https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1563400/20070626/index.jhtml#

Deaths Of WWE Champ Chris Benoit, Family Being Treated As Murder-Suicide
'I'm baffled by why anyone would kill a 7-year-old,' district attorney says.

By James Montgomery

The deaths of former WWE champion Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their son Daniel are being treated as an apparent murder-suicide, according to investigators in Fayette County, Georgia.

Speaking at a press conference held at the front gate of Benoit's home in rural Fayetteville on Tuesday (June 26), District Attorney Scott Ballard said Benoit killed his wife and son sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning — placing a bible next to each of their bodies — before taking his own life in a weight room in the basement of the house.

"In a community like this, it's bizarre to have a murder-suicide," Ballard told reporters, clarifying earlier comments he had made in which he said details of the deaths were "a little bizarre." "Some period of time elapsed between the time of death of the two victims and [Benoit's] suicide. It was bizarre that he would be in the home with the deceased bodies."

Ballard added that Benoit's wife was killed in an upstairs "family room," her body found bound by her hands and feet, and that there was "blood under her head." The couple's 7-year-old son was killed in his upstairs bedroom. Both deaths were attributed to asphyxiation, according to an autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Benoit hung himself using a cord from a weight set. When asked for a possible motive for the murders, Ballard said he couldn't speculate on Benoit's state of mind over the weekend but added, "I'm baffled by why anyone would kill a 7-year-old."

Ballard also said that investigators found several prescription drugs in the house, as well as anabolic steroids, but he could not comment on whether or not Benoit was taking them, as officials are awaiting the results of a toxicology report, which might take "longer than two weeks" to come in from the lab.

Benoit, whose workmanlike approach to wrestling earned him legions of fans and championships in the WWE, WCW and ECW, was scheduled to perform at the WWE's "Vengeance" pay-per-view event on Sunday in Houston but backed out at the last minute citing "a family emergency," according to the WWE. On its Web site, the WWE added that it asked the Fayette County Sheriff's Department to check on Benoit after receiving "several curious text messages" sent by the wrestler early Sunday morning.

Authorities arrived at Benoit's home on Monday afternoon, and upon entering the residence, quickly located the bodies of Benoit, Nancy and Daniel. The WWE then canceled that evening's live broadcast of "Monday Night Raw," instead airing a three-hour tribute to Benoit, complete with matches spanning his 20-plus year career and testimonials from his fellow wrestlers.

Tributes also appeared on WWE.com, but as news started to break that Benoit may have murdered his wife and young son, those were gradually replaced with photo collections and straight news reporting on the situation. By Tuesday afternoon, a sober news report of the tragedy was on the site's home page.

In the wake of the news, professional wrestling fans around the world have taken to sites like PWInsider.com to post their feelings on Benoit, who was idolized by so-called "smart fans" for his bruising, technical style. And while many remembered him as an in-ring giant, their opinions of him out of the ring have forever changed.

"If that TMZ report is totally true, well, let's just say that Chris Benoit was a 'special' sort of monster," one fan wrote. "I hate it, but if ... that is true, my respect and admiration of any sort for Chris Benoit died right with him."

"I have 7 and 8 year old sons. Reading this story, I can actually hear my kids screaming for help if I were to ever do something so horrible, and it makes me want to throw up," another added. "How a father can do this is beyond me. To compare Benoit to Owen Hart [another much-revered grappler who died in a freak in-ring incident in 1999] is akin to desecrating Hart's grave."

Benoit and Nancy, a wrestling manager who worked under the name "Woman," were married in 2000 but separated in May 2003 when Nancy filed for divorce, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Accompanying that filing was a petition for protection from domestic abuse, with Nancy claiming that she was intimidated by her husband, who "lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner and cause extensive damage to the home." In another count, she claimed Benoit had destroyed furniture in their home.

On the same day the divorce and petition for protection were filed, a judge issued a restraining order against the wrestler, which barred him from the family's home. A few months later, in August, Nancy filed to have both the divorce and protective petition dismissed.

