# The "Rabid Wolverine" found dead



## Nuclear Platypus (Jun 26, 2007)

The WWE's been having a memorial episode for the "Canadian Crippler", Chris Benoit. He was found dead in his home along with his wife and son. Not much is known other than it wasn't a shooting.


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## Darth Shoju (Jun 26, 2007)

Nuclear Platypus said:
			
		

> The WWE's been having a memorial episode for the "Canadian Crippler", Chris Benoit. He was found dead in his home along with his wife and son. Not much is known other than it wasn't a shooting.




He was my absolute favourite wrestler of all time. I haven't followed wrestling in years, but I will always remember Benoit as a talented, hard-working athlete that brought great professionalism and dignity to an entertainment spectacle that often lacked both. He will be sorely missed.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286673,00.html

"WAGA reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself sometime Monday."


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## Darth Shoju (Jun 26, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286673,00.html
> 
> "WAGA reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself sometime Monday."




God I was afraid that would be the cause. This is horrible.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

Darth Shoju said:
			
		

> God I was afraid that would be the cause. This is horrible.




I know. It's tragic. He was always one of my favorite performers.


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## Bront (Jun 26, 2007)

Darth Shoju said:
			
		

> He was my absolute favourite wrestler of all time. I haven't followed wrestling in years, but I will always remember Benoit as a talented, hard-working athlete that brought great professionalism and dignity to an entertainment spectacle that often lacked both. He will be sorely missed.



Same feeling here.  He sold, he worked hard, and was just a good everyman wrestler who was skilled at is craft.

I remember that he was close to Brett Hart and his family, and they did a memorial match for Owen back in their WCW days, that went so long they cut it with a comercial break, and it was still going when they got back.


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## Relique du Madde (Jun 26, 2007)

Holy ...... damn...


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

Completely shocked, stunned, and greatly saddened by this news.  

Seriously, I didn't find out about this till a few minutes ago. To have such a great athlete and consummate professional like Chris Benoit just go away like that is shocking to say the least. That his family died as well just adds to the tragedy.

My interest in pro wrestling has waxed and waned over the years, but I've always admired Benoit whenever he stepped into the ring. His intensity, his in ring precision and his absolute fearlessness were a joy to watch. He was one of the few people to make wrestling an art form, much like Brett Hart did in his prime. 

But really, a f***ing murder suicide?!! Benoit never struck me as someone who was on the fast track to self destruction. I always pegged him for a hard working regular kind of guy with a nice family. Now I know this is all still just speculation, since they're still investigating, but the very thought he would kill his own family and then himself is just... unthinkable.  

Rest in Peace Rabid Wolverine. You will be missed.


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## green slime (Jun 26, 2007)

Lots of eulogies for the dead wrestler. Very little for his dead son and wife. I find that kind of sad, really. The Fox news article barely mentions their names. Rest in Peace, Nancy & Daniel.


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## mcrow (Jun 26, 2007)

green slime said:
			
		

> Lots of eulogies for the dead wrestler. Very little for his dead son and wife. I find that kind of sad, really. The Fox news article barely mentions their names. Rest in Peace, Nancy & Daniel.




Well, I don't think people are overlooking them it's just that Chris was in the puplic eye a lot more and people know his name. 

Here's the story from thw WWE website:



> According to lead investigator Lt. Tommy Pope, of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, in Fayetteville, Ga., the deaths of WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and son Daniel were the result of a double murder-suicide, WWE.com has learned.
> 
> Benoit failed to appear both at Saturday’s live event in Beaumont, Tx., and WWE’s Vengeance: Night of Champions in Houston Sunday night, after informing WWE of a family emergency. Several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning prompted concerned friends to alert Richard Hering, VP of Government Relations for WWE, Inc. Hering, in turn, spoke with Fayette County sheriffs Monday, and requested that they respond to the Benoit residence to check on him and his family.
> 
> ...




I can remember watching him when I was in my teens, back in the days of the NWA and WCW. Seemed like a really great guy. Too bad that whatever his troubles were went so far that it cause the loss of 3 lives.


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

mcrow said:
			
		

> I can remember watching him when I was in my teens, back in the days of the NWA and WCW. Seemed like a really great guy. Too bad that whatever his troubles were went so far that it cause the loss of 3 lives.



I've long suspected that the wrestling biz is a tough profession and that some people end up being consumed by the darker aspects of it. For every success story like Hulk Hogan and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, there are tragedies like Jake the Snake Roberts and Davie Boy Smith. Hell, I never realized that the Hart family was screwed up like it was until much later (not to say that Owen's death was because of this. That was an unfortunate accident. And by all accounts Owen was the normal one in the clan). 

