Before we begin what will most likely be career suicide for the lackluster writing career I’ve had; I don’t care, the subject needs to be addressed and lately I’ve seen more offensive tweets about this than I care to. It has led me to unfollow people, really angry rants, such as this, and a general disrespect for many in the wrestling community. Granted, from this one individual, wrestling has experienced its darkest hour and still survives to entertain millions today. Will it forever be a black mark? Yes, absolutely, but there is a few things that need to be said for posterity’s sake.
Disclaimer: I do no approve of what Benoit did in any way, shape, or form. However, there are things that people forget, or never consider in the matter.
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of Chris Benoit and the tragic murder of his family. This has always been a little more personal for me because a month and three days after this event my dad passed away. It’s tragedy piled on top of tragedy; if I could chose not to associate June/July this way, I would. This may contribute to my over sensitivity to the subject of Benoit, but that’s the way it is and there is nothing I can do about it.
This all started with a number of tweets from many different people saying, essentially, R.I.P. Chris Benoit the wrestler, not the person. First off, this is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard, and I’ll try to prove my case as best I can. Secondly, are we to believe that wrestlers aren’t people? If that’s the case then those that believe that wrestlers aren’t people are on the same level of those who antagonize wrestling fans with the statement: “wrestling is fake.” Of course it’s fake, that’s not why we watch it, we watch it to be entertained, we watch it for storylines, spectacle, and a shit ton of other “S” words that don’t immediately come to mind.
That was what Benoit was, he was an entertainer, wrestler, spectacle, and one of the hardest working men in the business at the time of his death. He bled wrestling and wasn’t afraid to take some serious bumps for the business. Hell, the man suffered a broken neck, and after surgery and rehab, still wrestled like he was in his prime. He never took it easy, he constantly challenged himself, and at WrestleMania XX won the World Heavyweight Championship. We all know this, and all the other accolades that he earned. In a way that Mania became about crowning the “poor man’s champions;” guys who deserve it and in most instances would have never been given the shot due to a lack of push, character depth, or something else. Guerrero and Benoit owned that Mania, had really great matches, and lived the dream. Both also died tragically.
Here are some facts. Studies were done on Benoit’s brain after his passing and tests have shown that his brain was so severely damaged, it resembled the brain of an 85 year old man with Alzheimer’s Disease. This was believed to has occurred by the receipt of a numerous concussions over the years, which led him to suffer from a really advanced form of dementia. This, coupled with increased testosterone levels, due to steroid use, has been believed to have caused him to commit this atrocity.
Let’s look at how he got these injuries…oh that’s right HE GOT THEM FROM WRESTLING HIS HEART OUT AND ENTERTAINING A FUCKING CROWD! Benoit bled for the WWE, WCW, ECW, Stampede Wrestling; every fucking organization he wrestled for. For the fans, the univ-fucking-verse; he lived for it, breathed it, sacrificed time away from his family for it, and even took performance enhancers to be better at entertaining a fucking crowd. Some may see that last part as selfish, but, from what superstars have said about him, it’s the most selfless thing that led to dire consequences.
What bugs me most is the people who never knew him, i.e. 100% of the social media community that take shots at him. If I didn’t know him and you didn’t know him, well then who do we listen to? Well there is his family and the WWE locker room. What have they said? He was a hell of a guy, a great father who would do anything for his family. I’ve never seen a Supertsar talk ill about him and nor would I want to. If you have hate, save it for Dave Meltzer, a man in the wrestling community to who deserves quite a bit of it. More importantly, don’t contain Benoit to a simple label like wrestler or murdered. He was a fucking human being, I’m sure you don’t know anything about that. Don’t forget the facts and don’t think you automatically know.
HELLIONS TEAM 
Excellent article. These idiots that call him a murderer and other horrible names probably were screaming off the top of their lungs for him when he would climb a ladder to perform a diving headbutt or came back after receiving a chair shot to the head. Suddenly, these hypocrites act like some type of flawless angels and judge the man as if they knew him and what was going through his head at the time of the tragedy. I’ve never been in that place so I refuse to judge the man after all the sacrifices he made just to entertain us. He has a Hall of Fame career and regardless of how WWE treats his legacy, I’ll remember it until the day I die and I’m not alone on this one.
And the sad thing is, once you voice your opinion in that way, some idiot will twist it around to fit their own definition and say “You should be ashamed for justifying the actions of a murderer”. STFU. I’m not defending his actions at all. They made me sad and everyone else, no way I’m gonna defend it, but I’ll try to get the best explanation out of it possible.
Lastly, this “I love the wrestler but the human being should burn in hell” thing is so stupid. You are halfway through knowing how to separate the tragedy from the wrestler’s in-ring career, now read up on the tragedy and realize that it was not an act of cruelness, but a tragedy caused by a man not knowing what he’s doing.
R.I.P. to Chris Benoit the person and his family. Those who have a problem with me not judging the man… I got two words for ya, SUCK IT!