[This story was originally published at 2:35 pm E.T. on 06.26.2007]
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https://www.theledger.com/article/20070627/NEWS/706270472/1039

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER
Police Describe How Benoit Killed Family

By BRENDA GOODMAN
The New York Times

ATLANTA - Chris Benoit, a professional wrestler known as the Canadian Crippler, apparently killed his wife and 7-year-old son in their home in Fayetteville, Ga., over the weekend before taking his own life by hanging himself with a cable from a weight machine in his home gym, investigators said Tuesday.

Authorities found the bodies Monday afternoon as they were checking on the family at the request of Benoit's employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, said Lt. Tommy Pope, lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

On its Web site, WWE said it called the authorities after receiving several "curious" text messages from Benoit early Sunday.

Investigators searching the house found Nancy E. Benoit, 43, in an upstairs family room with her hands and feet bound and blood under her head, said Scott Ballard, district attorney for Fayette County.

Deputies found Daniel C. Benoit, 7, dead in his own bed.

Investigators said no note was left at the scene, but a Bible had been placed next to both victims.

An autopsy determined both had been asphyxiated, though mother and son were apparently killed hours apart.

"While we don't have that nailed down completely, it would appear that some period of time elapsed between the death of the two victims and the suicide, and it struck me as somewhat bizarre that perhaps he would even be in the home with their deceased bodies," Ballard said.

Ballard said a number of prescription drugs were found in the home, including anabolic steroids, and that they appeared to have been prescribed legally for Chris Benoit.

Authorities would not speculate on a motive, but said that Nancy Benoit had filed for divorce and applied for a restraining order against her husband in 2003, saying Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.

She later dropped the complaint.

People who knew the Benoits were troubled by the deaths.

"I'm in the dark," said Kevin Sullivan, a former professional wrestler who was previously married to Nancy Benoit. "I wrestled with him a lot. I thought he was a great performer."

Though toxicology tests won't be completed for weeks, the presence of steroids in the home has led wrestling observers to speculate that the wrestler may have snapped in an episode of "roid rage."

But Christopher Nowinski, a former professional wrestler who worked with Benoit, , thinks repeated, untreated concussions may have caused his friend to snap.

"Knowing Chris," Nowinski said, "he was one of the only guys who would take a chair shot to the back of the head, which is stupid."

Benoit linked to fla. drug firm

ALBANY, N.Y. - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had previously received drug deliveries from a Florida business that sold steroids on the Internet, according to the Albany County District Attorney's Office.

Heather Orth, spokeswoman for District Attorney P. David Soares, confirmed the connection between Benoit and MedXLife.com, first reported in The Times Union of Albany. In business for about three years, the company was selling steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone over the Internet, officials said.

MedXLife sold prescription medications, including anabolic steroids, through Orlando-based Signature Compounding Pharmacy, prosecutors said.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report

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https://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-libeno275271630jun27,0,2122617.story?coll=ny-linews-print

Family dies by his hand
Police say wrestler killed wife, son before hanging himself; cops find steroids in their home
BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
alfonso.castillo@newsday.com

Popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife, smothered his 7-year-old son and then hanged himself in the basement of his home containing large quantities of prescription drugs, including anabolic steroids, authorities in his suburban Atlanta community said yesterday.

The bodies of Benoit, 40, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel were discovered by police inside their home in Fayetteville, Ga., Monday afternoon. Bibles were found beside the bodies of Benoit's wife and son, authorities said.

Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Ga. sheriff's office, said police found "a lot" of prescription drugs in the home, including steroids, "one of the things" police say they will be looking at as having a role in the crime. Toxicology findings are expected to take several weeks.

Benoit's employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, released a statement yesterday attempting to dispel any speculation about the double murder-suicide being fueled by "'roid rage." The company noted that Benoit tested negative for drugs on April 10.

However, Benoit had previously received drug deliveries from a Florida business that sold steroids on the Internet, the Albany County District Attorney's Office said yesterday.

Benoit's WWE colleagues became concerned after he failed to show up at two events in Texas over the weekend, citing "a family emergency," and sent "curious text messages" to a fellow wrestler, according to a WWE statement.

Local authorities said Benoit likely strangled his wife in an upstairs family room with an electrical cord Friday evening.

