Digging4Plunder has not posted his opening post in the time provided to him. I therefore submit my opening post.
Should WWE start referencing Chris Benoit back into their product within the next five years?
The topic of Chris Benoit is a minefield to walk through. I'd like to first mention that I find the loss of Benoit and the death of his family a tragedy, and that to this day I struggle with finding a balance between respecting the man who entertained me with his talents and abhorring the monster who took the life of his wife and child before taking his own. This isn't a very easy issue to discuss.
I for one will never forget Benoit's excellent ring work. I feel that any discussion about some of the best workers in the history of industry should in some way include his name. That being said, I don't feel his name belongs in a Hall of Fame. I think it would be a mistake to act in a manner which disregards his actions in favor of praising his career. The simple truth is that while the man was a talented wrestler, he murdered his wife and child. That is a level of infamy unmatched by anything else in the modern history of the industry save for Jimmy Snuka and José González, and even their crimes pale in comparison to Benoit's.
With all of this in mind, I present to you my argument as to why WWE should not bring back references to and footage of Chris Benoit into any of their products, including DVD's, televised content, or archived content beyond what they already acknowledge. Chris Benoit is dangerous to the WWE. This is based on two things: how the move would be harmful the company, and how the move would be tasteless and inevitably draw ire from both fans and critics alike.
Steroids, HGH, and Concussions: The lethal cocktail.
The combination of these things was not only lethal to Chris Benoit, but lethal to the WWE, and is to this very day. His death brought further scrutiny to WWE's long history with steroids and other illegal substance abuse. While the "roid rage" explanation for the events was cleared via scientific analysis, investigations into his and Nancy's medical history lead to Dr. Astin, a physician later found guilty of supplying not only Benoit but many other WWE Superstars with illegal prescriptions.
On top of this, Benoit's case has become a centerpiece of modern medical findings which link concussions and other brain trauma to dementia and depression, amongst other long term health risks. This is a problem affecting not only WWE, but professional sports like the NFL. WWE has begun taking slow steps to prevent such cases from reoccurring in the future, but they are forever linked to the controversy surrounding Benoit's double murder and suicide. The WWE, from a business stand point, should be in no hurry to remind the public of Benoit and his crime by reincorporating him back into the product.
Chris Benoit is beyond a shadow of doubt a murderer.
Beyond the analysis of whether the move would have any benefit or bring any harm to the WWE, the bigger issue is that at the end of the day Benoit is a murderer, and his actions were inexcusable by any means. If I could compare how I feel about this to anything else, I would have to (again) bring up Jimmy Snuka, and how sick I feel every time I see him, especially in the WWE. From a PR stand point, WWE gets away with this as not many newer fans are aware of who Snuka is, let alone the circumstances surrounding the death of his girlfriend in 1983. But where Snuka was somehow able to escape conviction, there is no doubt what happend in the Benoit house the weekend of June 22nd, 2007.
As I mentioned before, I can't forget Benoit's work, not even if I tried. I think to pretend he didn't exist would be foolish, as a wrestling fan. But as a human being, I can't condone praising or celebrating Benoit without the constant reminder of his crimes. This isn't Warrior spewing homophobic epithets at a college speaking engagement; this is a shame which cannot and should not be forgotten. It would be a mistake on WWE's part to reintroduce into the WWE zeitgeist.
Five years, six years, ten years...it doesn't matter.
In no way should WWE seek to increase Benoit's presence in their product. Any action they take which could be deemed as taking his actions lightly can and will backlash on them. Murderers should not by hyped; murderers should not be celebrated. No amount of time can pass in which Benoit's actions can be forgotten; the circumstances of his deplorably shameful actions are linked both to the fast spreading sentiment that athletes of all types need to be better protected from long term damage and to the ever growing perception of the wrestling/sports entertainment industry as a culture of death.
