Eddieploitation Was Used To Help One Wrestler, Could Benoit's Death Have Helped Two?

[Y 2 Jake]

Those two being Punk & Morrison.

WWE used the death of Eddie Guerrero as an excuse to push Rey Mysterio as a main event competitor. They also used his death to push Chavo Guerrero, Vickie Guerrero, and to a lesser extent, Edge and Benoit himself.

There was one death in wrestling that was bigger, the death of Chris Benoit.

Should WWE have used this death as a way to push John Morrison & C.M. Punk?

On the one hand you've got C.M. Punk, Straight Edge Superstar. Then you've got Chris Benoit. Remeber the roid rage speculation? Punk could have used this. Either way, Benoit was roided to the gills when he died.

C.M. Punk talking about him and about the Wellness Policy in general could've made him into the biggest star in wrestling.

Then you've got John Morrison. Nobody benefited from his death more. Punk ended up in the position he was supposed to be in anyway. Morrison can thank his push over the past two years to one moment.

Should Morrison have come out and thanked Benoit for helping him become a world champion? Or maybe he could subtly claim that he had something to do with the deaths. Heat magnet and another superstar made however you look at it.

Thoughts?

 

[The Doctor]

That's disgusting.

And yet, brilliant. Morrison using the subtle option is absolutely genius, and Punk being straight edge...

Only problem is how damn tasteless the whole thing is.
It could have worked, or it could have had people boycotting the WWE.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE is tasteless in general, it doesn't turn people off. It's a bit more extreme than what they usually do. But I don't think many people stopped watching WWE because of how they used Eddie Guerrero.

In some ways people might see using Benoit as being more acceptable. Ignore the child and it certainly would be. Benoit turned into an evil man, where Eddie Guerrero by all accounts was a cool guy, but with problems. People might see it as being worse to knock the guy who had problems, got help, then died because of the damage he did to his body.

People don't understand mental illness as much as they can sympathise with drug and alcohol abuse.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

memeber WWE acts like Benoit never existed and they want nothing to do with the benoit name so I truly doubt wwe would even think of something like that, however in the attitude era, it wouldnt've been thought about twice, they wouldve used it in a heartbeat

 

[Fleisch]

Er... Evil is such strong word. He was f'ed up no doubt, but "evil"? To call him evil would put him in the same category as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgeway and Jack the Ripper and yes he killed his son and wife before himself, but that was more than likely to do with the steroids and the scewed up place he found himself in at that point within his own mind set. It was an extremely selfish logic that made him do what he did, but for me, evil doesn't factor into the equation. I'm not looking for an argument or anything, I just can't see Benoit as Evil (even after what he done) because he couldn't live with what he had done, where as if he was evil, he could have.

Anyway, I rambled way too much then so back onto topic, CM Punk we all knew would get where he is eventually. He was too talented even for WWE to say "bury him". John Morrison I read what you have said and agree (despite how sick it sounds) but I guess WWE will cash in on anything.

I think Rey and Chavo's push were definately off the backs of the Eddie death, but more so in the case of Chavo because of his blood ties to Eddie. It's also the only reason Vicky Guerrero has a job with the company (and a powerful on screen role at that). I do believe though that even if Eddie hadn't died, Rey would be where he is today because I could always see them doing what they did with him but Chavo would probably still be either jobbing as Kerwin White or working the Indy scene by now.

 

[Agent-67]

The answer is HELL NO! WWE has no values or taste left, there is almost nothing that is off limits, & they do what it takes to attempt to get ratings. However, using Eddie would be a bit different than using Benoit. BECAUSE BENOIT SLAUGHTERED HIS FAMILY!!!!! That is why they can't use the angle the same way. If he just died some way that would have been okay to WWE. But He went out and took others with him. With the growing concern of steroids in all sports, accompanied by roid rage, they could not use this at all. What would the angle be....CM Punk is considering killing his family or Morrison wants to commit suicide??? Some things are just to controversial to mess with and this was one of them.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

CM Punk is considering killing his family or Morrison wants to commit suicide???

