“I think Chris Benoit should be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame!”
“What? You honest to God think that?”
“Yeah, he’s a legend in the business, he deserves the recognition.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“Well, I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be honored for his accomplishments.”
“Really? Because I can think of one really big reason.”
“Look, I know the circumstances surrounding his death were tragic and controversial. There’s no denying that. But we need to separate what he did in his personal life and what he did in the ring.”
“Did you say controversial?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would that word enter your brain?”
“Well, you know, because of how the investigation was handled.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Well, I think they just closed the case a little prematurely.”
“What are you insinuating?”
“Well… maybe Benoit didn’t do it.”
“Wow, you’re really doing this.”
“Look, there are a lot of things that raise questions. First off, why was the case closed so fast? Benoit, Nancy, and Daniel were all sedated at the time of death. Why would the murderer sedate himself? And where was Kevin Sullivan when this all happened?”
“You’re implying that you, a person that has simply watched the news and looked at the available evidence that was released, have cracked the case of the Benoit tragedy by pinning it on The Taskmaster.”
“Well he did say he was going to kill Benoit, and he’s a well known Satanist.”
“First off, Sullivan isn’t a Satanist. He played one on TV. Do you think Undertaker is really a mystical zombie person or Brodus Clay is a real human/dinosaur hybrid? How real is wrestling to you?”
“Well okay, sometimes characters are extensions of real life…”
“And second, when did Sullivan say he was going to kill Chris Benoit? Where are you getting your information?”
“Message boards.”
“Of course.”
“Okay, well let’s just go with your theory and assume Benoit did do it. Even if he did he wasn’t in his right state of mind! He couldn’t control himself! He had the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient at the time of his death! Should he really be held responsible for his actions?”
“Yes.”
“How can you say that? That’s so heartless!”
“Because he murdered his wife and son.”
“Yeah, but he was suffering due to years of abuse he’s taken in the ring. All the flying head butts, all the unprotected chair shots, they took a toll on his brain. In reality, WWE should be responsible for this tragedy.”
“That’s the most one-sided and ignorant argument ever. Chris Benoit was a professional wrestler who willingly put his body through hell. He made the choice to take every chair shot he took. He wasn’t getting hit with them against his will. Hell, he didn’t even do it for free. He got his money. In the end the responsibility falls on him.”
“Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean he should be responsible for his actions when his brain was a pudding pop.”
“I suppose a kid that walks into an elementary school and starts shooting children point blank shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions because he was mentally imbalanced? Or a terrorist who sets off a bomb and kills hundreds shouldn’t be held accountable because he was indoctrinated by a hateful group of zealots, right?”
“Well… no…”
“Look if you want to have a discussion about the effects of trauma to the brain and ways to prevent it, we can do that all day because I’m game. That’s a conversation worth having. But, that’s not what you’re doing here. You’re trying to excuse the cold and terrible actions of a human being just so you can justify his inclusion in the Hall Of Fame.”
“Okay, but he still contributed a lot to this business. He gave his blood, sweat, and tears for the fans of wrestling, and even though what he did was horrible, we should separate that from the long and storied career he had before that terrible day.”
“He murdered his wife and child.”
“Yeah I know, but…”
“BUT NOTHING. He murdered his wife and child. I don’t care if every day of his life he took care of sick puppies and nursed them back to health with the power of love and hugs. In life your last act dictates how your legacy will be upheld, and his last act was full of death and carnage. Are you insinuating that a television character’s legacy is more important than the lives of a woman and her child? Because if you are, that’s terrible.”
“So what, are we just supposed to erase him from history? That shouldn’t happen. Regardless if WWE wants to admit it or not, he was a big part of their company and she be recognized for the role he played, not blotted out of existence like they’re trying to do.”
“There is a big difference between acknowledging someone’s contributions and honoring them. He’s not completely gone. Look at the title history on the website, his name is there.”
“Yeah, but he did so much more than win belts!”
“Yeah, like murder his wife and child. Why aren’t you getting this?”
“Look, I’m just expressing my opinion. I don’t know why you have to be so rude about it! I’m allowed to speak my mind!”
“This is true, but you have to understand that if you plan to express yourself then there are going to be consequences to what you say, and you better be prepared for someone to vehemently disagree with you. You need to choose your words carefully, plan your argument out, and be prepared to fight for it. If you’re not prepared to deal with the consequences that come with sharing your opinions, good or bad, then you probably shouldn’t say anything at all.”
“Well…”
“Especially when it involves honoring a man that MURDERED HIS WIFE AND CHILD.”
“Yeah, but…”
“No, shut up, you need to understand this: There is no way Chris Benoit will ever get in WWE’s Hall Of Fame, and he doesn’t deserve to. In our society we do not tolerate and glorify people that murder their children with pillows. There are no buts here, there are no more arguments. This is done. We are done forever with arguing about Chris Benoit and the Hall Of Fame.”
“It’s just…”
“DONE.”
“Fine, okay, I get it.”
“Good. Finally.”
“But they could at least release a Best of DVD.”
“I hate you.”
Andrew Johnson is a pretty cool cat who did not get his ‘about me’ paragraph in on time. He can be found elsewhere writing about the good, the bad, and the Raw recaps that comprise WWE Smackdown, as well as revisiting all sorts of shows I didn’t get to watch as a kid because Canada at Blogodeon. Let’s all play nice on this one, k? – Danielle
The Mandible Claw 
This sums it up brilliantly
I am NOT making excuses for Benoit. What he did was EVIL. Even though I still feel that Benoit’s life should NOT be defined by those final and selfish acts that he committed, and as much as I can’t turn off my fandom of him as a wrestler (and I DID lose a LOT of respect for him because of those same acts), I also agree that those acts automatically excluded him from being in the WWE Hall of Fame.
No. The murders he committed do and should define him. That’s like saying Ted Bundy should be remembered for saving a boy from drowning or John Wayne Gacy should be remembered for being a birthday party clown for kids.
