Will Chris Benoit ever be inducted in the the WWE Hall of Fame?

[Dave]

I don't think this is ever likely to happen, in all honesty.

For all the great things that Benoit did inside of a ring throughout his long and journeyed career, he undid it all with one night of roid-rage and that will never be abolished. For me, I cannot find it within myself to see past the fact that he would be getting honoured posthumously, even after the atrocities that he carried out. I think it would be like a reward and people that do these sorts of things do not deserve rewards. The do not even deserve to be spoke of but the question of Chris Benoit will always be around. Simply because he was so good in the ring and is now a massive head-turner. If he had quite the WWE and then died along with his family in some sort of accident, then it would be a very different story altogether. I assume that he would have been given a spot like Eddie was and woud have been in the Hall Of Fame the very next year.

However, I assume that the WWE will never get over the fact that he murdered his innocent wife and child in cold blood. Nor should they. The man was a murderer and to reward him with such an accolade will only bring a shit-load of bad press onto the WWE. With the direction they are going in, they will never give him a place.

 

[M4xxWr3stl1ng]

Unfortunately... not. WWE Removed his existence. Every title he held (even tag ones) is black and you can't even see how he got it etc. I wish he would be in it... maybe in 2020?

 

[reddevil69]

Benoit was just about the best damn worker I ever witnessed on a consistent basis and I was a huge fan.Having said that, I do not think he will ever be inducted and rightfully so. He not only took two innocent people's lives, but one of them was a defenseless child. He committed one of the most chicken-shit cowardly acts ever for a celebrity and as far as human beings go, there is nothing lower than murdering a child. Then the coward goes and kills himself to escape the consequences. He should have offed himself and left his family alone.

I'd like to see any one on this forum who thinks that in a few years he should be considered because time has passed personally go and pay a visit to the Toffoloni family and tell them to their face that the man who took their daughter and grandson from them should be given a spot in the HOF.

He was one of the most gifted performers in the ring ever, but that does excuse his actions......real life is more valuable and important than the fantasy world of wrestling. He does not deserve to honored in any way...being inducted to any HOF is a privilege, not a right, and he gave up all rights to be recognized as someone deserving of the respect of peers and fans.

 

[TheLegendKiller777]

lol, you really are insane. You have mental issues. I guess you would like to see Hitler receive some awards or be named man of the year because he was a good leader right? Forget the millions of people he had killed, because he really ran his country well and was well on his way to taking over all of Europe. We should just look past the bad that he did, correct? You are crazy. Seriously, I think you should be examined by a professional. Oh, and the guy who also doesn't care what Michael Vick does in his free time. Chris Benoit killed his family and himself, but he did one hell of a head butt off of the top rope! WTF?!

i tottally agree i wasnt even going to post till i sa that ******s post.. like ok people listen ive been a fan for my hole life and i dont even look at benoit the same, yeah he was good while he was around but not a chance now, vince even said too never speak his name and forget he existed.. now the tiger woods thing, like leave the guy alone? if i cheat on my girlfriend do i have to tell the whole city?? the whole nation that im sorry? even if i wa a celebrity?? FUCK NO id tell ya to fuck off just like he should of done, what a man does in his personal life is one thing as somethin so normal and lifestylish like tiger did thats a example of taking away from his professional life, i dont see that as a big deal at all its stupid really that people think that about woods, its his damn personal life at least he didnt kill anyone. everyone fucking does shit like that and noone cares just cause hes famous should mean no different, but the benoit thing, that on a completely different level

 

[OutsiderDX]

There are consequences for actions no matter how rightous a life is lived. No matter how good a person is. No matter how loving someone is. No matter how much talent inside. No matter how well you live, a terrible act has to be accounted for.

The legacy of a man's life must not go without suffering when his actions are so horrible.

The only thing a person has when he is gone is his legacy...the memories and opinions of people still alive. Chris Benoit was hard working, talented, respectful, or all accounts loving. The consequences he faces is that his life and qualities can not be celebrated.

Thee WWE HOF celebrates people and careers. Chris Benoit can not be celebrated.

 

[sxander1975]

I agree. A man of great talent and ability, but revolting end to his personal life. As much of a fan I was of The Wolverine, I could NEVER for give him for his actions. Hall of Fame represents the wrestler not just inside, but outside the ring as well. For that reason alone, I say NO to Chris Benoit.