Punk uses Benoit as an example of what not living clean can do to you. John Morrison wouldn't be where he is without Benoit, so he thanks him, maybe changes his style in tribute. Or he could hint that he had something to do with it. If people still think Kevin Sullivan might have killed Benoit, then they're the sort that could be easily led by a storyline like that.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The difference with Eddie Guerrero and Benoit is that Guerrero died of a heart attack brought about by years of prescription drug and steroid abuse. Benoit murdered his wife and son before taking his own life. They're two completely seperate animals.

I disagree that the WWE is tasteless because the company isn't nearly as vulgar now as it was during the Attitude Era. During the Attitude Era, it wasn't common for a beer swilling Texas redneck to flip the finger 10 or 12 times a night or mock a verse out of the Bible. On at least one occassion, during a pay per view, a former WWE Diva known as the Cat flashed everyone. D-X ran around like drunken frat boys, mooning the audience while telling everyone to suck it and they basically turned the Undertaker from a "supernatural entity" into a Satan worshiper. And, of course, everyone remembers the Katie Vick storyline.

Now, while I enjoyed all this stuff back in my teens and early 20s, with the exception of the Katie Vick angle, the WWE hasn't done anything nearly this raunchy in many years. The media coverage surrounding the Benoit tragedy was HUGE. They talked about the thing on CNN practically every half hour for a couple of months, and the coverage only increased after the autopsy and toxicology results were revealed. Pro wrestling, and the WWE in particular, was portrayed in a harsh and negative light. I guess, to some degree, it was revealed the pro wrestling isn't quite as fake or phony as the mainstream media has made it out to be, but the backlash could have been disasterous for wrestling in general.

Vince knows when the fire's too hot to mess with anything. Aside from exploiting Guerrero's death, they did it in a way that made it look like a tribute to him as well. Try doing anything even remotely like that with Benoit and some reporter is going to say "Yeah, but didn't Benoit slaughter his wife and son before hanging himself with the use of one of his weight machines"? It'd be a public relations nightmare for Vince and for any wrestler or wrestlers even remotely connected with the angle.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Pro wrestling, and the WWE in particular, was portrayed in a harsh and negative light.

They were and it would be a public relations nightmare to take advantage. But if your company is already being scrutinized already and you're already regarded as being one of the lowers forms of entertainment, wouldn't it be worth a try?

Morrison & Punk could pass flippant comments to test the water, some of them might even pass most fans by. But if it works, get a reaction and the mainstream media don't pick up on it, would it be an intresting idea?

Aside from exploiting Guerrero's death, they did it in a way that made it look like a tribute to him as well.

Not really. I'm sure Eddie would've prefered Chavo to have the push they were giving Rey. He was family after all. It's just a shame he didn't have a marketable gimmick.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I feel that Punk would probably have gotten to where he is now, but probably not yet. So he'd achieve the same status but slower.

If Morrison hadn't won the ECW title and then had the fued that came out of that win, i think he'd still be Johnny Nitro and wouldn't really be doing anything except being passed around the brands.

I doubt they'd use the whole 'subtly thank Benoit' idea. Not because they've 'erased him' but during the actual match before anyone knew that Benoit had died, neither Tazz nor Joey Styles once mention during the Punk/Morrison match that they match was originally supposed to be a 4-way with Benoit and Burke as well. Even when the crowd are clearly chanting 'WE WANT BENOIT' does anyone mention that he had not turned up at the show. They pretended that a 1 on 1 match was the original plan all along.

It's not that they wouldn't stoop that low, it's more that they wouldn't think to try something like that

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

I think in principle, the only way this could have worked would be if the Benoit situation was kayfabe.

Seriously man, I doubt very much that EVEN WWE would stoop this low and push stars.

