The "Gold Standard." These are words that fans hear each week on ECW from none other than Shelton Benjamin. Since his debut with the company, Shelton has truly shown that he is without a doubt, one of the most athleticly gifted stars in the company, and I believe that with this new fine-tuned gimmick, we might finally see the push Benjamin undoubtedly has coming his way.
I can't tell you how happy I am to see two guys like Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston going at it week after week. These are two of the most athletic men the WWE has, and it's a pleasure to see them get some tv time! My question is, why were these two NOT on the One Night Stand ppv? Hmm? Is it perhaps the fact that they could have outshined other talent(s) and wouldn't have needed all the build-up to do it? I digress.
Shelton Benjamin debuted to most of us as one half of Team Angle, later known as the "Self Proclaimed" World's Greatest Tag Team. Remember that? That was during a time when tag team action was a bit more prevelent than it seems to be today. Shown as a top talent from the University of Minnesota, Benjamin was clearly built as the more prominant member of the team.
However, it was a singles push that made people stand up and really take notice. Not one, but TWO victories over Triple H! This was also during a time when HHH was getting a lot of flack for supposedly not putting talent over. Well, he did it here! Soon after, Benjamin had the Intercontinental Title around his waist and began his first run with a singles belt!
Jumping ahead further, who can't forget the classic match on Raw against Shawn Michaels during the Gold Rush tournament? Again, a classic match that showed just how good Shelton is. The trouble was, and seems to continue to be, Shelton doesn't have the ability on the mic that the WWE wants.
They went as far as to bring in an actress to portray his mother, so she could do the talking while Shelton did all the wrestling. This worked out perfectly at the time. It helped establish him as a heel once again, and it kept him on tv for fans to see what he could do. This is where the trouble began again.
The fans know what Benjamin is capable of, and that is why I believe his current program with Kingston is going so well; because fans know what both men can do separately, so together, their deadly! It seems to have always been the lack of mic skill keeping Shelton down. If that was fixed, would we see him in main-event status by now? After beating a guy like HHH twice, I say we probably would.
So how can his lack of mic skill and/or mic charisma be fixed? One suggestion I would have is to have Elijah burke be his manager. Have Burke do the talking while Benjamin wrestles. The good thing about this is, if needed, both can wrestle in a tag team as well; as Burke is also very athletic as well as strong on the mic.
Come to think of it, then why is Burke not pushed? I digress again, and that's another topic for another time. But, if Burke were to manage Benjamin (like he was managing Sylvester Terkay) then the fans would get to see both men more often.
Another idea I had, if Benjamin has called himself the "Gold Standard" then let him have a talk-show of sorts. Either live on ECW or on their website, it could be like an updated version of Ric Flair's "A Flair For the Gold." This way, Benjamin could get some solid practice on the mic every week, much like they seem to be doing with John Morrison and Miz with their "Dirt Sheet."
That said, if the lack of mic skill is the only thing holding Benjamin back, than people better be on the watch. See, mic skills can be learned and improved; athletc ability to a point. Shelton already has the athletic skill, and I believe with time he'll develop the mic work. Once that happens, the "Gold Standard" will have been reached, and will be accompanied with "gold" around his waist as well! Are we looking at a soon-to-be ECW Champion? Maybe not, but a soon-to-be champion nonetheless!!!
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