The "Real" Wolverine passes away.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Today is my Birthday but its also a sad day. Chris Benoit , LEGEND in this era as the greatest technical wrestler going was found dead today in Atlanta. His family as well. Its just so horrific. I know many YABS posters don't follow Pro Wrestling but Benoit is almost a Tom Brady or a Geoff Johns who many would miss.

Benoit worked for every major organization it seems from Japan to ECW , to WCW to WWE now. He was nicknamed the rapid Wolverine for his fierce little tenacious , never say die . He wasn't big..he was 5-10 , 5-11 at most. But he like Wolverine excelled at putting on classic mat matches.

Benoit got the name the CRIPPLER as well. For an accident on Sabu. But the man was just that good. Its hard to believe wrestling will go on without a Chris Benoit there. I watched him for years....

[Crowley]

Jesus really?

I haven't kept up with wrestling, but I did see a promo for tonight being a look back at McMahon...

I thought he had died... but it turned out to be a fake story.

[hellokittykat]

This is horrible.
It's terrible enough that Chris and his wife were killed but what kind of monster kills the little boy too?

RIP Benoit Family

[Cam63]

My condolences to his loved ones.

[Hybrid2]

I just heard about this.

I'm surprise the news in Quebec havent talk about it yet.
He is from Montreal.

Aparently they where not shot.poison?

This is horrible news.:(

[Cam63]

I haven't heard/read any more details.

[Corrina]

The news article I just read didn't say 'homicide.' It said 'found dead' but they were not shot.

That could mean anything at this point. It could even be a case of carbon monoxide poisoning. There was a case in CT where a tennis pro died that way, because of some sort of faulty heating/cooling system.

One of the other alternatives is, hopefully, off the table. I have to say as someone who covered crimes as a reporter, the person most likely to have killed a family is someone in the family, like that guy in Ohio who shot his wife and kids. I don't think this is the case here, though, or at least police are being careful not to indicate it is the case.

Sorry for your loss, SuperE, and my condolences to the Benoit family relatives and loved ones.

ETA: ABC News reported police were investigating the deaths as homicides.

[Dazzler]

Well, the article i read said it was a murder/suicide. That Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend and himself on Monday.

And RAW played a three hour tribute to him that night....kind of....questionable taste considering what's come to light.

Also, Happy Birthday! :)
Sorry it had to be spoiled by your sad news.

--Dazz

[Wingnut]

By all accounts, everyone thought of him as being the best human being one could be. Apparently no one at WWE thought he could be more than a victim of this tragedy. I can't say that I blame them. They were just grieving for a friend they had lost, when not many facts were available at the time.

He was one of the greatest. I will miss him.

If he committed this heinous crime...I hope he gets what he deserves in the afterlife.

[Lester C.]

This is horrible.
It's terrible enough that Chris and his wife were killed but what kind of monster kills the little boy too?

RIP Benoit Family

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286673,00.html

I was suppose to be in lurker mode today, but this story has me in shock. I've watch the man preform all my adult life and I just can't belive what I'm reading. This just has to be a mistake of some kind. Just has to be, like when they say Eddie od and it was just a heart attack, but as I pointed out in another thread the evidence doesn't look good.:(

[Night Swordsman]

It is a real tragedy,and sad that this came to pass.

[wishlish]

WWE started the show at 8 EST- the news reports that it was a double homicide suicide didn't start until 10 EST. They didn't know, though I suspect they might have had a hint. At the time, a leading pro wrestling "insider" thought that the cause might have been some sort of poisoning, like carbon monoxide, so it's not implausible to think that most of the talent didn't know what was going on.

Benoit was to appear at Sunday night's Vengeance and fight CM Punk for the ECW title. He didn't show, claiming a family emergency. When he didn't check in today, WWE started calling around to see what was going on. I'm not sure if the police or a neighbor found the bodies.

I'm in shock and sick to my stomach. Benoit was known as one of the truly good guys in wrestling. I'm still hoping we hear that this wasn't what we think it is. He was known to be devoted to his wife and family. To think that he committed this horrible, awful act just blows my mind.

[Azrael52]

Damn. My friend that I used to watch wrestling with called me out of the blue tonight telling me about their deaths. It was right after the tribute started. I had not heard these other accusations. That's too, too sad. Hope it's not true.

[Azrael52]

Also, Happy Birthday, man. Sorry about the news. It kinda reminds me of back when I was real heavy into wrestling. I got married on May 22, 1999. The next day, my wife and I were having such a great time on our honeymoon. We'd stopped into a little homemade candle store in Eureka Springs, and out of the blue, over the radio came the news of Owen Heart's tragic death at Over The Edge PPV.

[Crowley]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2916498

The station said that investigators believe the 40-year-old Benoit killed Nancy and Daniel over the weekend, then himself on Monday. A neighbor called police, and the bodies were found in three rooms.

According to Pope, there were no signs of gunshot wounds or stabbing. Authorities are not ruling out other causes, such as poisoning, suffocation, or strangulation.

Pope told ABC News "the instruments of death were located on scene," but would not specify what those instruments are or where in the house the bodies were found. Pope added the department is "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house."

The house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and a double-iron gate. On Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, along with two uniformed officers.

it's not looking good...

[Lester C.]

