Chris Benoit, Murderer

And now it looks like Chris Benoit led a tortuous, rageful life, and ended by choking his wife and smothering his young son. The WWE spent three hours on cable Monday night eulogizing him, glorifying him, tenderly recounting his love for his young family. Now it seems macabre.

Maybe Benoit's death is a black swan that has nothing to do with the corporate culture of WWE. We'll see. Faced with competition, professional wrestling strove to compete with the real thing, and its "sport entertainers," as chairman Vince McMahon began to refer to his performers, faced growing pressure to bulk up, to subject themselves to ever-more dangerous stunts and spots. At what cost? The company barely survived a steroid scandal a decade ago.

WWE is a public company now, a big Connecticut employer, and its stockholders have generally refrained from interfering with the product. That will change, I bet.

Comments

They (WWE) did the tribute show BEFORE any of the details about how Benoit and his family died came to full light. I doubt the company assumed from the get-go, that Benoit himself was responsible for their deaths. When they taped the (pre-recorded) comments from the talent earlier in the day, there was still doubt as to all the circumstances involved.

Hindsight is always 20-20, though, isn't it?

Posted by Marc R. | June 27, 2007 1:01 AM

Funny how everyone is quick to blame WWE and the professional wrestling lifestyle for this kind of thing, and trying to make it look like WWE is promoting this kind of behavior. It would be nice for people to just express their sorrow for the friends and family of the victims, rather than point blame at who caused this to happen.

Posted by Benoit R.I.P. | June 27, 2007 1:29 AM

The WWE had nothing to do with the PERSONAL problems which were occurring in Benoits life. Work is work and when you come home from work its another like with your family, obviously he had problems and whether youre a plumber, a wrestler or a car salesman everyone can have personal problems.

Posted by sara | June 27, 2007 1:51 AM

I wish everyone would stop speculating on what happened and pointing the finger at Chris Benoit. What about his other two children? How do you think they feel? They just lost their father, stepmother and half brother in horrific circumstances. Stop calling him a murderer before the facts are clear. And stop blaming steriods. At least wait until all the reports are in before you condemn Chris Benoit.

Posted by Lulu | June 27, 2007 2:08 AM

We need more from Jesus. If he is not in our life, that things steel happends. Jesus is the our solution.
from the beautyfull island of Puerto Rico,
Bobby.

Posted by Bobby Rodriguez | June 27, 2007 2:35 AM

Someone has said it before me but..WWE put out the show before details were released. Also lets not make this tragedy into and anti wrestling thing. I will remember Chris Benoit the wrestler fondly. The tragedy that has become the Benoit family has to be looked at fully before we make rash decisions...too bad the media(CNN ect) cant help but turn this into a tabloid mess instead of a tragedy!

Posted by peter | June 27, 2007 3:22 AM

The show was indeed decided upon prior to the WWE knowing more details about the cause of death.

The WWE regretted the decision the day after, but there was nothing they can do about it. Nor should they do anything about it because they were not at fault for not knowing the full details.

A semi apology was made prior to the start of the ECW show on Tuesday night. It was a well prepared statement.

- Jack

WrestlingRevealed.com

Posted by Jack | June 27, 2007 3:49 AM

I recently sat with "Edge" on a plane a few weeks ago, discussing life on the road in the WWE and its challenges. My take is that being out there for 250+ days a year is really the problem, not the drugs. I personally travel about 90 days a year and I know how it makes me feel, can't imagine 250.

In speaking with "Edge", he is looking to retire within next year. I hope this encourages him to do so, as he seemed like a great guy with a terrific future outside the ring.

Posted by Tim | June 27, 2007 5:05 AM

..."sport entertainers," as chairman Vince McMahon began to refer to his performers, faced growing pressure to bulk up, to subject themselves to ever-more dangerous stunts and spots. At what cost?

Whatever the cost, it's on their own heads. Nobody needs to jump off of a steel cage to pay the bills. Similarly, nobody needs to take steroids to get a job. Guys want to get into the wrestling industry, so they do what it takes to get in. It's not McMahon's problem that the public don't want to see a couple of skinny guys grappling on the mat, he just caters for a certain taste. Guys get into the industry knowing they have to make sacrifices. Don't wanna make them? GET ANOTHER JOB.