Whatever it was that drove Chris to murder his family (hypothetically. I sincerely hope it's not the case), must have terrible indeed.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 26, 2007)

I am really starting to think that there is an underlying problem with WWE itself.  Eddie Guerrero died two years ago of undisclosed causes.  Now Benoit.  I know that's only two, but it just seems as though WWE ought to take a hard look at how it treats its performers...get help for the ones who need it so tragedies like this don't happen again.


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## mcrow (Jun 26, 2007)

crazypixie said:
			
		

> I am really starting to think that there is an underlying problem with WWE itself.  Eddie Guerrero died two years ago of undisclosed causes.  Now Benoit.  I know that's only two, but it just seems as though WWE ought to take a hard look at how it treats its performers...get help for the ones who need it so tragedies like this don't happen again.




The WWE must have a really awful culture of some sort, I can't imagine why so many suicides and/or drug related deaths would happen otherwise.  :\


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## werk (Jun 26, 2007)

mcrow said:
			
		

> The WWE must have a really awful culture of some sort, I can't imagine why so many suicides and/or drug related deaths would happen otherwise.  :\




http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/Steroids.html

Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.1


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

werk said:
			
		

> http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/Steroids.html
> 
> Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.1



 :\ Wouldn't be surprised if that was the cause (or one of them) to this tragedy. I wish the WWE would just do away the whole steroid crap, since it's quite obvious that it's harmful to a user's physical and mental health. There's a reason why such substances are banned in professional sports.


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## mcrow (Jun 26, 2007)

werk said:
			
		

> http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/Steroids.html
> 
> Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.1




Yup, that's part of the culture along with abuse of painkillers, street drugs, and other things.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 26, 2007)

mcrow said:
			
		

> Yup, that's part of the culture along with abuse of painkillers, street drugs, and other things.




I remember Rob Van Damme and "Sandman" getting arrested crossing the Canadian border last year with Marijuana.  They pretty much got off on a technicality.  

WWE also heavily promoted ephedra containing products until the substance was taken off the market.


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## Heckler (Jun 26, 2007)

crazypixie said:
			
		

> I am really starting to think that there is an underlying problem with WWE itself.  Eddie Guerrero died two years ago of undisclosed causes.  Now Benoit.  I know that's only two, but it just seems as though WWE ought to take a hard look at how it treats its performers...get help for the ones who need it so tragedies like this don't happen again.




And Owen Hart,
Sensational Sherri,
Miss Elisabeth,
Crash Holly...


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

Heckler said:
			
		

> Sensational Sherri



 Quite surprised to hear this, as I saw her being inducted to the Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wrestlemania 22 just last year. 



			
				Heckler said:
			
		

> Miss Elisabeth,



Real tragedy her death was. It's so sad that she ended up like that. And unfortunate that she ended up shacking with a douche like Larry Pfohl (aka Lex Luger).



			
				Heckler said:
			
		

> Crash Holly...



Surprised to hear this as well. *sighs* Wrestling really must be a tough business for all this tragedy to happen.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

Bam Bam Bigelow and Mike Awesome both died this year as well. Awesome hung himself.

Benoit's former tag team partner Biff Wellington died this past weekend.

Sensational Sherri actually died in the past two weeks, during the "Mr. McMahon is storyline" and caused lots of rage as his storyline death was treated as more important than her real death.

This industry has some tragedy.

It's just weird cause Benoit was a darling of the internet wrestling community and ended up (seemingly) becoming a monster.

Meanwhile a man like Jeff Jarret who the IWC always hated looks like a hero now for sticking by his wife's side while she died of cancer and doing all he can to take care of his children.


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Bam Bam Bigelow and Mike Awesome both died this year as well. Awesome hung himself.



Good lord. I liked Bam Bam, even during his days as a heel. And Awesome took his own life? Damn. I never saw the guy wrestle, but PWI (Professional Wrestling Illustrated) always heaped praises on him during his ECW days.



			
				jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Sensational Sherri actually died in the past two weeks, during the "Mr. McMahon is storyline" and caused lots of rage as his storyline death was treated as more important than her real death.



 :\ Leave it to Vinnie Mac to use his "death" as part of an storyline angle.



			
				jonathan swift said:
			
		

> It's just weird cause Benoit was a darling of the internet wrestling community and ended up (seemingly) becoming a monster.



Serious question if you don't mind me asking. Was there any real indication in Benoit's behavior that he'd do something like this in the months leading up to this tragedy? I'm asking since I've never really been part of the IWC.



			
				jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Meanwhile a man like Jeff Jarret who the IWC always hated looks like a hero now for sticking by his wife's side while she died of cancer and doing all he can to take care of his children.



I never really pegged Jarret as a jerk as the fans often say he is, if only for how distraught and saddened he looked during Owen Harts memorial.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> :\ Leave it to Vinnie Mac to use his "death" as part of an storyline angle.




