It's completely different. WWE owns all rights and privileges to every piece of footage they've ever produced. They CAN erase him from their history because they are a television show that airs every week, not a movie that's released one time and never thought of again. Movies are more comparable to wrestling DVDs. Do you think WWE was able to magically erase Benoit from all the wrestling DVDs bought before the incident? Obviously not. It's just common sense not to mention a murderer in a publicly traded industry...
Also, he was never found guilty in a court of law because;
1. He was dead.
2. There was no reasonable doubt in who did it. Benoit's the only one who it could have been.
Do you even know where all this conspiracy crap on Kevin Sullivan came from? From a man named Johnny Lee Carey, a former wrestler and KKK leader who was "saved" by God. But he's a reliable source right? He's the one who said Nancy died, "exactly 10 years after her divorce from Sullivan", but the guy shows absolutely no proof of that. Also, are you telling me Kevin Sullivan waited 10 years to hatch his devilish scheme? Why wouldn't he have done this back in 97 or 98? Why in the fuck would he have chosen a point in time when Chris and Nancy's marriage was basically over? This Carey guy was the first one to accuse Sullivan of being a Satanist, also the only guy to accuse him of this. Neither Sullivan, Nancy, Chris Benoit, nor any of their families have ever even alluded to this. Sullivan himself calls the claims total bullshit. Even if he were, if anybody had ever done some research on Satanism, they would know it has nothing to do with worshiping the devil or killing people. It's a form of atheism that strongly believes against the murder of children. As for the other theories such as Sullivan telling Benoit he'd kill him, who did they come from? This same fucking guy who admittedly never even met Kevin, Nancy, or Benoit. Nobody else has ever heard Sullivan threaten Benoit's life other than in storyline. He also goes on to say that Sullivan, is a "calculating, cold-hearted individual" yet he never met him. If you go watch Kevin Sullivan interviews or podcasts, you'll see how stupid this claim sounds. The guy is borderline cuddly. Basically what I'm getting at, is that thousands of people around the world believe all this shit and have no idea where it came from. One raving lunatic made all these claims against Sullivan with absolutely NO FACTS to back his claims up. As I mentioned, a former KKK member and somebody who's never interacted with Kevin Sullivan in life, and you idiots eat it up. No eye-witness, no forensics, no circumstantial evidence to even consider Sullivan as a suspect. But he still did it right?
As for the second point, they did follow through with the Wikipedia post. It came from a 19 year old kid living inside his mother's basement. He said it was a complete coincidence as he was reading up on Benoit's title match with Punk and heard multiple rumors that Chris was dealing with personal matter. A few rumors came across that his wife had died, and the kid just posted it because it seemed like a logical answer at the time. Unless you think this 19 year old somehow killed the Benoit family from his computer in Stamford...
No, they concluded he did it for multiple reasons, which have already been stated. No force of entry, no sign of a struggle, strange behavior, his were the ONLY prints in the house, and he was the last one alive based off his calls and texts. Let's put this conspiracy shit to rest man. At least there's some sort of basis behind the 9/11 theories, this is all just crap.
And while I'm at it, I saw somebody mention the Chavo thing previously. That's false as well. No article exists that states Chavo ever said he heard a scuffle when talking to Benoit. Chavo has never brought this up either. This is how mass ignorance gets started. People read something over the internet, have no clue what the source is, and take it as fact. Educate your damn self.
Firstly, WWE can erase Benoit from all their history, but I think it is a silly way to deal with things.
He WASN'T a murderer when he wrestled, only afterwards. So, you are not watching a murderer during that match, since he hadn't done it yet (if he did do it).
Yes, there was no guilt in court, because he died. But what happened to the right of "innocent until proven guilty".
If there were eyewitnesses, then why haven't they come forward? I mean, it isn't like Benoit can do anything to them to silence them, so they don't live in fear?
You know why? Because there are NO witnesses. This is no different to the guy found covered in blood in his home, over his dead wife's body. Now, did he kill her, or did he find her body, and is caught with her blood on his shirt because he was trying to revive her. People have gone to death row on such flimsy evidence before, and later found to be innocent. So innocent people's reputations and lives can be destroyed over circumstantial evidence.
