Posted on 06/25/2007 3:53:58 PM PDT by HitmanLV
We are still awaiting further details, but PWInsider.com is extremely saddened to report that former WWE and WCW World champion Chris Benoit and his wife, former WCW and ECW personality Nancy "Woman" Benoit were both found dead today in Atlanta, Georgia. Obviously this will be a huge developing story in the days to come but at this point, we'd like to express our deepest condolences to the Benoits' family, friends, and fans at this time.
A meeting is currently ongoing at WWE TV and it is expected that tonight's three hour Raw will now be dedicated to Benoit's memory.
6:09 Update: WWE.com issued the following statement this afternoon:
"WWE is sad to report that Chris Benoit and his family have been found dead in their home. Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Tonight's Raw will be a tribute to Chris and his family."
I have heard he largely kept to himself, and sometimes that’s mistaken for arrogance or a misplaced intensity. Sometimes it is arrogance or a strange intensity. He clearly wasn’t a loner - he was widely respected in the business and had many friends in it, and a few close friends.
From what I know about wrestling, it’s probably best to keep to yourself and to keep your nose clean.
That's true, and the steroid use would drop if Vince didn't clearly place a premium on that type of look. If everyone lost 25 lbs of muscle in a short period of time, it would only be most obvious for the guys who rely on physiques for their gimmick (a guy like Chris Masters, for example).
But as many of the cooler heads have insisted, we don't know if steroids were even a significant factor in all this. Instinctively, I'd say they weren't.
I saw the press conference and don’t recall it being asked. I am glad someone asked in a follow up, though. Or maybe I missed it.
The worst. His book on wrestling scandals was unreadable - poorly put together and didn't tell me much I didn't already know. He is a McMahon hater. Watch him just act like an imbecile on the show.
I agree. There clearly must have been a catalyst. But it wasn't cycling steroids.
"He likely blamed himself for the whole ordeal and committed suicide, leaving no Bible behind (for himself), thinking himself unworthy of forgiveness."
"(On Democrat Underground) Benoit is being described as very anti-religious."
Benoit was brought up Catholic, his son was attending a Baptist school (Nancy's influence?) and he did place those Bibles by his wife and son's bodies. He also had extremely supportive parents and a network of friends that were peerless. If anything I believe Chris's sense of justice and morality led him to off himself after he comprehended all the implications of his loss of control. In his mind he purposely damned himself to hell for his sins and the damage his actions were about to unleash on the industry he loved almost as much as his family. The day after his "snap" must have been the literal epitome of Hell on Earth. His competent utilization of the weight machine to end it (and no note) was Benoit all the way - no chance of failure and no excuses or whining. He had to figure that that solution was best over a living example of weakness serving out a life sentence. He probably despised the loss of self control as much as the horrific crimes, plus the repercussions it would bring to the industry, and couldn't find any other path. It's come out that he definitely received testosterone supplement treatment for overuse of steroids, so this incident can not be flippantly explained as "evil". A madman committed these horrors but it was a coldly sane one who ruminated for a day, sent emails about the welfare of his pets and analyzed how to turn a BoFlex into an execution device.
Fragile X syndrome is a tough row to hoe for any parent - a malady so rare that medical science barely has any grasp on it. That Daniel was being injected with something to counteract it illustrates the desperate hope (and love) that one or both parents felt driven to. Without being put in that situation I can't judge those that are. You were wrong about Daniels odd appearance being caused by MGH - it was caused by Fragile X Syndrome itself.
One touching story I've read has how Daniel was hanging with Chris pre-show going through the exercises with him while dressed in the suit and tie Daniel insisted on wearing whenever his daddy let him attend. Countless other ones relate how Chris was consummately polite and humble no matter how rude or misunderstanding the people around him were. I refuse to damn him because the man he was all the way up to the tragedy speaks of nothing less than outstanding as a personality and a person despite the pressures fame, money and the problems unique to his profession. I pray God takes it into His hands and finds Chris some penitence that spares him eternal damnation.
Well said.
Thank you. You’re tagline speaks well of you. Those men must be freed while the truly guilty exposed to the light of justice. Sorry to digress.
Well said again.
Take care,
Eaker
I guess even McMahon came under investigation for giving wrestlers steroids.
I don't see what the deal is in saying that steroids are not involved, it makes more sense than this guy just flipping out.
But as many of the cooler heads have insisted, we don't know if steroids were even a significant factor in all this. Instinctively, I'd say they weren't.
They need to get someone like Jim Cornette in there to clean up the sport; I’m sure congress is going to start looking at this sport and regulate it.
I think that makes a lot of sense.
I’ve been following this story very closely as I used to be a big fan of his, and I’ve been struggling to make sense in all of this.
The reports I’ve been reading is that he and his wife had been arguing about the future of their son. She understandably wanted him home more often, but he was conflicted. Not only would he have to give up on a pending title run, he would have to take a major pay cut, and worry about the great financial costs of caring for a disabled child. Furthermore, he probably wondered how many more productive years could he have in the ring before he was forced to retire.
I’m guessing at that point they had a major argument. He blames her for passing on the defective X chromosome and she says something hurtful in response. Things quickly get out of hand.
Now, Chris Benoit has only known wrestling his entire life. He’s terrible behind the microphone and can only express himself physically. Furthermore, he’s a perfectionist, and perfectionism is often about having control over a situation. How does a perfectionist deal with a terminally imperfect situation? Nobody interviewed seem to know about Daniel’s condition. He probably bottled it up along with all the other mixed feelings of shame, guilt, and love that comes with raising a disabled child.
Nancy slaps at him and he must regain control. He uses physical methods to gain conrol of the situation. It’s the only way he knows how. He grabs some rope from somewhere, and binds her hands. When she kicks, he binds her legs. And when she continues to shout insults, he shuts her up the only way he knows how... physically. Would that scenario fit as a product of roid rage? Seems odd to me that somebody with roid rage commit three separate acts: Bind hands, bind feet, strangle. This, is more of a escalation of rage, not an explosion.
Nancy is left bound and strangled and the perfectionist is left with a terribly imperfect situation. Daniel will grow up knowing his father is a murderer. But more importantly to Benoit, Daniel will face physical abnormalities and mental defects— A fate, in his opinion, that is worse than death.
So then he makes two very conscious and pre-meditated decisions. He would rather burn in hell than to see his child lead an imperfect life.
Dense.
Denser.
Jim Cornette to “clean up” the sport? Cornette is McMahon with less talent.
Why don’t you direct congress to take a look at (c)rap music first?
Is that you Tipper?
No.
It is disdain.
He placed a Bible next to the bodies. Sounds to me like we should blame it on Christianity. You know, a lot of suicides are conducted while on knees or holding a Bible. Sounds like we need to fight this death cult! </sarc>
Jim Cornette actually had the forsight to set up the Smokey Mountain Wrestling Association in the early ‘90s; though it has failed, he knew that local and regional is better.
Do you think there should be no rating system for movies or anything?
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