Well, the good new is that the death storyline is over and done with now. They are shelving it and rightfully so.




> Serious question if you don't mind me asking. Was there any real indication in Benoit's behavior that he'd do something like this in the months leading up to this tragedy? I'm asking since I've never really been part of the IWC.




Nothing came out, but a few things have come to light in the past couple of days. Apparently Nancy filed for divorce in 2003 because Chris threatened her and she feared for her's and Daniel's safety. They later reconciled.

Also apparently he, along with Bradshaw and others, was something of a bully backstage, but would get a free pass from the other boys and fans because he was a good worker.




> I never really pegged Jarret as a jerk as the fans often say he is, if only for how distraught and saddened he looked during Owen Harts memorial.




Yeah, I don't think anyone really thought Jarret was a jerk as a person, just his putting himself at the top of the card constantly. But after this past month JJ is def one of the good guys in the business.


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## horacethegrey (Jun 26, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Nothing came out, but a few things have come to light in the past couple of days. Apparently Nancy filed for divorce in 2003 because Chris threatened her and she feared for her's and Daniel's safety. They later reconciled.
> 
> Also apparently he, along with Bradshaw and others, was something of a bully backstage, but would get a free pass from the other boys and fans because he was a good worker.



Damn. I guess you never really know people in the biz unless you really work in the biz. :\



			
				jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Yeah, I don't think anyone really thought Jarret was a jerk as a person, just his putting himself at the top of the card constantly. But after this past month JJ is def one of the good guys in the business.



The wrestling scene needs more than it's fair share of good guys now, in light of this sad event.


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## Darkness (Jun 26, 2007)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> tragedies like Jake the Snake Roberts



 What happened to him?


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

Darkness said:
			
		

> What happened to him?





He's just broken down after years of drugs and alcohol abuse.


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## mcrow (Jun 26, 2007)

More that died young:
*Jake the Snake*
*Rick Rude* died after a heart attack
*Curt Henning*lethal combination of steroids and painkillers contributed to his death in 2003
*Dino Bravo* was assassinated in his Canadian home 
*All 4 of the Von Erichs died before the age of 35*
Chris suicide
David died of a drug overdose
Kerry suicide
Mike suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer 
*Eddie Gilbert* died of a drug overdose
*Adrian Adonis* died in 88' in a car accident
*The Big Bossman* Died of heart attack in 2004
*Earthquake* Died of cancer in 2006
*Miss Elizabeth* accidental OD in 2003
*Johnny Grunge* part of The Public Enemy tag team due to complication of sleep apnea
*Rocco Rock* in 2002, the other half of The Public Enemy
* Eddie Guerrero* 2005 heart failure, made worst by prior drug use.
*Owen Hart* Died on live TV after terrible fall in 99
*Road Warrior Hawk* Heart attack, like Eddie Guerrero cause partially from past drug use
*Crash Holly* overdose of painkillers 2003
*The Junkyard Dog* car accident in 1998
*ARSION* Japanese female wrestler who died due to a head injury during a match
*Brian Pillman* died in 97 due to a heart condition and had used drugs previously
*Renegade* commited suicide in 1999
*Buzz Sawyer * died in 92 of a heart attack at the age of 32
*Sensational Sherri * 2007
*David Smith ("Davey Boy Smith") * died at 39 in 2002 due to a heart condition aggrivated by steroid use
*LOUIS SPICOLLI * died in 98 at 27, can't remember the cause
*]Sgt. AWOL/ The Wall* heart attack in  2003
*Yokozuna* heart attack in 2000

There are a lot more, but these are the more well known ones.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 26, 2007)

In good wrestling related news, Roddy Piper survived and beat throat cancer. 

Something to feel good about.


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## Nuclear Platypus (Jun 27, 2007)

crazypixie said:
			
		

> I remember Rob Van Damme and "Sandman" getting arrested crossing the Canadian border last year with Marijuana.  They pretty much got off on a technicality.
> 
> WWE also heavily promoted ephedra containing products until the substance was taken off the market.




Sabu not Sandman. Sandman carries around the kendo stick and walks through the crowd before drinking a beer and smashing the can on his forehead. Sabu is the "homicidal, genocidal, suicidal" one.

As for what obscene angles Vince McMahon goes after, he pushed for a incestuous one which Stephanie nixed and of the ones that passed, him mocking God doesn't sit so well with me.


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## Relique du Madde (Jun 27, 2007)

Nuclear Platypus said:
			
		

> Sabu not Sandman. Sandman carries around the kendo stick and walks through the crowd before drinking a beer and smashing the can on his forehead. Sabu is the "homicidal, genocidal, suicidal" one.




Who started that whole Beer Drinking schtick anyway?  Was it him or Steve Austin or someone else?



