Shining a Spotlight 7.05.07: Benoit Reader Reaction

Posted by Michael Weyer on 07.05.2007

A few more thoughts of Benoit's death, the media coverage, WWE's handling of it and then a very big mailbag of reader thoughts on the whole thing and my comments on it.

I know, I know, I had promised I'd get to the War Games column. However, my mailbox was totally packed by Benoit and fact is, people are still buzzing about it so I thought more had to be done on it. It's been a weird week to be sure as we're all still dealing with such an honored and respected man doing the utterly unthinkable. It's also been telling to watch the media coverage and if The Daily Show doesn't do something on the media reaction, I'll be shocked.

Honestly, I don't know what's worse: Nancy Grace talking about Benoit going from the Four Horsemen to RAW as if it happened in the last year, Greta Van Sustren asking Bret if Benoit "was any good" or Geraldo actually speculating that Benoit killed Sheri Martel too, ignoring the fact Sheri died a good week earlier. That they go right for "roid rage" doesn't really shock me that much. I just assumed they'd actually check the smallest of facts about the guy first before going overboard. As for the wrestling "experts" they've brought on, Lex Luger has absolutely no right trashing someone else on making a mess of things with drugs and Debra McMichael proves Eric Bischoff's old assertion about her "being in wrestling for a cup of coffee and suddenly deciding she had an opinon." At least Bret Hart showed some dignity and pointed out the good man Benoit was while also not blaming Vince or WWE for this.

As for Vince, he handled himself well on the shows I saw him on. Some may automatically thrash him on anything but he really is in a horrible spot and reportedly, it's been his spirits that have kept things going the last week. He was dead on pointing out that of those 60 wrestlers who have died in the last few years, only five were contracted to WWE when they died so he can't speak on the exact circumstances of the others. And has been pointed out, considering there are several thousand wrestlers nationwide, 60 deaths is really a small percentage. So those slamming all the blame on Vince are just dead wrong.

I'm also not surprised WWE is erasing every bit they can of Benoit from their website because of the situation. I do believe in the future, they might let some mentions of him sneak back in (after all, they can't really erase his title reigns or recall every DVD that has him in it) but for now, the atmosphere is just too crazy to really show a lot of his stuff. I know some are a bit thrown by Vince's immediate "steroids had nothing to do with this" attitude but it is a reflex action. Let's face it, Vince is in as hard a place as he's ever been as no one's had to deal with anything like this before. It's been said already but he really is in a position where it's "damned if you do, damned if you don't." He knows he's going to get slammed by people no matter what tact he takes but I think he's handled it rather well so far. With that attitude, things might be able to get back to semi-normal sooner than expected.


Well, onto the mailbag as we start with a few comments on my column on "death of Mr. McMahon" and tasteless in wrestling. I am a bit chilled that I wrote it just one week before the shit hit the fan and my comments, along with the ones below, take an entirely new context now. First off is Christopher Bate:


I'm an avid British 411 fan and the site is always my 'go to' for wrestling articles, results (I don't really have the time to actually watch RAW these
days) and other goodness. Your recent article was excellent, informative and objective. The current 'Vince is Dead' storyline has me on the fence. It's distasteful
entertainment that's either leading to another 'Attitude' Era or a huge, ego-ridden anti-climax. Let's all hope for the former, huh? Anyway, I won't waffle on. I just wanted to give you some props for the good work. Keep it up.

Given that it seems the entire "Vince is Dead" thing is now over, that question is moot. I think the Benoit events will shift Vince's usual ego-driven antics for a bit which may help the company overall.


Rey has this to say:

Your article on tastless angles was great. It brought back so many memories of really horrible storylines that make Vince's death look meaningful. The last one to really disgust me was Kerwin White. Seeing Chavo Guerrero denounce his latin heritage was blasphemous in my eyes. Fortunately and very, very, very unfortunately Eddie's death ended the angle.
Another death angle which was suppose to be serious but turned out to be hilarious for all the wrong reasons. WWF champion Big Show feuding with the Big Bossman, as he ridiculed the death of Show's father.

I think we all agree we'd take still watching Kerwin White if it meant we still had Eddie. Of course, Chavo has had goofy gimmicks before (that bit when he was riding a stick horse in WCW comes to mind) and I also remember where WCW had Scott Hall openly acting a drunk when everyone knew he had real-life alcohol problems. Honestly, WCW pressed the envelope so many times but then again, it was a badly run company so they're ignored for it.


