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Chris Benoit

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Chris Benoit
Born(1967-05-21)May 21, 1967
Canada Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedJune 24, 2007(2007-06-24) (aged 40)
United States Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Chris Benoit
Pegasus Kid
Wild Pegasus
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight
Billed fromEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Trained byStu Hart, New Japan Dojo
DebutNovember 22 1985

Christopher Michael Benoit (IPA: [bə'nwɑ]) (May 21 1967 – June 24 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler who wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Benoit ascended to the top of his profession, winning the World Heavyweight Championship in both WCW and WWE, becoming one of the most popular athletes in professional wrestling in the process. Benoit's technical wrestling skills were lauded by fans and critics alike.

Chris, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia home on June 25 2007. Police ruled that Benoit killed his wife and son, and subsequently hanged himself.

Career

KILLER OF FAMILIES!

In wrestling

Benoit with the Crippler Crossface (Arm trap crossface) on MVP.
Chris Benoit performing a Diving headbutt to MVP at WrestleMania 23.

Championships and accomplishments

1. Benoit's reign with the championship isn't officially recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment. No reign prior to December of 1997 is recognized by the promotion.
2. Benoit's PWI Wrestler of the Year award was won with a record 72% of the voters.

Personal life

Along with Daniel (born February 23, 2000), Benoit had two children from a previous marriage, David (born 1993) and Megan (born May 26, 1997) with his ex-wife Martina.

In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as "irrevocably broken" and alleging "cruel treatment." She later dropped the suit, as well as the restraining order filed against her husband.

Benoit's lost tooth was usually credited to training or an accident early on in his wrestling career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet Rottweiler: one day while playing with the dog, the animal's skull struck Benoit's chin and his tooth "popped out."

Benoit became good friends with wrestler Eddie Guerrero following a match in Japan, when Benoit utilised an Enzuigiri kick and knocked him out cold. This started a friendship that lasted until Guerrero's death in late 2005. He was also close friends with Dean Malenko as the trio traveled from promotion to promotion together putting on matches, eventullaly being dubbed the "Three Amigos" by commentators, a reference to the rolling verticle suplexes done in threes that the trio all innovated.

According to Benoit, the Crippler Crossface was borrowed from friend Dean Malenko and eventually caught on as Benoit's signature hold.

Double murder-suicide

Main article: Chris Benoit murder-suicide

Template:Wikinewspar3 On June 25 2007, Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia, home at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Lieutenant Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Georgia Sheriff's Department reported to ABC News that police entered Benoit's home on a "welfare check" after several missed appointments, leading to concerns. Pope also stated the police were not searching for any suspects outside of the house, as the instruments of death were located at the scene of the crime.

Detective Bo Turner of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department told television station WAGA-TV that the case was being treated as a murder-suicide. The station reported that investigators had discovered that Benoit murdered his wife and son over the weekend and hanged himself sometime on Monday.

It was first reported to fans of WWE on their WWE Mobile Alerts Service and posted to their official website soon after. On their website, World Wrestling Entertainment released the following statement:

World Wrestling Entertainment is deeply saddened to report that today Chris Benoit and his family were found dead in their home. There are no further details at this time, other than the Benoit family residence is currently being investigated by local authorities. Tonight’s Raw on USA Network will serve as a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy.

WWE cancelled the scheduled three hour long live RAW show on June 25, and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers. However, once the details of the events became apparent, WWE quickly and quietly began distancing itself from the wrestler by removing merchandise and no longer mentioning him in any way, shape or form.

Toxicology reports released on July 17 2007 revealed that at their time of death, Nancy Benoit had three different drugs in her system: Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic, rather than toxic, levels.

Daniel Benoit was found to have Xanax in his system, which led the chief medical examiner, Kris Sperry to believe that he was sedated before he was murdered.

Chris Benoit was found to have Xanax as well as hydrocodone in his system. It was also revealed that in his body was an elevated level of testosterone, which is caused by synthetic testosterone and was the only steroid in his system. The chief medical examiner has considered this a mystery, but attributed it to Benoit possibly being treated for a testosterone deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse.

The examiner also ruled that the drug GHB was not present in any of the three bodies, and that there was no indication that anything in Chris' body contributed to his violent behavior that led to his death as well as his wife and son's, concluding that there was no "roid rage" involved.

Many of Benoit's close friends, including former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho defended the accusations of "roid rage", saying Benoit was a quiet person, and said that he believed his friend was fighting a private battle with mental illness.

In 2003, Chris Benoit was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame. As a result of Benoit's double murder-suicide, his induction will undergo a recall election in 2008. Benoit will be removed from the Hall of Fame if 60 percent or more of the WON Hall of Fame voters elect to remove him. This is similar to the policies of the Baseball and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

On August 30 2007, Benoit was discovered to have been given illegal steroids not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness program in February 2006. Benoit received nandrolone and anastrozole. Eddie Guerrero and Brian Adams, were discovered to have been given steroids prior to their deaths during this investigation, as well as former WWE superstar Sylvain Grenier‎ and eleven current WWE superstars, which have been suspended in accordance with the WWE Talent Wellness program.

After the double-murder suicide, Chris Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, was contacted by former wrestler Chris Nowinski. Chris Nowinski suggested that years of trauma to Chris Benoit's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, and results showed that "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient." Benoit's brain was shown to have an advanced form of dementia and was similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who have suffered multiple concussions, sank into depression and harmed themselves or others. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioral problemsCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Notes

  1. "WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and family found dead". June 25 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. "Chris Benoit profile". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  3. "WWE Canadian wrestler Benoit, wife and son found dead". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  4. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560001-2007300340,00.html
  5. "Authorities Confirm Chris Benoit Murdered Wife and Son". June 25 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/lightheavyweight/
  7. Associated Press (June 26, 2007). "Details of Benoit family deaths revealed". TSN. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  8. Martina Benoit says she still loved Chris
  9. ^ Associated Press (June 26, 2007). "WWE star killed family, self". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  10. "Released divorce papers and restraining order" (PDF). TMZ.com. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
  11. Interview with his father, "Hard Knocks" DVD
  12. ^ Benoit interview, "Chris Benoit: Hard Knocks" DVD, WWE Home Video.
  13. Malenko comments on Benoit, WWE Raw, June 25, 2007.
  14. "Canadian wrestler Chris Benoit, family found dead". CBC.ca. 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. Saeed Ahmed and Kathy Jefcoats (June 25, 2007). "Pro wrestler, family found dead in Fayetteville home". The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  16. "Wrestling Champ Chris Benoit Found Dead with Family". ABC News. June 25 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. foxatlanta (June 25 2007). "WWE Wrestler Chris Benoit, Wife and Child Found Dead". FOX News. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. "WWE postpones show at American Bank Center". Caller-Times. June 25 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. http://rajah.com/base/node/8566 Breaking News: Benoit Family Toxicology Results Revealed
  20. "WON HOF Recall Election on Benoit Next Year". Wrestling Classics. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  21. "Fourteen wrestlers tied to pipeline". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  22. "Pro Wrestling Suspends 10 Linked to Steroid Ring". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-09-01.


References

External links

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