Nancy Benoit - a former wrestling valet who used the moniker "Woman" - had her hands and feet bound and was wrapped in a towel, with blood beneath her head, said Scott Ballard, district attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit, which includes Fayette County.

Benoit smothered his son with a plastic bag, possibly Saturday morning, police said.

Benoit likely hanged himself Saturday night in his basement using the cord from a weight machine pulley.

Although Pope said he knew of no reports of domestic violence in Benoit's home, his wife filed for divorce in 2003, alleging "cruel treatment." She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order.

Wrestling fans yesterday struggled to reconcile the perennial fan favorite with the gruesome details of his family's death. Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine publisher Stu Saks called Benoit "a blue-collar guy with a real name who was tough and talented enough to entertain without a gimmick."

"As a character and as a wrestler on the screen, there's no one who could compare with Chris Benoit," said James Guttman of Massapequa, author of the book "World Wrestling Insanity." "As a person, that may be a different story."

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https://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2007/06/27/4293382-sun.html

Shock & sadness
Benoit killed wife, son, hanged himself
By SHANNON VANRAES, SUN MEDIA

Friends and colleagues of Chris Benoit expressed shock and sadness yesterday, after Georgia officials confirmed the Canadian wrestling legend murdered his wife and son, then hanged himself.

"I knew he was having problems with his wife, but I didn't know what kind," said Tony Condello, a Winnipeg-based wrestling promoter who began working with Benoit in 1985. "I guess you never know what is going on in a person's mind."

Benoit missed a scheduled appearance at a World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view in Houston on Sunday, with the company citing family reasons. Company officials later asked local police to check in on the Benoits after the wrestler sent a strange text message to a friend.

It was Monday when cops discovered the body of 43-year-old wife Nancy Benoit, bound and strangled in an upstairs office, with a Bible placed next to her. Investigators believe she was killed Friday night or early Saturday morning.

The couple's son, Daniel, was found suffocated in his bed, a Bible placed next to him as well, with investigators placing his time of death early Saturday.

It is believed Chris Benoit hanged himself using exercise equipment in his weight room sometime between Saturday night and Monday. It's unclear what the motive was.

Fayette County (Ga.) District Attorney Scott Ballard said Benoit had sent two text messages to acquaintances, one saying his wife and son were sick. The other, to a neighbour, said the door to the house was open and the pets were outside. The prosecutor said the messages appeared to be an attempt to bring someone to the home to find the bodies after his suicide.

OLD NEEDLE MARKS

The boy had old needle marks in his arms, Ballard said. He said he had been told the parents considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones.

It isn't the first time violence has been alleged in the Benoit home. Nancy Benoit filed for divorce in May 2003, saying their three-year union was irrevocably broken and alleging "cruel treatment.'' But she later dropped the complaint, and a request for a restraining order in which she charged Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.

Violent behaviour wasn't seen by those who dealt with Benoit professionally -- including many Winnipeggers who knew him.

"He was one of the most generous, nicest guys," said Joe Aiello, who worked with Benoit. "He helped out all the young guys, he was professional, and a really big family guy."

Bob Holliday, WWE's events representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths are stunning.

"It's sent shock waves through the wrestling world," said Holliday. "I'm numb."

Holliday said he always respected Benoit both personally and professionally, noting the wrestler called him regularly to see how he was doing when he was undergoing cancer treatment.

Canadian wrestler Bret Hart said the Benoit fans saw on TV was the same one he knew outside the ring. "Some guys are loose cannons, and you can expect something like this happening, but not with Chris Benoit," said Hart.

Born in Montreal, the wrestler grew up in Edmonton and began his career with Stu Hart in Calgary. He held many titles over his career, becoming the WWE world heavyweight champion at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004.

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https://www.charleston.net/news/2007/jun/27/bizarre_details_disclosed_benoit_death/

'Bizarre' details disclosed in Benoit death
By Mike Mooneyham (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, June 27, 2007


Professional wrestling star Chris Benoit strangled his wife with an electrical cord, smothered his 7-year-old son with a bag and placed Bibles next to their bodies before hanging himself in the weight room of their Georgia home, authorities said Tuesday.