Except Benoit wasn’t a serial killer,it’s not like he hunted down and killed a slew of victims. Murder is murder,and is a vile act,but what he did was just one vile act. There was so much more Chris Benoit did in his life and so many people in his life that can honestly say that he was one the nicest,most caring guys they ever met. I won’t make any excuses for what he did,it’s a terrible and unforgivable thing. But I don’t think it’s the one and only thing he should be remembered for. He was one of the biggest and most influential wrestlers around,that should at least be noted. I think people should acknowledge his illustrious career and not just the murder/suicide,sadly I don’t think anyone will ever come to that middle ground. It’s because of that,his career and it’s achievements will forever be tarnished.
Also,no I don’t believe in putting him in the hall of fame. For two reasons,the first being the WWE wanting to get as far away from that scandel as they possibly can. The second reason being what I said before,I don’t think anyone will come to the middle ground of acknowledging his great wrestling career and not just the murder/suicide.
What’s the minimum amount of innocent children you have to murder before it becomes more important than the fake fighting you did for a living?
Amen. I hope to God none of these Benoit marks ever has to serve jury duty or hold some very important occupation. I also wonder if they think Aaron Hernandez still deserves a job in the NFL because he was a good tight end.
That is probably the dumbest things I ever heard. Murderers are murderers whether they kill one or many. I’m sick of every Benoit mark who keeps trying to excuse him. Do you know how sick that is to disregard the murders of a woman and defenseless little boy?
You do know that the neighbors of John Wayne Gacy thought he was a good guy too.
Being a good professional wrestler isn’t exactly on par with curing cancer or inventing helpful things (and even stuff like that wouldn’t excuse murder).
This middle ground garbage is absolutely STUPID. And this isn’t a subjective issue either. If one is going to be of this awful opinion that excuses Benoit, then the rest of society are going to look at them like they are crazy or incredibly stupid.
I’m sick of idiots trying to make what he did look trivial as if it were something like stealing a candy bar from a gas station, smoking reefer, or even having a fetish for hookers. Those things are excusable, not murder.
Killing his wife and child is certainly NOT trivial. Benoit is a murderer, that is unquestionable. WWE should not be pressured to induct them into their Hall of Fame.
That said, I feel Benoit’s case should be looked at with shades of gray. Gacy, Dhamer,Radar, and Gein, were sick men that tortured and killed dozens of people over decades. What they did was evil, malicious, calculated, all of those bad words.
Benoit was in a business were people suffer more concussions than any legitimate sport. He took a lot of risks and suffered a lot of trauma. His own Dad has come out and said that after reading Benoit’s diary he believes Benoit was losing his mind for at least a year before he killed himself and his family.
The man was a Wounded Warrior. Would you completely write off a war veteran with PTSD who succumed to his injuries and became demented and dangerous as being simply a “Monster”?
When they murder their wife and child? ABSOLUTELY.
Not to mention, Benoit wasn’t a war hero. Far from it. He was a guy who happened to be good at his job. That job just happened to be a worked business with dangerous hazards. In the grand scheme of things, that occupation really isn’t all that important. Just like OJ Simpson and Aaron Hernandez’s football accomplishments are mere footnotes now.
Definitely not calling Benoit a war hero. Just saying he he spent many years of his life in a profession where people die young.
He was also not Jack the Ripper. Putting him in the same catagory as mass murderers is a bit much. But his memory should be a shot of reality to people who call wrestling “fake”.
And it was Benoit who made the choice to stay in the business when he should’ve taken time off or retired.
He killed a child. In my book, that makes him a monster. Had he not committed suicide after, he wouldn’t have gotten some slap on the wrist. Given one of the victims was a child and this was in Georgia, I could envision them disregarding the Freudian garbage and slamming the guy with the death penalty. But even the most lenient judge gives him nothing less than lifetime confinement in an insane asylum.
Speaking of the people who call wrestling fake: These mentally unbalanced Benoit marks are doing nothing but giving those people who look down on wrestling more ammunition to support their point that wrestling is dumb and it’s fans are dumber. Hence why I rip into every one of them I encounter.
Yeah, I’ve had that talk with people on twitter who thought “Let’s get #ChrisBenoitForHoF trending” was a good idea. I was getting deja vu from reading this. Great job, Andrew.
Thanks. This all stemmed from an amalgamation of conversations I’ve had over the years with Benoit defenders. It’s… taxing.
The “what he did for the company” argument kind of boggles my mind. Benoit was champion once and then struggled to remain relevant. Even if you compare him to Eddie he pales in comparison because Eddie found a way back up the mountain and into the main event after his initial title run. I think Stephanie McMahon said Eddie was going to win the title again (off the injured Batista) before his untimely passing. Even if you only register what he did for the company, the only legacy Benoit has is creating the absolute worst day in wrestling or WWE history. Why should the man who created the worst PR nightmare ever be put in that company’s hall of fame?
The companies he worked for bear responsibility for the lack of care (knowledge?) over his concussions that caused his CTE. That being said, plenty of people have suffered from CTE in both the NFL and wrestling, and Benoit was the only one who murdered his wife and kid. There’s no complete divorce from WWE/NJPW/WCW/ECW etc. being responsible for the CTE, but he’s the one who bears ALL the responsibility for the heinous murders he committed.
I think the conversation about CTE is one that should be had more often, and in any sport. Given the two recent suicides in the hockey world, and the fact that penalties for hits to the head aren’t anywhere near as stiff as they should be, more really does need to be done to educate people on what is already known.
Benoit’s also responsible for his own head trauma. He chose to take a straight chair shot to the head rather than blocking with his hands. He also chose to ignore the concussion symptoms and continue wrestling rather than retiring or taking time off.
Great piece. There is something incredibly cold and hurtful about people wanting to “honor” the contributions of a man who murdered his intimate partner and the child they had together. It’s that same attitude that generates stories about how the Steubenville rapists were talented boys with their whole futures ahead of them. GodDAMN I am sick of apologists.
