Shelton Benjamin, with a professional career that spans nearly 25 years, stands out as one of AEW’s most seasoned wrestlers, sharing the ring with notable figures like Adam “Edge” Copeland, Christian Cage, and Chris Jericho. In a recent appearance on “AEW Unrestricted,” Benjamin reflected on his significant Intercontinental Championship victory over Jericho during his days in WWE. This match, held at the 2004 WWE Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view, is also his favorite performance in the ring.
“Number one, I 100% was not expecting to be in that match,” Benjamin expressed. “I know that leading up to it, they gave me a little push and rub and I actually had a little thing I did with Mr. McMahon just to help bring in the votes. But when we got to the building, and I’ve said this over and over, I expected Batista to be working Jericho that night. So I really didn’t put much thought into it.”
Benjamin revealed that apart from being pleasantly surprised by the fans voting him into the Intercontinental Championship match, he greatly appreciated Jericho’s leadership during the bout, especially given there was no pre-match planning. Winning the Intercontinental Championship felt like an achievement beyond his initial goals in wrestling.
Reflecting on the significance of his triumph, Benjamin said, “Because of what I’d watched in wrestling before, I hadn’t seen a lot of Black Intercontinental champions. I’d seen Black tag team champions. So in my head, that’s all I was thinking about. By that time, I’d already won the tag team championship twice. So for me, when I won the IC title, I’m officially overachieving my original goals in getting into the business, but it was also a culmination of all the guys who had taught me how to just go in the ring and listen.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “AEW Unrestricted” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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