Investigators believe Benoit, 40, killed his wife, 43-year-old Nancy, and son Daniel and then himself. The bodies were found Monday afternoon in three separate rooms of the million-dollar home situated on more than eight acres in a secluded neighborhood in suburban Atlanta.

Autopsy results indicate that Benoit killed his wife Friday night and his son Saturday morning. Investigators believe Benoit hung himself with the pulley on an exercise machine several hours and as long as a day later. Autopsies showed all three died of asphyxiation.

Benoit's body was found hanging by his neck from a weight machine in the basement. The body of his wife, who was wrapped in a towel with her feet and wrists bound and blood under her head, was discovered facedown on the hardwood floor in an upstairs family room. His son's body was found facedown, with no handmarks on his neck, in his own bed in an upstairs bedroom. A closed Bible was placed next to the bodies of the wife and son, authorities said.

Fayette (Ga.) County District Attorney Scott Ballard said he found it "bizarre" that the WWE superstar spread out the killings over a long weekend and appeared to remain in the house for up to a day with the bodies.

"In a community like this, it's bizarre to have a murder-suicide, especially involving the death of a 7-year-old child," Ballard said during a press conference outside the Benoit house Tuesday. "That's what struck me the most in all this — there's a 7-year-old little boy who's dead. I don't think I'll ever be able to wrap my mind around that completely."

Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department would not comment on Benoit's state of mind or possible motive. No suicide note was found at the home.

Authorities also are investigating whether steroid abuse, which has been linked to aggressive behavior and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage," may have been a factor in the double murder-suicide.

"We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at," said Ballard.

Anabolic steroids, however, were present in the home, as were numerous medications legally prescribed to Benoit. Toxicology test results may not be available for weeks or even months, Ballard said.

Steroids have been linked to the deaths of a number of professional wrestlers in recent years. Eddie Guerrero, one of Benoit's closest friends in the business , died in 2005 from heart failure linked to long-term steroid use.

WWE issued a statement Tuesday concerning the steroids allegations: "WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts."

But the bizarre story took an even more bizarre twist late Tuesday when Ballard said in an interview on the ESPN Web site that needle marks were found on the arms of Daniel Benoit and he had been injected with human growth hormones because "the family considered him undersized."

Ballard also said in the interview that two text messages of note caused authorities to investigate the house. In one, Benoit told somebody he knew that his wife and son were sick.

"Of course, they were dead," Ballard told ESPN.com.

In a second message to a neighbor, Benoit said that the door of the house was open and the pets were outside.

"And our assumption is that that was an effort to try and get somebody to come find the bodies after the suicide," Ballard said. "That is our assumption."

Chris and Nancy Benoit had lived together since 1997, married in 2000, separated in 2003 and got back together shortly thereafter.

Benoit previously had been arrested in the Atlanta area on a DUI charge but has no record of a previous arrest for domestic violence.

Nancy Benoit filed for divorce in May 2003, saying her three-year marriage to the 220-pound wrestler was irrevocably broken and alleging "cruel treatment." But she later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.

A judge issued a restraining order against Benoit and barred him from entering the family home. Nancy Benoit asked the court to dismiss the petition in August of that year. The couple later reconciled, celebrating together in the ring following Benoit's WWE world championship win at Wrestlemania XX in 2004.

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https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-wrestling27jun27,1,3544775.story?coll=la-headlines-sports&track=crosspromo

A fatal weekend fueled by steroids?
Wrestler Benoit strangled his wife and son, then killed himself. WWE decries sensational reporting.
By Lance Pugmire, Times Staff Writer
June 27, 2007

Sports officials are bracing for the results after law enforcement officials in Georgia said Tuesday that they will investigate whether steroids played a role in a grisly murders-suicide involving pro wrestling star Chris Benoit over the weekend.

Prescription anabolic steroids were found inside the Fayetteville , Ga., home where Benoit, 40, strangled his former wrestler wife and 7-year-old son before apparently hanging himself with the cord of a weightlifting machine, police said.

"I don't know that we'll ever determine why [Benoit] did this," Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said in a telephone interview. "The toxicology reports will shed some light, but we'll need to consult experts on all sorts of things about this, including what concentrations of steroids equal a 'roid rage."

