The Benoit Tragedy: Two Years On And It Still Hurts
June 25 marks two years since the professional wrestling world was rocked to the core by the double murder–suicide committed by Chris Benoit against his wife, Nancy, and their 7-year-old son , Daniel. While it was no doubt an unbelievably shocking and sad blow to the wrestling community—performers and fans alike—the aftermath is what has really changed the shape and face of the WWE.
The mainstream media had a field day with the tragedy, especially when it was speculated that steroids and their side-effects—specifically ’roid rage—played a role. Outspoken, right-winged commentators like Nancy Grace and Bill O’Reilly had no shortage of perspectives on the case, and used “expert” witnesses (some credible, like John Cena, Chris Jericho, and Bret Hart, and some not-so-credible, like Marc Mero and Steve Blackman) and opinions to bolster their arguments that pro-wrestling is nothing but a homoerotic of extreme violence and degradation of all that is good and right in American culture by a bunch of ’roided-up, “fake” performers.
Books such as Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport and
Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry have examined that case and divided fans on the topic. Keelan Balderson, the owner of this site, told me for an article I wrote last year that he felt that nothing excused the brutal murder of two people, while I wonder whether a horror weekend involving domestic issues and obvious mental illness immediately wipes out over twenty years of contribution to the industry?
(You can read that in-depth article Here on the website, with research to support both arguments, but leaning towards the latter.)
Two years on, it’s still as fresh and as painful and as confusing as it was the day the news broke.
One positive thing to come out of the incident, aside from the (mostly) educated and intensely opinionated dialogue within and outside of the wrestling community, is the return of a certain Superstar.
Chris Jericho was notably outspoken about Benoit’s offense, and having been extremely close to him, Jericho was able to remain objective about the situation, whilst also being painfully personal at times. While it’s not known for sure whether Benoit was the push that both parties needed to put Jericho’s WWE return into motion, it seems like he maintained the most supportive stance on the company in the media out of anyone—(then) current Superstar or no—and six months later, he was back with them. The artfully written (Mick Foley-style; no ghost-writer) memoir, A Lion’s Tale, backed up his credibility to comment on Benoit, and any other issues that may (an let’s face it, will) arise in regards to the safety of sports entertainment.
The biggest controversy to arise from the murder–suicide, other than the actual deaths, is the mass consumption of steroids in the business, namely the arrest of Benoit’s doctor, Dr. Phil Astin, and the naming and shaming of talent involved in the Signature Pharmacy scandal.
Steroids have long been enmeshed in the culture of wrestling, with the 1993 Hulk Hogan debacle coming to mind. Looking at huge guys like Hogan, Batista, The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage and Bobby Lashley, it’s hard to believe that drugs haven’t played a part in the development of their physiques at some stage. (I find it even more unbelievable that Batista has not once violated the Wellness Policy for growth hormones at all in his tenure with the WWE.)
If anyone read my column last week entitled “Exodus”, you’d see that I rehashed all current Superstars who have violated the Policy since June 2007.
Now, here’s a list of all current or resigned Superstars who’ve had violations prior to or after Benoit’s death:
Chavo Guerrero, in August 2007.
Festus, in late 2006.
Randy Orton, in April and August 2006.
William Regal, in August 2007 and May 2008.
Charlie Haas, in August 2007.
Dolph Ziggler, in October 2008.
Edge, in August 2007.
Jeff Hardy, in July 2007 and March 2008.
Jimmy Wang Yang, in June 2008.
John Morrison, in August 2007.
Kung Fu Naki, in August 2007.
DH Smith, in November 2007.
Gregory Helms, in August 2007.
Chris Masters, in August 2007 and fired in November of that year.
Umaga, fired in June 2009.
Joey Mercury, in May 2006 and let go in March 2007.
Rene Dupree, in June 2006, February 2007 and fired in July 2007.
Kurt Angle, in June/July 2006 for an expired prescription.
Rob Van Dam, in July 2006 for being arrested for possession and use of marijuana.
Kid Kash, in July 2006 and his contract was terminated in September that year.
Matt Hardy, supposedly suspended in July 2006.
Ryan O’Reilly (developmental), in September 2006 and was granted release in October 2007.
Ryan Reeves (developmental), in July 2006; released in 2007, and has now re-signed with the company.
Ball Mahoney, in September 2006 and let go in April 2008.
Test, in February 2007 and released shortly thereafter.
Chris Kay (referee), fired in July 2007 after three failures.
And that’s not even including guys like Eddie Guerrero or Jeff Hardy (during his first run with WWE) who would have had multiple drug-test failures before the Policy was implemented in February 2006, called for after Guerrero’s death.
As discussed in “Exodus”, the Policy might not be as anti-discriminatory as they would have you believe. Randy Orton was named as a Signature Pharmacy customer between September 2004 and February 2007, and failed a test in August 2006, however was only suspended once, for unprofessional conduct as much as for drug use. On the other hand, there was no public record of Umaga having failed a drug test, however he was fired recently for apparently refusing to go to rehab.