Thanks Ari. I actually live right across the river from Steubenville. The place is legit insane with it’s “blame the victim” mentality. It’s a horrible place.
THIS. SO THIS.
Yep. Those moronic marks don’t realize how sick they are. And they can’t take it when they get called out on it.
Truth be told: there is no fault in one wanting to be a fan of Benoit’s career. However, there is a HUGE difference between that and campaigning for him to be honored. WWE not promoting him isn’t preventing these idiots from having access to his matches on YouTube or bio info via Wikipedia or google.
If the WWE Hall of Fame were a real place, that tried to be a repository of the history of WWE, then I would say he deserves an entry, along with an account of what he did, much the way that guys like Pete Rose and Barry Bonds deserve to be in the baseball HoF.
As a purely promotional honorific, like the way the WWE HoF actually is, then of course he doesn’t deserve to get in.
I’m completely fine with how they’re handling it now. His name is on the history list. That’s pretty much all I think he deserves.
Well said.
Very much agreed.
Murder’s much different than the issue of PED’s and not obeying baseball’s biggest no-no.
Ex: We can both agree that if he were to retire tomorrow, Albert Pujols would be a first ballot HOFer when he’s eligible five years from now. However, if he were to commit murder during that five year period, I guarantee he doesn’t get in. Ever.
Big difference between murder and gambling/cheating. If any HOF-worthy athlete commits murder, they also won’t be in the HOF.
Before you cite OJ, understand this: 1. He got in a decade before the murders.
2. Due to being found not guilty, he was not removed. Had he been found guilty, he would’ve been and honestly a movement to remove him now would receive little opposition.
I watched the Bret Hart-Chris Benoit “Owen Hart Tribute Match” online a couple weeks ago. I remember thinking, “wow, that’s still an incredible performance on the part of both men.” I decided a couple days later to try and watch Benoit’s title clincher in the triple threat match at Wrestlemania. I fast forwarded through almost all of it. I couldn’t get through it. All good vibes and FEELS I had about that match had been hollowed out and replaced by frustration and resentment. Frustration at myself for trying to watch any of his matches anymore. And for holding him up as my favorite wrestler for years on end. YEARS. I got friends to like him and give a shit about him because of my enthusiasm. Resentment at Benoit for doing something so heinous and evil that I makes me hate myself for ever liking him to begin with.
I know this is coming off as more self-serving and a “what about me?” kinda rant, but the fact is this was the only way I knew Chris Benoit. As a performer. And Chris Benoit’s awful crimes have made me second guess my entire appreciation of the man’s craft.
Anyways, thanks for posting this. I find it more cathartic than any 4,000-word essay on the subject.
Certainly do not honor Benoit, but don’t scrub him from the record either. I certainly wouldn’t be happy were they to go back and “sanitize” dvd releases of his existence. He was champion. Don’t glorify him, don’t promote him, but don’t erase him.
Well, if your sanctimony on the subject isn’t just the epitome of what is wrong with the internet today, Andrew. I agree with points on both sides of said “conversation”, but the arrogance of someone who also gets their news from Internet media (whether directly or indirectly via other news outlets, as they are fed their news from the ‘net as well) does not make a valid argument of an athlete’s exclusion from their sport’s hall of fame. So OJ’s amazing record should be overlooked in the stats of the NFL because of what happened in the outside-of-NFL world? And at the very least, shouldn’t Benoit’s surviving kids be given SOME recognition for their father (instead of constant “stain on professional wrestling” comments) and his accomplishments? Do they need to continue to carry the shame for the acts of a mentally injured and ill father created from the job he loved so much and gave his life to? If Benoit was solely responsible for the crimes committed or he was not, there is a burden of shame, regret and sadness carried by his family, friends and fans. Maybe just a nod to the people who loved him for what he did in the business; a respite from the disappointment and heartache? You’re not rewarding Chris Benoit the man– you’re honoring the character. Isn’t that what “this business” is? A cast of characters? Is WWE honoring Pete Rose the man, or the character he played in WWE rings? Or rapist/boxing-cheater Mike Tyson?
Food for thought, and please try to tone down the self-righteousness.
He murdered his wife and child.
The character or the man? Since you engaged in the discussion of the difference in your above dialogue.
Mike Tyson raped AT LEAST one person. Rape is easily overlooked, right? His character didn’t.
Can we not have rape apologists and go back to people threatening to flush websights down the toilet?
“So OJ’s amazing record should be overlooked in the stats of the NFL because of what happened in the outside the nfl world?”
Yes, but he shouldn’t be in an NFL hall of fame. This is how they’re handling Benoit too. Acknowledging, but not promoting.
“Shouldn’t Benoit’s surviving kids be given SOME recognition for their father and his accomplishments?”
What makes you think they want to be reminded of their father’s wrestling career? What makes you think they care about it? My guess would be they probably thought it ate his life.
“Do they need to continue to carry the shame for the acts of a mentally injured and ill father created from the job he loved so much?”
The alternative to “Put this guy in the hall of fame” does not equal “shame his children.” Benoit’s previous family is not mentioned at all. Just like they were before his death.
I don’t support Tyson being in the hall of fame either because yeah, the dude’s a rapist and he should take a long walk facefirst into a moving train.
You do know that O.J. Simpson is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, right? (You also know that there is no NFL Hall of Fame, right?)
He was already in when he committed his crime. Unfortunately since he was found not guilty, there was never a move to have him removed. However, if there ever was a move to have him removed, I guarantee the opposition would not be in the majority.
Son, you came to the wrong place to defend Mike Tyson.
Don’t refer to me as “son”. And I (IN NO WAY) defend Mike Tyson.
Extremely wrong place. I’ve never condoned Mike Tyson’s admittance, or any celebrity for that matter. But especially not a rapist.
You can’t separate things like murder and rape when the real person did it. You just can’t. If you can, then I just don’t get you and probably never will.