Benoit, who went by the nickname "Canadian Crippler," was a star attraction on the World Wrestling Entertainment circuit and was described by one fervent wrestling follower as "the best in-ring wrestler of the last 20 years." He was remembered on a WWE "tribute" broadcast on USA Network on Monday night, as many wrestling fans learned of the wrestler's death from WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

McMahon opened Tuesday night's Extreme Championship Wrestling show by announcing that because of emerging details of the deaths Benoit's name would not be mentioned again during the telecast. However, WWE officials also expressed concern "with sensationalistic reporting" about the steroid discovery.

"The physical findings … indicate deliberation, not rage," a statement from the organization said. WWE also noted that Benoit tested negative for steroids in the organization's drug testing program on April 10.

In light of at least 27 deaths of pro wrestlers 45 years old or younger since 1997, McMahon recently reacted angrily when questioned about the legitimacy of his health and safety concerns for his wrestlers. "If people die, they can't perform for you," he said in a 2003 investigative story by The Times. "From the human being's perspective, how do you think I feel [about the deaths]? Do you think I'm the … devil?"

Although California's State Athletic Commission does not test script-performing pro wrestlers for performance-enhancing drugs, as it does test boxers and mixed-martial arts fighters. Commission official William Douglas said Benoit's death illustrates "there's a rampant problem; this is getting pretty scary."

The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that the Albany, N.Y., County district attorney has identified Benoit as a customer of a Florida company, MedXLife, implicated in an investigation of illegal steroid sales.

As details of the deaths emerged Tuesday, pro wrestling observers weren't ready to attribute what one called "a Charles Manson-O.J. Simpson thing," solely to the effects of steroids, which medical experts say can cause explosive mood swings.

"The wrestling guys who have died at 40 usually just have a heart attack and die young," said Bryan Alvarez, 32, an independent pro wrestler and friend of Benoit's. "But we know Chris had problems with his wife. If you ask me, I believe this was a combination of 20 years of steroid abuse, several years of a work schedule where brain trauma becomes possible, and the problems with his wife.

"Blaming steroids alone is too simplistic, but I guarantee you the toxicology shows steroids in his system."

The medical examiner working the case determined that Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, on Friday, then his son late the following day.

District Attorney Ballard said Nancy Benoit, 43, formerly known on the World Championship Wrestling circuit as the character "Woman," was found in an upstairs office in the couple's two-story home with her feet and wrists bound.

Ballard said the medical examiner determined Daniel wasn't killed until much later — possibly late Saturday. The boy was found dead in his upstairs bedroom. Authorities noticed injection marks on the boy's arm that appear to be the result of routine medical treatments.

"A chokehold," Ballard said, "was used to strangle the boy rather than hands, because there's no bruising consistent with a strangling by hands."

Benoit's signature match-ending hold was called the "cross-face crippler," where he'd cross his arms at an opponent's chin, pulling the head backward.

A Bible was placed near Nancy and Daniel's bodies, authorities said.

Benoit dispatched five text messages to two WWE co-workers early Sunday morning. The WWE released transcripts of those messages Tuesday, in which Benoit reported his full home address to the workers, and said, "The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open."

Ballard said he's "virtually certain" that Benoit committed suicide Sunday by undoing a weightlifting machine lifting bar and wrapping the steel cord around his cloth-wrapped neck in the home's basement.

Fayette County court records made public Tuesday showed Nancy Benoit filed for divorce and sought a restraining order after a 2003 incident. She claimed in the court records posted by the website TMZ.com that Chris Benoit "lost his temper and threatened to strike [her] and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties."

Nancy Benoit also claimed her husband had followed through on similar threats "at other times," destroying furniture.

The petition said Nancy Benoit was "in reasonable fear for [her] safety and the safety of the minor child," noting "there is substantial likelihood [Chris Benoit] will commit such acts of violence against [Nancy] and the child [Daniel]."

In her May 2003 divorce filing, Nancy Benoit claimed her marriage was "irretrievably broken" and that she was subjected to "cruel treatment" by her wrestler husband.

The restraining order and divorce complaint were dismissed by Nancy in August 2003.

