The Wrestling Bard 6.21.08: Innocence, Death, and Forgiveness

Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 06.21.2008

The world of wrestling has suffered tremendous pain in the last few years. The Wrestling Bard takes a look at two deaths that shook the wrestling world more than anything.

Welcome to the twelth edition of the Wrestling Bard. I'm taking a break from my normal format to address certain issues, as we quickly approach the one-year anniversary of the greatest tragedy in wrestling history. I don't want to take up too much time, so here's just a reminder to e-mail me any of your dream matches that you would like me to write (see previous columns for examples). And for those who are first time readers', I don't read the comment section anymore, so if you REALLY want me to read something, e-mail me. Now that I got that out of the way. Let's get to what we are here for.

Prologue (That Means You Read It First)

I don't know you personally. I don't know what your life has been like or how you grew up. It's a shame, because I wish I could speak to you on a personal level and understand where you come from. However, because I can't, I hope you can forgive me if some of the generalities in this column don't apply to your life. But I hope that you can relate to it. This is not an article for those wishing to hear me condemn a man they hate. This is not an article for those who have made peace with the tragedy and the man who caused it. This is an article for those who are still hurting, who are still confused and conflicted over the situation. For a long time, I was confused and hurt, but I have made my peace, and I hope you will find yours. If you do not fit the bill, I encourage you to question yourself before reading this article, because it will likely be a waste of your time. If you do fall into this category, proceed with the acknowledgement that I do not hold all the answers, and the answers I give may not be the ones you want to hear.

And YES this column is largely about how I related to the events. It is based on MY experience. It is partially my way of voicing the emotions I've had since these events, and how they have changed my life and my view of wrestling. I hope you can relate to the emotions that I had, and if you cannot, I apologize. It's a personal article, written as much for me as it is for you.

This particular column deals with a subject of a distressing nature. The tragic events of last summer have had a tremendous effect on the emotions of all wrestling fans, and have lead most of us to ask questions about how we deal with the situation. What is the moral way to look upon the life of a man that we once held in the highest esteem, and yet now, it seems awkward just to mention his name, because of his monstrous last deeds? More importantly, how do we heal from wounds that still affect us, even a year later? I will seek to answer these questions to the best of my ability, and you may find the answers you are looking for. If not, I apologize, but as a mere man, I will always have better questions than I have answers.

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING: This column is written from the perspective of a man of faith. Scripture is quoted in this column and the whole thing is written from a Biblical perspective. If you do not agree with it, that's your deal, not the authors. If you cannot read this without choosing to respect the author's opinion and his faith, then DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE. It is a waste of your time, as your comments will not be read, and you will find no value in this column. If you can respect the author's opinion and his faith, the author hopes that you can find merit in the scripture quoted, even if you don't necessarily agree with his views. This is your warning, and your chance to turn back from it. If you read further, you forfeit your right to question the author's right to post his views on his columns. DO NOT READ AND DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE IF YOU CAN'T FIND VALUE IN IT AND ARE JUST GOING TO BE A TROLL. THIS COLUMN ISN'T ABOUT YOU, IT'S ABOUT A TRAGEDY THAT IS GREATER THAN ALL OF US. THE AUTHOR IS ATTEMPTING TO BRING PEACE TO HIMSELF AND TO ANY THAT ARE STILL HURTING. IF YOU CANNOT RESPECT THAT, READ SOMETHING ELSE.

Meaning
Have any of you ever thought about the concept of "meaning"? Meaning is a rather abstract concept, like thought, which is very difficult to explain because it is not tangible. I describe meaning as this. When you look at a table, you know that it is a place to eat. But to someone who has never seen a table, it's just a piece of wood. It means nothing to that person, because they don't understand the concept of "table". Surely, the table exists, but it has no meaning for them. Meaning is our interpretation of the purpose of things that exist. Everyone has a different take on things and the same thing can mean a thousand different things to a thousand different people.