It's looking like he killed her in a crime of passion. Took a day to think of what he should do, and then decided to kill the kid, after coming up with a story to the WWE that would explain their deaths hence the phone call about them coughing up blood. Then in the end he couldn't live with what he'd done and killed himself and god I hope I'm wrong as can be on this one.

[Crowley]

me too man.

[Cam63]

I just heard on the news it's currently been treated as a murder-suicide with him as the only suspect.

[The Xenos]

Sigh. Well, whatever it was, it's God awfully sad. May God or whatever you believe in be with all these poor people.

[geordiesteve]

I only just heard about this now and as a big WWE fan I'm horrified and deeply saddened. Chris Benoit is one of the rocks, the people you know will always be there. I can still see this solid man crying like a broken child when his best friend Eddie Guerrero died a few years ago and that shook me. This....I'm just numb.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

[Alan Lynch]

It's a fucking horrible story, and I hope to God the speculation about Benoit being the culprit is wrong. Sad enough for a young family to die like that, but if one of their own did it? Man.

[JTPencils]

It's sounding more and more like it's a murder suicide deal here. Which is sad, as his peers at the WWE (at least from the tribute show last evening), he was all about family and respect (getting and giving)...

But I do have to say, the other performers didn't seem to be AS broken up about Benoit's passing, as they were by Eddie a couple of years ago. They were visibly upset... just not as seemingly shattered.

It's quite possible that there were family issues going on there that we'll never know about... but it's still a sad situation.

He was a great performer... that's all I'll say about it.

[Super Sonic]

I still refuse to believe that he did it.

Not until I read concrete evidence.

I won't it.

It's just not fucking right.

[geordiesteve]

From what I've read Benoit was a very private person, and although he was obviously well known and respected, he didn't have many close friends backstage. So while people are shocked, they weren't in floods of tears compared to Eddie, who was everyone's best friend.

[Corrina]

Could steriods have played a part, plus depression because of his friend's death?

I'm sorry the obvious turned out to be true and that someone who you all respected turned out to be capable of this kind of thing.

[shrike]

I still refuse to believe that he did it.

Not until I read concrete evidence.

I won't it.

It's just not fucking right.

Well, just because something isn't 'right' doesn't mean it is not true.

The most recent reports state that when all the info is released it will all seem very bizarre.

A shame this happened. It really is a tragedy on so many levels. Just makes one think what could really drive someone to do something like this, especially to a child. :(

[Alan Lynch]

Much as I'd like to be able to remember Benoit purely based on his skills as a performer, if the current speculation plays out and he did snap like this it's going to be tough. I can't imagine what would push a guy to kill his own son, especially one so young.

[Corrina]

Unfortunately, too many people, from all walks of life, do it all the time.

Witness the cop who killed his pregnant girlfriend in Ohio, or the man who killed his whole family then shot himself in the leg. Or, hell, OJ, though at least he left the kids alone.

The sad fact of it is that people we know are more likely to do violence on us than people we don't know.

I read an article a few weeks back about a woman whose ex-husband had killed their three children and himself in her house, so she'd find them all there. She's married again now, with little twins. She said "hell is only one step away but I refuse to take that step."

[Weetomuncher]

I can't believe this.

[Royal]

Could steriods have played a part, plus depression because of his friend's death?


Steroids? No. I don't think so. While 'roids is a part of "the culture", if Chris was into anabolics and HGH, his looks and ring performance would suggest that he would have be someone who knew the product and actually craft it around his abilities. He wasn't the kind to tear a quad a second time and then go complain about it.

No, the thing that made him great amoungst fans and wrestlers alike was his pedigree and in ring ability. He was a "pro-wrestler" as opposed to a "sports entertainer". Roids wouldn't make sense.

Depression could work. Mixed with the hellish schedule as well as heavy concussions, it could have scrambled his health mentally and emotionally.

[shrike]

Steroids? No. I don't think so. While 'roids is a part of "the culture", if Chris was into anabolics and HGH, his looks and ring performance would suggest that he would have be someone who knew the product and actually craft it around his abilities. He wasn't the kind to tear a quad a second time and then go complain about it.

No, the thing that made him great amoungst fans and wrestlers alike was his pedigree and in ring ability. He was a "pro-wrestler" as opposed to a "sports entertainer". Roids wouldn't make sense.

Depression could work. Mixed with the hellish schedule as well as heavy concussions, it could have scrambled his health mentally and emotionally.

Whatever it was I am guessing we will all know sooner than later.

[bfrank]

Let's not compare wolverine to this monster.......

[Lester C.]

Let's not compare wolverine to this monster.......

Wolverine, in the comics, is like the worst mass murderer in history. More so in the Ultimate universe than the 616 one, but still.

[Alan Lynch]

Let's not compare wolverine to this monster.......
I don't think it's fair to call him a monster just yet. We don't know the exact circumstances of what went on, even though at this point it's all but confirmed that he killed them. As Corrina and others have said, depression could be a factor here. I suspect Benoit's hasn't been well for a while now, and something snapped last week. It's a black mark on the man's name, but without evidence he did this for a bit of a laugh I'm not comfortable with words like "monster" here. They don't fit the image I have of a man who'd do something so out of character so suddenly.

[Corrina]

Well, how do we know it was out of character, really? How do we know anyone in the public eye is the same as they present themselves?

For all we really know, Paris Hilton has a genius IQ and is laughing all the way to the bank. Not likely, I imagine, but I don't think someone who knows someone from only their public face really knows the person. O.J. certainly presented himself as other than what eventually came out during the trial--I'd certainly have never guessed from all his broadcast work or his football career that he was capable of what he did.