I think to a certain extent you're right - Morrison and Punk got the rub of the ECW Title match (when it meant more than it does now) and in the long run we now have them both on SD on which they will probably continue to get pushed.

In theory, your idea would work, but in reality - there's no way WWE could ever have gotten away with this.

 

[Chill]

I don't think so. Not that I agreed with Eddie's death being used as part of a Mysterio/Orton feud and so on but Eddie died from a heart attack, Benoit murdered his family. Big difference there. Imagine the outrage which would have followed had WWE used his death to push other talent. Plus, as WWE have repeatedly demonstrated...they are trying to wipe Benoit from their history because, as is common sense, the whole situation brought them major negative publicity, so it wouldn't make any sense whatsoever imo for them to have exploited Benoit's death in any way. They should have stayed away from Eddie's death..that was tastless enough but referring to Benoit's death would have sunk them to a new low...not to mention it would have been plain stupid to do so. The whole situation caused WWE to go under the magnifying glass again, so why aggravate the scenario even more by using the death of Benoit? Once any performer passes away, imo, that should be the end of it. Real life death should not be used just so others can get a rub from it imo...

 

[RawIsRamsey]

Well, technically both guys did benefit from Benoit's death as they feuded over the ECW for three months afterwards, and now both men are upper mid-carders on Smackdown! (at least one would assume once they debut). Even Chavo got an extended push due to Benoit's death.

Fact is, though, NO ONE should benefit from a wrestler dying...this crap has been going on since Owen 10 years ago (Jarrett won the IC Title Owen was supposed to win a week after his death). Wow...has it really been 10 years?

It's a damn shame that Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit are all dead, yet the Iron Shiek, Jake Roberts, and Raven are still ticking...

 

[Decarow]

no, that would be disgusting. Plus Morrison and Punk started their feud before anyone really found out what happened with Benoit. That would've been WAY too soon for that kind of angle. sorry, but i have to disagree with you. I see where you're coming from, but Vince wouldn't do that. They pushed Rey Mysterio so much because the fans were behind him after eddie's death. The ratings went pretty high and people tuned it to see if Rey could make it to the top for Eddie. That would not be the case for either Punk or Morrison.

 

[Sean Valjean]

No, and I'm glad they didn't. Eddie was bad enough, but at least he just, well, died. Beniot killed his family and then himself. That's a bit too extreme for even the WWE to exploit.

memeber WWE acts like Benoit never existed and they want nothing to do with the benoit name so I truly doubt wwe would even think of something like that, however in the attitude era, it wouldnt've been thought about twice, they wouldve used it in a heartbeat

Owen Hart died in the attitude era. That was an accident and they didn't take advantage of it at all so I doubt they would with Benoit. Unless Jeff Jarrett winning the IC title that Owen was meant to win counts; he got a big push after that.

 

[Jerichomark85]

Yeah, they got a push...just like Rey and Chavo got a push. However...something had to be done and the show had to go on. They had two athletic young men you can just flat out go. Why not give the push from Beniot's vacancy. The circumstances surrounding the whole ordeal sucks, no doubt, but They would have been pushed eventually anyway. I don't think it should be used and I think Beniot should be forgotten. I was a huge fan of his, but that one act wipes away a wrestling legacy imo. There are plenty of other ways to push these guys than to use Beniot.

 

[d_henderson1810]

No matter what you think about Chris Benoit, there are other people to consider. If WWE exploit Chris's death on TV, they are also exploiting Nancy and Daniel's as well, since one was the result of the other.

I think that it would be considered tasteless because of who else was involved. Besides, I didn't really agree with what they did with Eddie either.

The writers need to be creative enough to not need to use death as a storyline.

 

[BIGJUICYNIPPLES]

imo if vince even attempted to use cm punk or john morrison in a push as a result of benoits death it would have buried WWE think about it wwe is turning pg and a wrestler kills not just himself but his wife and kid, and wwe uses it for a push? just why? if you wanna push someone push them the normal way, the idea of having morrison say he had somthing to do with the death would be IDIOTIC, and the news would tihnk what fucking sickoes watch this rubbish.