 

[Bats]

it's been proven that Chris Benoit had brain damage, dude went insane and the tragedy of it is he was beaten/driven insane because of this business. If anything, he gave the ultimate sacrifice for the wrestling business, he lost his reputation, his life, his family, everything for what he so dangerously loved. It's not like he was in his right mind and he decided to go on a killing spree, he was legitimately not himself (piece of meat for a brain) and all of the medical data and police reports have proved this. How can you be held totally accountable for your actions if you are not even in control of your brain at the time?

He's one of the best that's ever done it, and I truly believe that decades from now he should be revered for what he did in the ring...

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Personally, I don't think WWE will ever put him in the Hall of Fame. That's unfortunate, because I feel he deserves it for his career accomplishments.

I am one of the many who was a fan of Chris Benoit as a wrestler. When he burst onto the scene, he made an impact. Whether it was in Japan, ECW, WCW or WWF/E, he was definitely was one of the best workers. His character was simple, effective and prototypical. For a long time, he was my favorite wrestler.

But behind the scenes and backstage, it obviously was far from perfect.

Like many others before me on this thread have said, what he did to his Nancy, his son and himself were all deplorable actions. If the WWE were to do put him into the HOF, there would be strong emotions from both side of the aisle. Does Benoit deserve to be in because of his career? Yes. But as said earlier, actions in and out of the ring should be taken into account when immortalizing someone in your Hall of Fame and putting that person on a pedestal as one of your best. Whether it was from years of brain damage or steroid use from being in a business that is so competitive and just destroys you physically, what he did just cannot be overlooked.

While Chris may be forgiven someday by God, the Toffoloni family, his family and friends, the WWE has chosen to sever all ties it had to Benoit and erase him from their record books. Again, wiping out such a spectacular career is a sad thing, but it is understandable from a business standpoint. VKM made his decision to distance himself from that situation, and he will not likely change that stance. While many of us will remember the good times and the successes Chris accomplished in his wrestling career, they will unfortunately be forever marred by that tragedy.

Because of that, I believe you will never see Benoit in the HOF. However, does he need to be in the HOF to be remembered as a great wrestler? No he does not.

 

[ccotreau1]

The way I look at it, his actions regarding the deaths of Nancy, his son and himself aside are the only thing keeping him out of the HOF...If he did not commit the crimes he did, I would have no issue saying that he is a HOFer.

 

[The Con Volt]

Unfortunately... not. WWE Removed his existence. Every title he held (even tag ones) is black and you can't even see how he got it etc. I wish he would be in it... maybe in 2020?

See... It's this kind of response that bothers me a little. In his life and career in wrestling, Chris Benoit the wrestler would be a sure fire shot in the hall of fame. But I don't see how anyone can even go as far as to hope that Chris Benoit the man would be granted this honor. Yes he was a great wrestler, but his final act on this earth, IMO, should have been enough for every wrestling fan to allow our love for Chris Benoit the wrestler completely disappear. Maybe I'm being to harsh, but I can't even watch a Chris Benoit match anymore. What he did was far too damaging.

 

[waylonmercy]

Chris Benoit had a hall of fame wrestling career and a hall of shame personal life!

I don't see any murderers ever getting into ANY hall of fire for any profession. Had he been the one murdered he would be inducted next year when it is held in Atlanta. The WWE would receive incredibly negative publicity by inducting him and the WWE is trying hard to improve its image to be more family friendly.

It will most likely take a great deal of "controversial" honors for disgraced people in order for the WWE to even consider inducting him.

 

[trkoeller]

FUCK BENOIT!. How in the hell could ANYONE even consider or hell bring up Benoit in the HOF? He doesn't deserve it. Anyone that goes in and kills his wife and seven yearold son shouldn't be even considered for any award.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I love Benoit as a wrestler, in my opinion he was one of the all time greats.

With that said it would be extremely foolish to put him in the HOF. Does his credentials as a wrestler merit going to the hall of fame? Of course, but the thing is to 99% of the world Chris Benoit isn't a great wrestler, he is basically known as a psycho killer plain and simple. I mean Pete Rose will never get into the HOF because of gambling and I don't think anyone could dispute that Pete Rose doesn't deserve to be there, but its bad publicity to do such a thing.

As great as Benoit was, his actions in his final days pretty much nullified anything he did in his career.

 

[littlered1]

i think considering that we do not know what really happened that night, he should be inducted into the hall of fame. he was an excellent wrestler and gave a 110% every time he entered the ring. kids and adults alike,thought he was an excellent entertainer. i'm very sorry for his family and loved ones, i can't imagine what it was like and is still like. there's talk and proof of steriods being used in crazy amounts. so i say give him what he earned and put him in the hall of fame
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tsull2121]

FUCK BENOIT!. How in the hell could ANYONE even consider or hell bring up Benoit in the HOF? He doesn't deserve it. Anyone that goes in and kills his wife and seven yearold son shouldn't be even considered for any award.

