There was once a man who cried wolf, thus giving him the nickname “The Rabid Wolverine”. He was known for his unique wrestling ability in major promotions such as WCW and ECW. In every one of his encounters, he would always strengthen his case as one of, if not the best technical wrestler the world has to offer hardcore wrestling fans. However, on one fateful day in 2007, for reasons still being debated to this very day, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before effectively ending his own life by hanging himself.
Now, before we get into the meat of the situation, let’s separate his personal life from his wrestling life for a minute here. Chris Benoit, in his prime, was the absolute epitome of true technical wrestling. He is known for having supreme matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Edge and even Rob Van Dam. His most memorable moment would come 9 years ago, at the 20th anniversary of WrestleMania by defeating both Shawn Michaels and Triple H by making the latter submit to his famous Crippler Crossface. His post-match embrace with then WWE Champion and also present deceased wrestler, Eddie Guerrerro, is seen as one of the most memorable images in WWE history, though now it is blocked out in WWE’s archives. After his WHC run, he would be demoted to the mid-card, mainly having runs with the United States Championship and his career ended with a very brief run in 2007 with ECW, where he was scheduled to defeat CM Punk and become ECW Champion.
Now let’s dig into the ugly. People have been debating as to what would lead a supposed friendly outside person to kill his son and spouse? Some people believe it is the after effects of all those flying headbutts that Benoit did over the years, causing himself to lose all sanity. Others claim that it was simply an evil act of violence and that he knew what he was doing at the time, while being fully aware of his surroundings and the situation at hand. For me, I tend to agree with the latter. Its not the fact that he killed his family, its what he did after. He killed himself by hanging his body above ground. I believe that when Benoit realized what he had done, whether or not he planned to do it, he couldn’t take it anymore. He never came to grips with the reality of what had happened until it actually happened. So, in turn, he killed himself. None of us know what really happened on that day, but this is the best summation i can get.
If you have been watching WWE since 2007, you’d see that WWE is clearly trying to erase the memory of Chris Benoit from all of our memory banks. When Randy Orton defeated Benoit for his first world title at Summerslam in 2004, they don’t show Benoit, only the image of him holding the title after the match is over. According to WWE, Benoit never existed and his legacy is irrelevant now. Some people say that despite what Benoit did, he should be in the Hall of Fame or that WWE should give him more recognition because he was that good a wrestler.
First and foremost, WWE will NOT recognize him anymore and they sure won’t induct him in the Hall of Fame, and they shouldn’t. Let’s face reality. Benoit MURDERED people. No matter what the situation, murder is the most insufferable thing someone can do. You steal someone’s right to life when you kill. You steal lives, one of them being the life of an innocent boy. I actually applaud WWE for not even entertaining the idea. How can someone who killed people be recognized with some of the immortals such as Ric Flair, Andre The Giant or Shawn Michaels? That would be a huge disservice, not only to the worthy inductees (with the oblivious exception to Donald Trump), but to the WWE Hall of Fame itself. WWE is doing the right thing by ignoring what he did inside the ring, though admittedly very impressive. Wrestlers do certain things outside the ring that they can get away with. Drug usage, behavioral problems, and even DUI’s. Murder is just something that can’t be forgiven. And if it is forgiven, it is never forgotten. WWE will never forget what THEY did in 2007. If you don’t know what I am referring to, WWE foolishly held a tribute special to Chris Benoit in dedication to his career without even knowing the full situation of what had happened. This wasn’t Eddie Guerrerro’s death, where he just collapsed on the floor in his hotel room. This was murder and suicide.
In closing, to those who say WWE is doing the wrong thing by ignoring such greatness or those who think that Benoit should be a hall of famer, then let me give you a dose of reality: WWE would be recognizing a murderer. It’s that simple. Chris Benoit’s name is mud as far as WWE is concerned. No matter what Chris has done in the ring, what he did outside will always overshadow what accomplishments he has to his credit. Chris Benoit was an amazing wrestler, but the insufferable sin he committed doesn’t warrant WWE’s attention any longer.
Comment your opinions and if you agree or disagree. Thank you.