Brian put in this interesting observation:

Just curious about your opinion on this...
WHY is it that characters have been killed off on countless television shows and movies over the years, and it has been considered to be part of the story, but when a character is killed on the "television show" RAW, (Yes, that is exactly what RAW is.) THEN it becomes "wrong" to do it?
I do not understand...WHAT makes this different? Heck, "Mr. McMahon" is only PRESUMED to be dead, the character hasn't even officially been killed off!!!!!
FAKE death????? So when Colonel Blake was killed off on M*A*S*H did anyone think that McLean Stevenson "FAKED" his death? When Spock died in Star Trek II, did anyone think that Leonard Nimoy "FAKED" his death? When John Anderson was killed in "The Cowboys", did anyone think that John Wayne "FAKED" his death? (Must I go on?)
HELLO...wake up PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!
RAW, and rasslin' are NOT real folks, they are a SHOW!!!!!!!!!! Take it for what it is!!! GO with it!!! Have FUN with it!!! ENJOY the performers!!!
SEPARATE reality from fiction!!!!!
As far as I am concerned, it was either Cartman who did it, or Colonel Mustard conspired with Mr. Green.
To stray from political correctness, AM I THE ONLY NON-RETARDED PERSON WHO WATCHES RASSLIN'?
SIGH...whew

No, you're not the only non-retarded person who watches. Sadly, as the whole media reaction to Benoit seems to have proven, the vast majority of non-wrestling fans still assume that you have to be less than bright to enjoy wrestling, a mentality I've never understood. Honestly, if you can be fans of reality TV, you can like wrestling. I guess there's the fact that, since wrestling does utilize real people in a seemingly real setting, the lines have always been blurred between character and the real person which makes it even harder to tell what's real or not. As, sadly, Benoit again seems to have proven.

Just a short comment here from Adam Wallace:

before you write a column, at least get your facts straight. There are bunches of us fans who attended the memorial service for David and there was no admission or money charged. TALK ABOUT PATHETIC

And on that same note, here's SFC Randy O. Gilbert:

I have to ask you a question concerning a part of the story late last week. It was this from your column:
But when it comes to pure tastelessness, it's hard to top World Class. When David Von Erich died in 1984, his father Fritz charged nearly 5000 fans to attend his public memorial service. Say what you will about Vince but he hasn't actually turned the funeral of a worker, let alone his own son, into a gate.
While I don't remember the particulars on the time frame of the Gino Hernandez death other than they had to get the Chris Adams' blinding issue off the table soon, this one hit me a little wrong. I was born and raised on Von Erich wrestling in the North Texas area. Watched it every Saturday night and Sunday mornings. I have to ask where this information came from. I asked several friends online that actually attended the memorial service and the funeral procession. There was no charge for the public at large. The only "memorial" that had a charged attendance was the first Sportatorium taping after finding out about David's death, and of course the first "Parade of Champions" at Texas Stadium. I would just like to know where the information came from.

Now, I recall reading this in a book a few years back. I'm note sure if it was Dave Meltzer's Tributes but it was something similar and I've heard that same story around a few times elsewhere. I sent that to Randy with apologies if I got it wrong and he sent this back:

No no...don't apologize. I fully understand about some of the questionable facts floating on the internet. I really enjoyed the article and all the articles at 411. Kinda seems moot now with the Benoit situation. I just was wondering where the info came from. Thanks for the response. :) But I do remember the Gino situation, and
yes, they did not break kayfabe with regards to Chris Adams.

The IWC is filled with supposed "true" facts and stories that have since been proven wrong and this may be one of them. Again, I apologize if I got it wrong but I do have to point out that Fritz Von Erich did assemble that big Parade of Champions selling "in memory of David" T-shirts, bandannas, posters and more, all at a higher price than usual. Say whatever else about Vince but I didn't see "in memory of" shirts for Owen and Eddie being sold on the WWE website.

Well…here goes. As you can imagine, Benoit's death had a huge reaction among the fanbase and my column added to it. So, with a few exceptions, I'm pretty much letting these letters stand on their own as I think they represent a good cross-section of the general fanbase reaction to all this.

Antonio Chan:

Thanks dude, for saying what was on my mind about Benoit. I loved that guy's work, he was one of the reasons I watch wrestling, he was one of my all time favorites, but it's all tainted now. I can never look at his matches and feel the same way anymore, I can never have his named mentioned without feeling sick. I agree with you a 100%, but in a way I am extremely saddened by this. What the fuck have you done, Chris? Why the fuck would you do something like this? What a shame.


Michael Bond:

i think this is the second email i have sent u in the same amount of days but i would just like to say that your article on chris benoit is the best piece of reading i have ever had on 411 and i have been on the site since mania 20.you spoke with emotion which i believe alot of other writers are not willing to do and i feel you were able to look at the bigger picture and the overall effects on the business not just what benoit did.i was a huge fan of his either he wasn't the "complete wrestler" yer he wrestled but he had poor mic skills,and in this industry you need them look at lashley if he had them he would be bigger then cena i believe.


