Shelton Benjamin, the former multiple time champion in the WWE, was announced to return to the Smackdown brand just a few weeks ago, but last weekend, he posted the news on Twitter that a serious shoulder injury will prevent his return to the company. A torn rotator cuff, an injury that requires surgery and 4-6 months on the sidelines, was discovered during WWE medical screenings. It seems as though Shelton wasn't aware of the extent of the injury, but you have to wonder, why did promos air on Smackdown to hype his return before he was completely medically cleared to sign a contract?
At 41, Shelton is certainly at the latter stages of his career, but does this delay close the door on his WWE return?
It's ironic that Benjamin, who became one of the most graceful athletes in WWE history, was actually only given a WWE deal at the request of his friend from the University of Minnesota, Brock Lesnar, a prospect that management was willing to accommodate in an attempt to recruit him after winning the NCAA national championship in 2000. Benjamin quickly proved that he didn't need a favor to earn his spot and transitioned from an amateur career into the pro ranks almost seamlessly, training in Ohio Valley Wrestling until he debuted on WWE TV in 2003.
Shelton joined fellow amateur wrestling standout Charlie Hass to form "The World's Greatest Tag Team" as apart of Team Angle early that year. The trio were a memorable stable and the association with Angle, who was arguably at the peak of his pro career at the time, gave the younger team credibility, despite being new characters for the audience.
The following year, management attempted to give Benjamin a push on his own, but he just didn't have the mic skills or the charisma to really get further up the card. Don't get me wrong, his athleticism is incredible and he has all the tools from an in-ring aspect to be a star, but promos are extremely important from a merchandising stand point for a global company. A prime example of his skills was the match he had on Raw with Shawn Michaels in 2005, which is considered to be one of the greatest matches in the history of the show. Eventually, he was paired with a comedic "Momma" character and despite the angle giving him more TV time, it did nothing to progress his career and the storyline was dropped relatively quickly. The reminder of his WWE career was really a mixed bag, as sometimes he worked quality PPV matches, an example being a ladder match he had with Christian in 2009, but there were also various times when he was regulated to secondary WWE programming.
The accomplishment of being a former US and IC champion summarizes Benjamin's career very well, he was a good upper mid-card talent that added depth to the roster, and there's nothing wrong with that. In terms of the WWE product, Shelton is a good utility guy, a performer that consistently delivers quality matches and is versatile enough to work in a variety of roles. He didn't necessarily have the mic skills to main event Wrestlemania, but not every performer is going to fit in that role. There's a reason that Shelton worked a consistent schedule during his post-WWE career, because quality talent can always be used somewhere on the card, even if it's not in the main event.
After his WWE release in 2010, Benjamin worked extensively in Japan for NJPW and NOAH through a working agreement between two promotions. Prior to that, he and Hass reunited their team for a run in Ring Of Honor, but that was during a time when the promotion was going through a rough patch with changes in ownership, TV distribution, etc. so the highlight of his non-WWE career would definitely be Japan. That being said, obviously, his release from WWE wasn't for lack of talent, but rather it seemed to be a case of Shelton had done everything he was going to do as an upper mid-card talent and if the main event wasn't a realistic possibility, what else was he going to do? In some ways, the opportunity to go to Japan and work elsewhere provided the chance to get a fresh run when he returns to the company.
So, if Shelton Benjamin does return to the company after he's medically cleared, what role will he play on Smackdown?
If Shelton is on WWE TV in 2017, I would guess that he resumes his role as an upper mid-card talent that adds depth to the roster, which is really the key to the brand extension. The lack of depth and quality mid-card talent is ultimately what caused the original brand split to flop because it spread the rosters too thin. If the brand extension is successful or not this time remains to be seen, but the company is in a much better position now to truly establish different brands than it was 10-12 years ago. Another interesting aspect to consider is that Jordan and Gable were drafted to Smackdown so there could be a potential stable or angle for Shelton on the show. The only major roadblock for Shelton at this point aside from the injury is that considering his age, will the WWE want to invest the TV time for him in 2017? Again, he's 41 and when you factor the time on the shelf for the torn rotator cuff, if he wrestles until the age of 45 or 46, the WWE has about 3-4 years to push him on TV. Would that TV time be more useful for a younger star that has the potential to draw money on an extended basis?
It's possible, but all things considered, in my opinion, it would still be worth signing Shelton Benjamin to a contract when he returns from injury. Shelton has consistently worked quality matches and as mentioned, depth on the roster is the key to a successful brand extension.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail:drwrestlingallpro@yahoo.com
You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta
