Given that this was the least amount of steroids that had been in Benoit's body, for a considerable amount of time, it has been suggested that the lack of steroids may have caused a great deal of depression. Benoit was found by the police hanging from the pulley cable . But staffers were then unable to reach Benoit to confirm the new plans. Sources: www.ghr.nlm.nih.gov, www.wrestlinginc.com, www.nydailynews.com, www.wrestlezone.com, www.youtube.com, www.wrestlepundit.com, www.arstechnica.com, www.abcnews.go.com, www.concussionfoundation.org. Many current wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan have mentioned how Benoit was one of the top wrestlers in the business. $2.01. Much has been learned about the effects severe concussions can have on the human brain. The tragedy was a disaster for WWE's PR team and shone a direct bad light on the company's flawed drug testing. The following day, he suffocated his son Daniel with a pillow. He committed suicide. According to WWE.com, all five text messages were sent between 3:53 AM and 3:58 AM on June 24 . (Nancy was likely killed Friday night and Daniel on Saturday, Fayettevilles district attorney Scott Ballard has said.). Both were trained by the legendary Hart family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jim Ross says in the documentary, "Vince McMahon couldn't go on the air and not do anything. Vice recently made a documentary about Chris Benoit's death where many WWE superstars can be seen expressing their emotions. The only thing he had subsequently jacked up on (besides pain meds) after the WWE drug testing was testosterone. He had a sister living near Edmonton. Chris Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) who murdered his family in June 2007. Lets take a look at five such facts: Chris Benoit's friendship with Eddie Guerrero was known to all. One might begin to wonder just how the WWE weighs in on this issue. Assuming this disorder was the reason the family fought, and Benoit lost his mind, the media also asserted that there were track marks on Daniel's arms, from the injection of human growth hormone (HGH). Did a WWE legend just take a shot at Sami Zayn's physique right here? This was written in the immediate aftermath of hearing of Daniel, Nancy and Chris's deaths. An examination of Benoit's brain revealed that he had extremely severe Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). However, it certainly is a sign that maybe something was off with Benoit prior to the crimes. Some discoveries at the crime scene, including a half-drunk bottle of wine by his body, and a brief suicide note found within the pages of a bible indicate that alcohol consumption and suicidal ideation both played a part in the buildup to this awful outcome (via Wrestling Inc). My dream is to bring my family name back into this business. I highly doubt this OP, and I don't think it's right that this should become a popular post based on false information. He worked for numerous pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in America, as well as for New Japan Pro-Wrestling . The same question was on everybody's lips; why? All details on the site meaws.com . That he is French Canadian suggests a Catholic faith, in which both murder and suicide are great sins. Be the first one to comment on this story. Wrestling veteran Hugo Savinovich, who was in the WWE at that time, was asked about the energy following Chris Benoit's world title win during the latest edition of SK Wrestling's UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone. The rest is history. I really have to go with the theory that Val Venis of all people submitted. (Recordable Blank Tape) HHH, Chris Benoit, HBK. It's because of that situation, however, that younger fans know so little about the many in-ring classics Benoit has helped author. CTE, according to the Concussion Foundation, is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma.. "It's not right to pretend he didn't exist. One such story in the list of those searched had to do with Elijah raising a young boy from the dead. Though this was flagged, stating:"Need a reliable source. So I can't really remove it based on my suspicions. Dark Side of the Ring returns for a second season on Tuesday, March 24, and its premiere episode details the double murder-suicide of former wrestling great Chris Benoit. "If you don't want to hear it, if you're going to give me sh-- about it later and say I'm glorifying a murderer, stop listening now.". Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. Now in all honesty, those die-hard fans of Chris Benoit, or simply of World Wrestling Entertainment in general, will likely know the majority of these facts and fictions about the double homicide/suicide case. Hart said that he doesn't know the details yet, and probably doesn't want to know. It was Saturday he sent the lies about his whereabouts via texts on his phone and Nancy's. Chris Benoit did not "merely" strangle his wife to death. I will do everything to achieve this goal." Yet for the first time, VICE has brought together those who were most closely affected by the tragedy -- from those close to Benoit in wrestling like Chavo Guerrero and Dean Malenko to Benoit's surviving son, David, and Nancy's sister, Sandra Toffoloni. Benoit's mental state was permanently altered ever since the death of Eddie Guerrero and he was in constant 'bereavement' ever since. Chris Benoit - The Man Who Almost Destroyed Wrestling Photo courtesy of IMDB.com Angel Madera, Copy Editor April 18, 2020 One of WWE's (World Wrestling Entertainment) finest performers, a visionary, idolized by fans and wrestlers alike. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Chavo Guerrero recalls that night and the chilling texts he received. Chris Benoit's untimely death in 2007 sent shock waves through the entire pro wrestling community. His signature move involved flinging himself headfirst from the top of the turnbuckle to headbutt his opponents. 