[Alan Lynch]

Well, how do we know it was out of character, really? How do we know anyone in the public eye is the same as they present themselves?
Very true. But the fact that the police went to his house because WWE employees suggested he was acting strange suggests that someone who knew him properly would've picked up on something like this. I suppose it's more about keeping an open mind at this point, having had experience of mental illness myself. I just don't like a term as strong as "monster" being applied before everything's come out.

[Lester C.]

Now this I can see happening.


"My second cousin is an officer with GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigations) and what he's heard in his circle is that Chirs Benoit's wife killed their son Daniel, called Chris and told him to rush home because of an emergency which is why he missed last Sunday's Vengeance PPV. Upon arriving home Benoit killed his wife in a rage for the death of his son and then killed himself Monday morning. His wife's body was found in the master bedroom, strangled with the cord from an alarm clock. The son's body was found in his room appearantly suffocated with a garbage bag. Chris then wrote a suicide note explaining what had happened, apologized to his family, his other children (from a seperate relationship), and his fans. He the fasioned a slip-knot noose from from rope taken from the garage and hung himself from the ballaster in the foyer of his suburban Atlanta home."

This could be bullshit, but I thought I'd put it out there.

[shrike]

Now this I can see happening.

Actually close but wrong.

Sports Illustrated stated that police are saying he was responsible for both murders.

Edit: http://www.tmz.com/2007/06/26/benoit-murder-details-revealed/

Ugh. I never watched wrestling but... ugh.

[Corrina]

Now this I can see happening.

Why? Because you're heard less about his wife?

We (the public) really aren't in a position to judge if it was more likely that she'd kill than he would.

[Lester C.]

Why? Because you're heard less about his wife?

We (the public) really aren't in a position to judge if it was more likely that she'd kill than he would.

Chris Benoit provided me hundreds of hours of entertainment and I looked up to the man since the mid nineties. I just WANT him to be least culpable as possible. The man was my hero and now it turns out that he may have just been another monster.:(

[Corrina]

Yeah, I feel bad for people who looked up to him, Lester.

But I agree with what Charles Barkley said many years back: he should be looked on as a great basketball player, not a role model. Role models are the people in your lives who help, who you know, who you look up to.

Not far-away athletes or entertainment figures. I admire a lot of the work that Angelina Jolie has done, both in charity and her acting, but I can't say she's a hero to me. I think I realized I couldn't look up to athletes in particular as heroes way back when, when it became clear Lawrence Taylor was a drug addict.

They're just people good at a particular skill or good at entertaining the public and they should be admired for that. Anything beyond....there's not much to done. Even Lance Armstrong. There's lots of circumstantial evidence that he might have cheated in his Tour De France wins. It doesn't negate his work on cancer, if he did, but you have to be careful with public figures, because while it would be nice if a great player/entertainer turned out to be a good guy, being an asshole or murderer and being a great entertainer are not mutally exlcusive.

Hey, look at John Byrne. Or Jim Shooter. Or J.D. Salinger.

Though, usually, they don't turn out to be killers.

[DoctorDoom]

Now this I can see happening.
My problem with that is it still makes out one of the parents to be a murderer.

[shrike]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424899/?GT1=10056

gets weirder and weirder....

sorry Lester.

[heystacy]

Damn.


........................

[Jack Zodiac]

Let's not compare wolverine to this monster.......

As always Frank, I can't tell if you're trying to make a joke, or just are a joke.

Whatever the case may be, this was tragic. It's a shame what happened to that poor woman and her child, and whether or not Benoit was responsible, it's a shame that he took his own life. And if he is a killer, it's still a shame that something could push a man who, by all accounts, was a loving husband and father, to do such a horrible thing.

[Lester C.]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424899/?GT1=10056

gets weirder and weirder....

sorry Lester.

I've used the word unbelievable many times before and didn't know what it meant. Not in my gut anyway. Today I do. I'm stunned right now, just stunned.

[hellokittykat]

This just gets more and more tragic.:(
There was more to this than steroids though. With this happening over several days, he would have had to keep shooting up to say that they were the cause of his snapping.

[stealthwise]

.................

[Citizen V]

Benoit was a good wrestler indeed.But this...

[bfrank]

I don't think it's fair to call him a monster just yet. We don't know the exact circumstances of what went on, even though at this point it's all but confirmed that he killed them. As Corrina and others have said, depression could be a factor here. I suspect Benoit's hasn't been well for a while now, and something snapped last week. It's a black mark on the man's name, but without evidence he did this for a bit of a laugh I'm not comfortable with words like "monster" here. They don't fit the image I have of a man who'd do something so out of character so suddenly.

You kill a 7 year old, any 7 year old, but especially your own, you're a monster.....

I'm less comfortable with the positive spin being applied to the monster......

[Cam63]

I'll wait until the official investigations are done.

[Erebus]

Oh my god. This is terrible. I practically worshipped Chris Benoit when I was growing up. To think he did something like this... it makes me feel cold inside. He was one of my childhood heroes. The worst part is, so far, they've found no toxins or evidence of substance abuse in Benoit's body, so we have to blame this awful tradegy on the man, not the drug. All the killings were deemed to be deliberate, instead of in anger.