Anthony Ricciardi:

I completely agree with you. I am still shocked over what happened. Whenever I heard the name Chris Benoit, the first thing that popped in my head was a great wrestler but now the first thing I think of is murderer. For somebody that seemed to everything to do what he did is sick and tragic. All his accomplishments in the business mean nothing to me anymore. I have lost all respect I once had for him. He was guareenteed Hall of Famer and now I feel that he gave up his spot at immortality and should not be remembered like the greats of the past. WWE has done so much to keep Eddie Guerrero's name alive which is so well deserved. WWE should not do the same thing for Benoit. WWE should make sure his name is never mentioned again on WWE TV, DVDS and WWE.com, he should never be in another WWE video game or be any other piece of merchandise, he should never be signed to a legends contract and he should never go in any wrestling Hall of Fame. My heart and prayers go out to Nancy, Daniel and all those affected by this tragedy. I am so happy that Megan and David were not in the house to make this tragedy even worse. Benoit claimed to love the business and respected it but after his actions he has placed a dark cloud over it and has hurt the fans and any one else that ever cared about him. He left us with two questions we may never get answered: Did anyone know the real Chris Benoit and Why did he do it????

We sadly may never know the answer to those, Anthony. And that's yet another tragedy to deal with.


Matt Bradley:

I have been a fan of wrestling and the WWE for most of my life. I have also been a fan of Chris Benoit's for a majority of that time. The recent events have still not completely sunk in with me yet, but I will have to come to terms with the fact that he has done this terrible, horrific thing. I will accept it, but I refuse to cast who he was prior to this aside. I know it's bad and practically unforgivable, but this tragedy should not cause us to lose all loyalty for the man Chris Benoit was for us prior to this weekend. I don't understand how the WWE feels that they need to remove all tributes and "not mention Mr. Benoit's name". The WWE claims to be a family, but at the first sign of bad publicity or uproar for showing Chris was loved and will be missed; you turn your back on him. You remove the tributes and don't want to mention his name, but you do want to say how unfair it is to jump to conclusions about the steroid use. The steroid use...I can only see that as more attempts to help the image of the company. Why not get defensive about the new comments that will arise about Chris being a monster, wife beater, or coward. This is the time when the tributes will be needed. The world has to see who Chris Benoit was to us before this. The WWE may be saving face with the press and a few others by removing the tributes, but in my eyes you are tarnishing the WWE even more. Where is the loyalty? Why don't you have Chris Benoit the wrestler we've known for years, the friend, the loving husband and father pictured at Wrestlemania...why don't you have his back? Don't apologize for remembering him? It's not honoring an alleged murderer; it's honoring the hero we have always known Chris Benoit to be.

I sent a letter back to Matt, telling him that WWE may want to distance right now and the fact is that Vince is in a tough spot handling this nightmare. I also pointed out how, when the OJ Simpson shit went down, so many in pro football and his various sponsers were getting as far away as they could. He responded:

He is in a tough spot, and maybe I should cut him some slack....but when I watch a news interview in which basic strangers can still stand by the man we knew as Chris Benoit in the face of this tragedy, why can't his "family" do it. Vince and many others always claim that the WWE is a family, but he is quick to refer to Chris Benoit as a "monster" or say "Mr. Benoit's name will not be mentioned". It's just tragic all around, and the memory of Chris is more than likely tarnished forever. He will probably no longer be mentioned when you discuss the greats of the business, and all of his accomplishments will be overlooked. I don't keep up with the NFL much, and I never really knew too much about OJ. So I can't really comment too much on how his situation was handled. I do follow the WWE and they are a part of my life. I don't know the superstars personally, but I feel as if I do on occasions. The WWE has opened up doors to invite you into the personal lives of the superstars, and seemingly link them to everyday people. Chris Benoit was the picture perfect role model, the family man and all around great guy. If I were in Vince's shoes or whoever makes the final decision on whether or not to pay tribute to Chris...I would say forget the media and what negative things will come our way. It's not like they haven't faced negative publicity before. Forget the negative and show the world you cared about, and will miss the man you knew as Chris Benoit before this tragic event. I am taking all kinds of heat from friends about my stance on this, but I am doing what Vince and the WWE should be doing in my mind...saying "dammed if I Do"

Having seen the media misjudgment of this whole thing, one can argue Vince is making the right move here. I dare say TNA might be in the same position had one of their guys done something like this but it's hard to say for sure as no one has ever had a situation like this before.


J Page:

I found your column tasteless, and the way you approached the issues in such a black and white manner, with seemingly no in depth understanding about this specific situation, or murder-suicides in general, really reflects badly on you.

Though when I read you were brought up as a catholic, it all made sense.


A long one from Kyle Rys:

I wanted to write in response to your latest "Shining A Spotlight" article on 411. For the most part, I agreed with all of your points and even though a lot of opinions have weighed in on this whole Benoit family tragedy since Monday, it was somewhat refreshing to hear from a point of view where one didn't consider Benoit the "wrestling god." I'll admit that I am one of the people who did place Benoit up on the pedestal in terms of his legacy in the wrestling industry, but it still does matter to hear from someone who doesn't necessarily feel that way.

