Growing up on the dangerous streets of urban Orangeburg, S.C., Shelton Benjamin felt pressure to join gangs. He lived in an area known for drug trafficking and weapons use, hung out with drug dealers and even found himself in the crossfire of several gunfights. To say that life was rough is an understatement, and Shelton admits that he could have easily slipped through the cracks and fallen into the traps of his hometown.

But rather than ending up on the wrong side of the tracks, he exceeded everyone's expectations; instead of getting caught up in the drugs and violence, Shelton got his life on track. An exceptional athlete, Shelton won two South Carolina state high school heavyweight wrestling championships. He was accepted to the University of Minnesota, continuing his career as a stand-out amateur wrestler and eventually becoming a WWE Superstar. And after all he went through early on in life, it's no wonder that Benjamin is so self-confident in the squared circle.

Achieving the goal of becoming a WWE Superstar was a life-long dream for Benjamin -- a longtime sports-entertainment fan. Ever since he was young, Shelton was awed by the athleticism he saw in the ring each week on television. In fact, he even remembers the match that first caught his eye -- Magnum T.A. vs. Wahoo McDaniel for the United States Championship in 1985.

Not only a great athlete, Benjamin also excels at video games, at one point winning the annual WrestleMania fan fest championship tournament three years in a row.

Source: WWE.com


More Videos: 360/PS3 | Wii

Post Your Thoughts | More Superstars