[Major Comma]

the story made the oreilly factor tonight
oreilly blamed it on human growth syndrome found in benoits home
oreilly called it roid rage
he said thats what the police think at this point anyway
he seemed to want to make a point about steroid use and its dangers

[Crowley]

Just more evidence that:
Fame, money, success do not always equal happiness.

Those of you who liked him as wrestler can still like the guy... as a wrestler.

Just recognize that a deeply flawed, depressed guy lost his mind in the last stages of his life.

You have to recognize that the guy at the end doesn't negate the "good guy" for the first 39 years of his life.

Life isn't really binary... Good people can do evil acts.

[stealthwise]

Just more evidence that:
Fame, money, success do not always equal happiness.

Those of you who liked him as wrestler can still like the guy... as a wrestler.

Just recognize that a deeply flawed, depressed guy lost his mind in the last stages of his life.

You have to recognize that the guy at the end doesn't negate the "good guy" for the first 39 years of his life.

Life isn't really binary... Good people can do evil acts.

This, and Eddie's death two years ago have effectively killed any love for or interest in wrestling for me. Possibly forever.

I'm still quite sad about the whole thing, especially for Nancy Benoit and her son. No one deserves to have the man that swore to love and protect them forever do that to them.

[Lester C.]

I'll wait until the official investigations are done.

They are done. They are 100 percent sure he did it. The only question is why rather than if.

[Cam63]

That was my point too, Lester.

[Royal]

the story made the oreilly factor tonight
oreilly blamed it on human growth syndrome found in benoits home
oreilly called it roid rage
he said thats what the police think at this point anyway
he seemed to want to make a point about steroid use and its dangers

I rather have a coroner tell me what's up rather then orly pretending to be Quincy. Thanks.

[Lester C.]

That was my point too, Lester.

Here is what I think the point of the story. In our lives we have moments where we can transcend ourselves and forever change the world and in the process ourselves becoming much, much greater than what a normal human's limits are. if you look at Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Jesus Christ you can see my point in action.

Sadly it goes the other way. In our lives, through just a single moment of weakness, we can irrevocably shatter our life and all those our life touches. Once this moment has passed there can be no hope for absolution, forgiveness and everything we've done in the past no longer means a goddamn because of that one moment of weakness where we did something truly unforgivable. Had Benoit lived there is a very good change the State of Georgia would have done to him what he did to himself after he killed his wife and child.

[Chris Hansbrough]

Just more evidence that:
Fame, money, success do not always equal happiness.

Those of you who liked him as wrestler can still like the guy... as a wrestler.

Just recognize that a deeply flawed, depressed guy lost his mind in the last stages of his life.

You have to recognize that the guy at the end doesn't negate the "good guy" for the first 39 years of his life.

Life isn't really binary... Good people can do evil acts.

the thing is, yes it does. as far as I'm concerned the fact that he was my favorite back in the days when I was into wrestling......makesme ashamed of ever liking wrestling. He's not a good person. He is an evil jackass. e doesn't deserve any sympathy. or any aspect of remembering when he was a good man. He never was a good man. If you do something like this you lose that. you deserve to be deleted from history (It seems like wrestling is doing that) You don't deserve to be looked at as having been good in the past. He deserves to dissapear and be wiped from the face of the earth like he was never here outside of one thing....THe articles that point out that he was an abusive husband in that past as well as a child killing family murderer.

[stealthwise]

the thing is, yes it does. as far as I'm concerned the fact that he was my favorite back in the days when I was into wrestling......makesme ashamed of ever liking wrestling. He's not a good person. He is an evil jackass. e doesn't deserve any sympathy. or any aspect of remembering when he was a good man. He never was a good man. If you do something like this you lose that. you deserve to be deleted from history (It seems like wrestling is doing that) You don't deserve to be looked at as having been good in the past. He deserves to dissapear and be wiped from the face of the earth like he was never here outside of one thing....THe articles that point out that he was an abusive husband in that past as well as a child killing family murderer.

I have read no articles suggesting that he was an abusive husband, not before this tragedy occurred. I had read about other celebrities/athletes being involved in domestic violence incidents, but because I wasn't there, and because we don't know what happened, I don't judge.

This... this is disgusting, and I'm really, extremely sad for Nancy and Daniel Benoit. I can't tear about Chris Benoit though. I realize now that I never knew the man himself, never knew him personally, but also never knew what he was capable of, but he did showcase good qualities.

No one is completely evil, no one is absolutely irredeemable, but what he did was unforgivable, and it's likely that he knew that. We'll never know why he did what he did, but to completely dismiss him and claim that he was pure evil does a disservice to a hardworking man who devoted his life to a sport that led directly to his life taking a complete downward spiral, both mentally and physically.

Don't just write him off as "evil," but consider that perhaps many complex factors caused him to commit the ultimate sin, and that he just might have been a good person before he fell apart completely.

[stealthwise]

the thing is, yes it does. as far as I'm concerned the fact that he was my favorite back in the days when I was into wrestling......makesme ashamed of ever liking wrestling. He's not a good person. He is an evil jackass. e doesn't deserve any sympathy. or any aspect of remembering when he was a good man. He never was a good man. If you do something like this you lose that. you deserve to be deleted from history (It seems like wrestling is doing that) You don't deserve to be looked at as having been good in the past. He deserves to dissapear and be wiped from the face of the earth like he was never here outside of one thing....THe articles that point out that he was an abusive husband in that past as well as a child killing family murderer.