"Steroids alone don't cause this," said Dave Meltzer, editor of the website Wrestling Observer. "The guy clearly had a stormy, volatile relationship with his wife. Because of the road schedule, lots of [wrestlers] have marriage issues. Steroids maybe played a role, but I don't know what this is. To kill your kid … this is some demon I can't explain, and I don't think anyone in wrestling can."

--

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

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https://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/perry_lefko/2007/06/26/bizarre_strange_and_sad/

Bizarre, strange and sad

What would make an individual want to kill his wife, his son and himself?

This is the mystery that will perhaps never be known, or at least take some time to piece together, in the matter of professional wrestler Chris Benoit.

The revelation in an Associated Press story on Tuesday by a law enforcement official that World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Benoit strangled his wife, smothered his seven-year-old son and then hung himself in the weight room of his Atlanta-area home some time between Saturday and Monday is bizarre to say the least.

According to the WWE’s website, Benoit failed to show for an event in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday, informing the company of a family emergency. He sent several strange text messages to friends, who were concerned enough to alert Richard Hering, vice-president of government relations for WWE, Inc. Hering, in turn, spoke with Fayette County sheriffs Monday and requested they respond to the Benoit residence to check on him and his family.

Upon entering the home, they quickly located the bodies of Benoit, his wife and son. The time was approximately 4 p.m., and six hours later at press conference authorities ruled the deaths a double murder-suicide. An Atlanta-area television station reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, then himself on Monday.Toxicology reports might not be known for at least two weeks and quite possibly months.

All this is startling when you consider Benoit’s nickname in wrestling was The Rabid Wolverine. Mind you, the moniker was used to describe his full-out approach to wrestling – essentially his in-ring persona – and nothing to do with his real-life personality.

In the ring, he gave his all, sacrificing his body with a signature high-flying head butt off the top rope and in hardcore matches with ladders, tables and chairs. With his ever-present facial stubble and missing tooth, he looked as rugged as he fought.

He shone as arguably the best technical wrestler of his generation, applying moves of strength and speed low to mat or throwing his opponents over his shoulder with German suplexes, often three in a row. For all this he was revered by his peers and fans.

But none of that will remembered when people look back on Chris Benoit. He will be recalled as the guy who killed his wife, son and himself.

The Atlanta law enforcement official said authorities are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths.

To those who knew Benoit the end result of his life is unfathomable because he was known as a loving father and husband. His wife was at one point a wrestling personality, while his son loved watching his father wrestle.

Born in Edmonton 40 years ago, Benoit worked up the ranks and became a star in World Championship Wrestling, and then in World Wrestling Entertainment. He stood 5-foot-11 and weighed about 230 pounds, hardly big by today’s standard of wrestling and was not known as particularly charismatic in interviews to promote matches or storylines.

He overcame neck surgery that sidelined him for a year, and after 18 years of labouring in mid-level matches and earning the respect of his fellow performers the company he worked for and, Benoit was rewarded with the opportunity to receive the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004.

He won the Royal Rumble in a thrilling, marathon bout that ended with him throwing The Big Show, a wrestler who stands 7-feet and weighs some 500 pounds, over the top rope in a display of brute strength. Though it was all make-believe, Benoit "sold" the move.

A few months later he was in the main match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 20 at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of the squared circle. In a truly memorable match, he fought Triple H and Shawn Michaels, both of whom became bloodied and had the proverbial crimson masks, but the blood was real and heightened the emotion.

In the end, Benoit put Triple H in a submission move and forced him to tap out. Benoit became the champion and was overcome. Even though the ending had been scripted, he shed real tears of joy.

He was joined in the ring by his longtime friend Eddie Guerrero, a champion in another category, who held up his arm, and confetti fell from the rafters. Tragically, Eddie Guerrero, who battled drugs and alcohol, died in the fall of 2005. Although he had kicked his substance abuse habit, it is believed his body gave out.

Benoit was crushed by his buddy’s death and, according to Joe Peisich, a longtime wrestling authority, bemoaned it as recently as a week ago, saying to fellow wrestlers that one of them needed to be with Guerrero.

Now they are indeed together.

It is bizarre, strange and sad.