However, there were a couple of points that I felt needed to offer my two cents. The first point (and probably the lesser of the two points in terms of importance) is that you said that you think that it is practically impossible to separate the man from the performer when discussing Chris Benoit from this point forward. For some, that is very much true. For others, maybe not.

For the ones that DO want to separate Benoit's real-life character from in-ring performance, you can't blame them for this. The reason for that is because these people are not trying to EXCUSE Chris for what he did or JUSTIFY it in any way. I would still bet all I have that these people would say that Chris is 100% accountable for what he did and if he didn't take his own life, he deserved any and all punishment coming his way. Instead, these people are just simply trying to UNDERSTAND what drove Benoit to this madness, and in doing so, help them cope with it. And it's not because they identify with what he did to his family, but they did seem to identify with who he was before this incident, and in trying to separate the fact from the fiction, trying to define who they all are NOW.

For example, my girlfriend and I were huge fans of Edge and Lita before the Matt Hardy controversy. Aside from admiring them as in-ring performers, we both rather identified with their on-air personas as well (before you joke about it, I admired Edge, she admired Lita). In fact, at a live event many years ago, we both brought signs -- hers reading "I Wanna Be Lita," mine reading "I Wanna Be In Lita." Yeah, we're dorks.

Fast forward to the whole breakup situation with Matt Hardy involving the affair between Edge and Lita. It was hard for me to believe that even though Edge had already been married a few times, that he would do something so despicable as sleeping with one of his closest friend's girlfriends. As for my girlfriend, she was even more distraught about it; she always saw Lita as the cool girl that you could hang out with, not as someone who would not only cheat on one's boyfriend, but who also had quite the slutty reputation back in her indy days.

I came to the conclusion that I would only respect Edge and Lita for their in-ring contributions from then on. Even now, I'll say something to the effect of "Oh, Edge is a scumbag in real life, but he's the best heel in the company right now." My girlfriend, however, has had more trouble than I have in separating the two. Now, I know that the situation with Benoit is a lot darker and harder to reconcile than the indiscretions of Edge and Lita, but you can see how anyone can react in both ways, and I believe both are acceptable.

The second point that you made is one that I really took exception to:

On that, don't start using that "seedy underbelly of wrestling" line either. You can't blame this on Vince or WWE or anything like that. Benoit was still a star, still being pushed, he seemed about to be given the ECW title which would have led to more life on the upper tiers of the card. This is not a man known for being an addict or ignored, this was a man who loved wrestling dearly and was loved and respected by the locker room to a huge degree. Whatever led to him doing this, it was all Chris Benoit, not his job.

Well, I don't think it was the so-called "seedy underbelly of wrestling" that contributed to this heinous development, but I can't believe that the nature of Benoit's job didn't have a hand in creating the kind of mental imbalance it would take to commit these inhuman crimes. I'm sorry, but satisfaction in one's job as a professional wrestler isn't just limited to placement on the card or respect from his fans, his peers, and his employers.

For example, do you remember why Brock Lesnar quit WWE? It wasn't because he wasn't getting pushed. Hell, he was being pushed to the freakin' moon. And even though he was considered something of a pain backstage, he still had respect as an in-ring performer from fans, peers and the home office. The reason he quit is because the lifestyle was simply too draining for him. The constant existence of traveling, performing and then traveling again proved to be too much for him. The next few career paths he tried to adopt were just as physical as pro wrestling, but involved much less traveling.

And let's not forget that as a wrestler, he also had his share of head injuries (including that famous concussion he received from that botched Shooting Star Press at Mania XIX), which has been proven to lead to depression, and any painkillers (or 'roids) that he was on may have aggravated his inability to cope with life on the road. Again, the difference between quitting WWE and murdering your wife, child and self is astronomical, but I believe the patterns are quite similar.

The fact of the matter is that the nature of pro wrestling CAN alter the way that one who, as Triple H would say, "lives, eats and breathes this business" can define one's place in the world. And then if you factor in the volatile relationship between Chris and Nancy due to their difficulties in treating their 7-year-old son diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome (a disease notorious for making treatment and lifestyles difficult once the child reaches the age of 8), if you ask me, you DO have a ticking time bomb that not too many people could have known about or predicted. So I have trouble labelling Benoit as "evil" or "cold-blooded" -- I'm more likely to use words like "depressed," "desperate" or "mentally imbalanced." Again, nothing forgives or excuses Chris for what he did, it just helps us better understand just what the hell happened to the guy that almost everyone admired as a hero.

Chris is still responsible for every single one of his actions, including not asking for help in getting his son the treatment he needed. But I believe that his environment, while not RESPONSIBLE for his actions, could have played an unintentional part in driving Benoit to and over the brink.

Because of this, I don't necessarily believe that Vince McMahon has anything to answer for if any uninformed yahoo decides to lay blame at his feet for this tragedy. However, knowing what he now knows, maybe there are a lot of changes that need to be made to WWE policy so that something like this becomes less likely to happen again. Like required vacation time away from the ring so that nagging injuries have better chances to heal up, and so that wrestlers can spend more quality time with their families. Like a more consistent and thorough Wellness Policy so that possible mental issues are discovered as well as drug-based issues. Like a stronger emphasis on studying what moves are more likely to cause concussions and limiting their use of them, including chair shots to the back of the head and flying headbutts.

