First and foremost, this is my thoughts on Chris Benoit, the Wrestler.
Not to get too deep or sentimental, I stopped watching wrestling in 1995. For the obvious reasons, Kevin Nash and Mable, main eventing Summerslam, that should be enough right there. The business was shit. The old timers were clogging up WCW, WWF was clogged with senseless, talentless big men that wouldn't know a wristlock from a wristwatch.
A little company called ECW caught my attention, and slowly, i came back to the world of professional wrestling. With the infusion of the N.W.O. into WCW, and the WWF beginning to get it's attitude, I slowly came back and was hooked on the product I loved. During this time, my taste in wrestling changed. No longer was I attracted to the slow big lumbering giants sucking up air time, or men ten years out of their primes speaking mindless promos and holding onto their spots. No, my interest was new this time.
WCW brought in their cruiserweights and smaller wrestlers, and I'll tell you what, I was hooked. Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Misterio in WCW. Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Taz in ECW and guys like Mick Foley and Steve Austin in the WWE. These guys became the core, and to this day remain so, the core of what I consider wrestling should be. These are a bunch of guys that busted their ass for this business, didn't politic, didn't pull strings, didn't play mindless games with managment to keep their spots. These are guys at the age of 15, I knew were the future of this business, and knew should be the guys people look to.
Benoit stood out to me though. His viscousness in the ring, and his violent feud with Kevin Sullivan was all I needed. I have been a Benoit fan for over a decade. The great thing with Eric Bischoff was, he didn't know how to book Nitro to save his ass. Instead of putting the cruiserweights throughout the show, the dumbass booked them in the 8-9 o'clock hour. All of the WCW wrestlers I mentioned were done by 9. I realized the rest of the night was going to be Hogan being mind numbingly dull on the mic, and NWO beat down, and Sting dropping from the rafters.
I was in Cincinnati when Benoit won the WCW Championship, and then throwing it in the trash the next night. I stood and cheered like a little kid seeing WCW actually give the belt to someone with talent. Benoit was worthy of the belt, probably the most worthy to hold that belt as far as in ring ability, since WCW's inception, and Sting and Flair swapped the title.
I couldn't have been more happy with Benoit jumping ship to WWE with the Radicals. Finally, a group of guys that busted their ass got their shot in the WWE, and the WWE responded. Benoit was in two main events of pay per views within 9 months of his debut. The WWE gave us a "Dusty" finish in both matches, as Benoit won the title both times, only to be unceremoniasely stripped of the title.
Benoits feud with Kurt Angle starting at WM 17 was perhaps my favorite feud of all time. Benoits match with Angle at WM was amazing, his Ultimate Submission match at Backlash the next month, another instant classic. Then you have the 2 out of 3 falls the next month at Judgment Day. Also, you must include Angle vs. Benoit in the Steel Cage. Some of the sickest spots I have ever seen in a cage match.
There are so many other countless things I could say about Chris Benoit the wrestler. I haven't even begun to get to his matches with Jericho, RVD, Guerrero, Triple H.
One of my proudest moments as a wrestling fan came in January of 2003. Boston, MA. Royal Rumble 2003. Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle battle in perhaps the greatest WWE championship match I have ever seen. Angle finally forces Benoit to tap out, then they go to promo. After the promo, Benoit stands in the middle of the ring, Boston gives Benoit a Standing Ovation. I was amazed, and the Benoit push was inevitable.
My Proudest Moment as a fan now, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero embracing in the ring at WM 20. Two guys that came up together, in the biggest scene in the business, finally got the job done.
People may consider me, naive, blind, in denial, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. My personal opinion, Chris Benoit, next to Kurt Angle, is the best, greatest in ring performer I have ever had the privelage of watching live or on TV. In my opinion, Chris Benoit should be in the WWE HoF, but won't. His accomplishments in the ring warrant his entry into the HoF.
While this situation is indeed tragic, and words can't truly express how I feel, I think this has opened peoples eyes. We don't know as fans, everything. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors. We don't know a damn thing about these people. My only wish is, people wouldn't look at this situation as Black and White. There are a million shades of gray in between, and we may never know what spawned this horrendous act.
Chris Benoit, the Wrestler, one of the best ever, period.
WWE. should not have turned their backs just yet no matter what in till all the facts are in. All of this is just a bad nightmare.My prayers are with the whole family.We will all know soon I hope.