I have read no articles suggesting that he was an abusive husband, not before this tragedy occurred. I had read about other celebrities/athletes being involved in domestic violence incidents, but because I wasn't there, and because we don't know what happened, I don't judge.

This... this is disgusting, and I'm really, extremely sad for Nancy and Daniel Benoit. I can't tear about Chris Benoit though. I realize now that I never knew the man himself, never knew him personally, but also never knew what he was capable of, but he did showcase good qualities.

No one is completely evil, no one is absolutely irredeemable, but what he did was unforgivable, and it's likely that he knew that. We'll never know why he did what he did, but to completely dismiss him and claim that he was pure evil does a disservice to a hardworking man who devoted his life to a sport that led directly to his life taking a complete downward spiral, both mentally and physically.

Don't just write him off as "evil," but consider that perhaps many complex factors caused him to commit the ultimate sin, and that he just might have been a good person before he fell apart completely.

[Alan Lynch]

He had time to think about it. Fuck Chris Benoit. I'm sorry for any problems he had, and I'm sorry if he felt there was no way for him to deal with that. But this wasn't a brief lapse into rage or whatever. He had time to think about what he was doing, and he still killed his 7 year old son. As an athlete he was truly special. As a man, he was a cowardly, callous prick at the end. I feel horrible for the remaining family, and hope they can find some peace down the line.


You kill a 7 year old, any 7 year old, but especially your own, you're a monster.....

I'm less comfortable with the positive spin being applied to the monster......
Well I prefer to apply the term "monster" to guys like Amin, Pol Polt and Hitler. Or guys who systematically abuse children. Benoit just turned out to be a messed up fucker.

the story made the oreilly factor tonight
oreilly blamed it on human growth syndrome found in benoits home
oreilly called it roid rage
he said thats what the police think at this point anyway
he seemed to want to make a point about steroid use and its dangers
O'Reilly's an ass though. If it was just "roid-rage" then he wouldn't have taken the time between murders. He wouldn't have been able to mingle with the people who knew him best without them noticing something was up. I think the guy clearly had some serious issues, and the drugs might have been part of that, but I think old Bill's being a tad simplistic here.

[MartinRedmond]

I'm only sorry his wife and son died. Don't be deluded and think he just killed them out of nowhere. There probably was a long history of hidden domestic violence.

[hellokittykat]

I have read no articles suggesting that he was an abusive husband, not before this tragedy occurred.

I had not heard anything either but apparently there were signs before:

Despite those appearances, Nancy Benoit had filed for a divorce in 2003, saying the couple’s three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging “cruel treatment.” She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424899/?GT1=10056)

It's very hard not to change my original statement of 'RIP Benoit Family' to 'RIP Benoit Family, Go to Hell Chris'. Especially when I think of what that little boy must have gone thru, having his mother killed, being trapped in the house with her body for almost a day, then being killed himself.
Horrible.

[Cam63]

Yep.
-----

[Major Comma]

horrible sinful crime no two ways about it

[stealthwise]

I had not heard anything either but apparently there were signs before:

Despite those appearances, Nancy Benoit had filed for a divorce in 2003, saying the couple’s three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging “cruel treatment.” She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424899/?GT1=10056)

It's very hard not to change my original statement of 'RIP Benoit Family' to 'RIP Benoit Family, Go to Hell Chris'. Especially when I think of what that little boy must have gone thru, having his mother killed, being trapped in the house with her body for almost a day, then being killed himself.
Horrible.

Definitely, it's a very hard situation to deal with, especially for his fans. I'm not saying that he deserves no judgment or hatred for what he did, but it's absolutely insane that in a "sport" like wrestling, where every little tiny black mark on your record gets noticed and scrutinized to a Paris Hilton-extent, at least on the internet, that nothing like this was ever brought up before. The fact that Benoit was able to hide his personal life, apparently a very tumultuous and perhaps violent one, so well is truly scary. People need to take this incident as an example of the extremes that pro wrestling can take an individual, and take some steps towards changing things for the better.

Benoit is not the first wrestling death this decade, or hell, even this year, but this whole tragedy should be a big warning sign.

[Lester C.]

The plot thickens. Benoit's wiki entry mentioned his wife's death hours before authorities knew about it. The IP address of the computer that updated the wiki file is from Standford Connecticut, which is where the WWE corporate office is located.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/28/wrestler.ap/index.html

[Crowley]

the thing is, yes it does. as far as I'm concerned the fact that he was my favorite back in the days when I was into wrestling......makesme ashamed of ever liking wrestling. He's not a good person. He is an evil jackass. e doesn't deserve any sympathy. or any aspect of remembering when he was a good man. He never was a good man. If you do something like this you lose that. you deserve to be deleted from history (It seems like wrestling is doing that) You don't deserve to be looked at as having been good in the past. He deserves to dissapear and be wiped from the face of the earth like he was never here outside of one thing....THe articles that point out that he was an abusive husband in that past as well as a child killing family murderer.

Again... you appreciate that he was a good wrestler.

You can also imagine that he might have been a decent guy who at the end went over the edge. Do you think his wrestling buddies imagined he could have done this shit and payed tribute to him?

Probably not... why would they? This guy who hugs his wife and kisses his son when he wins a championship?

Just saying it seems a little gray as far as the nature of the dude's character throughout life.


The history of domestic violence is horrid, as is the fact that his child had Fragile Syndrome X.