No, Vince McMahon and WWE aren't responsible for Chris Benoit killing his wife and child and committing suicide. But maybe, in the wake of these terrible events, now is the time to take responsibility in making sure that what happened to Chris won't ever happen to anyone else in WWE.

Just my two shiny pennies. Thanks for listening and keep up the good work.

A good letter there. I liked the Lita/Edge comparison. I know he may have had injuries that contributed but there were no outward signs he was this far gone and regardless of his son's condition, nothing can justify what he did to him at all. We can only hope WWE does make sure something like this doesn't happen again and not by just letting go anyone who looks suspicious but getting them the help they need.


Iain MacNair:

Don't know if you'll be getting any hate-mail, but I just wanted to say that I felt your column summed up a lot of the issues very well. Personally, I think
there may be a time we'll be able to watch his stuff again and focus on them; but not yet, and not for some time.

A few too many people want to ignore what happened and continue honouring him, separating the performer and the man; we can't tell them no, but they're clearly
not realizing that there are some things that have to overcome our devotion to a made-up sport and the performances in it. This would be one of them.

This is from a proud Canadian, and a WCW-on Benoit fan.


RJ Gula:

I have never read your articles before until this one & I have to say that you are one of the Tops in your Profession. You captured my attention on the breakdown of Benoit & why he could possibly do such a thing. As for WWE , I hope McMahon issues an apology for the "Honoring of A Murderer " this past Monday Night.


Venetta Harger:

I am a fan of WWE and a big fan Chris Benoit.We are so sadden about what happen. We all want our question answered and we want the truth to boot.We may never get the answer.The only ones that have the answers are gone that Nancy,Daniel,Chris.The true story may never be told. But we do know he was an awesome wrestler and a good friend to many.It is not up to us to judge. I hope they do find the real truth of the matter.I send my deepest symathy to both famlies and hope they find peace in all this.and I feel sadden that his other 2 children have to see and read this thing about thier Dad.Hope the can find a piece of mind through all this.I can say I hope Nancy & Daniel RIP .And in an odd way I hope Chris RIP to.I hope for peace in everyones mind.


Richard Calderon:

your article just shows how much of a lack of respect you hve for wrestling. If Chris Benoit did commit this tragedy, it is unforgiveable. But lets no
jump to conlusions cause O.J., Kobe. and he Duke eam were all found not guilty or innocent or the case was dropped. 22 years of dedication can not
be taken away for a weekend of mistake. Although, 22 years could have led to this. The deaths of close friends and the mock memorial service for Vince
could have made him snap. Not having your best friend there for the past year and a half could have been too much. Having noone to turn too made him
depressed. If he did commit these murders, i dont think he had a smile on his face. He wanted to take his life and decided to bring his family along
as sad and cruel as it sounds. I am not saying what he did is right but we shouldn't turn our backs on him. In reality 3 people are dead and gone. And
that is too much to deal with. R.I.P. Chris Benoit.. I miss you and will never forget you.


dyl0607:

This has been by far the best article written so far. You should pat your self on the back till it hurt's. This has been a sad, demented and unbelivable tragedy. With that being said, your article was thought provoking and a straight from the hip report. I have been trying to make sense of all of this,for my self, and for my eight year old son who had to learn way too early what murder - suicide is. Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts out there for all of us to read, and use, to try and move on from this terrible, terrible waste.


Another long one, this from Miss Marbea:

Your article made me realize just how we humans are just what we are a complexed species. It is clear you never really cared for or respected this man despite his disturbing death. You can highlight your opinions on his career, but as you stated "I don't care about his problems", lets me know that you are just as close minded to how this world really can be. His family is dead, he is dead, and the only one's that will know what was going on in their household before, during, and after their deaths are dead now. He made a cry for help...and it wasn't heard with open ears and open minds. WWE is just as cynical and evil as satan himself, with the thought of not tributing this man because of his unknown actions is just plain stupid. All the deaths of WWE superstars are mysterious ones, there was no evidence of how most of these young men died or what lead to their deaths. But being benoit killed someone besides himself you want to set his death aside from others is just a shadey business in my thoughts. This man was a good man to this business and his family and never once made this business look bad from any angle and it turns its back on him when its reputation is in jeopardy, as if the WWE reputation is so perfect and well-defined anyway. He was a human-being, he wasn't perfect no one is, but he doesn't deserve this scrutiny from the public, his entire family immediate and extended should be all in your prayers and good thoughts to hold them up in their time of need if you really gave a damn about him or them period! When you down and degrade him you are doing them the same injustice. All the tributes and remarks made by the WWE superstars when they found out about the death of the benoit family was so sad, moving, and emotional....until he was outted as a murdering coward(not my words), but you and the media. I wonder if they feel all that love and respect now for how they knew him in life as they do in his death? or is the entire WWE family a bunch of fake, hypocritical actors like they portray on t.v everyday....huh I guess until one of them pass away we will never know who they really are in life, just a phasad. And for you to say that "it's better he killed himself instead of ruining the rep of the WWE with a trial" is just a disgrace on your part and if the WWE thinks that not having a trial and ex-ing benoit out of WWE history and media then they don't know what the fans really want for real.

