Chris Benoit is a murderer. Allegedly.
But then, he also killed himself, so I guess he won't be giving us any answers anytime soon.
I don't know why he did what he did and neither does anyone else. I do know that the news that he was dead shocked and hurt a lot of people. I know that there was a lot of speculation that THIS is exactly what went down in that house. As a result, I really don't know how I feel about Chris Benoit anymore.
As a wrestler, Chris Benoit, as far as I'm concerned was one of the five or six best wrestlers the world had ever seen. He was one of the wrestlers that could have a great match with almost anyone, and that made him a go-to guy when you wanted to get a guy some credibility amongst fans. He was constantly on the move in the ring, and there was never a wasted motion. He was one of the guys who actually made wrestling look real from time to time.
As a man, I never knew much about him. He wasn't one of those guys whose personality shone through. He was pretty much a blank slate, unlike Eddie Guerrero, who died two years before and was one of Benoit's best friends.
But now, Benoit, the man doesn't seem to be measuring up to Benoit, the wrestler. In fact, Benoit, the man doesn't seem to be measuring up to some of the junkies, abusers, pimps, and child molesters in the wrestling business.
ALLEGEDLY, Chris Benoit strangled his wife, Nancy (formerly known as Woman back in WCW), and smothered their 7 year old son, Daniel before hanging himself in the weight room. I say "allegedly," because that's what you're supposed to do at this stage, but let's face it. He did it. The cops said that they found him hanging in the weight room, and it doesn't take long for cops to verify that someone was strangled OR smothered. I'm sure we've all seen enough procedural cop shows to know that. So for all intents and purposes, he did it. The only questions are "Why?" and "What drugs was he on?"
As a result, the name Chris Benoit, instead of going down as one amongst wrestling's royalty, is probably going to be vilified from here on out. In the wrestling business, Chris Benoit could pretty much write his own ticket forever. Now, it's hard to even respect his accomplishments in the ring.
WWE.com has already taken down his bio, pulled his merchandise, and has removed almost every mention of him from their website and I'm sure many wrestling fans are becoming more and more confused as to how to react as this news become public. I know I am. I want to mourn him, but not like this.
Wrestling fans are a pretty forgiving lot, even back when we thought it was real. Heels would run down the fans every week, but when they turned face, they'd be cheered like nothing ever happened. Some, like Ric Flair, would turn every few months, and still get cheered like he didn't just have Sting jumped a couple of weeks ago.
The wrestlers that died of drug abuse, the Curt Hennigs, the Miss Elizabeths, and so on, were all treated as saints when they died. Jake "the Snake" Roberts, a notorious crackhead, is still beloved, even though his drug use is public knowledge. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who allegedly beat his wife, still receives the loudest cheers when he enters the arena, even more than the current champ, John Cena.
But I don't see Chris Benoit's legacy ever having a favorable slant again. At least, not in our lifetimes. Not after going out like this.
And because he went out like this, I can't mourn him. I just can't. Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig was one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, but after finding out he died from a cocaine overdose, I had to let go any of that. I don't have sympathy for drug users. I have even less for murderers. Even if I did think he was one of the greatest wrestlers ever.
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