The world of professional wrestling is a lot like the table. To most of the world, professional wrestling is two half-naked men on steroids rolling around fake fighting. It has no more value than a piece of wood. But to us, it means so much. Professional wrestling isn't a hobby, it's a passion. You either love wrestling or you are apathetic about, you can't just like it. Ever think about psychology? Trying to explain psychology is ridiculously hard. To most of the world, a headlock is a headlock, but to us, it's a basic move that has a dozen different purposes and is a tool to tell a story. Psychology exists because we ascribe meaning to something. Professional wrestling might not mean anything to most of the world, but it means a lot to us and that's what matters. The fact that wrestling MEANS something to us is what separates us. We all have different opinions. The wrestling community is made up of a bunch of people from all different walks of life, but regardless of your race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, background, religion, nationality, opinion, mark or smark status, or what you like about wrestling, what really matters is that we are wrestling fans and we are damn passionate about wrestling. We may be a dysfunctional family, but we are a family that is united through a common bond, and that bond is the love of professional wrestling.

Sometimes, the internet wrestling community can become a parody of itself. We all claim to have a passion for this business, but instead of celebrating the good times, we tend to whine and complain about everything. Everything is an epic fail, every wrestler sucks, every writer sucks, and every booking decision sucks. With all the negativity thrown out from the so called "smart marks", a lot of people, including myself, tend to question whether or not any of us actually have a love for the business. Oh sure, we're passionate about it. We spends hours watching, analyzing, writing, reading, reviewing, bashing, and arguing about wrestling passionately. But too often, we get so caught up in over-analyzing and arguing that we can't even take the time to ENJOY this wonderful world that we are so passionate about.

To anybody who is critical of where wrestling is and overanalyzes things and puts too much focus on the star ratings, here's what you should do. Get together with your friends and family and go see a wrestling show. I don't care if the main event is John Cena vs. Triple H or Jack Brown vs. Joe Smith, go watch a wrestling show, and for once, don't go in there with the intent of analyzing, but go in there with the intent of enjoying yourself. Whether the match of the night is four stars or one fourth of a star, spending time with other fans to enjoy wrestling is what this whole thing is really about. It's about entertainment, and I think a lot of us have lost sight of that.

I learned that lesson in 2005. My brothers, my mom, one of our best friends and I all went down to Oklahoma City to watch Unforgiven. So many things happened that night. Ric Flair won the Intercontinental Championship, his last singles championship. Edge and Matt Hardy tore the house down in a cage match. Chris Masters had the match of his life with Shawn Michaels. And the fans argued about whether John Cena or Kurt Angle was the one who sucked. These events may or may not matter in the grand scheme of the wrestling world, but they meant something to us and it meant something to everyone who went there. Go attend a show with your friends and family, because it will bring you closer and will restore your love of wrestling.

Innocence

Life was better when we were kids. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but we were happy. We were all sweet, innocent little kids, with hopes and dreams, and we had the idealistic notion that all of our dreams could come true. Of course, some of that idealism was born of our own naïve nature, but the reason we believed that we could accomplish our dreams was because we knew people that had accomplished theirs. We knew people that were good, people that we looked up to, who had the strength and the drive to overcome evil and accomplish their dreams. Alright, so these guys probably didn't REALLY exist, because they were probably superheroes. But the truth is that our heroes were the ones we looked up to. They were our role models. And in our innocent little minds, we believed our heroes could do anything, and that anything was possible.

My superheroes weren't comic book characters or action film stars. They were professional wrestlers. Since you spend time to read an article on a site dedicated to the passion of professional wrestling, you probably are the same way. Wrestling has always thrived on it's spectacle and the larger than life characters in wrestling are easy to perceive as heroes. Since this "soap opera for men" is basically a morality play, there are protagonists and antagonists, and the protagonists become our heroes. Whether it's the kayfabe heroes like Hulk Hogan and John Cena or the smark heroes like Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, wrestling fans live vicariously through their favorite wrestlers. They identify with them and become attached to them. We feel the pain of their setbacks and joy of their accomplishments. We mourn when they are robbed of the chance to accomplish their goals and rejoice when those goals are accomplished. It's the pure, unbridled joy we get from watching our heroes triumph that makes us wrestling fans. Whether that triumph is winning a championship or wrestling a five-star match, when our heroes do what they set out to do, it is cause for celebration.

For me, my two heroes were Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. Eddie was my favorite. He brought a smile to my face like no one outside of my loved ones has ever done. Whether he was having a mat classic with Kurt Angle or wiping his backside with JBL's hat, Eddie always made me smile. But while Eddie was my favorite, Chris was my hero. I was a short kid who loved the scientific style of wrestling. I loved everything about how Benoit wrestled. I loved his suplexes, his submissions, his chops, and his flying headbutts. I loved how he wrestled with a passion and a ferocity that was unmatched by anyone. I considered him to be the Gold Standard in wrestling, the one that every wrestling fan could look up to as everything that is right about wrestling. When I still had the dream to be a professional wrestler, I wanted to be just like Chris Benoit. I idolized him like he idolized the Dynamite Kid, because he was the best, and I wanted to be the best.

