Chris Benoit: The Wrestler & the Person

[CM Steel]

The late Chris Benoit has been wrestling all over the world for over 20 years. Canada, U.S.A, Mexico, Japan, Europe. He's had the greatest wrestling matches as well as with the greatest wrestler's. Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Steven/William Regal. But there's of course Chris Benoit the person from the wrestler.

The double murder-homicide of his wife & son along with killing himself in his home is what will be mosted remembered of Chris Benoit alone during his 25 year career in wrestling. Steroids played a big part in this. But alot of wrestling fans lost major respect for Chris Benoit after his death. So should we just remember in good conscience Chris Benoit the wrestler? Or should we just remember Chris Benoit for what he did that sinister night at the Benoit home outside of Atlanta?

Chris Benoit did alot for the wrestling business as well as for alot of wrestler's. Being a 20 plus year ring veteran helping the younger talent in the business. Like how he mentored Gunner Scott on Smackdown a few years ago. Or should we just remember Chris Benoit as a cold-blooded killer?

 

[JWGunslinger]

I remember him for being an amazing wrestler and one of my heroes growing up, however you cannot ignore what he did. Chris Benoit as a person was a trippy dude, even those closest to him who loved him admitted that even though he was extremely nice and cared more about his family than anyone, the dude was out there. I do believe that the real Chris Benoit would not have done what he did on his own, I think that there had to have been serious effects from drugs,too many blows to the head,etc that put him in a state where he could commit such an atrocity, this is based completely on assumption and the testimonies of those closest to him, mainly Chris Jericho.

When I remember Benoit I think of him as the performer, because that's the guy that we as fans all knew, and I will always love that guy. Nobody can deny that Chris as a wrestler was one of the greats and many of my favorite matches include him like his matches with Booker for the US title or his match at the Royal Rumble where Jericho put him in the walls on top of a ladder. I think that it would be wrong to erase such an incredible performer from our minds, that's not the man who killed himself along with his family, the real Benoit died before that happened.

 

[#hamler]

Chris Benoit is (still) one of the top technical wrestlers to ever to step foot inside the ring. Wrestling fans will always remember Chris Benoit the wrestler first and Chris Benoit the person second. In reality, Benoit was a coward. Wrestling fan will defend the shit out of him but it'll never work. Everyday people will lable him as a murderer and rightfully so. Who could blame them? Benoit was the one who ruined everything he's worked for. It's funny how everything in 20 years can be ruined in just a day or two. Benoit will not be remembered for one of the best wrestlers ever, but a murderer. Not really an opinion, but more of a fact.

 

[conrad405]

its sad but benoit will not be remembered as one of the best wrestlers (like hamily guy) said something that big that happened its hard to look past the killing. but im not saying i dont forgot his in ring work and mic work whenever i hear chris benoit name i remember the man who killed his mental son and wife then himself.

and what JWGunslinger said the real CB died before that killing happened.

when i watch CB i can never see him as a wrestler just a killer and yes i know with head bangs over the years and drugs effected him.

 

[lowandmighty]

Chris Benoit always showed a great work ethic and tried his best to do anything he could for the business but he was never really rewarded that much for his efforts until he became heavyweight champion in wwe. He did win the belt in wcw but it because he complained that after all he did they'd never given him a shot so he subsequently threw it in the trash feeling that they only gave him a shot because he'd threatened to leave, exposing wcw managements spinelessness. Vince (Mcmahon) was smart enough to make him believe he was a legit contender by having him win one of the biggest matches in wrestlemania history but we all know that Eddie Guerrero was the real champion of the night in the end.

So at the end of Chris Benoits life he had done alot through his years to try and help the professional wrestling and sports entertainment business as much as he could but it was all undone by the double murder suicide. He brought the business into serious disrepute through his cowardly actions and thats what he deserves to be remembered for.

 

[Silly Willy Nilly Vanilly in the Milly]

It's funny how everything in 20 years can be ruined in just a day or two.

No, it didn't all go down in a day or two. It went down across years' span, especially in the last two years of his life, when best friend Eddie Guererro died.
Regardless of what he did, Benoit will always and forever be one of my top favorite wrestlers.
My Top 5:
1. Brian Pillman
2. Owen Hart
3. Eddie Guererro
4. Chris Benoit
5. Chris Jericho

 

[#hamler]

No, it didn't all go down in a day or two. It went down across years' span, especially in the last two years of his life, when best friend Eddie Guererro died.

Totally not what I was saying. Eddie dying didn't ruin his career, the last two years of his life didn't ruin everything he's worked for, the last two days did. Sure there may have been some events that triggered him to take his own life but those events didn't ruin Chris Benoit the wrestler for me; the killings did.

 

[scottyshowman82]

Good thread and I was looking for an older topic but came across this one. The Benoit situation is a one that I think more wrestling fans should discuss. We did watch this guy for years and became very accostumed to him.

