CNN is reporting the Benoit strangled Nancy and then smothered his 7 year old son and then hung himself. Still no details on time line, but they said it looks like Nancy and her son have been dead since the weekend and Chris left and returned home where he hung himself Monday.
Wow is all I can say.
Pauline and I met them at the two wrestling shows we worked. I met Chris at the first show when he was still with ECW, he and Chris Candido and Chris Jericho and I were alone for some time. I talked to Candido and Jericho the most, Benoit was very “shy/quite†but polite, and from what I was told he is like that with everyone, never has much to say, but when he does talk, you need to listen. I have heard he was known to be somewhat of a hard ass to the newer guys and wanted to make sure they treated veteran wrestlers with respect at all times, and watching the RAW tribute show that was mentioned a few times.
Candido died 2 years ago, so out of that conversation, only Jericho and I are still alive. Kinda weird…
The second show Benoit and Woman was not scheduled to be there but showed up. (Both shows were memorial shows for Brain Pillman who had died a few years prior)
Woman (unless you know a talent on a personal level you call them by their stage name) was just starting to show her pregnancy, I had over heard “Roaddog†Jesse James congratulate them and I introduced myself to Chris and Woman and reminded Chris we spoke the year prior and my trainer Les Thatcher was walking by and gave both Chris and Woman the “he is ok†look in regards to me to let them know I wasn’t just some fan looking for a autograph.
Woman was incredibly friendly, she and I spoke for 5-10 mins about nothing really, just chit chat, I then had to leave and congratulated both on her pregnancy and the look Chris had in his eyes was pure pride/bliss that he was going to be a father. Having seen that look in his eyes and how they looked at each other I am still stunned to no ends that it ended like this.
I will not defend his actions, I think it’s the most terrible thing to do, whatever his “reason†was, it was 100% wrong. I have known a few people who killed another person either in a car wreck or outright murder, but I have never met a murderer and a soon to be victim before, so that is really “weirdâ€.
I will say, as a wrestler he was easy top 10 of all time, his only “flaw†was he wasn’t great on a mic which, unfortunately is a major thing in today’s wrestling, Hulk Hogan is living proof, not the best wrester, but man can he talk. Chris was just amazing worker to watch, the main event at Wrestlmania XX was his peak, he become the World Champion vs HHH vs Shawn Michaels and all three put on a hell of a show, it is still considered one of the all time greatest matches.
That was the same night Benoit’s best friend Eddie Guerrero won his World title and both celebrated in the ring at the end, both have been thrown under the bus for so many years by various companies and they have been loyal friends to each other since they started at the same time and worked together for so long, it was just nice to see 2 wrestlers who spent years and years doing what they loved finally get the respect they worked so hard to get.
And now both are dead.
Just a sad fucking story all around.
shocked
blah