			
				Nuclear Platypus said:
			
		

> As for what obscene angles Vince McMahon goes after, he pushed for a incestuous one which Stephanie nixed and of the ones that passed, him mocking God doesn't sit so well with me.







It might sound messed up, but if these tragities were isolated to only the WWE, one would have to ask: Who would be considered the face and who would be the Heel in Mr. McMahon's feud with "God"?  That is this wasn't an Attitude era styled feud.  Or maybe its a three sided fued between God the Devil and Mr. McMahon? 

No matter what, I don't think Vince is winning this feud and the cost of the bad press is actually take down the industry with him.


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## werk (Jun 27, 2007)

This is from Fox news, so no promises how accurate it is, but I can't imagine they'd publish this if it wasn't true...

"authorities said Benoit's son, Daniel, had old needle marks in his arms. His parents reportedly considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones."


http://www.channel3000.com/entertainment/13578658/detail.html


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## Arnwyn (Jun 27, 2007)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> Rest in Peace Rabid Wolverine. You will be missed.



I think many will remember his professional legacy, as his personal legacy is now nothing more than that of a sadistic killer who snuffed out the life of his wife and little boy before ending his own like a coward.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 27, 2007)

wwe.com has removed all tributes to Benoit in light of mounting evidence in the case.  Mr. McMahon's introduction to Tuesday Night ECW on the Sci-Fi channel (you can listen to it or read it on www.wwe.com) states this and that WWE will continue onward.


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## Agamon (Jun 27, 2007)

I kinda had a feeling that the self-important, arrogant air Benoit carried around with him wasn't an act.  The guy was a one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the biz.  But, and I hate to speak poorly of the dead, I always figured him to be a bit of an ass.

Isn't it weird that Hogan, Piper, Savage, Flair, Sting, Rock, all of the big names that drew the most attention and had to be 'on' all the time are doiing fine and it's a lot of the lesser lights that end up dying in their 30s/40s.


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## mcrow (Jun 27, 2007)

Agamon said:
			
		

> I kinda had a feeling that the self-important, arrogant air Benoit carried around with him wasn't an act.  The guy was a one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the biz.  But, and I hate to speak poorly of the dead, I always figured him to be a bit of an ass.




I had the complete opposite idea about him untill I heard about the threats as stuff he was making twords his wife a while back. I had met him in person before and know a couple others who did as well. He used to come into the dinner my gradmother worked at when the WWE came to town and she was telling me how nice he was ( and Goldberg to).


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## horacethegrey (Jun 27, 2007)

Arnwyn said:
			
		

> I think many will remember his professional legacy, as his personal legacy is now nothing more than that of a sadistic killer who snuffed out the life of his wife and little boy before ending his own like a coward.



Oh yes. I'll always consider him one of the best technical wrestlers I've had the pleasure of watching. But as a human being (especially now, in light of all these revelations), I'll always look at him in shame and disgust.  



			
				Agamon said:
			
		

> I kinda had a feeling that the self-important, arrogant air Benoit carried around with him wasn't an act. The guy was a one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the biz. But, and I hate to speak poorly of the dead, I always figured him to be a bit of an ass.



Count me as one of those who had the opposite impression of him. If anything, it was the likes of Randy Orton (who's a well known as an ass in real life) who turned me off. Benoit on the other hand, seemed like a nice hardworking guy. Never in a million years did I think him a wifebeater and a murderer.



			
				Agamon said:
			
		

> Isn't it weird that Hogan, Piper, Savage, Flair, Sting, Rock, all of the big names that drew the most attention and had to be 'on' all the time are doiing fine and it's a lot of the lesser lights that end up dying in their 30s/40s.



Probably because they never had to work as hard for their success. Guys like them had the charisma and presence to draw in the crowds, so the management had to back them up, which alleviated the pressure. Lesser guys like Benoit had to work harder to be "The Man", and that effort is sure to put a strain on anyone.


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## GlassJaw (Jun 27, 2007)

mcrow said:
			
		

> More that died young:
> *Jake the Snake*




Jake the Snake is still alive actually, but he's had a pretty rough life since wrestling.

The culture of professional wrestling is one of death, plain and simple.  The number of wrestlers that have died before the age of 45 is _staggering_.  The WWE should be forced to shut down until a complete investigation of its practices is conducted.  Vince is _killing _these guys.  I don't know how he lives with himself.

I also can't believe the audacity of the WWE to issue a statement questioning the role that steroids and their emotional effects might have played in this case"



> But the WWE said evidence gathered in the investigation indicates "deliberation, not rage."
> 
> "The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death," said a statement posted on the company's Web site. "By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage."
> 
> Investigators found the bodies of Nancy and Daniel Benoit with Bibles placed next to them, authorities have said. "The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage," said the WWE.




Even if steroids wasn't a direct cause, just the fact that they try to distance themselves of any wrong-doing is heartless and evil.  Way to go WWE for being so caring about the health and well-being of your employees.


