:( Chris Benoit

[whottt]

page2 espn - By Jemele Hill

You could say what's happened in pro wrestling recently is very Tupac-esque.

Tupac foreshadowed his own death in his 1996 video for "I Ain't Mad At Cha," which was released a few days after he was shot and killed in Las Vegas.

The WWE was in the middle of an elaborate, fake-death story line involving chairman Vince McMahon -- going as far as to put out a press release about it and declare a day of mourning -- when life decided it could trump art.

The WWE got its wish, all right. The pro wrestling world was indeed leveled by a major death, creating the nationwide buzz it so desperately sought. Only this death wasn't staged, it wasn't McMahon's and it pointed to a much more significant problem in the "sport."

The bodies of legendary wrestler Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and 7-year-old son Daniel were discovered Monday after a gruesome murder-suicide. Initially, all three were thought to be victims -- the WWE and USA Network even aired a three-hour tribute to the 22-year wrestling vet -- but it soon became apparent the deaths were executed by Benoit, who strangled his wife and suffocated his child before hanging himself on the portable weight machine in the family's home.

I realize we're supposed to look at pro wrestling as a high-flying version of "The Young and the Restless." But it is inconceivable that, given the appalling number of real wrestling deaths, there would ever be any plot lines involving fake deaths.

The real lives of pro wrestlers, as the Benoit tragedy illustrates, are far more disturbing than anything they could act out in the ring.

Two years ago, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his Minneapolis hotel room -- medical examiners ruled Guerrero had an enlarged heart, a result of the anabolic steroids he had abused. In 2003, Miss Elizabeth -- the girlfriend of former WCW champion Lex Luger and a one-time fixture in the sport -- overdosed on a combination of pain pills and alcohol. That same year, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Henning died of a cocaine overdose. And in 1999, Owen Hart died while trying to perform a stunt during a pay-per-view event -- the show went on, and because pro wrestling is always full of theatrics, the viewing audience had no idea the mishap it had just witnessed resulted in a real death.

"Personally, I thought the [McMahon] story line was in extremely poor taste from the start," said Phil Lowe, editor of WrestleMag.com, the largest wrestling Web site in the United Kingdom. "I'd like to think a story line such as this should never even be considered again and that the company now focuses on wrestling over far-fetched story lines, as well as paying more attention to the well-being of those who play a massive role in ensuring that the company is such a massive success."

Although pro wrestling makes no illusions about its purpose, the countless deaths suggest it's time to scrutinize what goes on there with the same seriousness as in the NBA or NFL. Pro wrestling is still sports entertainment, which doesn't make it all that different from the sports leagues that don't have predetermined outcomes.

It took Jose Canseco's book, "Juiced," and the BALCO scandal to get Congress to question officials from the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball. How many more pro wrestlers have to die before Congress gives McMahon, who was charged with conspiring to distribute steroids to his wrestlers, a phone call?

"Depending on what comes out from [Benoit's] toxicology reports, we could see changes implemented or at least changes called for," Lowe said.

Although steroids are poised to be the banner issue that emerges from the Benoit tragedy, the changes that need to be implemented should go further than just drug testing, which WWE already has.

As we've seen with the retired NFL players who have taken their plight to the government, the mental strain that comes from competing in brutal sports -- and despite its being programmed, you could argue pro wrestling is as physically taxing as professional football -- can be debilitating, whether steroids are involved or not.

Many pro wrestlers, as shown in the stunning 1999 do entary "Beyond the Mat," lead lives that are demoralizing, not glamorous. In that do entary, we learn that Jake "The Snake" Roberts -- whose signature "DDT" move I tried many times as a kid -- is just a lonely cocaine addict estranged from his family. Based on the things in "Beyond the Mat," we should almost be surprised when a pro wrestler doesn't die tragically.

"Ultimately, every guy is responsible for his or her own actions," Lowe said. "That said, some of these guys -- especially those at the top of the tree -- are under huge pressure to keep in shape and maintain their physical condition while burning themselves out on the road 200-plus days a year."