I'll be honest, the first WWE DVD I ever got was his, Hard Knocks the Chris Benoit story. I must have watched that DVD a million times. The match he had against Kurt Angle at the 2003 Royal Rumble, I recall Taz saying something along the lines of "I remember seeing a lot of matches, but I don't remember seeing one that was this good." And it was, the suplexes, the mat wrestling, the submissions just a fantastic piece of wrestling footage. I loved his style, he was always one of the smaller guys, but made up more for it with intensity.

I haven't watched that DVD since Benoit died. I just felt so guilty. I remember the Raw when they announced he died. I was relaxing on the couch with a blanket watching the TV with my dad when it said graphic popped up with Benoit 's photo 1967- 2007. I literally said to the TV, "What? no? what?"

I remember watching the Vengeance: Night of Champions the night before and had an odd sinking feeling when the annoucers said, that Beniot didn't show up to the pay per view and they couldn't get a hold of him as John Morrison came out as a replacement facing a young CM Punk for the ECW Title. I remember being pumped up for that match cause I knew Beniot was going to be the one to finally bring out the best of CM Punk to show off his skills to the masses.

I was certain that Benoit was murdered, and even when it began to look bleaker and worse for Benoit I still wanted to believe he was murdered. Eventually I blamed Benoit
and thought he was coward and a dispicable disgrace for a human being. I felt so bad for Micheal Beniot the father of Chris, who was as shocked as any of us, and believed his son was a good man and just encouraged his Chris in his dream to become a pro wrestler. He questioned whether on not he was right to encourage him to follow his dream. When Christopher Nowinski came to Michael Beniot and wanted to look at Chris's brain for signs of concussion symtoms that could give Beniots some answers and closure on the situation I was intrigued as well, cause we all wanted answers.

Christopher Nowinski's examination showed that Beniot's brain had so much punishment over the years that it resembled an 85 year old alzheimer's patient. I believed it, Beniot didn't really know what he was doing. And it made sense. This man that Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho spoke so highly of, this man that made a rookie stop and do squats because he didn't show the proper respect to a legend like Shawn Michaels. Benoit was a good man and in his right mind would never want to hurt anyone. He was victim of ignorance of the wrestling business which wasn't his fault. The ever growing knowledge of concussions in sports is still growing as we speak. If Benoit knew the consequences of going so hard and doing those diving headbutts from tops of cages he would have eased up for sure. And that's when I forgave him. He didn't know what he was doing.

One of the most bewildering things anyone could ever go through was that situation, at least we have more answers these days than we did.

 

[HBsam31]

It's odd, like the above poster said, when Benoit didn't show for his match that night, (i was reading the results) I had this odd feeling something bad happened. This is with no prior knowledge that he was an out there kid of guy, or about drugs. It just seemed so odd because I had been watching him since his early days in WCW and something didn't feel right. I remembered him for being a great technical wrestler and I did not feel guilty watching his matches at all. I tried to separate the wrestler from the murderer, but after reading Chris Jericho's latest book it became hard. Jericho talks about calling Benoit's other son from another woman, and Jericho recalling how he didn't know what to say. Then Benoit's son asked him if it was still ok for him to go to the wrestling matches. Jericho then said he realized what Chris did to all the people he left behind and he couldn't really forgive that. I gotta say i broke down in tears reading that. Choked up a little bit now just retyping it. If you haven't read it yet, you should just for the section On Benoit. Ever since then its been harder and harder to watch matches and make the separation.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

I work with a guy that just got out of prison, and the subject of Chris Benoit(one of our co workers looks just like him in the face) came up, and he got pretty serious.

He swears up and down that Benoit was set up. He gave me some theories, and some information that really blew my mind, and left me with a doubt. Some crazy theories about Kevin Sullivan, and some crazy information about the crimescene, as well as the investigating officers.

I don't necessarily believe him, but he did completely change my perspective on Chris Benoit. I know he is probobly full of shit, but I wanted to believe him so bad.

Benoit was, and is to this day probobly my second favorite wrestler of all time behind Bret Hart. Benoit vs Angle at Wrestlemania X-7 is what Professional Wrestling should be. A highly dramatic sport about technique, and each man's quest for greatness. Not a soap opera circus freak show.

I'll alway have a level of respect for Benoit due to his incredible ability. There will never be another athlete like him.

I've had a few concussions from MMA fighting, and it is no joke at all. I got a pretty nasty one in my first fight, and just kept training, and fighting because I didn't know anything about head trauma. I soon found out the hard way. You do get depressed, and you do change. Its very hard to explain without going grossly off topic. I only had a few concussions, Benoit probobly had dozens through his career, so I can only imagine what he was going through in his mind.

What he did that night was indeed a very evil, terrible, dispicable act, but you cant just look over all of the facts.

I think it is a true tragedy that he gets discredited, and disrespected with such strong words like "Coward". He was mentally ill. He wasn't Chris Benoit. Get your head knocked around a few times, and then call him a coward. If only people would try to imagine themselves in such a powerless position of being so lost, and confused. Life is a motherfucker that chews you up and spits you out, and then everyone wants to stand around and piss on whatever is left.