Apparently Vince has no problems separating the two because Mike Tyson is in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Dude, you’re a fucking moron. You don’t separate personal life from his scripted accomplishments when the issue is murder. It’s a total disregard to the extended family of Nancy Benoit to promote Chris.
Good God. Why is this even an issue. Are there that many people who are ok with murder?
You summed it up perfectly. Benoit was my father’s favorite wrestler and I loved him too. But I can’t, in good conscious, watch his matches in the same way again. Yes, there is Benoit the character and Benoit the person but they cannot be separated anymore. It makes me uncomfortable. Was he a great tactician and wrestler? Yes. I can only imagine what his surviving family deals with on a regular basis, but there are many humans in this horrible world in a similar position dealing with the consequences of the actions of their loved ones. Do I think they should pretend he never existed? Not really. It’s weird. He was a man, he existed. Should we celebrate him? No. End of story.The way he left this world negates any option of him being inducted into the completely honorific HoF. If it were an actual place, yes he should be mentioned as a holder of the title with a mention of what he did and it’s left at that. Others have said it better above. Having a celebration of the man’s legacy cannot be done anymore when his legacy now includes the murder of his wife and child IN REAL LIFE. It’s tragic and horrible but you know what, move the fuck on. There are plenty of other people that haven’t been inducted who deserve it so let’s just move on to wondering whey Macho Man will show up ;)
Don’t hold your breath for Macho Man being inducted anytime soon. I don’t know what kind of grudge Vince McMahon had against him,but it is keeping him and his family from being inducted in the HOF.
As much as one can say “Chris Benoit was good at professional wrestling”, the key word in “Hall Of Fame” is “Fame, not “Infamy”.
One thing that always bothered me about the reports was that they said Benoit had the brain of an 80 year old with Alzheimers. Thing is, that actually doesn’t mean anything. What’s significant is what stage the Alzheimers was in. If it was in pre-dementia or the early stages, that wouldn’t have been such a mind blowing thing that’d make Benoit go crazy. Also relevant: Alzheimers does not make people go insane and murder their wife and child.
Excellent write-up. I’ve had this conversation a few times over the years. It boggles my mind when people just don’t understand murdering one’s wife and child is a really (to the power of infinite) bad thing.
One last thing about the THIS BUSINESS argument: Chris Benoit’s murder was so infamous that one could make the argument that it set wrestling back many years and damn near almost killed the WWE. So, there’s that too.
I know this hella old but as someone who has cared for elderly relatives with Alzheimer’s and had a butcher’s knife pulled on me, don’t say that advanced Alzheimer’s couldn’t have caused this.
I’m not saying a neurological condition didn’t play a part. But the man is still a goddamn murderer and would be rotting in a jail cell or asylum had he not committed suicide.
And there is a difference between an elderly Alzheimer’s patient instantaneously causing damage and a man killing his wife and child by asphyxiation over a three day period. Especially when an Alzheimer’s patient is in confinement. Also a huge difference when one of the victims is a child.
Benoit’s situation did not set the business back years. If anything, it helped shed additional light on the crazy risks that wrestlers were taking throughout time and ESPECIALLY during the attitude era. I get annoyed by people who loved the attitude era and ECW and hard core wrestling and then want to get sanctimonious about the benoit situation. They liked the type of wrestling that made this sort of thing practically inevitable. Steroids, pain killers and concussions make a terrible mix – especially on such a wide scale.
As for the hall, what exactly is the criteria for being in the hall? If it is about ‘character’ and being a good person, then of course he should not go in. Of course if that was a standard, most wrestlers would not go in.
If it is simply who was a great wrestler or contributed to wrestling then he should probably go in. Also, “honoring” him now doesn’t mean anything – he is dead. The “he murdered his wife and kid” argument would make A LOT more sense if he was alive. Instead of trying to hide the tragedy – it should be completely out in the open – I know why wwe doesn’t do it – but I would prefer not just “his name be listed in the title list” but that they have articles about his situation, and include information about it in all articles about him. Because along with the horrible legacy of his dead wife and kid, there maybe is the legacy of a slightly more humane wrestling industry – so that MAYBE this type of tragedy can be avoided in the future. If that was to happen, then something good would come out of this horrible horrible horrible thing.
But go ahead, keep repeating it – He killed his wife and kid – if it makes you feel better. But sweeping it under the carpet does no actual good whatsoever.
^This.
If you want to talk about Benoit to further the discussion on the effects of head injuries I’m not against that. I didn’t say that at all. I’m talking about the glorification of wrestling.
Also, this:
“If it is simply who was a great wrestler or contributed to wrestling then he should probably go in. Also, “honoring” him now doesn’t mean anything – he is dead. The “he murdered his wife and kid” argument would make A LOT more sense if he was alive.”
I’m sure Nancy’s family would have something to say about that.
Murderers give up a lot of rights when they commit murder. Being remembered fondly is one of them.
*glorification of a man that killed his family because he was a good wrestler.
I am bad at typing words today.
I’d go and argue your points but your first sentence tells me your a loltroll.
Much of this comment makes sense,but it’s like a double edged sword. Do I think his illustrious career and great wrestling prowess should be remembered? Yes I do. Does it negate what he did? Absolutely not! I can understand his parents,his remaining children,and others who were close to him and loved him hate having to live in shame of him. But what about Nancy’s parents,how would they feel about a celebration of the man who killed their daughter and grandson. This is I say Benoit can’t and won’t be inducted in the HOF,because nobody will ever come to a middle ground where they acknowledge his great career and not just the murder/suicide. A person can say he was one of the best most influential wrestlers around and another person can say he murdered his wife and son,and they would both be right. His great wrestling career and that heinous final act of his life will both be under his name.
* But what about Nancy’s parents,how would they feel about a celebration of the man who killed their daughter and grandson?