 

[THE Madcap]

I love how everyone STILL goes on about the steroids being the factor that spiked the murders... There's NO concrete evidence to suggest that steroid abuse leads to homicidal tendancies. As the autopsy diagnosed, his brain was fudged from years and years of physical abuse from his line of work.

Either way, I like the way Jake is thinking, but really, it's far to risky for WWE to even consider given the bad press they got for the Benoit ordeal and their recent lean towards PG programming.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I love how everyone STILL goes on about the steroids being the factor that spiked the murders... There's NO concrete evidence to suggest that steroid abuse leads to homicidal tendancies. As the autopsy diagnosed, his brain was fudged from years and years of physical abuse from his line of work.

I don't believe in roid rage. I've taken them and I'm as calm as anything, always. But he was on them and I'm mostly on about Punk using that as a way to promote clean living and putting himself over.

 

[TomSmithUK]

I don't think the WWE could have ever attempted to use Benoit to push people and achknowledge it. It would have been too far, I know it's been said before that WWE pushes the envelope, but look at how Hogan is being killed in the media (Stateside obviously, in the UK we don't have a clue he makes OJ jokes).

Eddie and Benoit, imo, died from the same thing. They were both trying so hard and putting everything into their craft that they killed themselves. I know that Eddie had a heart attack and didn't kill his family, but I sincerely believe that Benoit was not a well man. His brain was scrambled, his marriage was on the rocks (as far as I'm aware) and I'm sure to what was left of his brain, it was the only solution left to him. It was tragic, but not evil. But there was no way the wider world was ever going to believe that, and even if they did, the media would never portray it that way, because it doesn't sell papers.

That being said, I always wondered about his tribute show. I'm not entirely sure that WWE wasn't aware of the circumstances of his death. I always thought they must have known, and that the respect for him as a wrestler was so great that they put the tribute show out before it was known he killed his family, knowing after it became public knowledge they would have to distance themselves from him.

I personally wasn't a fan of Eddie's death being exploited, I always thought that achknowledging his signature moves being used by others would be fitting enough.

 

[JPTunis]

during the actual match before anyone knew that Benoit had died, neither Tazz nor Joey Styles once mention during the Punk/Morrison match that they match was originally supposed to be a 4-way with Benoit and Burke as well. Even when the crowd are clearly chanting 'WE WANT BENOIT' does anyone mention that he had not turned up at the show. They pretended that a 1 on 1 match was the original plan all along.

Not entirely true. They had a tournament for the title which came down to Benoit and Punk... that was the original match. During the broadcast, they mentinoed that Benoit had a "family emergency" and wouldn't be able to make it so his replacement was Johnny Nitro. Burke and Nitro weren't planned to be in the match at all and the lack of Benoit was definitely addressed.

 

[thachozenonebx]

Benoit was NOT ROIDED TO THE GILLS when he died!!!!
his testosterone levels were high but after the autospy was done, they didnt find any actual steroids in his system. Please report the facts!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't believe in roid rage. I've taken them and I'm as calm as anything, always. But he was on them and I'm mostly on about Punk using that as a way to promote clean living and putting himself over.

But how often did you take them and how many milligrams at a time? If I remember correctly, Benoit's testosterone level was more than 10 times what you would find in a normal, healthy adult male. Arguments have been made that the use of steroids in moderation can be beneficial. Abuse of steroids, as Benoit was obviously doing, will have negative consequences just like those of any other drug. You pump enough hormones into someone and you potentially have a time bomb on your hands. I don't believe in roid rage qualifies as some form of insanity or mental defect, at least not according to the law or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but I do believe it exists. Certain people are probably more prone to violent fits or rages while taking 'roids than others, but I'd say that it's a safe bet for almost anyone to have at least one attack if they take them long enough and in large enough quantities.