Needless to say, Wrestlemania XX was a special night for me. My two favorite wrestlers were on top of the wrestling world. Two best friends, two world champions. And all was right in the world. Wrestling was still the land of heroes, and I believed my heroes could do anything. I've always said that if wrestling had suddenly stopped right there, it would have been just fine. Fresh off the high of Unforgiven, I entered the fall of 2005 with all the bright-eyed, naïve and optimistic innocence of youth. We were all innocent back then, at least in the world of wrestling, because all was right with it. But by the end of that fall, our innocence, and the wrestling world, were thrown a curveball the likes of which we never expected.

Death

I turned sixteen on November 12, 2005. I was stepping into a new period of my life, with new dreams and new responsibilities. I still had my innocence, and I still believed that anything was possible. I was the dorky kid that couldn't the girl of his dreams to go out with him, and I loved wrestling. It was my one true passion in life, my mistress. I have loved wrestling more than anything for longer than I could remember. My dreams were to marry that girl that I would get eventually and to become a professional wrestler. And like any smart mark, I went onto my favorite wrestling site first-thing everyday. I got onto 411, and I smiled because my favorite wrestler was the top storyline. Every time I saw Eddie, a smile came to my face. So I couldn't wait to read about him. I scrolled through the preview and read "Eddie Guerrero was found dead earlier this morning."

I laughed it off at first, thinking it was some stupid joke. But out of my curiosity, I went to WWE.com, only to read the exact same headline. Some people were shocked, but I honestly could not believe it. It just wouldn't register with my brain, it couldn't sink in. I was in complete disbelief and denial. How could Eddie die in his hotel? He had been clean for four years, there was no good reason for him to die. He was only 38, younger than my dad. Yet here he was, dead. My favorite wrestler had passed away the day after my birthday. So much for sweet sixteen.

I lost a great deal of my innocence on that day. I still believed that dreams could come true. They had come true for Eddie Guerrero. But now, there was the bitter slap in the face of reality. That reality was that on the road to our dreams, we have a price to pay, because the road eventually leads to a dead end. Death is our birth right. It's a taboo subject, because nobody wants to accept the reality of their own mortality. But my hero was dead, and the saddest part was that he had contributed to his death by his irresponsible way of living. Eddie was a druggie and an alcoholic. His addictions and his demons contributed to his death. He learned from his mistakes, and he changed his life around, but sometimes the bumps on the road take an irreparable toll on the vehicle. Eddie's demons caught him in the end.

Nobody can possibly understand the impact that Eddie had on my life. After Eddie died, my passion for wrestling took a huge hit. Fortunately, I still retained my love for wrestling, but this business has felt empty without Eddie. Eddie's death didn't just have negative effects on me though. When that happened, I faced my own mortality, and decided that my life needed some serious change. After reading his book, I decided that I would never touch alcohol or drugs. Not that there's anything wrong with it if you choose to do that, but it's not a risk I wanted to take after that. I also decided to get right with God, because I now had to accept that my life was not in my own hands. It's another personal choice, for my benefit. Eddie's death stirred a fire in me so that I would not make his mistakes. Although Eddie's death was hard for me, I benefited from it.

Eddie Guerrero's death was painful, but if we sit around and mourn his death instead of celebrate his life, we are doing him and his family a terrible injustice. And the best way to celebrate Eddie's life is to learn from his death. Eddie taught us that everyday is worth living. Today is a gift…that's why it's called the present. And we cannot take this life for granted, because we do not know when we will die. Eddie lived everyday to its fullest. I am one of the many who was touched by Eddie's passion for life. We mourned for Eddie's passing, but we also celebrated his life. And we were determined to live our lives to the fullest. The wrestling world was shook by Eddie's death. It was a tragedy that no one saw coming. But we pulled through, and after that sad, sad day, we were prepared for anything.

Or so we all thought.