Excuse the grammar mistakes
I was in one of my “out of wrestling” phases but came back when I heard Benoit had become champion. I was a big fan. After he did what he did, I left wrestling again, this time for 6 years, my longest absence ever, (not counting birth to age 12). I was disgusted by him. I was disgusted by a business that would allow him to arrive at that state. I was done and I never looked back for the entire 6 years. Then last year I drifted back in, which I guess makes me a hypocrite, but that’s not my point…
My point is that everything about Chris Benoit has been ruined. His matches, his character, himself as a human being. With one foul act, he lost all right to be fondly remembered for anything. No matter how epic a match he put on, you can’t rewatch it without thinking about what he did and get disgusted all over again. I recently put on the old Bret Hart DVD from when the fences first started to be mended and I wanted to fast forward through the Benoit talking heads. It made me uncomfortable to look at him and hear him speak. Honoring him with a hall of fame induction would be ludicrous. I don’t want to honor him. I don’t want to look at him. If they released a DVD of him with all proceeds going to brain trauma research or the victims’ family, I still wouldn’t buy it. F that guy. I’ll donate to the charity instead.
Having said all that however, I don’t like the way he has been erased from the history books. The revisionist history, which WWE has always been quite fond of, only sets the alarms off in my brain harder. There was an article recently on WWE.com that mentioned Perry Saturn’s arrival in the company along with Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. I immediately became distraced by my mind screaming AND CHRIS BENOIT. AND CHRIS BENOIT. Don’t do that to me. If they had just put his name alongside the others because, ya know, that’s what really happened, I would have gone “oh wow, they actually mentioned he who shall not be named” and moved on. But to not acknowledge that he existed only draws more attention to the fact that you’re pretending he didn’t. I don’t think mentioning him as part of the Monday Night Wars or mentioning his part in the Royal Rumble statistics they love to throw out every year is the same as condoning what he did. Everyone hated Hitler, but he is still a thing that happened and we have to talk about it as part of history.
I wasn’t aware that this was a thing people said about Benoit. I thought everyone had just agreed that the greatest extent to which we’d talk about him would be Voldermort jokes and lame jokes about the main event of Wrestlemania 20. Oddly enough, I found a used copy of the Benoit DVD at Sam Goodey today while combing through their WWE DVDs. That was a weird.
Oddly, I don’t blame Benoit entirely for his actions. This is because of the whole brain damage argument. At the same time he should be held accountable for his actions, and WWE has every reason to distance himself from them. The only reason WWE should put him in their hall of fame would be to benefit his direct family, but we know what happened there.
Let me clarify that. I don’t hate Benoit, but I hold him accountable. I’m still unable to watch any of his matches.
When you replace the words “Hall of Fame” with “Vince McMahon”, the conversation becomes a lot more abrupt. Why would Vince McMahon induct someone who casts such a black mark on his company? Not even just the murders, but the concussions and the steroid abuse. Vince never would, so he won’t. End of conversation.
Was Benoit a great wrestler? Sure. But he doesn’t _get_ to be in the HOF because of what he did at the end of his life.
This is my 1st time @ the Mandible Claw. I read all Andrews work on TJR & love Daniels “Best / Worst of Impact”. This debate about Benoit has inspired me to write my 1st post. I can’t get my head around the “pro” Benoit argument. We are talking about a fake HOF, & the induction of a man whose last act on this planet was filled with horror and violence. I loved Chris Benoit the performer but the lasting image of the man will never be of the performer. I’ve read people equating his HOF snub to MLB exclusion of Bonds or Pete Rose. These men broke the rules of the game to further there own careers, Wrong? yeah sure. Unforgivable and deserving a special place in hell for there actions? probably not. Anytime my mind wonders to Chris Benoit my thoughts are not of his epic matches, it is not of mental illness, it is about the fear and horror that his wife and son must have experienced in there final hours. A women and childs lives were taking by this man. There are enough great wrestlers out there to admire and whose work we can all enjoy. I have played a card from the WWE’s hand and just erased Benoit from my wrestling fandom history book. Great wrestler, sure he was. Murderer of his wife and special needs child, Absolutely. I know my argument may be short sighted to some and some may think that I am missing the bigger picture with mental illness and what not. But i agree with Mr. Johnson one hundred percent on this one. “He murdered his wife and child” IMO, Enough said.
Was having a conversation about Phil Hartman yesterday. The person I was talking to kindly mentioned, “When he passed.”
I was compelled to point out, “He didn’t PASS, he was murdered.” I see no reason to sugarcoat this incident on behalf of the victims. You don’t day “Benoits wife and son passed.” you say “Benoit murdered his wife and child, oh and he happened to work for WWE at the time.”
This sucks. I believe Benoit is innocent and it has nothing to do with Kevin Sullivan. I could defend my belief all day long and don’t need it represented by some crappy knock-off that’s intended to make US (those who are not judgmental pricks or believe everything they’re told) look bad.
Plus even if Chris killed his family, I don’t see why that should take away from my enjoyment of his matches. As much as the tragedy sucks (regardless of who did it), the lives of two people I have no connection to is none of my concern. That doesn’t make me a terrible person, that just means I’d rather spend my time on something better instead of playing the judge of other people’s actions. As a man of faith, I believe there comes a time when everyone faces their judgment so I wont waste my time with that.
While I’m not demanding a Hall of Fame induction, the problem is when WWE blatantly try to act like we’re stupid. I don’t care if you set an entire city on fire and mutilate a bunch of people, nothing can justify censorship. If you wanna know what I’m getting at, head over to Eddie Guerrero’s bio in wwe.com and look at the pics for his Hall of Fame induction.
I’m willing to bet that you weren’t connected in anyway to Chris Benoit either,so you have no real ground to defend him. I was a fan of his too and to this day think he was one of the greatest wrestling talents ever,but I can’t deny the fact that he killed his wife and son nor will I delude myself into thinking he’s innocent. Do I think his great wrestling career should be acknowledged? Yes. Does it excuse what he did? Not at all! This isn’t about judging,this is about facing a cold fact.
