Impossible to Forget.
This week marks the third anniversary of the horrific Benoit murder-suicide case. An event that quite literally altered the face of pro-wrestling forever. Never before, in years of deaths, drugs and controversy had the industry, and specifically Vince McMahon come under such scrutiny. For me personally however, the tragedy was more than a shift in the industry. It was the loss of a hero and a heartbreaking experience that is near-impossible to live down.
But of course, I don’t need to tell you this. Chances are, by virtue of the fact you’re reading this, you are a wrestling fan or you were at some stage. And if that’s the case, you almost certainly knew of Chris Benoit. And it was very hard to know of Chris Benoit and not be instantly blown away by his unprecedented talent and hard work. Chris Benoit was renowned and respected. A gem in the wrestling industry. Huge mainstream success, and a dedicated legion of hardcore wrestling fans supporting him all the way. His heart and commitment to the business was what made him. But, ultimately it was what killed him
The truly sad thing about the death of Chris Benoit, is that he was a victim of this industry. Professional wrestling killed Chris Benoit. People point the fingers at drugs. People point the finger at concussions. And indeed, they share the blame, but it was these things and more, collectively making up the professional wrestling era that Benoit came up in, that lead to his demise. Chris Benoit endured every tortuous aspect of the game throughout his 20 year career. Starting as early as the vile abuse suffered in Japanese dojos when Benoit was breaking into the industry, the long-term affects of such mental trauma could not have been anticipated. As the years went by and Benoit came close and close to the big leagues, naturally steriods came into play. This of course lead to more drugs. At the time of his death, Benoit was said to have been on many steroid-related medicines, such as male hormones to help his body cope with the lack of steroids. Then of course we had the latest talking point of the industry; concussions. This is what makes some of Benoit’s matches so hard to watch. The trademark style of Benoit was one that was without fear, and was extremely dangerous. Harder bumps, bigger dives, stiffer shots, no protection on chair shots, shots to the back of the head, the list goes on. It was a recipe for disaster, and looking back in 2010 it’s quite shocking to think how things like this were tolerated. Also shocking is the lack of medical care wrestlers received in decades past. This violent abuse lead to concussions which went untreated.
Topping this off was the mental strain of the business. Not seeing your family. Constantly wanting to be better and in a better spot. The loss of friends like Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero. The hardship endured by men like Benoit.
In light of Benoit’s death, the industry has greatly changed and it’s for the better. But I just wish it was happening under better circumstances.
To this day, I don’t know how to feel about Benoit. He was one of my all time favourites growing up, and as I got older I truly respected him as the living legend he was. But it’s so hard to shake from your memory the horrific circumstances of his death. The last decade or so I’ve been dipping in and out of wrestling. In 2007, I was a part-time viewer, but I didn’t watch ECW which was the brand Benoit was on. Like everyone else, my immediate reaction when I found out he had passed was great sadness. I couldn’t believe this had happened, much like when Eddie died. It was impossible to comprehend. Then it became apparent his family had died. And then over the course of 24 hours, the details began pouring out and the wrestling world fell apart. There wasn’t a wrestling fan in the world who could have seen this coming or known how to feel about it. And as I say, to this day I still don’t know. Maybe somewhere down the line it’ll get easier. But for no, we’ll just have to try and get on with our lives.
Thanks,
Barry
PS. Here’s a wonderfully made video, covering the tragedy, made by th3rd of the MV Zone.
“The truly sad thing about the death of Chris Benoit, is that he was a victim of this industry.”
I thought he was a victim of Bowflex?