This reminds me of the Andrea Yates and the Vermont shooting story... we can hate the act and be angry at the person...

But no SANE person kills their children or random people. Something is fucked in the head of someone who does that. Something snaps...

And the lesson we need to learn from that is understanding, paying attention to cries for help, and compassion... or we get more monstrous acts.

[Corrina]

Andrea Yates had a long and very well documented history of mental illness, including aural hallucinations.

The shooting in Vermont? The fellow just passed away last week, from a brain tumor.

Those are pretty clear cases of the brain chemistry being miswired or damaged.

Benoit was a sicko but not mentally ill, not by any legal definition. Jeffrey could probably break it down better but he did something horrific, in full knowledge that he was doing so. His rationalization of it no doubt made sense to him, though not to us, but that doesn't make him mentally ill.

What Benoit did is far closer to what the cop who killed his pregnant girlfriend in Ohio did. Of course, they both had screws loose. But that didn't rise to the level of mental illness or a brain tumor---face it, they were able to choose what they did, and if Benoit's steriods contributed, then he was the one who choose to take them, knowing what they could do. Hell, for all we know, they could have contributed to his son's condition, considering how they mess up testosterone.

Basically, some men who get overwhelmed sometimes decide to take events into their own hands and kill their families, making their choices for them. It's a sick kind of ownership issue. It's what John List did, in absolute cold blood, with a completely clear mind, though he did not kill himself. He wasn't mentally ill by any definition. He was just a man who decided he was in charge of his family and decided to murder them to get out of it.

I don't know what went through Benoit's mind with all this. But unless more information comes out that he has a history of mental difficulties requiring hospitalization, then he's not crazy in any legal or moral sense.

He's just a murderer who did some good things in his life, and two very, very wrong and evil things.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

What Benoit did is far closer to what the cop who killed his pregnant girlfriend in Ohio did. Of course, they both had screws loose. But that didn't rise to the level of mental illness or a brain tumor---face it, they were able to choose what they did, and if Benoit's steriods contributed, then he was the one who choose to take them, knowing what they could do. Hell, for all we know, they could have contributed to his son's condition, considering how they mess up testosterone.


Fragile-X from Wiki describes is a rare genetic trait . Nancy and Chris must have both been carriers. Benoit has 2 other children and last I heard they don't have what Daniel had.

[Crowley]

I thought the Vermont killer, killed himself at the end of it all?

I believe he had had multiple cases of head trauma and wasn't there an addiction to pain killers?

Add to that his best friend dying a year ago on top of whatever else... and it's possible people would go a little plooey.

I'm not justifying what the dude did.

Just saying who knows what might have contributed to this all.
Heidi posted a comment a gentlemen made about having had depression and not killing anyone... but everyone's brain chemistry is pretty unique.

[Crowley]

Holy shit...

At 12:01 a.m. Monday, about 14 hours before authorities say the bodies were found, someone updated Benoit's page on the Wikipedia site stating that the reason he missed a match Saturday night was "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy."

The posting was made by someone using an IP address registered in Stamford, Conn., where World Wrestling Entertainment is based, said Cary Bass, a representative of Wikimedia Foundation of St. Petersburg, Fla., the parent company of Wikipedia.

Just saw Lester posted this as well... but WOW...

[Chris Hansbrough]

Again... you appreciate that he was a good wrestler.

You can also imagine that he might have been a decent guy who at the end went over the edge. Do you think his wrestling buddies imagined he could have done this shit and payed tribute to him?

Probably not... why would they? This guy who hugs his wife and kisses his son when he wins a championship?

Just saying it seems a little gray as far as the nature of the dude's character throughout life.


The history of domestic violence is horrid, as is the fact that his child had Fragile Syndrome X.

This reminds me of the Andrea Yates and the Vermont shooting story... we can hate the act and be angry at the person...

But no SANE person kills their children or random people. Something is fucked in the head of someone who does that. Something snaps...

And the lesson we need to learn from that is understanding, paying attention to cries for help, and compassion... or we get more monstrous acts.

I have every right to fucking hate the shit out of the fuck. I have every right to say this tarneshes everything he ever did. you want fucked up...you want to lecture me on understanding try this. in my freshman year in high school....I was friends with a guy.....you might have heard of him....Kip Kinkel....I was visiting a new school one day because I was looking to transfer out of the private school I was at. I wanted to go to school wiht the guy I met at the therapists office who I had become really good friends with.....so I was on my way one morning to visit Thurston High school. Or at least I got there to the sound of him shooting 30 kids (a bunch of whom were people I new. A couple I was and still am friends with) after he killed his parents..........so my opinion may be a little colored by dealing with a deranged fuck...which is what benoit is. he wasn't sick....this was cold and calculated. he tied his wife up before he killed her for gods sake.....not Benoit deserves to rot in hell and be wiped from existence altogether.....

[Crowley]

he wasn't sick....this was cold and calculated. he tied his wife up before he killed her for gods sake.....not Benoit deserves to rot in hell and be wiped from existence altogether.....
Sorry to hear about your ordeal... I remember reading about Kip Kinkel...
He also had a history of clinical depression right?

We won't fully know what the happened until the news reports the toxicology.
And hate him all you want, but my greater point is dude obviously snapped.

Whether the snapping was chemically based or psychological.

And AGAIN we need to learn understanding, paying attention to cries for help, and compassion... or we get more monstrous acts.