It seems the drama in pro wrestling isn't as fake as we'd like to believe.

You know it's weird...
When WCW put the belt on Benoit, he left for WWE. I mean the day after.
When WWE put the belt on Benoit, around that same time he had domestic abuse and divorce issues.
When WWE was about to put one on him again, he snapped and killed his family.


It's almost like he didn't want the pressure and responsibility that comes with wearing the main belt and reacted badly to it in someway, every time it was given to him. Maybe that pressure is what cracked him. It cracked Eddie Gurerro(in a completely different way). And I know people that don't follow wrestling don't get how there is pressure in a "fake" sport...but there is, they put the main belt on guys they expect to draw in paying fans...it's a tremendous responsibility in a "fake" sport...it's like being asked to be the provider for everyone that works for the fed.


Maybe he never wanted to really be champion and just wanted to wrestle in relative anonymity and be well paid for doing it. Dude never had a bad match, not a single one. No exaggeration here either, he never had a bad match.

[Marklar MM]

WCW gave him the belt to try and keep him with WCW...he disliked their management.

[whottt]

WCW gave him the belt to try and keep him with WCW...he disliked their management.

I know...

But he didn't break his contract until they were going to put it on him. Granted...he didn't have the opportunity before, but still...most wrestlers would have tried to stay if they knew they were getting the belt. He didn't...

[whottt]

WCW gave him the belt to try and keep him with WCW...he disliked their management.

And if what I said seems far out...

Eddie Gurerro had a nervous breakdown when he was carrying the belt circa 03, because he wasn't drawing that good...he also nearly killed himself in several matches trying to do so(with a little help from JBL).


It's not something fans talk about much...but it is something wrestlers talk about, especially old school ones. You wear the belt you are expected to put asses in the seat someway, somehow, even if you have to make a complete ass out of yourself in the process of doing it. Drawing is more important than anything else to most wrestlers...and that's how most of them judge their success. Not by how many belts they wore, or how good they were in the ring, or how good they were on the mic...but how many people were paying money to see them. Benoit was pretty much a failure as an American draw(and it was largely his own fault due to his unwillingness to improve on the mic). And he just wanted to be great in the ring. Maybe that failure is what he was trying to avoid again...and maybe he just decided to take his family with him.

[timvp]

You know it's weird...
When WCW put the belt on Benoit, he left for WWE. I mean the day after.
When WWE put the belt on Benoit, around that same time he had domestic abuse and divorce issues.
When WWE was about to put one on him again, he snapped and killed his family.

Logical progression.

[johnsmith]

And if what I said seems far out...

Eddie Gurerro had a nervous breakdown when he was carrying the belt circa 03, because he wasn't drawing that good...he also nearly killed himself in several matches trying to do so(with a little help from JBL).


It's not something fans talk about much...but it is something wrestlers talk about, especially old school ones. You wear the belt you are expected to put asses in the seat someway, somehow, even if you have to make a complete ass out of yourself in the process of doing it. Drawing is more important than anything else to most wrestlers...and that's how most of them judge their success. Not by how many belts they wore, or how good they were in the ring, or how good they were on the mic...but how many people were paying money to see them. Benoit was pretty much a failure as an American draw(and it was largely his own fault due to his unwillingness to improve on the mic). And he just wanted to be great in the ring. Maybe that failure is what he was trying to avoid again...and maybe he just decided to take his family with him.

Wrestling Psychology 101

[whottt]

Wrestling Psychology 101

You can't stay out of this thread to save your life, can you?

Typical of the closet s that claim to hate wrestling yet really can't get enough manflesh to satisfy their supressed sexual cravings.

You are closet wrestling fan 101. Aintcha boy

[timvp]

I guess where I differ with whottt is whottt attempts to find the reason why he snapped. To me, looking for a reason is pretty much the same as looking for an excuse.

He was on steroids, he had too many concussion, was on anti-depressants, he had too many belts, etc. sound like excuses to me. whottt apparently is searching for an action that caused the reaction of a dead family.