The WWE received a lot of flack for Benoit committing the double murder–suicide on their watch, and were dragged through the mud in the United States Congress inquiry into steroid use within the company, just as they were starting to be known as a more well-rounded entertainment juggernaut, through their work with Armed Forces Entertainment and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, for example. They are still recovering from that massive blow, which most likely attributed to their new, “family friendly” format (i.e. Extreme Rules instead of One Night Stand, no Playboy cover girl this year, the absence of foreign objects and blood in the ring), which I personally think is an undesirable road to take. I would rather see WWE work on maintaining the integrity of their product, with high-calibre wrestling matches (think Shawn Michaels VS. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25), intelligent, satirical and tongue-in-cheek humour (Triple H does this well, as does Santino Marella), and quality acting by the most talented in the business, whom, right now, I think is Edge.
But one major thing has changed in the aftermath of the events of that fateful late June weekend: for a man who strived his whole life to leave his mark on professional wrestling as one of the best, he has. As one of the best… whom no one talks about.
Further Reading…
- What Do The Recent Steroid Reports Mean For Pro Wrestling?
- Will Chris Benoit As A Performer Be Forgotten?
- Book Review: Ring Of Hell, the smutty history of Pro Wrestling with some added Benoit
- Wrestling Truth Interviewed About The Chris Benoit Tragedy – Transcript
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I have watched Benoit for years. I watched him along side Eddie when little guys were struggling to make a place for themselves in the sport. I remember watching Nancy cheering for Scott and then the development of her woman character with Kevin Sullivan. I miss Eddie the man the preformer and with a heavy heart equally I miss Benoit. It is a sad story. I am not here to condone what has transpired. I feel chris should not have a lifetime of hard work dismissed over a 48 hour peroid. If he was not such a talent it would be easy to just forget him. I do not agree with the WWE to try wipe him out of existance. I speak for myself and myself alone. Chris, Eddie, and Nancy all are still alive in my memory with fondness and appreciation beacuse of their contribution I continue to be a fan.
This is actually something I as a long time WWE fan have thought about. The events of that weekend are a horrible horrible example of domestic violence at its worst. Even 2 years later the story doesn’t make sense and I still feel that there are loose ends in this entire situation. It does not take away the 20 years that Beniot put into the business, the blood, sweat, tears, failed relationships…Benoit was one of my favorite wrestlers and I still wish to hear his music come on, see the cripplers crossface or the flying headbutt again to see the brilliance in the ring that lead to his demise outside. ~tears~
I hope that WWE’s Wellness Policy does work and does keep ‘roids and other harmful elements out of the business if for no other reason then I have an 11 year old son that wants with all his heart to be a wrestler. His idol is Jeff Hardy, but Jeff has been busted, He loved Benoit. The ONLY good that has come from this is making the younger generation aware of the dangers in a ‘blaze of glory’ type way.
I don’t like the new G rated show, I think it takes away from the characters that have established their characters like Edge, how can the Rated R Superstar survive in a G rated product? Seeing HHH continue to do the chops was great though.
It has been two years and the cops and investigators are sorry for not doing any better to find the killer they need to be fired and somebody bought in that can. Chris benoit i believe did not do it and anybody that had any sense would think the same thing he was murdered and so was his family his life was too good money wise foe him just to throw that away. It does not matter about problems his wife had that does not have anything to do with the boy he loved and his wife too. If he was a killer than why did he not kill his first wife and kids think about it he was loved and adored. I believe he came home and found them dead or he had to watch them die and then was killed himself because someone was jealous. We need to pull together as a nation and bring the killer to justice so talk to me through my email i always go to computer at library. Also i believe his wife and children from first family needs to pull together and get something done it is just not fair the man was good
LifetimeWrestlingfan: Domestic violence is probably the issue that I, and many, have most overlooked. I have witnessed domestic violence first hand, and I have absolutely no tolerance for it. It’s hard to put aside the actual murders to see the past offenses committed previously by Benoit against Nancy, and come to terms with murder as the ultimate form of domestic violence, as you said. It’s hard for me to get my head around it, and as I said, it’s a very confusing situation.
As far as the new kids-oriented program, I think it sucks too. If you think back to before the Attitude era, WWF was struggling with immature gimmicks and tired storylines. Guys like Stone Cold and D-Generation X, and the Monday Night Wars, injected some much needed life into the product and made it as successful as it is (or was) today. This is a massive step backward in my opinion. We’ll see what happens though…
Tinamims: I don’t believe that Benoit was murdered; most of the evidence points toward him committing the crime. However, I know Keelan Balderson has been researching the issue and has some questions of his own in regards to the police handling of the case, and an article should be up on the site in the near future.
It’s been discovered that Benoit suffered brain injury as a result of twenty years in the business, and a possible mental illness is what caused him to murder Nancy and Daniel. Asking why he didn’t do the same to his first wife and children is like asking why a murderer chooses those he kills and not every single person out there.
There’s no doubt the wrestling community should be pulling together to remember Benoit for the man he was, not the man he became on that June 2007 weekend.
I can agree with Tina, all we have is a police report, no one was actually there to witness the crimes and after all it wouldnt be the first time the Police looked for an easy way out or graped the first scapegoat.
This is directed more toward the other comments rather than what Scarlett has written.