A stuntman doesn't bitch and moan about having to risk his life to put food on the table. Ultimately people have the power to make their own choices in life, Benoit made his and all other wrestlers made theirs. McMahon never once put a gun to anybody's head and said "you're joining my company."

Posted by Harry Michaels | June 27, 2007 7:22 AM

This is an industry that promotes violence, the marginalization and degradation of women, and practically require that its actors use unhealthy, potential dangerous drugs in order to get ahead, and then they act shocked when so many of their employees lives include marital problems, illness, and death? I'm not sure that this is something that they can shake off any more.

Posted by Joe | June 27, 2007 9:56 AM

So many people willing to judge and throw in their two cents. It is a sad thing. A tortured man and a double homicide, that is all I see. You people talk and talk and throw blame around. Blame is not yours to give. Your opinions don't matter. Just take it as it is, a very sad thing.

Posted by Steve | June 27, 2007 11:13 PM

WWE is to blame for this, they sponsor entertainment for extreme violence and drug use. STEROIDS ARE A DRUG! The owner has been caught with it, every entertainer is on it and on top of that, they degrade women.

Wow, how could they not be responsible. Hmmm, one of their Steroid infested employees bound and strangled his wife and then smothered his mentally challenged son. Roid rage, violence, and degrading women (to the most extreme form... DEATH)... All you boogereaters can defend the company as much as you like, but the fact of the mater is you're wrong. The company is wrong and thingsneed to change. If we're mad cause of steroids in baseball we should be outraged with wrestling.

Posted by Disdain4Boogereaters | June 27, 2007 11:45 PM

WWE is to blame for this, they sponsor entertainment for extreme violence and drug use. STEROIDS ARE A DRUG! The owner has been caught with it, every entertainer is on it and on top of that, they degrade women.

Wow, how could they not be responsible. Hmmm, one of their Steroid infested employees bound and strangled his wife and then smothered his mentally challenged son. Roid rage, violence, and degrading women (to the most extreme form... DEATH)... All you boogereaters can defend the company as much as you like, but the fact of the mater is you're wrong. The company is wrong and thingsneed to change. If we're mad cause of steroids in baseball we should be outraged with wrestling.

Posted by Disdain4Boogereaters | June 27, 2007 11:45 PM

I will always remember Chris Benoit for the tremendous pride he took in entertaining the millions of fans around the world who witnessed his matches, he also took pride in protecting his ring partner when participating in a match.

With respect to the reasons for this I will never know but I guess a mixture between his injuries taking toll and steroid use plus the strain of manintaining a family with a son who had some disability.

Chris whatever happened I know you loved your family and I will remember you forever

Chris Benoit, Nancy & Son RIP

Posted by geoff bevan | June 28, 2007 6:01 AM

Who cares. Not like he had any real impact on this world. He killed his family and then himself, the cowards way out.
Move on.

Posted by Steve | June 28, 2007 12:42 PM

The whole benoit family tragedy is so unreal i havent quite come to grips with it . Although i had never met Chris Benoit he was my idol from the first time i saw him wrestle i thought that he was awsome ,he was an insperation and an idol to me and to find out what happend on the weekend absolutley blows my mind . For what ever Chris was going through and for whatever happend to make this tragedy take place i dont blame Chris Benoit . Its easy for people to point the blame on steroids and on the wwe , and to forget so quickly what an awesome and professional athlete he was and that he dedicated his entire life to the business . My heart goes out to the family friends wwe fans and to Chris Nancy and Daniel .
"Gone but not forgotten"

Posted by Lanc3 | June 28, 2007 2:54 PM

That is the problem. The WWE should've just canceled the show altogether and done nothing until the facts were clear. It would've been a tremendous coincidence that he leaves the events and then his entire family is found dead...it would've been more prudent of Vince had he just canceled everything and waited.

Posted by clubby | June 28, 2007 3:47 PM

I still can't get my head around this one but I think Bobby is right; a little more Jesus in your life
http://freegeorgemartorano.blogspot.com

Posted by mark anthony given | June 28, 2007 6:12 PM

dude you and eddie were the best

Posted by nick bennion | June 28, 2007 8:29 PM

This is an industry that promotes violence and
degradation of women. I thought the WWE corporate office said that all wrestlers have to go thru drug testing every month.