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## werk (Jun 27, 2007)

GlassJaw said:
			
		

> Even if steroids wasn't a direct cause, just the fact that they try to distance themselves of any wrong-doing is heartless and evil.  Way to go WWE for being so caring about the health and well-being of your employees.




There are a lot of 



Spoiler



stupid


 people saying that it was a roid RAGE that caused this, which is easily refuted by the circumstances of the case...such as the time period that it all occured...way too long for a rage.

The problem is the statement completely ignores the psychological affects of prolonged steroid ABUSE, which could be directly related to the incident.  They are saying that steroids weren't involved because he wasn't in a rage and his heart didn't explode, which would be the mind-numbingly obvious ways that steroids could have caused this...but not the most likely.

They are just shaking their head and saying 'look over there!'  It's kinda like blood doping your way through the tour de france, everyone knows the truth, but everyone is too embarrassed to tell the truth.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 28, 2007)

werk said:
			
		

> This is from Fox news, so no promises how accurate it is, but I can't imagine they'd publish this if it wasn't true...
> 
> "authorities said Benoit's son, Daniel, had old needle marks in his arms. His parents reportedly considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones."
> 
> ...




WWE is evidently attempting to refute this story.

http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/benoitpressures


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## GlassJaw (Jun 28, 2007)

crazypixie said:
			
		

> WWE is evidently attempting to refute this story.
> 
> http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/benoitpressures




What are they refuting?  The don't mention the arm marks but they certainly shying away from discussing the events and background of Benoit's life.

I've actually been surprised at how much they are getting into specific details on their site.


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## Nuclear Platypus (Jun 28, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Who started that whole Beer Drinking schtick anyway?  Was it him or Steve Austin or someone else?
> 
> It might sound messed up, but if these tragities were isolated to only the WWE, one would have to ask: Who would be considered the face and who would be the Heel in Mr. McMahon's feud with "God"?  That is this wasn't an Attitude era styled feud.  Or maybe its a three sided fued between God the Devil and Mr. McMahon?
> 
> No matter what, I don't think Vince is winning this feud and the cost of the bad press is actually take down the industry with him.




Jim Fullington aka The Sandman was originally supposed to be a sort of surfer dude but he wanted to put more of himself into the character thus the cigarette smoking, beer drinking antisocial brawler around 1994 I guess (his feud with Tommy Dreamer). Stone Cold wasn't "born" til around 1997, when he coined the "Austin 3:16" catchphrase mocking Jake the Snake's then gimmick.

As for Vince McMahon:
From Wikipedia:
The McMahons' feud with Michaels took a religious turn after WrestleMania 22 (where Michaels defeated Vince McMahon) when Vince McMahon claimed that Michaels' victory was a result of "divine intervention", booked himself and his son in a match at Backlash against Shawn Michaels and his tag team partner "God". Around this time, Vince McMahon began to act strangely and at one point considered himself a God. Shane, who at this time was referred by Vince McMahon as "the product of his semen", teamed with Vince McMahon and defeat Shawn Michaels and God at Backlash, due to help from the Spirit Squad.

This is all in 2006, well past the Attitude Era, which ended about the same time as the Monday Night Wars (ECW went bankrupt and WCW was sold).

Now who's the heel is obvious since Mr. McMahon has been a heel since at least Stone Cold's "birth". Ditto for Shane McMahon, who often interfered on his dad's behalf or at least against the fan favorite. Shawn Michaels has pretty much -always- been a face, from the Rockers to the Heartbreak Kid to D-Generation X. The only time is if his opponent is more of a face like against Rey Mysterio during the Eddie Guerrero Memorial. 

They once tried another religious angle involving the Undertaker (the marriage of Stephanie McMahon that ended with Stone Cold being "crucified") while later newcomer Mordecai (aka Kevin Thorn) was a religious zealot who saw sin everywhere. On a related note, Raven got a lot of flak over a crucifixion (involving the Sandman) back in ECW.


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## horacethegrey (Jun 28, 2007)

Welcome to the world of pro wrestling, where nothing is sacred. :\ 

Even Eddie Guerrero's memory I feel was tarnished. I just hated it when Rey Mysterio made it out that he won the title only because Eddie was watching up high. Then he had to get in a mock feud with Chavo over Eddie's legacy, which was made even worse when Eddie's widow joined in. Shameless.  

If Vince and his cronies ever think of using Benoit's death in a wrestling storyline, I will swear off pro wrestling altogether. :\


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## Soel (Jun 28, 2007)

A terrible, terrible set of circumstances...

I hate that it ended like this.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 28, 2007)

*Strange Twist...*

Benoit's Wikipedia entry was updated to include news of her death...14 hours before the bodies were found by police.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19468182/?GT1=10056


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## Heckler (Jun 29, 2007)

Something else I think is kind of odd...