I wrote back pointing out first that the "kill himself to spare WWE a trial" was a quote from Scott Keith, a man who was about the biggest Benoit fan you could find. I also pointed out how there was no sign of this coming that anyone knew of, that Benoit was so professional and no one knew of his troubles. She wrote back:

If you read more investigative reports over those three days of turmoil and destruction of his family and himself, he was sending text messages back and forth to some of his friends in the wrestling business. How do you think it was so convenient for the WWE to send authorities to look for him at his home when he started to miss pay-per-views and live events for personal family reasons. They knew something was going on with him and his family and needed an explanation, and got it once the bodies where found. It was clear you were angry and hurt about the whole situation, but when you are a writer your pen is like a sword and your words can cut like a knife and karma comes afterwards. So it is vital to select your words with thought and content not anger. The world is in a sad state, and it is a shame that a good person all their lives is defined by actions that will never be explained. That is how the world is everyday, and that's sad.

They may have suspected he had problems but absolutely no one expected anything like this. Remember, he was telling neighbors and friends his family was sick and gave no real indications he had killed them and by the time the police were called, it was far too late. I am sorry you took exception but others here have written tirades as bad as, if not worse, than mine. It was pretty much a consensus that we would write how we felt, knowing many would be upset but these are our opinions and mine is what I said in my column.


Mitch in Buffalo:

I think your article was well written and touch on some very good points. CB was one of my favorite guys because of the way he handled himself. He was not going to do the corny angle and you knew that everyone treated him with high respect. I did want to mention that I was very impressed with the way the WWE handled the situation. At the time of RAW, you know that they at least knew that Chris hung himself and that the wife and child were killed. With that came a lose-lose situation. If they said nothing then they look bad for turning there back on one of there stars. If they announced the double murder suicide then did a tribute then it would look worse. By keeping things under wraps, meaning it was no sheer coincidence that the murder suicide information came out after 11:30 pm Monday night. They can show respect then pull it the next day and look at least morally and politically correct. I am not to happy on Vince going on the Today show to try to de-bunk the roid rage angle. He should of learned after the Costa interview that his stage antics do not translate. As smart as he is he can not defend himself to high powered journalism. What he was trying to say is the media can not make this about steroids until all the facts from the toxicology comes out. What came out is How can you state this is not a steroids issue until the facts from the toxicology comes out. Didn't play too well on air. Thanks for your time.


411mania Music's Jesse Nelson makes me wonder if maybe he should be in a different section:

know I'm primarily a music writer around here, but the fact is, I initially got into 411Mania due to its wrestling portion. For about a year, I'd check in
weekly, especially enjoying the Ask 411 wrestling column. I began submitting my own questions to Ask 411. Then, late last year, I saw a call for writers, and boom… I'm having a great time writing for the music section. But I still check on the wrestling section, because I've been watching wrestling relatively regularly since WrestleMania II. I recall the old days of Saturday Night's Main Event, and those Saturday morning WWF shows where all but the last match was usually a good wrestler against a "bum," as
we called them, better known as jobbers. So I very much wanted to express a couple points on the Chris Benoit deal that I feel have not been expressed.

First of all, was I shocked? It was surprising, yes. But lots of surprising/shocking things happen from day to day (from 9/11 to the death of Howard Stern's
regular, Hank the Angry, Drunken Dwarf). It's something we call life.

Did I lose my respect/admiration for Benoit? Here's where we get into the thorny patch. Dare I say I don't ADMIRE any professional wrestler? I will. It's true.
On the flip side, I am ENTERTAINED by wrestlers. That is why I watched/watch/will watch wrestling. For me, it is the equivalent of enjoyable entertainment. A
male's soap opera, with excellent athletics thrown in. There's an acrobatics circus element to it that has always appealed to me, in addition to the fact that I
HATE sports (football, basketball, etc.)… so to me, this is a great jab in the ribs to sports. I lost no admiration because I had no admiration. Respect? There
are few figures in entertainment, be it wrestling, music, or film, who I particularly respect (I'm not saying I disrespect them… many are just there to do their job of entertaining people, and I respect that).

I don't want to belittle or neglect the fact that I think taking another person's life AGAINST THEIR WILL (that's for Jack Kevorkian, who I regard as a modern
day saint) is reprehensible. Was what Benoit did terrible? You bet. Do I think he should have just done himself in? Yep.