Shock

We tend to use the word "shock" as a synonym for "surprised". But it's a lot more than that. True shock grasps your heart by its throat and tears it out of you. Shock is a state of being in which we lose function of our bodies. Our minds are transported somewhere else, and our bodies tremble in utter disbelief at what has just passed by. Try to remember Backlash 2004. The most memorable match from that show was the Intercontinental Championship match between Mick Foley and Randy Orton. In that match is a visual image that will forever be imprinted in my brain. Randy Orton was thrown back first into a pile of thumbtacks, and they pierced his body in some sick form of acupuncture. If you can remember the look on his face, and the shaking of his body, you have a pretty good picture of what I looked like on June 26, 2007. The day before, the lives of wrestling fans were hit with something more shocking and disturbing than anything that has ever happened before, and hopefully, nothing will ever shock or disturb us like that again in wrestling.

June 25, 2007 is a day that I will never forget. It might seem blasphemous, but that day was worse for me than September 11, 2001. Now, I was only eleven, so the reality of that horrible day just really didn't sink in for me until years later, and by then, the shock of it wasn't as relevant. But on June 25, I was seventeen and there was no ignorance to protect me from the horrible truth of the events that happened on that day. Trying to write this article is the hardest thing I've ever done on this site, because it forces me to relive a day that I wish I could forget.

On that day, I went out with my family to the local library. I received a call from my brother and he told me that Chris Benoit's family was found dead earlier that morning. Suddenly, the sad reality of why Chris wasn't at Vengeance: Night of Champions revealed itself to me. It was hard, and my heart and prayers went out to Chris Benoit. But I had misheard my brother, because not only were they dead, but Chris Benoit was dead. That was hard. I cried a few tears, but it wasn't that bad. I was shaken, but not shocked. Eddie's death had prepared me for the death of all wrestlers. I could handle the passing of Chris Benoit. But I knew that I had to go to my grandparents to watch RAW for the tribute.

I couldn't watch that tribute though. Unlike the Eddie tributes, which were memories and testimonials and matches held in honor for Eddie, this show was a collection of Benoit's best and most memorable matches. I found that my heart wasn't ready to watch Benoit yet. So I got online during his matches and talked to my best friend and my mother. My mom told me that this awful tragedy was a homicide. My sadness turned to anger. What kind of monster could have murdered this wonderful man, not to mention his wife and seven-year old child? I was filled with hatred and wished death and damnation on this monster of a man. It was a knee-jerk reaction, one that I'm not proud of, but my anger, which may have been justified, clouded my usually kind soul and caused me to pray to God for some horrible fate for this monster.

Little did I know that monster was Chris Benoit. I stayed until late hours of the night and read up on news and learned that police said that Benoit was the culprit, the one responsible for these terrible deeds. I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. The information would not process into my brain. It was a form of denial, but I honestly could not accept that Chris Benoit, my hero, was now a murderer, and worse yet, that those he murdered were his wife and seven-year old son. Daniel was the same age as my little sister, and the thought that a father could do that to his child was just too much for me to believe. I did not sleep that not. I stayed up all not shaking, weeping, and praying. And I wondered if my passion for wrestling would be there when I woke up the next morning. For many wrestling fans, in wasn't there the next morning.

Truth

On June 23, 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy. On June 24, 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his seven-year old son Daniel. And on June 25, 2007, Chris Benoit took his own life. These are the facts. They are the concrete truth. There is no way that I could state these truths that will make them okay. No words can change the fact that Chris Benoit, who was once the gold standard of professional wrestling, is a murderer. No amount of tasteless jokes will be able to make this horrible tragedy less tragic. And no amount of brain damage can justify the horrible final acts of a man who we all wish could have died any other way.

I am not going to defend Chris Benoit. He is not defendable. His final acts are pure evil, and he deserved to die for those actions and to burn in Hell for them. I don't care how many five-star matches he had, how many children he inspired, or how many of his brain cells died while he was living a life that entertained millions. Chris Benoit is a murderer, and he deserved to die.

I'm going to get a little Biblical here. Whether or not you choose to believe in God or not, there is no denying that the values and morals found in the Bible are good foundations to base your actions on. The Bible clearly says that "You shall not murder" and that "the wages of sin is death". When the Bible talks about death, it doesn't just talk about the end of your physical life, and talks about going to Hell, a place of unimaginable punishment. So if you want to make a moral judgment on Chris Benoit, Chris Benoit is a murderer and he deserves to burn in Hell for eternity.