[Crowley]

he wasn't sick....this was cold and calculated. he tied his wife up before he killed her for gods sake.....not Benoit deserves to rot in hell and be wiped from existence altogether.....
Sorry to hear about your ordeal... I remember reading about Kip Kinkel...
He also had a history of clinical depression right?

We won't fully know what the happened until the news reports the toxicology.
And hate him all you want, but my greater point is dude obviously snapped.

Whether the snapping was chemically based or psychological.

And AGAIN we need to learn understanding, paying attention to cries for help, and compassion... or we get more monstrous acts.

[Crowley]

oh and hate him all you want...

[ACertainMrDoe]

No need to be so excessively vindictive.

Chris Benoit died a caterpillar. Daniel Benoit died a butterfly.

[Alan Lynch]

The plot thickens. Benoit's wiki entry mentioned his wife's death hours before authorities knew about it. The IP address of the computer that updated the wiki file is from Standford Connecticut, which is where the WWE corporate office is located.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/28/wrestler.ap/index.html
That's just mental. This whole thing is getting darker by the day. Bad enough that a young family have died, but it's starting to look like the plot to a movie now.

[Arawn]

The Coroner is refusing to do a brain matter scan. This would, if performed, prove beyond any doubt that it was either a act of evil or caused by a mental problem stemming from his repeated head injuries. Currently it is believed repeated head injuries can cause people to become psychotic, manic depressive and a host of other mental illnesses. Doctors and most sports agencies are trying to avoid any such testing due to the sheer number of people that could be at risk.

Steroid Rage would have caused him to commit both murders in a short amount of time, so we know this was not the case. Anyone claiming such has no understanding of how steroids can effect the mind. But actual brain damage is a possibility and can only be proven/disproven by a scan.

[hellokittykat]

I turned on one channel where an 'expert' claimed that steriods absolutely must have been the cause. Literally three minutes later I flipped to another channel where another 'expert' was saying that steriods absoulely were not the cause.
It was infuriating to see these shows employing so-called experts to speculate on what happened.

[Azrael52]

Son of a bitch. Reading the articles linked to in this thread, now, and damn. That's major weird and sick.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

The Coroner is refusing to do a brain matter scan. This would, if performed, prove beyond any doubt that it was either a act of evil or caused by a mental problem stemming from his repeated head injuries. Currently it is believed repeated head injuries can cause people to become psychotic, manic depressive and a host of other mental illnesses. Doctors and most sports agencies are trying to avoid any such testing due to the sheer number of people that could be at risk.

Steroid Rage would have caused him to commit both murders in a short amount of time, so we know this was not the case. Anyone claiming such has no understanding of how steroids can effect the mind. But actual brain damage is a possibility and can only be proven/disproven by a scan.

The DA's office should order that scan be made. The toxicology results won't be back for months so a scan could help.

[Hybrid2]

They dont want to do the scan because it could tell why he did it?

What kind of investigation is that?:confused:

[Arawn]

A brain matter scan is expensive, and if a few more murder/suicides committed by athletes were linked to brain damage it would have far reaching implications.

Where would the NFL, Boxing, Hockey, UFC, ProWrestling, hell even soccer be if they were able t show enough of a link between repeated head injuries (especially concussions) and mental illness. Doctors that treat athletes, insurance companies, and the sports organizations are all opposed to further study.

3 similar cases have been studied where they showed a direct link between multiple concussions and homicidal/suicidal behavior in athletes. Chris Nowinski a former pro wrestler that was forced to retire due t multiple concussions, and has had mental difficulties because of them has researched this extensively. Here is a small bit about his research, source New York Times via Prowrestling.com


In the article, it was also noted that Nowinski is trying to persuade the coroner to allow a brain exam to look for neurofibrillary tangles in the brain's cortex. This has been refused in the past; however Nowinski has previously been able to link the suicide of NFL defensive back Andre Waters to concussion induced depression based on forensic work done on Waters' brain matter. "Part of me hopes there was something wrong with his brain," Nowinski told the Times. "The Chris Benoit I knew was always more concerned about everybody else's well-being than his own."



Oh and as for the Wiki thing here is the follow up. Please read it all as it appears to have been a tragically timed speculation. source wiki and prowrestling.com


The anonymous individual responsible for suggesting, 14 hours before police discovered the body, that WWE wrestler Chris Benoit's wife was dead is confessing, saying his/her comment was a "terrible coincidence."

The anonymous editor left a lengthy apology to the Wikimedia community, explaining, "I hope this puts an end to this speculation that someone knew about the tragedy before it was discovered."

Below is the full, unedited apology:

"... Hey everyone. I am here to talk about the wikipedia comment that was left by myself. I just want to say that it was an incredible coincidence. Last weekend, I had heard about Chris Benoit no showing Vengeance because of a family emergency, and I had heard rumors about why that was. I was reading rumors and speculation about this matter online, and one of them included that his wife may have passed away, and I did the wrong thing by posting it on wikipedia to spite there being no evidence. I posted my speculation on the situation at the time and I am deeply sorry about this, and I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard that this actually would happen in real life. It is one of those things that just turned into a huge coincidence. That night I found out that what I posted, ended up actually happening, a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening, or so I thought. I was beyond wrong for posting wrongful information, and I am sorry to everyone for this. I just want everyone to know it was stupid of me, and I will never do anything like this again. I just posted something that was at that time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on wikipedia, as it is done all the time.