One source said that one or two of Benoit's text messages said that his dogs were locked up in the pool area.

Another report mentioned that police initially had trouble accessing the house because the dogs were loose.

He could have let them out himself, I guess, but it just seems odd to me.


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## BOZ (Jun 29, 2007)

Bront said:
			
		

> I remember that he was close to Brett Hart and his family




man, that's messed up for Bret Hart - first Owen, then the British Bulldog, now this.


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## jonathan swift (Jun 29, 2007)

BOZ said:
			
		

> man, that's messed up for Bret Hart - first Owen, then the British Bulldog, now this.





Yeah, and for Chavo Guerrero. He's the one who found Eddie's body and the last one to talk to Benoit. AND the one who got Benoit's texts.


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## Tuzenbach (Jun 30, 2007)

Two things:

1) It seems as though EVERYBODY (the media & all on these boards) are under the impression Benoit killed his wife & child and then killed himself. Did anyone ever consider the possibility that maybe his wife went insane, killed their child, killed herself, and then Benoit couldn't take it so he then killed himself? I'm just saying. Nobody's ever going to know the truth. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn't responsible for both of the murders. Maybe one, but not both.

2) Will Vince McMahon break character to eulogize Chris Benoit? AFAIK, the WWE has never gone to the trouble of destroying a perfectly good limousine just so Vince could fake his death. Obviously, his plan was to lay low for a few months, not just 3 weeks. All of a sudden, the Benoit thing happens. Will Vince make an appearance next week? Or will he be a dick?


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## Mouseferatu (Jun 30, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> Two things:
> 
> 1) It seems as though EVERYBODY (the media & all on these boards) are under the impression Benoit killed his wife & child and then killed himself. Did anyone ever consider the possibility that maybe his wife went insane, killed their child, killed herself, and then Benoit couldn't take it so he then killed himself? I'm just saying. Nobody's ever going to know the truth. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn't responsible for both of the murders. Maybe one, but not both.




Given that the forensics investigators are pretty convinced Benoit killed them both, and that I rather doubt his wife _bound herself_ before somehow managing to strangle herself, I'm inclined to go with the experts on this one. Sorry.


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## Ranger REG (Jun 30, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> Two things:
> 
> 1) It seems as though EVERYBODY (the media & all on these boards) are under the impression Benoit killed his wife & child and then killed himself. Did anyone ever consider the possibility that maybe his wife went insane, killed their child, killed herself, and then Benoit couldn't take it so he then killed himself? I'm just saying. Nobody's ever going to know the truth. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn't responsible for both of the murders. Maybe one, but not both.



According to the Fayette County Police Department, the autopsy report revealed that Nancy was killed on Friday, and the child was killed on Saturday. So, that pretty much debunked the "insane wife killing the child then herself" theory.

Source: http://www.wjbf.com/midatlantic/jbf/news_index.apx.-content-articles-JBF-2007-06-26-0047.html




			
				Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> 2) Will Vince McMahon break character to eulogize Chris Benoit? AFAIK, the WWE has never gone to the trouble of destroying a perfectly good limousine just so Vince could fake his death. Obviously, his plan was to lay low for a few months, not just 3 weeks. All of a sudden, the Benoit thing happens. Will Vince make an appearance next week? Or will he be a dick?



Meh. Based on his interview with _Today_ host Meredith Viera, he's trying to downplay Chris's steroid use and place the blame on Chris that led up to this horrific family tragedy. He didn't want his company to go through the whole steroid scandal all over again, whether someone in his company or not connected to his company offered Chris steroid which was found in their home.

But no matter how you look at it, it is still domestic violence.


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## horacethegrey (Jun 30, 2007)

Yep. With each passing day Benoit's innocence seems more and more and unlikely. *sighs* Such a sad state of affairs.  

And leave it to Vinnie Mac to dodge any blame aimed at him and his company. :\  Question though, what exactly did he say in that interview?


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## Ranger REG (Jul 1, 2007)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> And leave it to Vinnie Mac to dodge any blame aimed at him and his company. :\  Question though, what exactly did he say in that interview?



You can view the video clip of the interview...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19474972

Or read the summary of the interview...

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=20028


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## megamania (Jul 1, 2007)

WWE is doing their best to disdistance themselves from Chris now.  I heard they are recalling ALL of his toys and products from the shelves.


There is a reason he is a billionaire but the man has no heart.


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## GlassJaw (Jul 1, 2007)

megamania said:
			
		

> WWE is doing their best to disdistance themselves from Chris now.  I heard they are recalling ALL of his toys and products from the shelves.
> 
> There is a reason he is a billionaire but the man has no heart.