The whole point of the Hall of Fame is to recognize the accomplishment the particular wrestler achieved IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER.... not in their personal life. Steve Austin is a wife beater, Superstar Billy Graham is a drug abuser, so is Eddie Guerrerro ... and I am sure that a whole SLEW of inductees are alcoholics... does that take away from their IN RING accomplishments? Not in the least.

Chris Benoit AABSOLUTELY deserves to be in the Hall of Fame without question.

Youre gonna sit there and have the GALL to tell me that KOKO FREAKING B-WARE deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but Chris Benoit DOESNT?!?!

What the hell are you smoking pal?

 

[pun2003hh]

Anything that Benoit accomplished as a wrestler was automatically negated when he did what he did. He does not deserve to be celebrated, and truth be told, coming away from the effects that it had on those immediately involved, his actions did more to the damage the industry then his 20 years of performing did to help it.

I don't agree with erasing the man completely from history, for no other reason then to preserve history as accurately as possible. But in no way should he be celebrated.

 

[theBIGdealAndyP]

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What's been proven? He never faced trial. What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? He can't be proven guilty or not guilty, because he took his own life.

Look, I'm not saying he didn't do it. I think he probably did, considering all the evidence. But the evidence has never truly been tested, because there can't be a court-case. There are no witnesses either, so all anyone is stuck with is probable guilt.

You can't just say that he's guilty because the police say so. Many times, innocent people are suspected of crime by police. According to statistics, 90% of murders are committed by a family or friend, so the police always suspect them first. In this case, they would immediately suspect Benoit, and have no reason to think otherwise. But again, the police aren't perfect. Also, a couple of things don't add up. Firstly, evidence was apparently tampered with, which could have affected the investigation. Also, Kevin Sullivan, Nancy's ex-husband, who would normally be a suspect, was not even interviewed by police. Why not at least check his alibi? I'm not accussing Sullivan, but it seems that the cops had already made up their mind.

I just hope that if any new evidence, or new twists in the case emerge, the police will investigate it, rather than write it off as just a "wrestler" dying.

Finally, would you say the same thing if it were Eddie Guerrero, or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin , or some other "over" wrestler. I think that fans are quick to believe the story too, because it is a "boring, lesser" wrestler, who they weren't as emotionally invested in as much.

To answer the original question,no, he won't be in the Hall-Of-Fame. Hell, if it wasn't for winning the Rumble and the title at WMXX, he probably wouldn't get that recognition regardless.

Vince is editing Benoit out of everything, not as a concerned citizen, but I suspect as retaliation to the embarrassment the incident caused in exposing the WWE's lax attitude towards drug use, and its sham Wellness Policy.

wow.... wow.... wow... you are rather the must gullable man on the planet or just a flat out ******.... sarah palin can come after me all she wants, i will use the word ****** over and over to anyone who dares speak the name of schmiss schmenoit... the man ruined EVERYTHING! wanna know why WWE is PG? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why theres no more "violence towards women"? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why theres no more chair shots to the head? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why, after WWE went mainstream, it went right back to being a running joke with people outside of the wrestling community? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why hes been edited out of everything? because he did not mean anything to the wrestling world in the long run, you can delete every match that he was in, all his title reigns, every storyline he was apart of and it will not make one difference, because, he didnt mean anything... who cares if he was good technically, there were a LOT of wrestlers more technically gifted that HHH didnt job out to. his wrestling was very hard to watch, his face with those vacant eyes even more, everytime i saw him (pre-double murder suicide) i thought, this guy is 5 foot nothing, roided out of his mind, has no personality, and im supposed to care about him? wow! the crippler crossface!!! try doing it to 1 of your friends (i dont care if WWE says dont try at home), at worst your just gonna annoy them, then he would put their arm between his crotch, as if that made the move that much more devestating, his skill set was no better then jericho, regal, or for that matter any one in the indys, he just did it with "ruthless aggression" or in other words, FULL OF ROIDS!!!! i dont think he deserves to even have his name mentioned with the hall of fame unless its the biggest a-holes of all time hall of fame, then i might vote for him, as long as they dont list his name... i cant even stand the sight of the guys f-ing name! no hall of fame... ever...

 

[austin black]

likely not anytime soon, i can see in 10-15 because the wwe will then come out to say benoit suffered from mental problems, the people calling him a monster and what not, please understand the man's brain was so diminished that it wasnt even his fault, its not like the man planned this, or harbored these feelings....the mans brain was literally mush and he could not think right......benoit does deserve, because along with angle and bret he WAS the greatest technical wrestler.....