But can I still watch WWE footage of him? Do I think he should be scrubbed from WWE history? Let's ask this… any fans of the Naked Gun series? I am. Is OJ's
presence in those films a reason not to watch the films? Hell, no. They're great films, and will remain great films. As a matter of fact, OJ's bits are also really funny. Would you not listen to music that Phil Specter produced? Maybe you see what I'm getting at here.

I made this same argument on Amazon, defending the Chris Benoit DVD, when some knuckleheads who NEVER posted reviews (I checked their history) blasted the
DVD and Amazon for not pulling it. First off, Amazon should not be a place for censorship of selling merchandise. Secondly, someone chimed in and said… OJ
was acquitted, and it looks like Phil will be, too. Okay, for anyone who doesn't think OJ did it (leaving aside his DISGUSTING "I didn't do it, but if I did, here's how I'd do it" book that never came to fruition)… I ask of that person, is it better to murder, and then get lots of high price lawyers, and get away with it (acquitted) (yes, that's a loaded presumption that OJ and Phil are guilty) than it is to murder and then off yourself to avoid trial? And again, should items of art and entertainment be pulled
if someone participating commits a crime as serious as murder?

I'll be the first to tell you, as soon as I read that the WWE was pulling Chris' DVD, I went right ahead and bought me a used copy… not because I want to sell it down the road for a higher price, but because I want a piece of history that's being suppressed. And already…I bought it at $13.45 used, with 33 or so used copies available. Guess what? There're only 7 used copies left, the cheapest now selling at $20.

If I had the DVD prior to this, would I throw it away in outrage? Please! And please, separate the entertainment and fiction from a tragic reality. But even beyond that, I'm not "numb" or anything like that. I didn't know the guy. I didn't know his family. If I were to be totally honest, besides saying "it's too bad" (I think it is), I really don't care much beyond that. And I'm not about to pretend I do, just like both Kurt Cobain blowing his brains out (or getting whacked) and Phil Hartman's wife killing him were basically an… "oh, wow, I wouldn't have guessed that," so, too, is this.

How many other tragedies like this happen every single day, but because the person is in the limelight, you're stunned, or grieved, or numb? I just don't buy it. These people aren't my friends, family, or even in my community. As sad as it is, I'll be honest again and say it's just a bizarre, scandalous news item, perversely fascinating to follow. Will it bury wrestling? Has it buried any other entertainment form? Nah.

Lastly, regarding the scrubbing of Chris Benoit's name from the WWE lexicon, I think it's wrong. Here's why. First… yes, I despise the "fair and balanced" crap of Fox News (though that's amusing to watch at times)… as epitomized by Bill O'Reilley. A journalist doesn't spout crap without doing some research, so his quick jump to blame ‘roid rage was disgustingly obnoxious. Sure, ignore all knowledge of the Wellness Program in place for nearly a year and a half in the WWE after Eddie's death (granted, a bit late). And Vince nicely countered the "60 wrestlers under the age of 45 have died since the 90's" with "I can't speak for those not under the employ of the WWE."

But I don't find Vince and the company's reaction as positive as others do. They're focusing, and hoping to shift the focus, on the family angle, and the son's disease. That'd be best for them were the bulk of the explanation to be the pressures of family life. You know… domestic disputes.

A third notion has been floated, that of Benoit's medical history of over 20 concussions, and the repercussions that that has on a person, which is being neatly ignored. Why? This might redirect some responsibility to the industry. Not good. Instead, scrub the history of Chris Benoit from wrestling, and ignore so many years of devotion to the industry? Many of his fellow wrestlers would not and do not want that.

The truth is probably a combination of MANY elements, as the truth usually is, no finger of blame clearly aimed. Anyway, my end judgment? A.) I'm glad I'll be getting a copy of that DVD before it's a rare and expensive collectors item, B.) a few creepy thoughts will linger when I see some of the matches, but will likely fade after a few moments, C.) I admire and respect very few entertainers, but am rather entertained by them, so there was no net loss here in this case, D.) percentage wise, a man takes 100% responsibility for something like this, but I don't think Vince and the WWE should so devoutly distance themselves and absolve all responsibility (a look into the effects of repeated concussions might be worthwhile), E.) the media sucks as usual, with sensationalism, F.) I am not grieved, saddened, numb, etc…. I don't know these people personally, and all I'll say is it's too bad, but terrible things happen everyday.

Burying this, as the WWE wants to do? Try to bury and erase history, and you'll never learn from it.


Melanie Devincetis:

I agree with you 100%....I've said to myself and my husband, Benoit is now an "OJ Simpson", but at least Benoit had the 'remorse' or something to take his life.

Just something I've thought about though....not sure if this has been discussed much. But didn't you find it odd that the authorities released the information that this was indeed a double-murder/suicide moments after RAW ended? Even the WWE website waited only moments to post that news. Surely it didn't take authorities that long to come to the conclusion of what must have happen...I just found the timing interesting, almost as if WWE knew or expected what was coming and they asked the authorities to 'hush' until after they're tribute b/c they either needed something to air at that point, or they respected him so much as a professional that they wanted a final tribute to him prior to the release of info that he indeed was a monster.