The evidence that has been disclosed to the public overwhelmingly supports a murder-suicide. So, like…come on, guys.
At the time of his death, Benoit was probably my favorite wrestler to watch in the ring and I still watch his matches on DVD every couple months or so. I loved Chris Benoit the performer.
On the “Hard Knocks” DVD, he comes across as a decent guy who seems genuinely awestruck and appreciative of his good fortune in life…almost like a little boy who can’t quite believe his dream has come true. I think it’s safe to say that this was probably the person he TRULY was and he wasn’t acting. His promos are proof positive that his acting skills were about equal with the average porn star.
BUT…
How can anyone in their right mind blame WWE for trying to erase him from their history? He was a MURDERER. He didn’t get caught smoking dope or grabbing the baby-sitter’s ass, he MURDERED HIS OWN WIFE AND CHILD. I’m sorry if that seems harsh, but it’s NOT. It’s the TRUTH.
And with his crimes, he brought down an endless sh*train of bad publicity and scrutiny on both the industry he claimed as his “mistress” and the men he called “brothers”. So, in spite of all this, WWE is supposed to uphold his place in wrestling history?
John Wayne Gacy was very active in the Springfield, Illinois Democratic Party and local charities. He did a lot of good in his life, but raping and murdering a double-digit number of young boys has a way of erasing one’s benevolent deeds. I’m sure the people who knew him have erased as much of him as possible from their histories…as they are justified in doing. WWE are COMPLETELY justified in not wanting the ghost of a murderer prancing around their product.
The Chris Benoit we all loved in the ring is STILL THERE on our DVDs. You can download a huge portion of his career if can’t find non-edited DVDs. WE don’t have to erase him just because WWE, justifiably, are.
Murder is murder. Stop thinking with your hearts and use your brains.
I think you may have some basis to your Triple murder theory, Tinamims. Remeber the post on Wikipedia that happened hours before the Fayetteville County Police discovered the bodies?
On the issue of Steroids; if “roid rage” was the cause of these murders as so many people suggest, then why aren’t all those other families of Wrestlers, who were doing steroids (which was much more prevelent in the 80’s) dead?
Regarding Chris Benoit- I do not think steroids or brain damage caused him to kill his family. I believe he and Nancy argued and it got out of hand and she ended up dead from it. This happens THOUSANDS of times a year across America, let alone most other nations. All of those people are not on steroids nor do they have brain damage/mental illness. It happens in the moment but there is still no excuse for it. He did not “plot” to kill Nancy, which would indicate a twisted mind. He DID however plot to kill Daniel, which is unforgivable. I think he found himself with no way out(can’t pretend Nancy just disappeared into thin air! She was a known devoted mother.) and after much thought decided to “reunite” his family. I am sure it made sense to him in those moments, although the rest of us would have loved to take Daniel into safety and let Chris do what he needed to do. If you compare what Chris Benoit did to his family, to all of the other murder/suicides between family members you will see they are not that dissimilar and do not require the use/overuse of steroids OR brain damage. Human beings are basically self-serving and the instinct would be to do whatever it takes to not get caught.
To suggest that “someone” broke into the house, killed Nancy, injected and strangled Daniel hours later, overpowered Chris and strung him up on his workout equpiment, sent out repeated phone messages and text messages at intervals from Chris’s phone simply because they were “jealous” of Chris’s success- well, that is ludicrous.
I did find it interesting that Chris Jericho popped up everywhere afterwards and wholeheartedly agree that it somehow played a part in his return to WWE. Not saying he only went on t.v. to get his job back. I think it was more it put him back in touch with the powers that be.
I for one am SO glad to see the cleaning up of the WWE! It was raunchy and nasty and no place for the younger audience it was targeting. When WCW still existed and the Monday night wrestling wars were going on, our household stopped tuning in to WWE because it was so nasty. Wrestling has been around for centuries and we never needed fake boobs falling out of scraps of material to sell it. We did not need foul mouths and sexual innuendo. We did not need our heroes to be x-rated. All you need is good versus evil and people will watch. They always have, they always will.
AIC: You raise some good points. I can obviously see why most people think what Benoit did was unforgivable and the WWE is justified in erasing him from their history. As much as I understand that, those are just not my feelings. But I do take comfort in the fact that us wrestling fans will always be able to discuss him without fear of repercussions, and we will indeed be able to access his matches and appreciate him for the great wrestler he was.
Booker T: Great point! This kind of thinking seemed to be prevalent in the mainstream media at the time of his death, as I discussed in the article. You can’t generalise one person’s reasons for doing something onto every single other person who has done the same thing.
Imissvintagewrestling: I personally believe that he did suffer from mental problems, whether caused by drugs, concussions, or other circumstances. For someone to commit murder, accidental or otherwise, there has to be some mental abnormalities.
Thank you, Scarlett.
every.1 is sad about wacko jacko dat abused kids yet dey want 2 remmmeber him 4 his entertainment wat about chris beniot and d entertainment he gave 2 every.1 in the world aswel if yous can forgive wacko jacko and just remmeber him 4 his entertainment y not forgive and remmeber chris beniot 4 his entertainment aswel.