I am a huge wrestling fan and I run a website about Wrestling (mainly focused on WWE). Everyday, several pieces of news about the most relevant things in wrestling, performers, promotions, shows, etc, are posted in this site. We can have days when there just one important thing to tell the world. On the other hand, we very busy and deeply sad days.
The morning of June the 25th the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and its fans learned a shocking piece of news. Chris Benoit, one of the most talented athletes that have had the wrestling business and his family (his wife and son) were founded dead in their home in Atlanta, Georgia.
We, as fans of wrestling and especially fans of Benoit, could not believe the Breaking news of the day.
At the age of 40, the Canadian wrestler, his wife Nancy and his son Daniel were founded dead in his home, in different rooms. Nancy was in the living room, Daniel in his bedroom and Chris in the training room. All this was really strange. The first theories that came out, talked about a possible food poisoning or a case of burglary and murder.
The same day, in the evening, WWE aired a tribute show of 3 hours to the career of Chris Benoit, hosted by the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Up to that moment nobody would have think that the worst part of this story was about to come.
On Tuesday 26 the police investigation continued and it was state that the body of “The Crippler” (that was his nickname) was founded hanging from rope tied on his neck. That is to say, he had committed suicide. But that, my friends, was not the end of the story.
The investigation established that there was not a third part intervention. Everything that happened at that home involved just the three individuals founded inside it.
Nancy Benoit was tied by hands and feet. Her death was by strangulation and she had blood under her head. Maybe this was a proof of struggle. The son, Daniel, was strangled too. He was not tied and was lying on his bed.
The Police stated that this was a “Double murder and suicide”.
Every one of us was absolutely shocked. We could not (and the most of us can not yet) believe what was said. One of the icons of wrestling business, a man who performed in Canada, Mexico, Japan and USA, and recognized as a gifted wrestler had killed his wife, then his son and finally himself. WWE had to apologize for airing the tribute show and from that moment they take separated ways with the image of Chris Benoit. He never existed to the company.
There were, and there still are, a lot of hypothesis to establish the causes. Many people, especially media in TV aimed to the use of steroids and “Roid Rage”. Also it was said that Chris suffered a Delusional Disorder and could not put himself apart from the character played on TV.
Finally the most logical and almost obvious reason came up… depression. In 2002, at the age of 39, the WWE wrestler Eduardo Guerrero (Eddie Guerrero) passed away. Eddie was Benoit’s Best friend. Since that moment Chris was not the same. He started to write letters on his diary to his friend Eddie. The last one said “I will be with you soon”.
In addition, the marriage of Nancy and Chris was about to end and she was going to get Daniel’s custody. The week of the tragedy, the legal procedure was ready and Benoit was going to lose his son.
The pitiful part of it is that the fans fell in the dilemma of “what I have to think now”. With what he did, he lost most of the respect that he earned for more than 15 years of career on the ring. For many of his fans he lost all this respect. What bothers me is the fact that he is not going to be remebered in the way could have been and deserved it before all this trahedy happened.
Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoit
R.I.P.