We lost a nice man, who I had a chance to meet when he was in WCW. I blame the pressure that
these men live under to act like entertainers.

Just pray for all these wrestlers that put their
life on the line every night just for the money,

Posted by Cindy Lantz | June 28, 2007 8:59 PM

I have been a Wrestling fan since my dad worked for WWF back in the 80s at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston Texas and i have to say that through the years of going to live invents and meeting a lot of the old Wrestlers as a child and young adult it is really hard for me to look back and remember some of the wrestlers that i got to share a hand shake or a hug or just sit with them and get to know them. With that being said its really hard to know that some one that you once met and got to know is no longer with us its really sad that drugs can do that to a person i have not nor is the past did drugs i don't see how a person can put something that they know will hurt them in to there bodies but then again i have never did them so i don't know what it feels like. I do have a question for WWE ok so back when Eddie and Chris died there was a big thing about testing the wrestlers for drugs are they still being tested or did they just forget about there deaths I sure hope not I would hate to see all the little kids on TV crying again because WWE don't keep up on what they said they were going to do It Broke my heart to watch the kids that looked up to Eddie and Chris knowing that they well never see them come out to the ring again they don't understand they are so young.I know that WWE can not stop there wreslters from doing drugs and i dont hold WWE in anyway responsible for the deaths of Eddie or Chris but i do pray that WWE keeps testing there people. We as fans need that.
Thanks and GOD BLESS
Aways a Fan
Lena

Posted by lena | April 11, 2008 6:17 PM

I have been a Wrestling fan since my dad worked for WWF back in the 80s at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston Texas and i have to say that through the years of going to live invents and meeting a lot of the old Wrestlers as a child and young adult it is really hard for me to look back and remember some of the wrestlers that i got to share a hand shake or a hug or just sit with them and get to know them. With that being said its really hard to know that some one that you once met and got to know is no longer with us its really sad that drugs can do that to a person i have not nor is the past did drugs i don't see how a person can put something that they know will hurt them in to there bodies but then again i have never did them so i don't know what it feels like. I do have a question for WWE ok so back when Eddie and Chris died there was a big thing about testing the wrestlers for drugs are they still being tested or did they just forget about there deaths I sure hope not I would hate to see all the little kids on TV crying again because WWE don't keep up on what they said they were going to do It Broke my heart to watch the kids that looked up to Eddie and Chris knowing that they well never see them come out to the ring again they don't understand they are so young.I know that WWE can not stop there wreslters from doing drugs and i dont hold WWE in anyway responsible for the deaths of Eddie or Chris but i do pray that WWE keeps testing there people. We as fans need that.
Thanks and GOD BLESS
Aways a Fan
Lena

Posted by lena | April 11, 2008 6:18 PM

You people are fooling yourselves. All of you who are making excuses for WWE are delusional.

The writing was on the wall long before the official statement was released by the authorities stating Chris Benoit as the prime suspect. Even before then, it was OBVIOUS that WWE had been hasty in their decision to do a tribute show. They KNEW that he had skipped out on the last house show before the PPV to go home for "an emergency". As they were recording comments from the wrestlers, William Regal himself even stopped to question whether anyone thought that Chris may have killed his son. They had a wrestler on the roster who had received cryptic text messages. The authorities were investigating a MURDER in which they had already stated no sign of break-in and NO FIREARM USED.

Guess what that means! It means that WWE had every reason to speculate, suspect, and exercise caution.

But they didn't do that! Even if the limited data at the time didn't explicitly name Chris as the prime suspect, it should have been enough for them to exercise caution. Instead, they jumped into a three-hour tribute show to cash in one someone's death, while news stations airing simultaneous to Raw were pooling bets as to how likely it was that Benoit would be named the prime suspect! Apparently, EVERYONE KNEW EXCEPT FOR WWE AND IT'S DELUSIONAL FANBASE!

I was watching that night myself, and I couldn't believe how short sighted WWE had been in orchestrating that program. Saying to myself over and over "Oh my god... Benoit killed his son, and they're dedicating a three fucking hour program to his memory!".

Remove your heads from your rectal regions and face the facts. WWE knew that this was a possiblity, and they didn't care.

Posted by Cheatum | April 28, 2008 6:30 PM