Then again, so do us. There is no reader here that can say truthfully that he or she has done no wrong in their life. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Better yet, there is no person here who has such a control of their anger that they have not wished harm on another human being. "Anyone who says, ‘You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Hell." Intent to harm is the same as following through with it. You know the will of your heart, and you cannot look at yourself as innocent. Contempt is the same as murder in God's eyes. In fact, by despising and wishing death on Chris Benoit, you fall in the same category. I say this because there are people of faith who are so quick to condemn Benoit when they won't even look at the sin in their lives and see that they are the same. We are all sinners. None of us is perfect. And we have no right to judge Chris Benoit because he is human, just like us. If one of you is worthy to judge, please step forward and talk to me. "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone." As for me, I choose to let Chris Benoit be judged by someone infinitely greater and wiser than me. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." How big is your measuring stick?

Is Chris Benoit burning in Hell right now? I don't know. He deserves to, but so do I. Chris Benoit's fate is up to God. If you are an atheist, you will not be able to accept this, but if you are, then why do you bother judging Chris? You have no example of morality, no standard to hold to, so you have no right to judge Chris. But even if you are a man or woman of faith, it is hard to trust God with the fate of this murderer, and to let Him judge Chris without our opinion. So here's more scripture for you: "He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man." Your opinion doesn't matter. Only God's does. Accept that, and you will lose a responsibility that so many people have burdened themselves with. Let it go.

Forgiveness

I have spoken about the need to forgive Chris Benoit's actions. When I say this, I do not say it for Chris Benoit's benefit. Chris Benoit is dead. Your forgiveness doesn't mean a thing to him. I ask you to forgive for your sake. You are holding him responsible for a debt he can't repay. Chris can't take his actions back, and you have the audacity to think he OWES you something. When you refuse to forgive, you are saying that someone owes you something. Does he deserve to be forgiven for his actions? No. But neither do you, yet people forgive you. Extend the same grace that others extend to you to all people, or you might as well slap those that have forgiven you in the face. Do you think that refusing to forgive Chris Benoit hurts him? Is it your little way of harming a man who hurt you? Here's a news update. CHRIS BENOIT IS DEAD. You can't hurt him anymore, no more than you can hurt Hitler. The only person that is hurt by your lack of forgiveness is yourself and your loved ones. It's been a year. That's more than long enough. Let it go.

Lessons

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit were best friends, and it seems ironic that their lives are so opposite. Eddie had very public personal demons that caught up to him in the end. But people will always remember that he overcame those demons. The majority of his life was spent wasting it by giving in to alcohol and pills. But the end of his life was spent as an inspiration. When we think of Eddie Guerrero, we will think of the amazing wrestler before we think of the addict. Eddie had a bumpy road, but he finished strong, and that's what he will be remembered for. Eddie taught us to take nothing for granted. He taught us to be grateful for our lives and too live each day to the fullest. When we squeeze the last drop of life out of every day, we honor the memory of a man that was an example of the worst of us, who became the best of us, so that we can become better.

Chris Benoit's life is so opposite to his best friends that it borders on paradox. Chris had very private personal demons that caught up to him in the end. But people will always remember that he succumbed to those demons. The majority of his life was spent being the gold standard of the business he loved. But the end of his life was spent as a murderer. When we think of Chris Benoit, we will think of the murderer before we think of the amazing wrestler. Chris had a pretty smooth road, but he finished with a crash that killed himself and his wife and child, and that's what he will be remembered for. Benoit taught us that even our heroes can fail us. When we say that our heroes can do anything, we never believe that "anything' can include murdering their wives and children. But that's what happened. Benoit also taught us that inside every man is a monster that can escape if we are not careful. And because there is a monster in all of us, Benoit taught us that is important to forgive. When we forgive others despite the fact that they don't deserve it, we show that we have learned from a man who was the best of us, but became the worst of us, so that we can avoid becoming worse ourselves.