Sally Short:

I respect your comments re Chris and his family. He was a great technical wrestler and I used to enjoy watching him wrestle. To say that he has tarnished the sport he loved, I don't totally agree, BUT steroids have been used by many wrestlers as we know. I feel very much for Chris and his wife, given his young son's health
problems. I'm not saying I excuse him for what he supposedly has done, BUT for him to do what is reported then why did no one pick up that there was something wrong. One of the hardest things must be to take your own life, apart from possibly taking others lives first. Chris must have been in an extremely hard place to even think about suicide. My thoughts go out to his other son and daughter and his family, it must be a very hard time for them. No one will ever know why this happened as there is no one what's so ever who will ever know what was going thru Chris's head at the time. It leaves so many questions and no answers, just people surmising what happened.

Maybe the WWE mite wake up and do more to try and stop the use of any drugs being used by the wrestlers. They have a responsibility as well, and that is NOT to condemn Chris Beniot for actions no one will ever understand. I believe Chris should also be inducted into the WWE wrestling Hall of Fame. It should be about the sport NOT what he has supposedly done, after all Eddie Guerero was admitted and he did drugs.

Drugs are one thing, killing your family quite another and I think a Hall of Fame induction, even if it is years from now, will be an ugly can of worms to open.


John Musick:

I read your recent article, Death and Disgrace, and I, too, have struggled with the circumstances regarding Chris Benoit's death. I agree that what happened is inexcusable, and there is no justifiable reason to ever kill your wife or child or anyone at all who is not, themselves, trying to take your life. But from every testimonial from every wrestler interviewed, this does not sound like something Benoit was capable of. Therefore, foregoing all the conspiracy theories, he had to be mentally ill. Whether it was years of concussions, whether it was some sort of steroid or medication-induced dementia, severe depression, or some combination of those, the person who killed those people was not the same person we idolized for all those years.

His matches were works of art. Without doubt, no one on the current roster is as good in the ring. Even if Benoit fooled everyone he ever met, and he was some sort of sociopath, you can't take away his contributions in the ring. Art is art, regardless of who creates it, and it should be protected. I could become disenchanted with wrestling after this, too, but it will be from the WWE trying to omit his contributions to their product, and to wrestling in general, over the past 20 years. I understand them pulling his merchandise, pulling their tributes, not doing a career anthology DVD, not putting him in the Hall of Fame, and not celebrating him as a person, at least for the next several years. But I cannot imagine not seeing anymore Benoit matches in any WWE videos or on 24/7. Vince McMahon does have a lot of damage control to do, especially if this turns out to be steroid related, but to deny he ever existed is not the way to do it.

I'm as sorry as anyone that a hero has fallen. I'm even more sorry that two innocent people, especially the child, died. If I could meet Benoit right now, I would probably have harsh words for him. He should have sought help, and none of this should have ever happened. What he gave the world of wrestling, though, is undeniable, and as we pass our judgments on the man and how his life ended, we would be remiss to say that anything he ever did had no merit


Luis Ariel Ortiz:

I think you have the right perspective of this terrible tragedy. I think no one can applaud what he did. Specially, that he took out his little 7 y.o. son.
Cause I could try to understand that a man can lose his mind over an argument with a woman (his wife). But what possible threat could a 7 y.o. do to him to kill him?
What could this 7 y.o. say to him that could explain this outburst of hatred? I guess that is what we all would like to know. But the dirt spot will always be there.
I guess our only hope of understanding lies in whatever his ex wife can say about his character. Nonetheless; I really did admire him, and can't beleive he was this monster hiding , lurking beneath ths skin.


Finally, Rob Brown:

I think no one hit the nail on the head better than you. Your report was everything I was feeling. Thank you for it, and keep posting what u feel, not what others may want. Excellent job!!!!!!


As you can see, a wide range of opinions. How do I feel, now that the initial shock and anger have faded a bit? Much the same as I did before. I don't agree with totally erasing him from history but I still feel that pain when I see a match with him around. I won't throw out my DVD collection but it'll still nag for sure. I think Vince and WWE are handling things as best as they can given the horrible circumstances and were as shocked by this as everyone. What some will forget is that Benoit took almost six months off last year to heal up from injuries and such and gave no indications anything was bothering him when he returned. I know he may have been affected by his son's condition but murdering him was not an answer at all.

I guess we just have to deal with it in our own ways and our own beliefs. I just hope we can all agree that this should not have happened and he deserved a much better way to go out. I'd rather remember the Chris Benoit of old. I just have a hard time reconciling it with the one we now know.


Again, Benoit dominates conversation at 411mania so hopefully next week I can get to my War Games retrospective. For now, the Spotlight is off.