 

[pun2003hh]

The whole point of the Hall of Fame is to recognize the accomplishment the particular wrestler achieved IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER.... not in their personal life. Steve Austin is a wife beater, Superstar Billy Graham is a drug abuser, so is Eddie Guerrerro ... and I am sure that a whole SLEW of inductees are alcoholics... does that take away from their IN RING accomplishments? Not in the least.

Chris Benoit AABSOLUTELY deserves to be in the Hall of Fame without question.

Youre gonna sit there and have the GALL to tell me that KOKO FREAKING B-WARE deserves to be in the Hall of Fame but Chris Benoit DOESNT?!?!

What the hell are you smoking pal?

Actually man, you should be asking yourself that question. Comparing alcoholism and drug abuse to Murder is insane. No, those are not great attributes for a man to have, but to take the life of another person is on a whole different level.

But let's just say we go along with your argument. Yes, his in ring accomplishments were vast, but what he did outside of the ring did more to destroy the industry of pro wrestling then his 20+ years of contributions to it in the ring. It brought a massive amount of heat down on the industry and has reaffirmed the stigma of wrestling being a dangerous, uncontrolled profession.

 

[X]

wow.... wow.... wow... you are rather the must gullable man on the planet or just a flat out ******.... sarah palin can come after me all she wants, i will use the word ****** over and over to anyone who dares speak the name of schmiss schmenoit... the man ruined EVERYTHING! wanna know why WWE is PG? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why theres no more "violence towards women"? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why theres no more chair shots to the head? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why, after WWE went mainstream, it went right back to being a running joke with people outside of the wrestling community? schmiss schmenoit... wanna know why hes been edited out of everything? because he did not mean anything to the wrestling world in the long run, you can delete every match that he was in, all his title reigns, every storyline he was apart of and it will not make one difference, because, he didnt mean anything... who cares if he was good technically, there were a LOT of wrestlers more technically gifted that HHH didnt job out to. his wrestling was very hard to watch, his face with those vacant eyes even more, everytime i saw him (pre-double murder suicide) i thought, this guy is 5 foot nothing, roided out of his mind, has no personality, and im supposed to care about him? wow! the crippler crossface!!! try doing it to 1 of your friends (i dont care if WWE says dont try at home), at worst your just gonna annoy them, then he would put their arm between his crotch, as if that made the move that much more devestating, his skill set was no better then jericho, regal, or for that matter any one in the indys, he just did it with "ruthless aggression" or in other words, FULL OF ROIDS!!!! i dont think he deserves to even have his name mentioned with the hall of fame unless its the biggest a-holes of all time hall of fame, then i might vote for him, as long as they dont list his name... i cant even stand the sight of the guys f-ing name! no hall of fame... ever...

HOLY FUCK you are a COLOSSAL fucking moron. As are the rest of you going "Blah blah blah Benoit didn't mean anything he was a nobody"...umm, what the FUCK are you talking about? Maybe you missed out on Wrestlemania 20, the biggest Mania of them all up that point, but it ended with the entire focus on Chris Benoit celebrating in the ring after defeating Triple H and Shawn Michaels, two men who have basically been the top dogs in the WWE together for the last 15 years and have more pull in the company than anyone else. And Benoit beat both of them, in a Wrestlemania main event, IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, the sacred ground of the WWE. I'm sorry, if you think that moment can be wiped away with no difference, you are a moron.

SO MUCH fucking ignorance in this thread about Benoit. Benoit was a world champion on several different continents, held world titles in the two biggest companies in wrestling history (WCW and WWE), won the inaugural Super J Cup in 1994 in Japan (AKA the most infamous wrestling tournament OF ALL FUCKING TIME and one of the most acclaimed shows EVER) as well as the shitload of other titles he won in ECW, WCW, WWE, and around the globe. You are a fucking moron if you actually think Benoit wasn't a big deal, the man was one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live and put on more five star classics than half of you could count on both your hands and feet.

Does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? No. I mean, yes, his CAREER does, but after what he did there's just no reason to induct him, not for a very, very long time. The wrestling community is still dealing with the horror of that night, and it will be a very, very long time before the WWE is even willing to openly discuss that he existed.

But seriously, all of you shitting on Benoit's career...shut the fuck up, you clearly do not know what you are talking about whatsoever, Benoit was one of the most respected and acclaimed wrestlers to ever live on this planet.