Scott Slimmer's excellent column "Confetti" said that he wished that the story could have a happy ending. I want the end of this story to have a happy ending as well. I have found my happy ending. The events of last summer are still not okay, but I have found my peace. I have learned my lessons from them and I have become a better person because of them. And if you learn from those events and become better because of them, that the story will have a happy ending, perhaps the kind of happy ending that we all thought the following match would be. Let's go back to a time when our heroes we're still heroes, and when we were still had our innocence.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H © vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (Wrestlemania XX, March 14, 2004, Madison Square Garden)

Okay, so here are the issues in this match. Triple H wants to keep his championship. Helmsley and Michaels hate each other. Since Shawn hates Hunter, he wants to hurt him by taking his title. Chris Benoit has interjected himself into the situation so that he can win the championship. He and HBK have a competitive rivalry. The Game and the Wolverine don't like each other because they both want the title more than anything else. The match has a real big time feel to it. Triple H is wearing white boots for some strange reason. It's worth noting that the crowd is largely apathetic to the former DX members but are way behind Chris. The "Let's go Benoit!" chants start before the bell even rings. Referee Earl Hebner checks all three men before the match and we are under way.

Triple H goes to a corner and the babyfaces both go after him. Chris points to himself but HBK hates Helmsley so much that he shoves Benoit out of the way before pummeling his rival. The Wolverine responds by pulling Michaels away and punching Hunter and HBK pulls him away to attack the Game again. The Showstopper loses his cool and takes a swing at the Crippler and nearly gets caught in the Crossface, but he rolls to escape, and CHOPS! Chris wins that of course so Shawn hits a knee to the gut and tries to Irish Whip him but Benoit reverses and sends Michaels into Triple H, sending him outside. The Wolverine hits a few right hands but HBK avoids a scoop slam and gets a headlock takeover and they work the "epic match reversal series". In a nice little moment, the Crippler can't bridge up at first, but gets it on a second try. Michaels avoids the back-slide and tries a clothesline but almost gets caught in the Crippler Crossface again but counters it with an inside cradle for 2. He tries another clothesline but Chris tries a German Suplex, so the Showstopper escapes with elbows, but Benoit hits a Northern Lights Suplex instead, which gets 2. Brilliant. HBK FINALLY hits that clothesline in a subtle "story inside the story" thing, but the Cerebral Assassin takes out Michaels with his own clothesline.

Helmsley takes a few shots at both men before tossing HBK over, but Shawn holds on. Benoit hits a few strikes on Triple H while the Showstopper skins the cat, but the Game reverses a whip just in time for Michaels to toss the Wolverine to the floor. See, the spot works because they took a classic Heartbreak Kid maneuver and worked into the spot. HBK hits a few rights and a back body drop on Hunter, and chops and punches at. "You screwed Bret!" starts up. Apparently there are some Canadians in New York this evening. HHH reverses an Irish Whip, misses a clothesline but connects with the Harley Race High Knee. He gets 2 off of that but the Crippler is on the apron so the Cerebral Assassin goes after him. Chris hits a few shoulders to the gut but eats the Game's knee on a third attempt. Hunter goes outside and does some classic Triple H offense by ramming Benoit back-first into the ring apron. He does it again, but Michaels baseball slides the Wolverine into the Game in a nice spot. It's another example of working patented offense into the spots that involve all three men. HBK heads up top, and MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR ON BOTH GUYS BY THE SHOWSTOPPER!

Shawn throws Hunter in a nice bit of storytelling and gets a 2 count. He lays into HHH with chops, whips him and tries a second back body drop, but the Game sees it coming this time and gets his signature chin breaker. There's some more storytelling for you. Every move in this match matters. Triple H tries the Pedigree but Benoit comes in and nails him with his STIFF clothesline. Wow. Chris broke up a Helmsley signature with a trademark move of his own. Brilliant. He tries to hit a German Suplex HBK but Michaels blocks it again, so the Crippler lays into him with clubs to the back and knees to the ribs before tossing him shoulder-first into the iron post. The Wolverine hits a few punches and hits the snap suplex (shades of the Dynamite Kid) and Triple H goes to the corner. Bad idea: Hunter of course gets chopped for his stupidity. He reverses a cross-corner whip though and Benoit gives it the Bret Hart bump. Helmsley lifts the Wolverine up and puts him in the tree of woe, which they fight over to keep from being contrived. The Cerebral Assassin then whips Shawn into the exposed Crippler with his injured shoulder. PSYCHOLOGY! He gets 2 off of that brilliant move. It's a good trick, but it will only work once, and when he tries it again, BOTH men counter it, with HBK reversing the whip and Chris kicking him in the face. Shawn gets a schoolboy roll-up for 2 and the former DX guys slug it out, and Hunter whips Michaels buts misses a clothesline and the Showstopper hits the flying forearm, complete with a knip up, but the Wolverine EXPLODES with a clothesline that sends him over the top and to the floor.

