Around The Ring
by Eric Knudsen (ericknudsen@aroundthering.com)
Well...it's been awhile since I have written anything. I wish
my return was at a better time but unfortunately, it's not. I
had planned a return and had updated my website and had an
interview pretty much all ready to go. Then, unless you are
living under a rock, you have heard the tradgic news that
happened earlier this week.
WWE Superstar Chris Benoit and his wife and their 7 year old
son were found dead. I knew nothing of this until about 8:15pm
Monday night. I got home a little late for Raw and was hum drum
about watching more of the crap angle with McMahon. I turned on
the tv to see a Royal Rumble match. I said to myself...well...
maybe they are running Vince's favorite matches or something.
Then I they showed a picture of Chris Benoit in the corner of the
tv screen that read "Remembering Chris Benoit". I just sat there
for a minute saying...uh...what?!! So I jumped up from my recliner
and logged onto one of the usual wrestling news sites I check out.
To my horror and shock...there it was. Chris Benoit and family found
dead earlier this afternoon in their home. The funny thing is, I didnt
cry like I did when Eddie Guerrero passed away.
As the evening went on, more and more details were being released. Slowly
it went from feeling sorry to somewhat of being dumbfounded. The police
were treating the situation as a double murder-suicide. At the time,
details were very sketchy. So that left a lot of room for interpretation.
Did Chris kill his wife and son? Did his wife kill chris and their son?
Who could really say?
Slowly, over Monday Night into Tuesday, more and more details were
released. Tuesday Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard and Lt.
Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department held a press
conference and gave the public more details of what they believed took
place. Chris Benoit had strangled his wife with an electrical cord on
Friday night, then soffocated his son Saturday. Then early Sunday morning,
Chris text messaged a couple friends in WWE before he took his own life by
hanging himself in the gym of the Benoit home.
Even as I write this now, I am still in shock. I don't know if I can ever
truely comprehend what has happened. Benoit was probably in the top 3 of
my favorite wrestlers and I loved watching him perform in the ring. Benoit
vs Angle were some of the best matches ever. I know I am reiterating what
other columnists have already said. I was glad to see the match where
Chris won the world title at Wrestlemania 20. I remember seeing that match
live and at the end I was screaming "Tap B****!! TAP!!!" To know me...I
dont do that.
But now...like some I am sure, I feel let down. I know I can't make any
judgements until the final toxicology reports are released. The media is
having a field day with this. It was said that medications were found in
the home as well as anabolic steroids. The media picked up on the steroids
and have run with it. The sad part is, what else could have made Benoit do
what the police said he did? As reports have said steroids can make people
paranoid, depressed and become easily enraged. Whats worse is, WWE seems
to be trying to distance themselves from this whole scenario. So what
message does that send out, yet they are saying that steroid should not be
immediately ruled as the cause of what happened.
This is the first time something like this has happened in the wrestling
world, as far as I know. Wrestlers have been murdered, such as Bruiser
Brody and Dino Bravo and some have even taken their own lives, such as
Mike Awesome, most recently. But to kill your own family and then
yourself, it a totally heinous act. This act, no matter the results of the
toxicology results, has left a definite black mark on the wrestling world.
In closing, all I can say is I hate to see someone who was definitely
headed to the Hall Of Fame one day, end his career the way it appears it
has. I offer my condolences to the family and friends of the Benoit
family. I am sure we haven't heard the whole story of this completely
bizarre and insane scenario.
Until next week, I am Eric, thats my opinion and I am standing by it!!
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