Eddie and Benoit

What do you think would have happened if they hadn't died? Would certain superstars still be champion or would certain pushes still have happened? What would the impact have been like if they were still alive today? Thoughts?

Thanks

R.I.P Eddie
R.I.P Benoit

They would both be 100% at the top of the company in my view. Smackdown would be perfect for them aswell.

Eddie would almost certainly have been a multi-time champion by now. He was all set up with a feud with Batista before his untimely death. I would be unsure who would have been held back, but I would imagine that Swagger (name off the top of my head) might not have had his WHC win.

It is very difficult to tell.

Benoit is different. He was on a downward slope, in contrast to Eddie. He may have become US champion again, and maybe would have had one more token WHC run.

From a wrestling point of view only, I believe we missed out more from Eddie's death than Benoits.

I think they both would have been retired by now.

Eddie most definatly would have won another World title. I think Benoit was to win the ECW title and carry that for a while. I dont think he would have had another big world title win, which is a shame because he deserved it.

I don't believe Rey would of been anywhere near as big if Eddie was still around as he would of been WWE's number 1 Mexican star. Whilst Rey was good Eddie just had that connection with the fans, the kind of one you see very rarely where everybody loved him. He was your complete wrestler, great in the ring, good talker, didn't have a massive ego and was well over with the fans.

Benoit on the other hand whilst great in the ring he never really won me over as a heel or face, I respected him and what he could do and it was a great moment when he won the title but I never loved him as a face and never hated him as a heel.

When Eddie went in against Brock everyone was hoping he would win and when he did you saw just how much it meant to him, the commentators and the fans, their was genuine love for him after everything he had been through and that carried on throughout his reign and beyond it to this very day, no other wrestler has ever really matched that. With Benoit we all loved it when he won similar to Eddies win but that love never really carried over throughout the rest of his reign or career and that is where the difference is for me.

I disagree, the fans did love Eddie, but they also loved Benoit just as much. Watch the triple threat match at Mania were Benoit wins the title, and listen to the boos that HHH is getting, and even HBK is getting jeered in favour of Benoit, and when Benoit wins the place erupted. That was genuine emotion from the fans towards Benoit. That's why that match was on last as Vince knew how much the fans loved him, and that was him finally achieving his dream.

Eddie though was one of the few wrestlers that could act like a heel in the ring, yet still get over as a face. Even when he beat Lesnar for the title he had help from Goldberg, but he was just very likeable, you couldn't boo him.

DDT as I said the fans did go mental for him after winning it but I just never had that same kind of emotion again of just willing him to win when defending his title where as with Eddie I still had that feeling of just willing him to keep winning. It was probably because he had superior mic skills and I always felt he connected with the crowd better on an emotional level that I haven't seen since, maybe that is just me but I always saw Benoits reaction after the initial buzz and love for him of winning it died down where as Eddie would just keep getting the massive pops.

The whole Benoit pop at Mania for me was as much for the shock value of it as it was for the fans will for him to win, I'm still unsure what the plan was for Benoit because with the Rumble win and the WrestleMania main event slot and success you have to imagine that big things where expected and probably planned for him but after the honeymoon period people stopped caring and creative reflected that attitude

Eddi would have been huge no doubt. I think he would have taken Rey's role as a sort of ambassador to Latin America.

Benoit wouldn't have been as big for one reason. He sucked on the mic. Nobody can deny he was one of the best ever technically, just watch his Japan days for proof of that, but the E have shown time and time again that wrestling talent alone doesn't cut it and promo work is MUCH more important...just look at Mick Foley, glorified stuntman spot monkey, yet one of the best promo men ever.

I have to agree with the sentiment that Eddie's career would have stayed full steam ahead while Benoit would have continued dropping down the order of notoriety. In fact Benoit would almost definitely be gone from the WWE by now.

It's interesting to think how Eddie's death affected so many significant careers...

Batista, Rey, Vickie's and by proxy Edge and Ziggler.

Batista was already a hugely over Main Eventer so I'm not sure how Eddie's death had a positive effect on his career, same with regards to Edge, he was saddled with Vickie, she wasn't a positive aspect of his career for me, again he was another hugely over Main Eventer and a multiple World Champion long before he was used to legitimise her

Rey's career definitely benefitted, as twisted as it sounds, Eddie dying was the best thing that ever happened to Rey's career

Had Brock Lesnar not decided to leave the wwe, then Eddie may never have won the world title. I feel WWE only had Lesnar drop his belt at No Way Out because they knew he was leaving after Mania, and didn't want him in the main event. I doubt JBL would have got the big push he did either, without Lesnars departure. Though JBL realy did step up to the mark, and played a heel champion to perfection I thought.