Former WWE Star Shelton Benjamin Calls This Wrestling Legend His Biggest Inspiration

Many fans consider former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin one of the most underrated stars of the modern era. From his time in WWE to his stints in Japan, Benjamin has forged a path as one of the most celebrated technical wrestlers of his time, but where did he get his inspiration from?

During a recent Q&A session at the "For the Love of Wrestling" convention in Manchester, England, Benjamin explained that when he was growing up, he liked Ric Flair and The Rock n' Roll Express as he was more exposed to Jim Crockett promotions than WWE. However, whether he was a child or an adult, there's one person he always looked to as his biggest inspiration. "I've been a Sting fan for as long as I can remember," Benjamin said. "If you watch some of my earlier work, I am stealing his offense...like the splash, the chopping, the kicks, that is all Sting; I'm literally stealing his stuff."

Sting retired at AEW Revolution 2024 after almost 40 years in the business, and even though Benjamin didn't get to wrestle "The Icon" before he called it a career, he did tell the story of the one time he got to meet him. "It was really short because it was actually at an event like this. He was signing in a private area, I was on the floor, and I just told the promoter, 'I've never met Sting, and I want to meet him while I have the chance.'" Benjamin's interaction with Sting was brief, but he was happy as he got to meet his idol and he hopes to meet him again.

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.