Nonetheless, I feel incredibly bad for all the attention this got because of the fact that what I said turned out to be the truth. Like I said it was just a major coincidence, and I will never vandalize anything on wikipedia or post wrongful information. I've learned from this experience. I just can't believe what I wrote was actually the case, I've remained stunned and saddened over it.

I wish not to reveal my identity so I can keep me and my family out of this since they have nothing to do with anything. I am not connected to WWE or Benoit at all in anyway. I am from Stamford as the IP address shows, and I am just an everyday individual who posted a wrongful remark at the time that received so much attention because it turned out to actually happen. I will say again I didn't know anything about the Benoit tragedy, it was a terrible coincidence that I never saw coming.

I hope this puts an end to this speculation that someone knew about the tragedy before it was discovered. It was just a rumor that I had heard about from other people online who were speculating what the family emergency Chris was attending to. I made a big mistake by posting this comment on his page, since all we had were what we thought was going on and nothing about what actually was going on yet, and sadly what happened turned out to be my speculation at the time. I assumed wiki would edit out my information, which they did, so thats why I didn't go back to edit it out myself.

I know I keep repeating it but I feel terrible about the mainstream coverage this has received, since it was only a huge coincidence and a terrible event that should of never happened. I am not sure how to react, as hearing about my message becoming a huge part of the Benoit slayings made me feel terrible as everyone believes that it is connected to the tragedy, but it was just an awful coincidence. That is all I have to say, I will never post anything here again unless it is pure fact, no spam nothing like that. Thank you, and let this end this chapter of the Benoit story, and hopefully one day we will find out why this tragedy ever actually happened."

[Sabrinaset]

A brain matter scan is expensive, and if a few more murder/suicides committed by athletes were linked to brain damage it would have far reaching implications.

We get asked by the DA's office to do medical scans and the like all the time. Considering what I've heard their budget is for this kind of stuff, they can easily afford it. It IS expensive, though.

I don't think you can link what Benoit did to brain damage though. Too calculated, too cold-blooded. I suspect he might have pulled something like this if he'd been a garbageman. In the end though ... *sighs*

[Lester C.]

In in other related news Mike Awesome has committed suicide. Many of you newer fans might not remember Mike, but if you watched the OLD ECW show or WCW you will definitely remember him as he was a big name.

Like Benoit Awesome had a history of steroid abuse and domestic violence and he decided to end it all by hanging himself. Unlike Benoit Mike didn't take anyone with him, so I consider his death somewhat tragic unlike Chris who got what he deserved after killing his family.

[Corrina]

Well, repeated concussions can cause permanent brain damage. Andre Waters, for instance, apparently had a brain that looked like an Alzheimer's patient.

And the former Steeler who went off the rails and died in a police chase also had a history of concussions.

In both those cases, though, family members had noted persistant depression and increasingly erratic behaviors, something I haven't seen mentioned in Benoit's chase as of yet. The Steeler led people on a high speed chase. Walters had increasingly erratic and violent outbursts. Neither one of them did something as carefully planned as what Benoit did, right down to putting Bibles next to the bodies.

The wikipedia entry thing is weird. I can only conclude that Benoit text-messaged someone at the wrestling HQ about his wife being dead and a rumor spread from there. If one is trying to determine how irrational or illogical Benoit was behaving in those hours, the text messages would be important indicators of his state of mind.

But a person can be a murderer and be capable of horrific things without being clinically mentally ill. In fact, most murderers are. Charles Stuart in Boston was certainly coldly calculating and only committed suicide when he got caught.

Re: The Vermont murders. We must be talking about two different cases, Crowley. My mom (who lives in Vermont) told me last week that the guy they'd had on trial for killing his wife died of a brain tumor. She said they'd probably never know exactly what the tumor did to him but the murder of his wife was so out of character that most people have assumed it was the tumor. I know my own stepfather's personality changed, at first subtly and then more apparent, as he became sicker with brain cancer.

[Arawn]

It is entirely possible that if and I do mean if, Benoit was suffering from mental problems, he came out of it before killing himself. Which would probably be worse than being a monster, to have done that with no control and then realized it before killing himself.

Mike Awesome had more head injuries than should have been humanly possible, he was also a dick. He screwed every company he ever worked for, and never had any respect for the fans. We were just a paycheck to him, and he told me so himself. But at least WCW made him do the "Fat Chick Thriller" gimic, that was some small justice.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

In in other related news Mike Awesome has committed suicide. Many of you newer fans might not remember Mike, but if you watched the OLD ECW show or WCW you will definitely remember him as he was a big name.

Like Benoit Awesome had a history of steroid abuse and domestic violence and he decided to end it all by hanging himself. Unlike Benoit Mike didn't take anyone with him, so I consider his death somewhat tragic unlike Chris who got what he deserved after killing his family.

Mike died months ago by the way. Its a tragic way his life ended. Lets be honest...he also couldn't work anymore as a wrestler and did have a job selling insurance or working at as a Real Estate agent. I think he was depressed he couldn't wrestle anymore.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424899/?GT1=10056

gets weirder and weirder....

sorry Lester.

Holy shit, I forgot that he was married to "Woman"......Who went by "The Fallen Angel" back in the 80's, when she was with Kevin Sullivan.

Pretty bizarre story, overall, and a true shame.