The way I think of it is he was crazy and he just went crazy and his family paid the price. No person who was ever sane could do what he did.

What he did doesn't sound like a guy who snapped, as far as being able to pinpoint the exact cause of the snapping. Sounds to me like crazy went crazy.

Of course, I could be wrong and it could be he couldn't handle his belts or whatever but that doesn't sound logical to me.

[tlongII]

I agree with timvp. Implying that the pressure associated with holding a fake championship made him snap is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on the internets.

[whottt]

I guess where I differ with whottt is whottt attempts to find the reason why he snapped. To me, looking for a reason is pretty much the same as looking for an excuse.

He was on steroids, he had too many concussion, was on anti-depressants, he had too many belts, etc. sound like excuses to me. whottt apparently is searching for an action that caused the reaction of a dead family.

The way I think of it is he was crazy and he just went crazy and his family paid the price. No person who was ever sane could do what he did.

What he did doesn't sound like a guy who snapped, as far as being able to pinpoint the exact cause of the snapping. Sounds to me like crazy went crazy.

Of course, I could be wrong and it could be he couldn't handle his belts or whatever but that doesn't sound logical to me.

Wrestling is a trip...the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. It's just a tripped out business.

But anyway...
I don't see how anyone can make an excuse for what the dude did...he murdered his wife and child, and since the dude was legitimately a killing machine(ask Kurt Angle, an Olympic Gold Medalist Wrestler who was probably Benoit's best opponent)....the actions speak for themselves...and if I was on a jury trying this case and it carried a mandatory death sentence for Benoit, and he was delcared sane...I'd have voted guilty.


But that doesn't mean this wasn't preventable...and in dismissing this as something that he just did because he was a bad dude, you take a position that it couldn't have been prevented. A guy that was successful at what he did, had enduring friendships, a family...the respect and admiration of his peers in and out of the industry, not to metion the fans...

I look at it as ok...Benoit probably did have some kind of ed up sense of right and wrong to begin with...but someting held him back, kept him from doing something horrible and then he snapped while he was still in the peak of his career and seemingly had everything going for him. This was a senseless murder and suicide..it makes no sense.

Most of the time when a guy whacks his wife and family and then kills himself, there is a reason for it...either he lost his job or his wife is divorcing him or something...and like some one of these articles said...they usually don't have any friends they can talk too. This isn't the case with Benoit. I dunno...maybe his wife was going to leave him or something, and she mentioned it the day he killed her...but he's been married and divorced before. It seems like he was more worried about getting custody of his son.

Nah...I think this dude was on drugs that removed what ever inhibition he had about enacting his own ed up sense of right and wrong...and I think he was afraid of the responsibility of being asked to provide for everyone in the fed...because it would force him to come out of his s to overcome his drawbacks on the mic...and he was afraid of that, but couldn't admit it to himself that he was afraid...so he found some BS reason to take the easy way out. Who knows...he might have even offed his wife so she wouldn't be around to completely shatter the perfect image he had crafted for so many years.


After readin what everyone said about his kid though...I don't think he hated his kid. Everyone has said there is absolutely no doubt he loved his son, took him with him everywhere, always brought him up on the stage after winning a match, was extremely protective of the kid. I think he didn't want his kid to suffer a tormented life due to dwarfism, autism and re ation. Honestly...Benoit was called the Vanilla midget by some because of his build...and there was something almost autistic about his persona, he was really single minded...and he really didn't open up to become larger than life like so many of the successful wrestlers do. Trying to force a person with autism to open up is just about the worst thing you can do to them.


And BTW, I don't care if anyone thinks it's stupid I am analyzing this...I grew up hanging out with a wrestlers kids, spent a lot of time backstage at the shows. These guys put more effort into giving the fans their moneys worth, and IMO they care about it more, than any other entertainment field. They literally kill themselves to entertain. Most of them...give it everything they have. Why? I guess you'd just have to be a wrestler to understand...I actually thought it would be cool to do at one point...until I actually got in the ring and tried it a couple of times... that. That hurts, just getting throw into the ropes hurts like , and that's not taking into account the steroid usage needed to be successful at it now.