8,839 executive movements have been recorded in the last 12 months. "For me, it was telling my story probably for the last time on this subject because once you have talked about it on audio, written about it and now it's on video with television, I don't think there is really much more to say," Jericho said. I wonder if the tribute show will be on WWE Network. It was Saturday he sent the lies about his whereabouts via texts on his phone and Nancy's. It was Sunday he murdered his son and committed suicide. Chris Benoit - the name haunts professional wrestling to this day for the double-murder homicide that occurred back in 2007. Instead, what they got was a complicated and controversial legacy, one forever mired in tragedy and sorrow from an unspeakable act that has left behind a profound sense of grief that's reverberated far into the present decade. Here are some things you might not have known about the Benoit case. The two-hour special episode, which premieres Tuesday (9 p.m. ET/PT) as the kickoff to Season 2 of VICE's "Dark Side of the Ring" series, explores the inside details of Benoit's 2007 suicide and double-murder of his wife, Nancy, and seven-year-old son, Daniel. Chris Benoit sent a series of text messages to WWE co-workers, some from his dead wife's cell phone. Chris Benoit: WWE Smackdown! Autopsy results showed that Benoit first murdered his wife, Nancy. This led to WWE requesting the police to search Benoit's house. When Benoit released the weights, he was strangled. The fifth match pitted Kurt Angle against Chris Benoit. First of all, there was never an interview in WWE Magazine with Chavo Guerrero, regarding Chris Benoit in 2007 (or any year after the incident). This is very significant. Those closest to Chris Benoit noticed a drastic change in his personality in the months preceding the tragedy. Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy Benoit, and their son Daniel. Reddit's largest professional wrestling community. Last night on ' Monday Night Raw', the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, can brain damage alone explain Benoit's behavior? However, the WWE severely downplayed this possibility, even pointing to the manner in which Benoit had orchestrated his horrific crimes over a span of days as evidence that they weren't the result of some rabid, 'flying off the handle' incident of roid rage (per ABC News). It's offensive or has swear words. Who is Chris Benoit? The sixteen-time World Champion replied and had nothing but kind words for the A-Lister. While the true motives of Benoit's unforgivable actions over that weekend are still shrouded in mystery, the facts are these: Benoit's abhorrent murder-suicide continues to cause a ripple effect of pain to his family and friends that have survived it, and the lifelong sacrifice of his body for his art has effectively amounted to nothing, as he has been "essentially erased" from the annals of WWE history (per Bleacher Report). Chris Benoit was a 40-year-old Canadian professional wrestler who shot to stardom while employed by the WWE. After Benoit failed to show up for the pay-per-view Vengeance: Night of Champions in 2007, the bodies of Chris, Nancy and Daniel were found dead in their Georgia home. Though, what else would have WWE done run a regular Raw? . Since the Benoit incident, Dr. Phil Astin has been charged with one hundred and seventy five counts of drug charges related to illegal prescriptions, and various other drug charges. That his testosterone was so low (and then suddenly jacked) leading up to his death, could give some insight into his mental state at the time. Due to his friendship with Eddie, Benoit was also close to Chavo, Eddie's nephew. "How could it not be?" It was Sunday he murdered his son and committed suicide. revealed he got some strange texts from Benoit on the day he passed away. After all, he had been devastated by the sudden loss of his brother-in-arms, fellow WWE wrestler Eddie Guerrero, who died of a heart attack in his hotel room at the age of 38. The photo of the visit to Dr. Astin was not between the two murders. Freelance poet, playwright, lyricist, journalist, composer and managing editor of an online arts&culture magazine. $9.00 + $2.49 shipping. This grief would send Benoit into a tailspin from which he would never recover (via VICE). Only after Chavo finally made mention of the texts, Benoit having missed a match in which he was to win a championship belt, were people sent to investigate, and discover the horror that was the Benoit family home. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: wwe | pageType: stories | 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. "The one that comes to mind that people have said is the best Raw match of all time is Jericho and Benoit versus Steve Austin and Triple H for the WWE tag team titles when Hunter tore his quad," Jericho said. On June 24 . Your login session has expired. I don't even know. While an autopsy indicated that Benoit had very high levels of testosterone in his body, analyzing Benoit's brain yielded a far more shocking result. A lot has come to light, in spite of all of the garbage rumoursso perhaps McMahon should rethink his position now, ten years on. I had an hour-long discussion about this with a friend the other night and can't help but feel most people are still mis-informed about what happened. Having missed a house show with Chavo, and other close friend Scott Armstrong, Chris sent the two friends text messages, letting them know his dogs were (so they could be taken care of presumably), and while the two gents thought it strange, they covered for Benoit as best they could. Benoit murdered Nancy on Friday and never left the house after that. When you think about tragedies in pro-wrestling, none are larger than the Benoit murder-suicide. Chavo did speak to Benoit on the phone the weekend of the murder/suicide, but there was no mention of someone at the door. Did you know that wrestlers today are ten times more likely to die before the age of 60 than NFL players? Chris Benoit asking me to talk to him?. Jericho's biggest