Chris Benoit was known for many things in professional wrestling. He was a tenacious competitor that laid beatings down on many Superstars. His career spanned many promotions including New Japan Pro Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. He accomplished many things in his career, including holding a total of 16 different titles across all the promotions he wrestled for, which includes becoming ECW Tag Champions with Dean Malenko, securing the WCW World Heavyweight Title, United States Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, and WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as well as winning the Royal Rumble in 2004.
In Retrospect: Chris Benoit’s Death
With all these accomplishments, Benoit is most remembered by fans for one thing, and that one thing did not happen in the wrestling ring. On June 24, 2007, Benoit committed a double murder/suicide in his Georgia home. On June 25, police entered his home and found the bodies of Benoit, his wife, Nancy (formerly WCW valet Woman) and their 7-year old son, Daniel. This event has led to much speculation on how much WWE knew, and this article won’t delve into speculation, but one thing is for sure, WWE has erased Chris Benoit from its history books, going so far as to removing his name from being able to be searched for on the WWE Network.
After the death of Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit grieved heavily for loss of his best friend. He was distraught, and his journal that he kept showed it. It is sad to know that Benoit handled this death so emotionally with what seems like little support. If there is anything we can learn from this horrific event it is that WWE should provide all services needed for their superstars. It will never be known if Benoit’s actions could have been stopped had he sought professional help in the grieving process. However given the results it definitely would not have hurt to try. Despite this horrific event there is no denying that Benoit is a storied superstar who brought his passion for wrestling into the ring every time he entered the squared circle. Despite the championships, the wins, the passion, Benoit will forever be known for those tragic events that took place on June 24, 2007.
If you are battling depression, the grieving of a loved one, or suicidal thoughts call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 – you do not have to deal with this alone.