On Monday, while police authorities were in the process of finding the bodies, the WWE made the decision to cancel a scheduled show in Corpus Christi, Texas and instead decided to do a three-hour salute to Benoit, showing clips of his life growing up and some of his more memorable matches.

Some of his fellow wrestlers gave testimonials to Benoit, many of whom wept. Chavo Guerrero, the nephew of Eddie Guerrero, expressed the profound loss of his uncle and now Benoit. He could not believe it.
And he is not alone.

A wrestler revered in life will now be forever reviled in death.If the toxicology reports show evidence of drug abuse it will help to explain the madness that might have been going on in Benoit’s mind, but will not serve as an excuse.

For the sport of professional wrestling, which has been seeing a myriad of personalities dying at an alarming rate in recent years, it is yet another black mark. Recently in a story line, WWE chairman Vince McMahon had his character, Mr. McMahon, murdered, and this was to be followed as part of the matches on Monday Night RAW.

In the wake of the Benoit tragedies, the story line of McMahon’s character was put on hold along with the matches scheduled to happen and broadcast around the world.

McMahon began the show, standing alone in the ring of the empty arena, talking about what was supposed to be the continuation of the story line involving the murder of his character, but what would follow would be a three-hour tribute that to honour of one of the greatest WWE performers of all time.

In this case, the show did go on, but radically changed from what had been planned.
The story line had been changed.

It has been written that all true stories end in death. Sadly, for the WWE, its fans and the immediate family of Chris Benoit – he has two other children who were in Canada at the time of the death – this is one of them.

On July 16 and 17, the WWE has shows scheduled in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively. Chris Benoit was to have wrestled in them and surely would have been the star because of his popularity in that region.

By that point, the toxicology reports or investigation into the murder may yield some answers.

And maybe by then will the World Wrestling Entertainment and the world at large know what really caused Chris Benoit to snap.

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https://www.examiner.com/a-801189~Murder_suicide_latest_black_eye_for_pro_wrestling.html

Murder-suicide latest black eye for pro wrestling
Ron Snyder, The Examiner

Vince McMahon is used to pushing the envelope as he tries to garner more viewers for his World Wrestling Entertainment programs.

His latest attempt at this came over the last couple of weeks as he blended the worlds of reality and â€�"sports entertainment” when he staged his death on a recent episode of â€Å"Raw.”

Tragically, the borderline offensive â€Å"work” — as a storyline is called in professional wresting — became nothing more than an afterthought Monday following the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, in their suburban Atlanta home.

Benoit is believed to have killed Nancy and Daniel sometime over the weekend before eventually committing suicide Monday. The apparent double-murder/suicide came about a week after the death of another professional wrestler, Sherri Martel, who family members found dead in her mother’s home from yet-to-be determined causes.

Dying prematurely has become all too common in the world of professional wrestling where the constant traveling, daily pounding on your body and rampant drug use ultimately takes its toll on wrestlers looking to please fans while making sure not to lose their spot in this ultra-competitive industry.

The deaths of wrestlers ranging from â€Å"Ravishing” Rick Rude to Curt Hennig to Road Warrior Hawk and most recently Eddie Guererro can all be linked in someway to drug abuse.

However, the surprising thing is hard partying and substance abuse was never mentioned prior to this week when it came to Benoit. It’s unclear whether that will change as details continue to surface in this â€Å"bizarre” case as Fayette County (Ga.) District Attorney Scott Ballard described it to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The WWE didn’t become aware of Benoit and his family’s death until late Monday afternoon, forcing the company to cancel its scheduled three-hour Raw telecast which it then transformed into a tribute show to the late wrestler’s 22-year career.

Ironically, the show was originally supposed to be a tribute for McMahon to further the â€Å"Who killed Mr. McMahon?” plot line. Now, the WWE appears ready to move forward and scrap the angle.

While McMahon is often criticized for his decisions — the company held a show one night after the accidental death of Owen Hart at a show in 1999 — he shouldn’t be blamed for memorializing Benoit Monday. Going into the show he thought Benoit was a decent man before all of the sordid details came out about him.

