 2000 before immediately leaving for WWF.
WWF arrival
Joins WWF at Royal Rumble 2000. Immediately positioned as a serious title contender.
Two-Man Power Trip programme
Feuds with Steve Austin and Triple H over the WWF Championship and Tag Team titles — some of Raw's best matches of the era.
WrestleMania XX — World Heavyweight Champion
Wins the World Heavyweight Championship in the triple threat main event at WrestleMania XX, making both HHH and HBK submit. Celebrated as one of WM's greatest main events.
Career and life end
Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel are found dead on June 25, 2007. The investigation concluded it was a murder-suicide. WWE removes him from official records. Subsequent research identifies severe CTE in Benoit's brain tissue.
Essential viewing
Signature matches
vs. Kurt Angle — Royal Rumble 2003
Submission Match · January 19, 2003
Benoit and Angle in a 30-minute submission masterclass — one of the greatest pure wrestling matches in WWE history. Angle and Benoit were so evenly matched technically that every hold felt decisive.
vs. Triple H & HBK — WrestleMania XX (2004)
World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat · March 14, 2004
The main event of WrestleMania XX — Benoit wins the World Heavyweight title by making both Triple H and Shawn Michaels submit. Real-time considered one of WM's greatest main events.
vs. Chris Jericho (Two-Man Power Trip feud) — WWF Raw (2001)
WWF Tag Team Championship · May 21, 2001
Benoit and Jericho defeat Austin and Triple H for the tag titles — Triple H tears his quadriceps live on television; Austin pins Jericho but Benoit pins Austin; one of Raw's greatest matches.
Greatest feuds
Rivalries that defined an era
Kurt Angle
The technical wrestling rivalry — multiple five-star matches, a best-of-7 submission series, and a Royal Rumble 2003 bout. Two of wrestling's finest technical workers at their peak.
Steve Austin
Two-Man Power Trip programme in 2001 — the Montreal-style Raw finish (Vince orders the bell with Austin in the Crossface) and the tag title programme produced Raw's best matches of that spring.
Chris Jericho
Tag team partners and sometime rivals — their WCW and WWF work together was consistently excellent; the Power Trip tag win together is one of Raw's greatest moments.
Tag teams & alliances
Partnerships & relationships
Tag partner
Chris Jericho — tag team partnership in WCW and WWF that defeated the Two-Man Power Trip (Austin & Triple H) for the tag titles.
Trained by
Stu Hart (Dungeon) — same Calgary system that produced Bret Hart, Brian Pillman, and others.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Did Chris Benoit win the WWE Championship?
Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship (at the time the equivalent of the WWE title on the Raw brand) at WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004, in a triple threat match against Triple H and Shawn Michaels. He made both men submit — Michaels in a Sharpshooter and HHH in the Crossface. WWE removed this and other Benoit content from its official archives following the events of June 2007.
What happened to Chris Benoit?
Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel were found dead on June 25, 2007. The investigation concluded that Benoit had murdered his wife and son before taking his own life. Subsequent brain research identified severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Benoit's tissue — among the worst CTE cases documented, equivalent to an 89-year-old. The case became a catalyst for concussion research in sports.
Why did WWE remove Chris Benoit from its records?
WWE removed Chris Benoit from its official records, Hall of Fame consideration, and video archive following the June 2007 murders of his wife and son. The company determined it could not appropriately celebrate the career of someone who had committed those acts. Wrestle Lore Database preserves this record as historical documentation only.
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