Anytime Linda McMahon has another political campaign or the WWE’s business practices come into question, Benoit will be the first name to come up. And given Vince McMahon’s track record, with good reason too.
Hardly the last conversation about Benoit.
What Benoit was horrific and unthinkable. He did and repeat did deserve a H.O.F. nod. The murders of his family ended all hope for that. It is all frustrating that the WWE is erasing him from history. Just don’t promote him. Tyson is a known rapist and ex con, but he is H.O.F. Take a look at Eddie Guerrero, great wrestler, but had his demons also, not as bad as Benoit’s. They (WWE) chose to honor him months after his death. Why hasn’t Pullman been honored? He was a drug abuser and he died while hired by WWE.
Preserve history, but don’t glorify it.
So, let’s attack people for their belief that a well-known admirable figure may have not been responsible for a crime. Because that makes you so much better.
This post is making it seem like anyone who believes Benoit is innocent (myself included) is just a nutjob conspiracy theorist! Sure, let’s disregard the whole Kevin Sullivan issue here, if Benoit did do it, he is not to blame for it given his prior history of mental illness. Yes, he brought it on himself, but that does not take away from the fact that he should not be completely to blame in all this. Where was WWE in all this? Why did it take for a concussion study for WWE to get wise and say, “Hmm…maybe we should take care of our guys!”? For crying out loud, the NFL figured this out before them, and they go through concussions like I go through tacos! When someone is suffering ANY kind of mental deficiency, someone (especially that person’s employer) needs to intervene. Honestly, I believe WWE is erasing him from history to cover up for the fact that they dropped the ball.
I have a lot of time for the brain damage theory, it’s backed by scientific evidence after all, though I’m still against the idea that he could be inducted in to the Hall of Fame. Why? Because what made Benoit great in the ring, his crazy work ethic and strong style, is the same thing that gave him so many concussions. His success was his downfall. Celebrating what made him good is celebrating what made him a monster in the end.
I addressed a lot of the conspiracy theories and other things like roid rage in a blog post here if anybody is interested:
http://wrestlingpundit.com/chris-benoit-conspiracy/
It is a 50 50 thing Chris Benoit loved his family so much and he did every thing to keep them safe but he was on steroids and pain killers and had brain damage but Kevin Sullivan is a horible human being and is a satanest and Chris Benoit worshiped God and Kevin Sullivan threatened to kill benoit 10 years before when nancy left to be with chris so I gatta say it was more likely Kevin Sullivan I think he did it and made it look like a doble merder suscide and placed bibles to make it seem like benoit but it still could have been Chris Benoit and someone just find out I AM SICK OF HEARING THIS STROY AND HEARING how people wonder who it was just find out
I’m not even sure who did it, but come on, with all the evidence, you’ve got to at least CONSIDER Sullivan’s involvement…?
Seriously? What evidence and why would you need to consider Sullivan? Even when the relationship was at it’s worst, when the wounds were still fresh and Nancy had just left him even Benoit admitted Sullivan was nothing but professional to him. It stung, but nothing ever came of it.
All these conspiracy theorists are amazingly warped. Simple pharmacology/science explains 99.999% of things, and the other tiny percent is coincidence. Yes, weird things happen (the wiki – btw the FBI investigated because: murder). No way in hell should a murderer (remember, the CB inducted would be the man PLAYING the character, not the character itself) ever be admitted to any HOF. Ever. Would you want someone who murdered your family inducted like he was a good guy, not just what happened at the end? No? Awesome (if you say “yes he still should be inducted” please go seek professional help)
I have never believed Chris committed this horrible crime. Chavo Guerrero said he he talked to Chris on the phone the day he is said to have died, and that Chris told him someone was kncking at the door…..Chris answered the door, Chavo heard a scuffle, then the phone went dead. I don’t know who killed the family, but I believe someone else murdered the three of them. AND yes, I think Chris deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but will never be, because of this horrible tragedy.
You’re a fucking idiot if you think Benoit was murdered.
1. Benoit also sent text messages saying his wife and son were vomiting blood.
2. Chavo’s a fucking idiot if he believes he was murdered. And he’s also so brilliant that was willing to lose multiple matches to a midget.
3. If this was indeed a murder, a fun would’ve been used and the deaths would’ve been minutes apart rather than days.
4. If the killer did opt to go with strangulation, there would have been signs of breaking and entering and damage to things around the house which there weren’t.
5. Benoit was the most dangerous person in the house, he would’ve been the first one killed, not the last.
6. So do you think Aaron Hernandez should have a job in the NFL right now too because he was a great tight end.
7. Now that I’ve smashed your stupid theory, I hope you salvage some sanity and admit that anybody who can’t come to grips with this is sicker than Benoit was.
8. If no, you’re a sick person and I hope to God you never have to serve jury duty in a murder trial because you’ll likely let a guy go free if he was a good worker at his job.
http://www.kayfabenews.com/ancient-biblical-scrolls-discovered-in-jerusalem-contain-elusive-austin-316-verse/
9. WWE’s never going to induct Benoit in the HOF, put him in video games, or mention his name at live events. And it’s Benoit’s own fault. Would you honestly give employee of the month to a worker who killed his family if you were ever running a business?
10. Keep your Benoit fandom to yourself. There’s a lot of people who are fans of OJ’s career, but you don’t see then praising the guy anymore.
*quick edit: meant gun instead of fun in that one part explaining how hitmen operate
First of all, I don’t use filthy language. Second, I have a right to my opinion, as much as you have to yours. I liked Chris, and I believe he was falsely accused. So keep your opinion, and I will keep mine. Otherwise don’t comment to me.
Hey jackass,THIS IS NOT SUBJECTIVE. If you are of the opinion that a murderer should be honored for “accomplishments” in a worked business, there is something seriously wrong with you. And you need to understand this, as does everyone of you sick Benoit Hall of Fame marks.
He was NOT falsely accused. He did it, as I thoroughly explained. He would’ve been the first one killed had he been murdered not the last. Understand this and accept it. Or go see a shrink.