Benoit takes advantage of the fazed champion by hitting a German Suplex. Hunter fights the suplexes but Chris eventually gets the Hat Trick. He does the old school taunt for the Diving Headbutt but his show gets stopped by Michaels who crotches him. HBK tries for some Sweet Chin Music, but the Game sees it coming and dodges him before drilling him with the DDT. Shawn goes to the floor and the Wolverine and the Cerebral Assassin fight on the turnbuckles and Benoit gets the better of it, but Helmsley doesn't give up and fights his way back to hit a headbutt and a superplex. There's more subtle storytelling. HHH gets a trio of nearfalls, taking care to apply a better pin each time. He pummels the Crippler and the crowd loudly chants, "Let's go Benoit!" They trade strikes and Chris gets the better of it, whips the Game but Hunter counters a back body drop (he's not going to take that move again) with a Pedigree attempt, but Benoit escapes and they fight over the Crippler Crossface but the Wolverine eventually gets in sunk in. But before the champion can tap out, the Showstopper breaks the hold up.

Chris takes a swing at Shawn but eats a German Suplex (to a low rumble of boos), but he counters to the Rolling Germans to a MASSIVE pop. He finally got that suplex on HBK on the third try. Michaels is great here as he struggles to get the ropes the entire time. Cut-throat taunt and FLYING WOLVERINE! The Crippler only gets a pair of 2 counts though. Benoit pummels the Showstopper and whips him but eats the Flying Forearm and goes to the floor. Shawn takes a bit longer to get the knip up, and in a nice variation of the "five moves of doom" sequence, he hits Triple H with the inverted atomic drop, a pair of clothesline, the scoop slam, and the flying elbow drop. The Heartbreak Kid always loves to toy with his patented stuff. He tunes up the band and CONNECTS with Sweet Chin Music! Wow! Shawn actually hitting that move after the five moves is almost as rare of an occasion as a Ric Flair top-rope move. He's about to get his retribution, but the Wolverine pulls Helmsley to the floor at the last second. And now HBK is PISSED at Benoit for robbing him of his Cinderella Story, so it has just become more than a competitive rivalry. It's personal now. Absolutely BRILLIANT storytelling.

Michaels goes outside and goes right after Benoit, and they trade strikes and Shawn rolls him inside. He lays into him with chops, but Chris reverses a cross-corner whip so that HBK can get his corner flip in, and the Crippler tries to appeal to the Canadian fans by putting him in the Sharpshooter, but the Showstopper obviously knows how to counter it, so the Wolverine settles for catapulting him into the iron post, and Michaels does a beautiful "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" mid-air bladejob, and the blood draws a big reaction. Chris goes right after the injury with a flurry of punches and dodges a clothesline, CRIPPLER CROSSFACE! Michaels fights towards the ropes, and is almost about to tap but the Cerebral Assassin grabs his hand to keep the match going.

I'm not sure about the logic of that, but it's a great spot nonetheless. Triple H nails the Crippler to break the hold up, and pulls him to the outside. He tries to slam Benoit into the steel steps but Chris blocks it and slams the Game's head into the steps instead. He follows up with punches and chops but Hunter counters an Irish Whip and sends him into the steel steps. Helmsley clears a table in dramatic fashion, but the Wolverine attacks him and slams him on the table, and HHH pulls the covering of the table off as he falls down in a nice touch. Benoit throws him on the table and tries to German Suplex Hunter through another table but Triple H saves himself, and clears the table so he can Pedigree Chris through the table, but the Crippler avoids it, only for Shawn to take a shot at him. HBK climbs the table and Michaels and Helmsley look at each other's eyes, saying so much without saying a word, and they DOUBLE SUPLEX BENOIT THROUGH THE OTHER TABLE! That was one of the prettiest bumps ever! The table broke PERFECTLY!

Michaels goes inside the ring as Triple H regains his composure on the table, and he points at HHH, and then at himself, saying, "You, me, one-on-one. Bring it." Perfect body language. This is one of the best visuals of the whole match, but it's worth noting that the crowd could care less about the rivalry between these two. All they care about is Benoit. They slug it out for a while until HBK whips Hunter into a corner and Helmsley takes a Harley Race bump to the floor. Shawn rams the Game head-first into the iron post and Hunter blades. Making that man bleed is enough to get the crowd to chant, "HBK!" He throws HHH into the ring and pummels at his rival, but runs into a kick to the gut, PEDIGREE! That whole fight between those two was fantastic storytelling, but it would have been better if the crowd wasn't chanting, "Let's go Benoit!" the whole time. And here he comes to break up the cover at the last second in brilliant dramatic fashion.