 

[Caustic]

After reading everyone's thoughts, some stick out really clearly. Someone said "Chris Benoit had a hall of fame career, but a hall of shame personal life" Agreed. To many people, Benoit's personal life represented the worst aspects of the wrestling biz. He used banned drugs, he murdered, he committed suicide. From a WWE standpoint in a PG era, damn right you would want to distance yourself from Benoit as much as possible. Teaching kids that "yes, you can be great on TV but be a terrible person in real life and get rewarded from it" is definitely wrong.

But the PG era will eventually end years and years down the road. And just like Eric Bischoff's book title: Controversy Creates Cash, this minefield of a subject may be brought up in the far future. FAR future. And that's if it ever happens. Just the public's reaction to Benoit could translate into ratings. He would be the most controversial inductee in WWE HoF history. That line alone has appeal to those who value money. Of course WWE would have to whether the crazy backlash, and justify themselves as to why they would ever do such an insane thing. The mainstream media attention would be crazy, and almost all negative.

I believe they can separate themselves enough to show respect to the wrestler that they knew. As a longtime wrestling fan, I -- like many of you who posted it -- don't like to see big black marks in the WWE history books to stomp out a name. I know why they did it, but that name should still be printed.

There is only one possible person capable of representing Chris Benoit at a HoF cerimony. Someone who is articulate, intelligent, and would know how to say all the right things about the subject: CHRIS JERICHO. He is the only one with enough possible skill to do this. But why would he? They were friends, and had a long history together. If you pick up Chris Jericho's book, there is a foreword about erasing Chris Benoit from the pages he wrote. He didn't do it. He left Benoit in there because he had some sort of respect for his memory. From many of the posts, there is a general agreement that his career alone is HoF worthy.

Benoit's brain was medically proven to be a pile of mush...although coherent, he still did those acts. He DID. There is no denying it.

I'm going to go hide in my bomb shelter now.
Don't shoot the messenger!

 

[Барбоса]

As has already been stated, Chris Benoit was one of the finest athletes to ever step foot in a wrestling ring. He took part in some of the biggest tournaments and biggest events in wrestling history. He won virtually every major title. He truly was one of the greatest.

However, what he did on that fateful night has ruined and superseded everything that he accomplished in his 40 years. Perhaps wrestlers and fans might be able in time to look past how Benoit's life ended and remember with fondness the joy that he brought to those who watched him. I myself will never forget his match with Kurt Angle at the Royal Rumble.

However, the world outside wrestling who only know Benoit due to the double murder suicide will never forget and because of that and the negative propaganda it would bring, Chris Benoit will never be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame.

 

[D-Man]

Does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? No. I mean, yes, his CAREER does, but after what he did there's just no reason to induct him, not for a very, very long time. The wrestling community is still dealing with the horror of that night, and it will be a very, very long time before the WWE is even willing to openly discuss that he existed.

But seriously, all of you shitting on Benoit's career...shut the fuck up, you clearly do not know what you are talking about whatsoever, Benoit was one of the most respected and acclaimed wrestlers to ever live on this planet.

This basically sums up any argument I can come up with.

No one can possibly deny Chris Benoit's contributions to professional wrestling. He is far and away one of the all-time greats. Tough as nails, gritty, technical, lightning-fast wolverine... that's how we'll remember Benoit. Unfortunately, we'll also remember the fact that he murdered his autistic, 8-year old son and innocent wife before hanging himself. But this, in no way, shape, or form, could ever "negate" what he did for professional wrestling. However, since the Hall of Fame is such a public ordeal and affair, I don't see the WWE ever finding any kind of resolution that would allow Benoit to be inducted into the HoF.

 

[Kamaria]

Not now. 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years down the line? Possibly. It'll still be controversial, but not nearly as much as it would be now.

There is no doubt at all that his wrestling accomplishments alone merit an induction. As far as the murders go, time heals all wounds. Chris Benoit was never tried for the crime, and we never may know why he did it or if it were a setup or not. I'm not denying the very strong possibility he did do it. But regardless of all of that, in time, Chris Benoit will be remembered for his wrestling accomplishments and not what he did at the end of his life.

 

[GSM]

I´m sorry, but this is one of the most ridicolous threads I´ve ever seen, Chris Benoit will never be in any Hall of fame.

He killed his wife, his 7 year old son and them himself, he was responsible for the biggest tragedy ever in the history of this industry and there´s no denying it, and please don´t argue with me by throwing The Von Erich deaths at me or any of that kind.

What Chris Benoit did was a devastating blow to the WWE in many ways, and since the even he has never been mentioned once in any sort by neither WWE.com or a current worker of the WWE, he will never be in the Hall of Fame and if he is ever going to be inducted the WWE would risk losing all of their credibility and I mean all of it.