And do you think all of us sane people who are against Benoit being promoted are just people who never liked him? I was a fan of Benoit. By Good Lord, there are things in life that are just more important in life than professional wrestling. The police don’t prematurely close cases, especially when one of the victims is a child.
I’m waiting for you to cite his head condition. Because the only relevance that would’ve had would’ve been in convicting him had he not killed himself. Do you honestly think he’d be out and about living a normal civilian life had he not committed suicide? He would either be A. Awaiting a date of execution if hasn’t been already. B. Serving life without parole. or C. Serving lifetime confinement in a mental hospital. And since this was in Georgia and one of the victims was a kid, I sure as hell wouldn’t rule out A. When somebody commits a crime against the child, the courts pretty much disregard all the Freudian garbage.
I prefer not to interact with someone who is rude. I believe what I believe, and its my business what I choose to believe.
FTR: you commented to me first. And I don’t take kindly to people who want to honor a murderer and/or are in denial about it.
Like I said, this is not subjective. YOU ARE WRONG. And I’m doing you and the rest of society of service by letting you know it.
Quit trying to make me look like the prick. You’re the one who’s excusing a guy for suffocating his wife and son.
That Chavo thing never happened. It’s a myth. It’s been spread all over message boards but Chavo never said it.
I heard Chavo say he visited Chris and his wife the weekend before they died. AND read where he did in fact say that.
Where. Show me it from a source that isn’t a message board post. And if you HEARD it it should be even easier.
Can’t show you, Anthony. I heard him tell it on TV.
Ugh, no you didn’t. Why is holding onto this lie so important to you?
There’s Chavo commenting on his last experience with Benoit. Absolutely no mention of this supposed call, absolutely no mention of this supposed scuffle he heard in the background.
For the record, I’m familiar with the original source of this rumor. The original rumor was that it was in WWE magazine, but I guess people got tired of seeing that busted up on them.
I don’t lie. I heard Chavo talk about it on TV right after the tragedy. I would not say it if I didn’t know it for a fact. Of course, I can’t tell you what to believe. That’s your call.
You really are a sick person and I hope you never procreate, serve jury duty, or hold some occupation of importance.
The “well you weren’t there either” logic is retarded. You might as well say that Ted Bundy didn’t stab all those girls to death and throw him in a ditch. Forget the common sense to the matter. We weren’t there and he denies doing it, right?
Benoit marks like this sick bastard are all denial and need to seek psychological help. They’ve yet to make the shocking discovery that there are more important things in professional wrestling.
I am a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. AND besides all this am a published Poet. I have been around quite a few blocks in my lifetime. I believe each person has a right to their view, unlike some biased hypocrites who act like they know it all.
That makes you an even disturbing subject. So if your child, grandchild, or great grandchild happened to be murdered by a pro wrestler you happened to like, would you keep drawing up excuses for that person too?
It’s called common sense, not hypocrisy. This isn’t some philosophy course. The guy DID murder his wife and son. Whether or not either of us were there is irrelevant. I already used an analogy that that’s like saying Ted Bundy didn’t stab all those girls to death and threw him in a ditch because there were no witnesses, but plenty of evidence and common sense.
You’ve lost this argument. You keep bringing up the same stuff that I’ve already shot down. This is not subjective. If you’re going to keep believing this little conspiracy theory fairy tale, fine. Just don’t go public with it because it will piss people off. And some are going to retaliate to it even worse than I did.
Sadly, I have experienced murder in my family…have you?
No I haven’t and I hope I never have too. But I am an expert in forensic psychology, hence why it’s obvious Benoit did do it.
So if you have experienced the horrors of murder in your family, you would understand the position the extended family of Nancy Benoit’s in. And I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate people trying to defend and excuse the man who murdered their daughter and grandson.
Just as I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate people doing the same with you.
Everyone on this page is ignorant
I always heard, takes one to know one.
Are you in preschool?
I’m actually a very civil person as long as the person I’m conversing with isn’t insulting my intelligence or is in favor of something extremely offensive. You’re doing both.
Time to accept that Benoit’s a murderer and/or keep your offensive conspiracy theory opinion (which I completely shattered to pieces a while back) to yourself. WWE not promoting this scumbag is not preventing you and every Benoit mark from looking up past matches or biographical info elsewhere. Nor does it prevent you from creating him in Create A Superstar in video games.
You insult the intelligence of those who disagree with you, because you want to deny their right to their own opinion. That’s my problem with you. Its a “free” country…we should be able to “agree to disagree”, in matters such as this.
Once again, I am telling you this: THIS IS NOT SUBJECTIVE. You are acting as though it is. To be subjective means it is a matter of taste and there is no right or wrong answer. In this case, there IS a right answer and a wrong answer.
To be of the opinion that a murderer should be promoted is WRONG. And to draw up and/or believe conspiracy theories is just as bad. And it’s potentially dangerous. Are you going to just let somebody who’s guilty of murder go free if you’re on a jury just because you like his work in the ring.
And I can’t insult these sick peoples’ intelligence when they obviously don’t have intelligence to begin with. And if you are going to be of this sick and twisted opinion, you should’ve kept it to yourself. Like the article said: if you’re going to make a statement, you better have your argument behind it planned out if it’s something controversial.
And you obviously don’t know what the phrase insulting someone’s intelligence means.
And you obviously don’t know what the phrase insulting someone’s intelligence means.
I know exactly what it means. AND you cannot prove who killed that family, no more than I can…so my opinion is just as valid as yours. You simply don’t like mine. You weren’t there, and neither was I.
You are either a moron or somebody in deep denial. You are giving the same stupid and hopeless talking points every Benoit mark gives. I’ve broken them all. But you keep trying to put them back together. And I’ll just keep shooting them down.
No. The majority of the people on this page are sane, the ones defending the murderer are ignorant, and you are a fucking moron if you think most of us against promoting a murderer are ignorant.