(This last paragraph is written as a complete and total Benoit mark. I wrote it a long time ago.)

All three men are down. The Champion is the first to his feet though, with a SICK amount of blood on his body. He goes after the Crippler for breaking up his pin, but eats some chops. HHH comes back with a knee and tries the Pedigree, COUNTERED TO THE SHARPSHOOTER! Triple H fights and powers his way to the ropes, but Chris pulls him back to the center of the ring. Hunter is about to tap, BUT MICHAELS COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND KICKS BENOIT'S HEAD OFF WITH SWEET CHIN MUSIC! He covers the Wolverine, 1…2…NO! HUGE "Benoit!" chants. Shawn gets to his feet and tunes up the Christian Rock Band, tries the Sweet Chin Music, but the Crippler ducks the kick and dumps HBK to the floor in an awesome counter. Chris motions that it's his belt, but turns around into the Pedigree-CROSSFACE BY BENOIT! CROWD EXPLODES! TAP TRIPLE H, TAP! He starts to fade but won't go out, and reaches for the ropes, BENOIT ROLLS HIM TO THE CENTER OF THE RING! The Game fights, AND TAPS OUT! YESSSS! CHRIS BENOIT IS THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Eighteen years and he finally gets that belt, and it couldn't happen on a grander stage. He is CRYING. I'm MARKING OUT LIKE I HAVE NEVER MARKED OUT BEFORE! He celebrates and that is a thing of beauty. He turns around, and here's EDDIE GUERRERO! He claps and the two world champions embrace. Oh man, that's it, I'm crying now. This moment is PERFECT. Storybook ending doesn't even apply here, this is ridiculous. If wrestling ended the day after this, it would be fine. This is the greatest moment in the history of professional wrestling.

Match Analysis: This match is virtually perfect. The whole time you are watching it, you know you are watching something very special. All three men do a brilliant job of telling a compelling story throughout the match, which is filled with little moments that make the match even more special. The storytelling is utterly fantastic and takes multiple viewings to fully comprehend. Unlike most triple threat matches, the spots never come off as contrived and there's a great deal of thought put into them. This match was probably heavily choreographed, but that often leads to great matches (e.g. Savage-Steamboat). But it's more than just the in-ring action that makes this match one of the greatest of all time. It's the atmosphere of Wrestlemania XX and the Garden. A lot of it is the pageantry of the occasion. Finally, the moment of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, two best friends both holding world championships, embracing each other at the twentieth edition of the biggest show the year in the world's most famous arena, is something that never will be able to be duplicated. There will always be giants to slam, but there will never be two best friends with this much talent overcoming the odds to stand on top of the wrestling world. The match itself is fantastic, but the aftermath takes it to a whole other level. If you can stand to watch Chris Benoit, than this is one of those matches you MUST see as a wrestling fan. *****

I watched this match the other day because I didn't know if I could enjoy it as I did back then. I wasn't sure if the pain of the tragic events of last summer would ruin my ability to revel in the beauty of a brilliant wrestling match. The question of whether or not I was still passionate about wrestling still lingered in my mind. My passion had survived the death of my favorite wrestler. Could it survive the fact that my hero, the man I wanted to be, was now a murderer? I really wasn't sure. But I found that it is still there. I'm still a complete mark for this wonderful, terrible, beautiful world called professional wrestling. And I can still appreciate the brilliance of that match. I might not mark out for Benoit's victory, but I still mark when he and Eddie embrace.
In my opinion, that is STILL the greatest moment in wrestling history. It's tarnished for sure, but since I've gotten over the tragedy and forgiven Chris, I can fully appreciate just how beautiful that moment is. I hope others will be able to as well, but I understand if they can't watch Benoit. They are perfectly right in their decision not to watch Chris, but I can watch him without any guilt, and I am not ashamed to say it.

In the end, despite all the well-written articles posted on 411 about the Benoit Family Tragedy, the man who best summed up how we should all react to this was Eric Bischoff. "God bless Nancy and Daniel, and may God forgive Chris Benoit."

God bless, folks.