20 unforgettable Shawn Michaels WWE matches

#18 Shawn Michaels vs Shelton Benjamin - WWE RAW (May 2, 2005)

Shawn Michaels vs Shelton Benjamin

Shawn Michaels, during his second run, did a lot to help elevate a number of superstars to another tier in WWE. One such wrestler was Shelton Benjamin.

In 2005, Batista was the World Heavyweight Champion when Eric Bischoff announced that a Gold Rush tournament would be held to decide his next challenger. At this point, anyone could be facing anyone.

However, one of the matches that took the show by storm was when Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin met in the quarterfinals of the tournament. At that point in his career, Benjamin had shown flashes of potential and had some crazy matches. However, fans were yet to be convinced of his ability inside the ring.

All of that changed when he faced Shawn Michaels. The match included a moment that has gone down in history as one of the most memorable moments in WWE history. Shelton Benjamin jumped off the ropes towards Michaels, who timed a superkick absolutely perfectly to knock him out of mid-air.

16 years ago today Shawn Michaels hits Shelton Benjamin with arguably the GREATEST Sweet Chin Music of ALL time. pic.twitter.com/GSnXTMEhdH

— Kenny Majid - A Kenny For Your Thoughts Podcast (@akfytwrestling) May 2, 2021

While the moment was memorable, the match helped elevate Benjamin to another level as fans saw that he could handle himself in the ring with one of the best wrestlers of all time.

Benjamin would never get the push that fans wanted for him, but matches like the one with Shawn Michaels ensured that they would remember his first WWE run fondly.