The man murdered his wife and child. It doesn’t matter what his neurological condition was. He doesn’t get some type of watered-down sentencing because of that.
Actually I did prove it. You just continue to live in denial. He was the most dangerous person living in that house and there had been a previous domestic disturbance involving Benoit.
Once again: THE MOST DANGEROUS PERSON LIVING IN THE HOUSE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST ONE TO DIE, NOT THE LAST. And it would’ve taken a matter of minutes, not days. And if murderers were going to go forward with doing a bizarre three day hit, there would’ve been evidence of a struggle and signs that Benoit had been bound and gagged, and there wasn’t.
Had there been, the case wouldn’t have been closed.
Common sense.
You did not prove anything. You simply guessed…you weren’t there…so your “guess is no better than anyone else’s”.
No I proved it. You’re just going on with your denial.
Didn’t need to be there to have common sense. He was the most dangerous person in the house. There’s no way the most dangerous person in the house dies last unless he’s the killer.
So if somebody you cared about was murdered, would you appreciate it if people were going on with conspiracy theories defending the killer and wanting that person to be honored for irrelevant “accomplishments”? I would hope not.
You are just a stubborn person. Don’t like to admit you are wrong. That’s your problem. I have my own opinion, and I consider it as good as yours. Unless you were there, and I know you were not…you can only guess.
That’s because I’m NOT wrong on this. You are a fucking moron.
Another thing to point out to all the Benoit marks. Do you really think all the WWE would ever risk in promoting him ever again would just be bad press? That’s the least of what would happen. Look at the NFL, or more particularly the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings, in the recent Ray Rice (wife beater) and Adrian Peterson (sick child beater) issues. Especially in the case of the latter. The Radisson Hotel wasn’t happy with seeing their brand name behind that GM at the press conference announcing Peterson reinstatement. They are severing their partnership with the Vikings. More is following: Nike is refusing to sell Peterson replica jerseys. Pepsico and Anheuser Busch were not pleased at all. Had the Vikings not reversed that decision, the NFL would’ve lost millions or billions in sponsorship and concession revenue. That loss would be a fatal blow to the NFL.
The same thing would happen to the WWE. Sponsors would terminate their partnerships with the company, USA Network would come under criticism and look into removing WWE from their networks (they own SiFi as well), memorabilia manufacturers would back out, arenas would cancel show bookings, the WWE Network would be no more due to millions canceling subscriptions for being so offended, as well as the loss to further plug the thing on tv.
The company would basically be committing suicide if they promoted Benoit. And of course it’s inevitable some Benoit lover will try to say that Benoit’s completely different than Peterson or Rice. I guess you can say that. After all, at least Rice’s wife and the kid Peterson beat are still alive. So I guess that makes Benoit worse then.
Dear John,
I wrote a song for you.
“Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care”
Go and sing that song in the comments section of every disgusting YouTube video that pays tribute to Benoit, wants him in the HOF, draws up retarded conspiracy theories, and ridicules the WWE for not promoting a murderer.
I don’t care if you don’t care. The overwhelming majority of society does share the same position over this that I do. And as long as there are people campaigning for people who kill or abuse their spouses and/or children, I’m going to continue to be vocal about this.
Chavo WAS RIGHT
1. Chavo has NEVER said he thought Benoit was innocent, no matter how much you sick fucks like to spin his little commemoration segment in that 3 hour mistake.
2. Even if he did, this is someone who agreed to put a midget over for a year, so it shows how little intelligence he really has.
3. Time for all of you idiot Benoit marks to let it go. The man’s a murderer. There was no conspiracy by the police department. He was the most dangerous person in that house and was the last one to die in a period of two to three days and there was no evidence of people breaking in. Had he been murdered he would’ve been the first to die and there would’ve been evidence of him resisting an attack.
I really hope to God you never have to serve jury duty because you’ll probably let a murderer go free just because you like his choreographed in-ring “accomplishments”. A career in a worked business as a mid carder with one transitional title reign does not outweigh the fact that he murdered his family. And you really need to understand this.
Yes Benoit murdered his family but the hall of fame is to celebrate contributions to the wwe and benoit contributed more than most. If it was a wwe and personal life hall of fame I would understand but it’s to show appreciation of a wrestlers career not his personal life.
You’re acting like all he did was marital infidelity. The man committed MURDER. Something far worse. If any sure bet HOF locks for any sport commit murder before they’re eligible, they wouldn’t be voted in either. And considering this is just a marketing venture, the WWE would be committing company suicide. There would be far more people offended and disgusted by WWE putting scripted “accomplishments” ahead of the lives of two innocent people as would their sponsor.
Contributed more than most? Are you kidding me? Take away that transitional title reign and you have a career mid carder who wasn’t much on the mic and failed to stay relevant the second they took the title off him.
Are you retarded?
1. This isn’t a real Hall of Fame. It’s a marketing tool and it would be company suicide if they include Benoit.
2. Even if it was a real Hall of Fame, he still wouldn’t get in just like any other murderer wouldn’t get in. Look at baseball as an example. Pete Rose is banned for gambling and Tim Raines isn’t getting the votes because he did cocaine. Both are far lesser offenses than murder. And save the OJ talking point. Had he not already been in the HOF at the time of the murders, he never gets in. Plus the fact his name is never being mentioned by the NFL, he might as well not be in.
3. Accomplished more than most? Give me a break. The guy was a career midcarder who had one transitional world title reign. He failed to stay relevant after that and was never good on the mic nor did he draw money like the true legends in the business.
He’ll never be openly promoted by the WWE again. And him not being promoted doesn’t prohibit people from being able to google him for bio info nor does it prohibit people from watching matches on YouTube.
So in your mind the WWE should just say “fuck you” to the family and friends of Nancy Benoit and go ahead and commit company suicide (their tv deal and sponsors would dump them so fast) to honor a career at a job that is trivial at the end of the day? Not to mention said murderer was never a superstar main event draw that so many idiots with no lives whatsoever are making him out to be.