â€Å"The Canadian Crippler” or â€Å"Rabid Wolverine” as Benoit was often referred to, was known as one of the hardest working, professional workers in the business. The pinnacle of his career came in 2004 when he defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H to win the world heavyweight title in the main event at Wrestlemania XX at Madison Square Garden in New York.

That victory, despite being predetermined, marked a critical point in pro wrestling history as Benoit, at 5-foot-11 and 235 pounds, had a chance to run with the title despite not being flashy, extremely charismatic, or overly muscular like Hulk Hogan was in his prime. He was simply a pure wrestling technician that fans around the world respected for his ability in the squared circle.

Coincidently, Benoit shared that Wrestlemania moment with Guerrero, his wife and his son. Now, all of those people are dead and Benoit — if the reports remain the same — will be remembered not for his great matches but as a murderer who strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself in his weight room.

Ron Snyder is a staff writer with The Examiner. He can be reached at rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com

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https://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-nyhen275271558jun27,0,1141777.column?coll=ny-news-columnists

Pro wrestling sowed seeds of disaster
June 27, 2007
Was it 'roid rage?

Or the final, violent meltdown of a volatile marriage?

Chris Benoit didn't leave a suicide note. And the police weren't speculating yesterday.

But you could take this much to the mat as the theatrical violence of professional wrestling erupted predictably into the kind of violence that no one ever bounces back from: Steroids and a troubled marriage are one combustible combination. And the fuse was lit by the life that one man chose to lead.

Authorities say that the fiercely intense pro wrestler strangled his wife, Nancy, and smothered their 7-year-old son Daniel before hanging himself in the basement weight room of his stone-walled compound on Green Meadow Lane in Fayetteville outside Atlanta.

Well, what did you expect from a man who was known professionally as "the Canadian Crippler?" That he'd tiptoe gently into the night?

People in the wrestling world were expressing the usual shock and surprise yesterday. Benoit, they insisted, was never a hothead. He was, they said, a soft-spoken and well-mannered guy.

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said legendary wrestler Bret Hart.

"Chris was always first-class - warm, friendly, caring and professional - one of the best in our business," said Carl DeMarco, president of WWE Canada.

And yet the hints of trouble were sprinkled everywhere, even before police found the anabolic steroid bottles inside the house. You could start just by looking at the man.

All 240 rock-solid pounds of him. The leathery neck. The heaving chest. The muscle carved out of stone. Sure, he was a well-toned athlete. But you or I could spend the rest of our lives pumping iron and working the pulley machines and - unaided by steroids and growth hormone - we'd never look anything like that.

As for the marriage, from the very beginning it was a case of the life imitating wrestling imitating life. This union was as excitable as anything the squared circle offered up.

The two of them connected in the mid-1990s while he was a featured performer on World Championship Wrestling, a former rival of World Wrestling Entertainment. The storyline had Benoit in a feud with WCW booker Kevin Sullivan. The shtick involved the claim that Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan's wife, Nancy, a ringside manager known to wrestling fans as Woman.

It was all for show, until it wasn't anymore. By then, real life Woman/Nancy had left Kevin Sullivan for Chris Benoit.

Chris and Nancy lived together since 1997. They married in 2000. But the going was not entirely smooth.

When Nancy filed for divorce in May 2003, she claimed that he'd been violent to her. She got a judge to sign a legal order of protection, barring him from the family home.

In the legal language of the courthouse, she claimed he "lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties, including furniture and furnishings. Petitioner is in reasonable fear for petitioner's own safety and that of the minor child."

And in three months, she went back into court and dismissed everything.

Police say Benoit did not act hastily over the weekend. Hours, as much as a day, separated each of the killings. He had enough time to fire off text messages to friends in the wresting world.

"The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre," warned the local district attorney, Scott Ballard.

And what was in his head?

Here's one last thing to remember while the fans grieve, the autopsies proceed and the police tidy up the murder-suicide scene. We, too, play a role in this ring.

If the fans didn't want their performers pumped up like cartoon-character superheroes, steroids wouldn't be such a part of wrestling. If the people in the seats didn't respond so wildly to the silly soap operas that overcome the sport of wrestling, this one wouldn't have teetered so precariously between the ring and real life.

And who knows who might still be alive.