[whottt]

I agree with timvp. Implying that the pressure associated with holding a fake championship made him snap is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on the internets.

As I said earlier...Eddie Gurerro had a nervous breakdown from that pressure...this isn't my opinion, it's well do ented and he was honest about what caused it.


It's not ridiculous...you just don't understand wrestling. IT's not unusual for simpler minds to dislike things they don't understand though...so don't be too hard on yourself

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I agree with timvp. Implying that the pressure associated with holding a fake championship made him snap is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on the internets.

This from a man with Chris Farley in his signature? The pressure he would have been faced with is no different from the same pressure that drove countless entertainers down paths of self destruction.

Personally I don't think that Whottt is making any excuses for what happened. If anything I think he's illustrating how much responsibility Benoit bears for his actions. He wasn't a stupid man (or at least no accounts have referred to him as one). After wrestling for 20 years he of all people would know the horror stories about how wrestlers end up. Whether from drugs or from simply running themselves into the ground, Benoit knew all the pitfalls and he chose to go down that same road. I'd bet he knew all the ed up things steroids can do to you, and he did them anyway. After breaking his neck or picking up his umteenth concussion he could have stepped back and said, "You know, maybe it's just not worth it anymore."

But he didn't. And that's really what makes this sickening situation that much more sickening to me. For all the factors that could have contributed to this, they all could have been avoided if he cared enough to look at what was really important. , the guy could have retired years ago, opened up a wrestling school in Atlanta and been set for the rest of his life. Instead he chose go the way that so many others went. What is lost in all of this is that Benoit can't be held accountable for the years of bad calls that lead up to this heinous act.

[johnsmith]

You can't stay out of this thread to save your life, can you?

Typical of the closet s that claim to hate wrestling yet really can't get enough manflesh to satisfy their supressed sexual cravings.

You are closet wrestling fan 101. Aintcha boy

Is there now a rule about which threads you can or cannot go to.

I also like how the "super fan" of wrestling is calling someone else gay.

Finally, who knows dude, maybe I'm playing one of your "Rick Flair" like games with you.

Good God you're a bag.

[johnsmith]

It's not ridiculous...you just don't understand wrestling. IT's not unusual for simpler minds to dislike things they don't understand though...so don't be too hard on yourself

That almost made me cry I'm laughing so hard.

You just called those that don't like wrestling, "simpler minds".

Keep going man, I can't get enough of this.

[whottt]

Is there now a rule about which threads you can or cannot go to.

I also like how the "super fan" of wrestling is calling someone else gay.

Finally, who knows dude, maybe I'm playing one of your "Rick Flair" like games with you.

Good God you're a bag.

Rick Flair wouldn't get owned by smack...

Dude...you are the common wrestling hater. You reject it because of the wood you uncomfortably sprout at the site of grown sweaty muscular men in their underwear. It's all about you being uncomfortable with the sexual attraction you feel and uncertain of your sexual preference. I've seen you one million times before my friend . You became mere fodder for me in internet arguments about 1999.

[hello13]

I agree with timvp. Implying that the pressure associated with holding a fake championship made him snap is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on the internets.

There is nothing FAKE about the le.

The ONLY thing FAKE in wrestling is that outcomes are pre-determined!

When a person is given the oppertunity to hold a wrestling championship, it is not fake. It is the highest honor one could have. It's the same thing as winning a NBA le/MVP for a basketball player.

It means the company/league respects the hard work, dedication, and great things that person has done.

If you think being the champion...top dog...#1 person for a company...a team that generates millions upon millions of dollars each ing year...is a situation that has no pressure and stress...then you are ing re ed.

I am not condoning or defending his actions!

Read my post back around page 3 or 4 that called him a piece of ...