It also really shows how much Vince cares for his "employees" - that is, not at all.  Vince is an evil, evil man.


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## Mouseferatu (Jul 2, 2007)

megamania said:
			
		

> WWE is doing their best to disdistance themselves from Chris now.  I heard they are recalling ALL of his toys and products from the shelves.
> 
> 
> There is a reason he is a billionaire but the man has no heart.




Umm...

While agree that VM is scum, I have no problem with this decision. If I found out that one of my former employees murdered his wife and child, I'd want to distance my company from him, too.


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## Villano (Jul 2, 2007)

According to a few websites (some citing the Wrestling Observer newsleter), Benoit underwent a change this past year.  Apparently, he suddenly became religious (which may explain the bibles near the bodies) as well as paranoid.  He worried that WWE was planning on firing him.  He wouldn't let his wife and son leave the house.  Also, he would drive home a different route each day.  All this seems to have happened after the deaths of Eddie and another good friend (and neighbor, iirc) Johhny Grunge.

And does anyone know when Benoit's son was diagnosed with "fragile x syndrome"?  If that happened in the same timeframe, I can see it adding up to a nervous breakdown.  And I'm sure steroids didn't help either.

Man, this story is so messed up.  I still can't wrap my head around the idea that this was Chris Benoit...


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## megamania (Jul 2, 2007)

Hard to believe it is anyone really.   I have been out of the wrestling thing for a while now.  I've seen how it has grown and become a very demanding thing to do mentally and physically.   I personally would never want to be a WWE or otherwise kinda wrestler.


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## werk (Jul 2, 2007)

*Wrestler's Doctor Surrenders to Authorities*

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=3338352&page=1

"Attorney Manny Arora said Dr. Phil Astin will face a single charge involving improperly prescribing medication. 

...

Astin prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past but has not said what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the start of the weekend when the killings occurred. "


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## Ranger REG (Jul 3, 2007)

Villano said:
			
		

> And does anyone know when Benoit's son was diagnosed with "fragile x syndrome"?



A little over 5 years ago.


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## Arnwyn (Jul 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> 1) It seems as though EVERYBODY (the media & all on these boards) are under the impression Benoit killed his wife & child and then killed himself. Did anyone ever consider the possibility that maybe his wife went insane, killed their child, killed herself, and then Benoit couldn't take it so he then killed himself? I'm just saying. Nobody's ever going to know the truth.



Well, of course not. Why would we, when the experts and news reports (based on info from said experts) have already been pretty clear on the matter?

I'm sticking with the qualified people on this one, instead of making stuff up.



> I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn't responsible for both of the murders. Maybe one, but not both.



Good luck with that!


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## Ranger REG (Jul 4, 2007)

Huh. Just realized that *Tuzenbach* have not responded to his debunked theory.


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## megamania (Jul 4, 2007)

At work we were discussing this and decided on two things.....

1.
WWF is in for a thorough investigation of misuse of steriods

2.
In about two years all of the wrestlers are going to look like me......fat, sagged armed and hunched over....


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## Ranger REG (Jul 5, 2007)

megamania said:
			
		

> At work we were discussing this and decided on two things.....
> 
> 1.
> WWF is in for a thorough investigation of misuse of steriods



The question is, will there be a congressional hearing following the steroid scandal in the MLB?



			
				megamania said:
			
		

> 2.
> In about two years all of the wrestlers are going to look like me......fat, sagged armed and hunched over....



And in two years, you'll be more fat, more sagged armed and more hunched over. If I'm in your shoes, I still think it's not fair.


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## horacethegrey (Jul 5, 2007)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> The question is, will there be a congressional hearing following the steroid scandal in the MLB?



I hope there is. The WWE is due for a cleanup. Vince and the rest of his underlings cannot wash their hands clean anymore of all the death that has befallen the athletes under their employ.


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## Ranger REG (Jul 5, 2007)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> I hope there is. The WWE is due for a cleanup. Vince and the rest of his underlings cannot wash their hands clean anymore of all the death that has befallen the athletes under their employ.



Then who will be the "Jose Canseco" whistle-blower of professional wrestling?


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## horacethegrey (Jul 5, 2007)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> Then who will be the "Jose Canseco" whistle-blower of professional wrestling?



Whoever it is, he'd do best to hide his identity. I've read in various articles that Vince and even the wrestlers themselves don't take kindly to people shining a negative light on their business.


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## megamania (Jul 5, 2007)

That person will find themselves in a "Hell in a Cell" match.


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## jmucchiello (Jul 5, 2007)

megamania said:
			
		

> At work we were discussing this and decided on two things.....
> 
> 1.
> WWF is in for a thorough investigation of misuse of steriods



First, it's WWE. WWF is the World Wildlife Fund who forced the old World Wrestling Federation to stop using their initials in a British court many years ago.