lament in the documentary was that pro wrestling, the only thing he claimed the perfectionist Benoit truly loved in his life, was the exact same thing his death nearly destroyed some 13 years ago. Without any such evidence, it was amazing just how quickly the media worked to sensationalize the event, and vilify Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit used Xanax to sedate his young son before suffocating him using a wrestling move, which was determined by the bruising on the child's body, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Perhaps people should focus their attention on the potentially lethal list of moves that still pervade the WWE ring today? One thing Chris was big on, and hindsight is 20/20 on this if I could say, oh, that kind of makes sense, is just the fact that he said, talk to me out there. Shortly after Chris answered the door, there was a "scuffle" and then his house phone line went dead. Simpson's on-the-field accomplishments are talked about since the fallout of his murder accusations in 1994. The next day, Benoit went into his basement home gym where he died by suicide from hanging according to the LA Times. The picture I saw was not that of a man going home to kill his . If you watch the memorial back you can see when WWE finds out. This was an act of pure rage. I think there needs to another company that challenges WWE You watch these matches these days, they're about 10-15 minutes these days? Many close to the situation also claimed it to be "The Beginning of the End" for the Canadian Crippler. For all of the trash-talking that gets directed towards World Wrestling Entertainment, there must be some mention made of some eventual good that has come from the tragedy of the Benoit case. In the wrestling industry, Chris Benoit was well respected, so when the news of his death came in front of the world, it shocked many. Throughout his career, Benoit would unflinchingly absorb shots to the head with steel chairs (via The New York Times). That is one of the things I would love to see at some point is a little bit more of her to be shown as a performer and not just as a victim. Following the event, Guerrero shared the chat with Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis on Monday. Seeing this as a clear, and terrifying bit of evidence toward a relatively sound mind being responsible for the tragedy, Sandra does not fully accept the brain injury excuse. He wiped out his own family and himself all in one night. At the end of June 2007, Benoit missed some performances because he said his wife and son had food . Word at the time was the WWE thought it was a botched robbery until Monday morning when they found out that the deaths were spaced out over the weekend. Online. Perhaps Vince should have paid special attention to the jarring impact one feels when driving one's face into another person, or the mat, or a steal chair, etc. That could have been a sign. This is very significant. In an interview with Dark Side of the Ring, Chavo revealed he got some strange texts from Benoit on the day he passed away. There are close friends of mine who did not want to watch this documentary, and I understand that. However, aside from the testosterone, Astin had also been prescribing various pain medications to the wrestling superstar. Everyone who knew Benoit knew how much he loved his family; how could he have done something so heinous? Be the first one to comment on this story. Remember, Dr. Astin is serving 10 years for pleading guilty to 175 counts of illegally distributing prescription drugs. From an early age, he honed in on the idea of being a wrestler after seeing a. Concerns arose when Benoit could no longer be reached after missing two events. Just a really great performer all across the board. "I have no problems either way. Mentioning Benoit's name in any form has been an understandably polarizing move that is typically avoided, particularly by WWE, which has largely removed the wrestler once known as "The Crippler" from its history books. (sub) Gregory Helms: WWE Monday Night Raw Mar 19th 2007: John Cena: def. Her words prompted responses from several notable wrestling names including Konnan, who pointed out that after Benoit's death, doctors determined that he had been suffering from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), something many feel had an impact on his actions and subsequent death. He got another text from Benoit detailing his address, but Guerrero thought nothing of it. The Don of NXT, Tony D'Angelo. The above, quite revealing information, from Nancy Benoit's sister, Sandra Toffoloni, gives a great deal of insight into the history leading up to the tragic events that cost Sandra her sister, brother-in-law, and little nephew. Chris Benoit simply did the unexpected. Bailes research team concluded that the brain damage was a result of so many years of sustaining concussions, and varying degrees of head trauma, whilst working in the ring. It had to be acknowledged. At the start of the show whilst Nancy & Daniel are aknowledged the 'spotlight' is on Chris, even down to the graphics on the screen saying 'Remembering Chris Benoit'. Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death Paperback - November 1, 2009 by Irvin Muchnick (Author) 100 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $11.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Paperback $18.36 30 Used from $8.70 17 New from $14.36 Nathan Frazier. Benoit murdered Nancy on Friday and never left the house after that. It's just not the same anymore. Initially, it was speculated that Benoit's steroid abuse led to 'roid rage'. Comments ( 516) Seven and a half years ago, one of the most acclaimed pro wrestlers of all time, Chris Benoit, murdered his wife and his seven-year-old son. Now in all honesty, those die-hard fans of Chris Benoit, or simply of World Wrestling Entertainment in general, will likely know the majority of these facts and fictions about the double homicide/suic. 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