How do you know for CERTAIN that Benoit is guilty? Unless you saw him do it. Now, on the balance of probabilities, it weighs heavily towards him being guilty. But the standard in a crime is "beyond reasonable doubt" and that can only be reached by a court case, where evidence is presented.
Why are you defending Kevin Sullivan? Firstly, Sullivan has a massive motive. Benoit stole his wife off him. People have killed for less.
Why did it take so long? Who knows. Maybe Sullivan tried to resist the urge. Maybe he had gone years trying to move on, and couldn't. Maybe his bitterness grew. Who knows? I don't, and you don't either, so don't be so definitive in your sweeping statements.
Besides, how does being "borderline cuddly" mean that you also couldn't be "cold and calculating". Maybe it is an act. Apparently, Ted Bundy was charming as well.
Also, the "Kevin Sullivan is a satanist" isn't a claim by one guy. It was Sullivan's gimmick early in his career, when he was managed by Woman (who was his wife at the time, Nancy Sullivan, later Nancy Benoit, one of the victims). Now it doesn't mean that Sullivan "lived his gimmick, or even held those beliefs. But to say that it is a scurrilious claim by one guy is a bit rich.
You say that people eat up Sullivan being guilty, despite no evidence and no witnesses. But you are doing the same thing with Chris Benoit.
Now, this could all have been avoided if the cops had chased all avenues first. If they had interviewed all suspects (including Kevin Sullivan) to see if they had alibis and to know who to clear of suspicion, if they had investigated further how the kid knew the death date to include it on the wiki page, etc. I was following the case the days after the event, and the cops said it was Benoit on day one. That is awfully quick to jump to that conclusion.
Maybe there was no forced entry because there was a knock on the door, and the person on the outside had a gun, and forced their way in, or made them open the door. Maybe the dogs didn't bark because they knew the person who visited, and later committed the crime. Maybe there were no fingerprints, because the perpetrator wore gloves.
Chris Benoit could have been drugged, or knocked out, or forced to watch at gunpoint. Who knows? These are unlikely, but it is possible, however slight.
Also, if they only found Chris Benoit's prints all over the house, then how come they didn't find Nancy or Daniel's prints all over the house as well? They lived there, so they would have touched things. How thorough were the police?
As for Johnny Lee Clary, I read that "National Enquirer" article that did the hachet job on him too, just like you obviously did. I don't think the "Enquirer" has much more credibility than some internets rumors you denounce.
I know that people think cops have integrity. But they are also human. They may have done their best, but messed up somewhere. Sometimes, mistakes are made.
This is why, in one way, I wish Chris Benoit had lived. Then he could be arrested and face trial. He could be interrogated on the stand, and we can hear his view on the crime, and decide if we believe him or not. We could know all the police's evidence, and have it tested. They would also take the stand, and the head investigator would be questioned as well. We would get a full understanding of what happened, and then know a lot better. The verdict could be reached, and Benoit could be held to that. That would settle things in my mind a lot more.
There is a lot more than any of us know. There are some things about that weekend that died with Chris Benoit, and may never come to light. That is why throughout and extensive investigation is necessary, not suspecting one person from the start.
Often, family members and friends are often the first ones suspected by the police, even when it turns out to be someone else (like a serial killer). Good police work involves eliminating suspects and then focusing in on one suspect. I don't believe this case was open-and-shut. Not when you don't have witnesses.
Police often have to determine the motive, means and opportunity of the suspect. So, what did they determine as Benoit's motive to kill Nancy and Daniel on successive days? Interviewing people who knew the family could determine this. However, it seemed like that they just went to the most obvious conclusion, and stopped there.
Also, think about this. Maybe Chris Benoit is dead so that he would be silenced, and he can't face trial, and he could say who really did it. Either it is a tragic murder-suicide by a wrestler who, for whatever reason, killed his wife and child, or it is the perfect crime.
You had better hope that the cops and you are right. You had better hope that new evidence doesn't emerge, which could clear Chris Benoit. Because a lot of people will have egg on their faces. But even if this happened, and the cops admitted that they got it wrong, you will still believe Benoit's guilty, because it suits your narrative.
I've already dealt with this.