Also, WWE has one of the most stringent anti-steroids drug testing programs including random testing. Supposedly Benoit passed a random test back in April. Chris Jericho is the source of this from a couple of appearances on news/talk shows.

There is a part of the medical community that believes multiple concussions can cause depression and other mental disorders. They have requested access to brain biopsies to see if this may have been the case here.

I don't have links but you can find links at websites like 1wrestling.com and pwinsider.com. (Just turn off javascript before you go there as they are terrible websites when it comes to popups. Even Firefox doesn't block these popups.)



> 2.
> In about two years all of the wrestlers are going to look like me......fat, sagged armed and hunched over....



No, they'll just continue working out daily like they do now. Books by various wrestlers talk about finding private training rooms while on the road. It's the source of many humorous anecdotes.

The oddity of this tragedy for me was how I found out about it. At 11pm last Monday, I switched on the last 5 minutes of Raw (since it runs till 11:05) and got to see the finish of the Wrestlemania match where Benoit won his first WWE title belt. As soon as I realized it was a rerun, I knew something bad had happened. Miss a couple years of wrestling and when I do decide to check it out, this is what I get? Too weird.


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## Ranger REG (Jul 5, 2007)

jmucchiello said:
			
		

> First, it's WWE. WWF is the World Wildlife Fund who forced the old World Wrestling Federation to stop using their initials in a British court many years ago.



Bah! Tree-huggers want to put a crimp on our violently-accepted entertainment. Personally, I'd like to put them cute pandas in a MMA match to the death.

We will make the Earth-That-Is to the Earth-That-Was, Al _gorram_ Gore. The only way to make space travel a necessity. After all, many technologies are borne out of desperate need. That and I want to debunk the _Star Wars_ hyperspace theory (though I accept _B5_ version).


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## jmucchiello (Jul 6, 2007)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> Bah! Tree-huggers want to put a crimp on our violently-accepted entertainment. Personally, I'd like to put them cute pandas in a MMA match to the death.



When they lost the rights to WWF I always thought Vince should have dug daddy's old World Wide Wrestling Federation, the WWWF. World wide is very hip on that Internet thing.


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## sydbar (Jul 6, 2007)

Actually, they can't use WWF anywhere, but in america.  Since it would be a nightmare, they decided to just go with WWE, instead of using WWF in america, and WWE everywhere else.


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## megamania (Jul 7, 2007)

I know they are WWE but still sometimes refer to them as WWF.   Some habits will not die.



As for the steriod testing.......   I plead the 5th.


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## BOZ (Jul 9, 2007)

megamania said:
			
		

> That person will find themselves in a "Hell in a Cell" match.




yeah, the kind that doesn't get televised.


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## BOZ (Jul 9, 2007)

jmucchiello said:
			
		

> I don't have links but you can find links at websites like 1wrestling.com and pwinsider.com. (Just turn off javascript before you go there as they are terrible websites when it comes to popups. Even Firefox doesn't block these popups.)




it was probably one of those sites that killed my computer.     i don't know which one it was that i looked at to see pictures of vince mcmahon getting his head shaved (come on, i just wanted a laugh!) and a few trohan horses and spyware invasions later my windows is corrupted.   :\


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## Villano (Jul 10, 2007)

I just heard on the news that the doctor who prescribed Benoit steroids is being investigated for possibly overprescribing Johnny Grunge drugs.  

They are also reopening the investigation of his death.  Grunge's official cause of death is sleep apnea, which caused him to stop breathing in his sleep.  I'm not sure what they are looking for, since I assume they would have checked for a drug overdose at the time of his death (since most 40 year old men don't simply die in their sleep).  They might be looking for a non-fatal, but high, dose of certain drugs or a mixture of them, but, again, I assume that drug tests would have told them he had large amounts of X, Y, and Z in his blood.

It's possible they are checking him for steroids (which they wouldn't have at the time of his death), but Grunge never looked like a steroid user.


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## werk (Jul 10, 2007)

Villano said:
			
		

> I just heard on the news that the doctor who prescribed Benoit steroids is being investigated for possibly overprescribing Johnny Grunge drugs.





Complete hearsay, but I heard on TV news that Benoit's Dr. was giving him a 10 month routine of steroids every 3 weeks.

At least it's a victimless crime...oh wait...


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## jmucchiello (Jul 10, 2007)

BOZ said:
			
		

> it was probably one of those sites that killed my computer.     i don't know which one it was that i looked at to see pictures of vince mcmahon getting his head shaved (come on, i just wanted a laugh!) and a few trohan horses and spyware invasions later my windows is corrupted.   :\



Yeah, I said you should turn off javascript. Turning off automatic load images is also useful.


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## BOZ (Jul 24, 2007)

when i finally get around to getting the damn machine fixed, i'll have to take care of that stuff.


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