June 24th, 2007. It is a day that will live in infamy for all wrestling fans in the world. Chris Benoit was a beloved man, a hero of many people, a man that was matched by very few in the ring, and was known throughout the world. But on this day, Chris committed an act so vile and unthinkable many people still to this day don't like to accept the fact it happened. On that day, Chris benoit killed his son Daniel and the committed suicide himself, a day after he had killed his wife Nancy. The next day, Monday the 25th, WWE held a three-hour tribute for Benoit in place of what was supposed to be a memorial for the kayfabe death of Mr. McMahon's character. But the next day, the details of the death came out, and the WWE basically revoked the tribute of Benoit and from the point of ECW that night, they said they would never acknowledge Chris Benoit again, and to this day they haven't. He hasn't been mentioned not only in the WWE, but throughout the business as a whole, and his legacy has seemingly been tarnished. Is it right for WWE and the business and public as a whole to give him this treatment?
Before I go any further, I would like to say that I don't condone anything that Benoit did. It was not right by any means, it was a dispicable act that should not be condoned by anyone for that matter. What he did was totally wrong, and no woman or child deserves to be murdered like that, by their own wife/father nonetheless.
But, I ask, what does it really accomplish for the WWE to completely disregard Benoit and his legacy? It might attract bad publicity, but the way that I see, it isn't you fault, Vince. Explain that it wasn't your fault, and people will except it because it's common sense. When a man is apart of your company or business's history, then how do you drop him completely from exsistance? I mean, we know that Mark McGuire used steroids, and that Pete Rose gambled, and sure, MLB stripped them of their accolades. That is completely acceptable. Benoit no longer has to be recognized as the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, or as a former World Heavyweight Champion, but the least you could do is still acknowledge the fact he exsisted. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered innocent teenage kids, and then committed suicide, and broke the hearts and tore the families of many people from Columbine, but we still acknowledge that they exsisted, and the news shows that do a 5th or 10th anniversary special don't get bad publicity for it. I'm not saying praise him as a god, but strip him of his accolades, acknowledge he exsisted, and explain that although what he did was vile and inexcusable, he was still a good athlete. Just because Harris and Klebold committed the Columbine massacre doesn't mean they weren't good kids, that they were just lost souls. Just because of what Benoit did, it doesn't mean he wasn't a good athlete and he doesn't deserve to be acknowledged of his exsistance and his ability. People will always be unhappy with something, but over time people would come to accept that the business and the WWE recognizes that what Chris did was wrong, they admit it was, they don't recognize his awards in the business, but it wasn't their fault what happened and even though his actions were so wrong, he was still a good athlete and deserves to have the legacy of a world class athlete that is at the least acknowledged. Most will come to accept it eventually and any bad publicity, which I would believe to be little if the situation was to be fully explained, will eventually blow over.
So what I am saying is that Chris Benoit was a world class professional wrestler, even if he was scum as a man, which he may not have even been. (Records show brain damage as a probable cause). He was renowned across the world until June 24th 2007, and even though he shouldn't be renowned as a man or even for his awards (which he probably doesn't even deserve after his actions), at the least he should be acknowledged for the fact that he was wrestler, one of the best at that, and, even though what he did was wrong, he still has some semblance of a legacy left in this business for his athletic and in-ring abilities.
Before I go any further, I would like to say that I don't condone anything that Benoit did. It was not right by any means, it was a dispicable act that should not be condoned by anyone for that matter. What he did was totally wrong, and no woman or child deserves to be murdered like that, by their own wife/father nonetheless.
But, I ask, what does it really accomplish for the WWE to completely disregard Benoit and his legacy? It might attract bad publicity, but the way that I see, it isn't you fault, Vince. Explain that it wasn't your fault, and people will except it because it's common sense. When a man is apart of your company or business's history, then how do you drop him completely from exsistance? I mean, we know that Mark McGuire used steroids, and that Pete Rose gambled, and sure, MLB stripped them of their accolades. That is completely acceptable. Benoit no longer has to be recognized as the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, or as a former World Heavyweight Champion, but the least you could do is still acknowledge the fact he exsisted. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered innocent teenage kids, and then committed suicide, and broke the hearts and tore the families of many people from Columbine, but we still acknowledge that they exsisted, and the news shows that do a 5th or 10th anniversary special don't get bad publicity for it. I'm not saying praise him as a god, but strip him of his accolades, acknowledge he exsisted, and explain that although what he did was vile and inexcusable, he was still a good athlete. Just because Harris and Klebold committed the Columbine massacre doesn't mean they weren't good kids, that they were just lost souls. Just because of what Benoit did, it doesn't mean he wasn't a good athlete and he doesn't deserve to be acknowledged of his exsistance and his ability. People will always be unhappy with something, but over time people would come to accept that the business and the WWE recognizes that what Chris did was wrong, they admit it was, they don't recognize his awards in the business, but it wasn't their fault what happened and even though his actions were so wrong, he was still a good athlete and deserves to have the legacy of a world class athlete that is at the least acknowledged. Most will come to accept it eventually and any bad publicity, which I would believe to be little if the situation was to be fully explained, will eventually blow over.
So what I am saying is that Chris Benoit was a world class professional wrestler, even if he was scum as a man, which he may not have even been. (Records show brain damage as a probable cause). He was renowned across the world until June 24th 2007, and even though he shouldn't be renowned as a man or even for his awards (which he probably doesn't even deserve after his actions), at the least he should be acknowledged for the fact that he was wrestler, one of the best at that, and, even though what he did was wrong, he still has some semblance of a legacy left in this business for his athletic and in-ring abilities.