What I am saying is that to all you wrestling haters out there, this is as real as it gets.

Yea, outcomes are predetermined and storylines are written up but the bumps, bruises, stress, pressure, etc is real as .

[hello13]

FOX News is reporting that an anonymous user using a computer linked to Stamford, Conn. (where WWE headquarters are located) posted an entry to Chris Benoit's biography on Wikipedia revealing the death of his wife Nancy as the reason for Benoit missing the WWE Vengeance pay-per-view about 14 hours before police said they found her body along with those of Benoit and their 7-year-old son. The posting read: "Chris Benoit was replaced by [[Johnny Nitro]] for the ECW Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy."

According to the FOX News article, employees at Wikipedia.com said the posting went live on their site on Monday at 12:01 a.m. EST (the computer-generated time and date stamp of the entry is listed as 4:01, 25 June 2007 Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time). Police, however, said they found the bodies Monday at 2:30 p.m. EST.

An employee from Wikipedia told FOXNews.com that he called and left a message with investigative authorities in Fayetteville, Ga., at around 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday, after the posting was brought to the attention of their attention.

Wikipedia.org is one of the largest websites in the world, and is written collaboratively by users from around the world. Approved users can make submissions and change entries that are posted on the site almost immediately. Bass said the site is constantly monitored to correct inaccuracies.

The article also noted that the the computer used to post the 12:01 a.m. Benoit entry has been used to post about a dozen other messages on the site, dating back to May 16, 2007.


www.wrestlinginc.com

[desflood]

Another Pro Wrestler Found Dead Days Before Benoit Murder-Suicide
Thursday, June 28, 2007

A week to the day before pro wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy, former pro wrestler and manager Sherri Martel was found dead of unknown causes at her mother's home.

Martel, a pro wrestler in the WWE Hall of Fame who later managed the likes of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, was found dead in her mother's home in McCalla, Ala., on June 15, according to published reports.

Click here to read how Nancy Benoit's death was posted to the Internet hours before police found her body.

Linking the deaths of the Benoits with Martel is former pro wrestler Kevin Sullivan, a man once married to Nancy Benoit and who also was Martel's friend and booker.

Martel, who wrestled under the name "Sensational Sherri," was found dead by her husband, Robert Schrull, according to a report in the Tuscaloosa News.

[tlongII]

There is nothing FAKE about the le.

The ONLY thing FAKE in wrestling is that outcomes are pre-determined!

When a person is given the oppertunity to hold a wrestling championship, it is not fake. It is the highest honor one could have. It's the same thing as winning a NBA le/MVP for a basketball player.

It means the company/league respects the hard work, dedication, and great things that person has done.

If you think being the champion...top dog...#1 person for a company...a team that generates millions upon millions of dollars each ing year...is a situation that has no pressure and stress...then you are ing re ed.

I am not condoning or defending his actions!

Read my post back around page 3 or 4 that called him a piece of ...

What I am saying is that to all you wrestling haters out there, this is as real as it gets.

Yea, outcomes are predetermined and storylines are written up but the bumps, bruises, stress, pressure, etc is real as .

You are delusional. It is a fake championship.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

When a person is given the oppertunity to hold a wrestling championship, it is not fake. It is the highest honor one could have. It's the same thing as winning a NBA le/MVP for a basketball player.

It means the company/league respects the hard work, dedication, and great things that person has done.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

That's pretty ing weird.

[johnsmith]

That's pretty ing weird.

I think Whott did it.

[whottt]

I remember reading somewhere that there was a rumor that Benoit actually left a voice mail saying he murdered his wife at some point.



What I want to know...was that posted before the ETOD of Benoit's son? 15 hours before the bodies were found...both Benoit and his son could have still been alive at that point based on the timelines I have read. Benoit definitely still was alive at that point IIRC.

It's going to be a damn shame if they could have saved that little boys life...

[Avitus1]

Its interesting WWE has removed all mention of this stuff on the news portion of there website.

[The Red Hood]

Geez please don't tell me it was an inside job