Murder-suicide latest black eye for pro wrestling

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Vince McMahon is used to pushing the envelope as he tries to garner more viewers for his World Wrestling Entertainment programs.

His latest attempt at this came over the last couple of weeks as he blended the worlds of reality and “sports entertainment” when he staged his death on a recent episode of “Raw.”

Tragically, the borderline offensive “work” — as a storyline is called in professional wresting — became nothing more than an afterthought Monday following the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, in their suburban Atlanta home.

Benoit is believed to have killed Nancy and Daniel sometime over the weekend before eventually committing suicide Monday. The apparent double-murder/suicide came about a week after the death of another professional wrestler, Sherri Martel, who family members found dead in her mother’s home from yet-to-be determined causes.

Dying prematurely has become all too common in the world of professional wrestling where the constant traveling, daily pounding on your body and rampant drug use ultimately takes its toll on wrestlers looking to please fans while making sure not to lose their spot in this ultra-competitive industry.

The deaths of wrestlers ranging from “Ravishing” Rick Rude to Curt Hennig to Road Warrior Hawk and most recently Eddie Guererro can all be linked in someway to drug abuse.

However, the surprising thing is hard partying and substance abuse was never mentioned prior to this week when it came to Benoit. It’s unclear whether that will change as details continue to surface in this “bizarre” case as Fayette County (Ga.) District Attorney Scott Ballard described it to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The WWE didn’t become aware of Benoit and his family’s death until late Monday afternoon, forcing the company to cancel its scheduled three-hour Raw telecast which it then transformed into a tribute show to the late wrestler’s 22-year career.

Ironically, the show was originally supposed to be a tribute for McMahon to further the “Who killed Mr. McMahon?” plot line. Now, the WWE appears ready to move forward and scrap the angle.

While McMahon is often criticized for his decisions — the company held a show one night after the accidental death of Owen Hart at a show in 1999 — he shouldn’t be blamed for memorializing Benoit Monday. Going into the show he thought Benoit was a decent man before all of the sordid details came out about him.

“The Canadian Crippler” or “Rabid Wolverine” as Benoit was often referred to, was known as one of the hardest working, professional workers in the business. The pinnacle of his career came in 2004 when he defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H to win the world heavyweight title in the main event at Wrestlemania XX at Madison Square Garden in New York.

That victory, despite being predetermined, marked a critical point in pro wrestling history as Benoit, at 5-foot-11 and 235 pounds, had a chance to run with the title despite not being flashy, extremely charismatic, or overly muscular like Hulk Hogan was in his prime. He was simply a pure wrestling technician that fans around the world respected for his ability in the squared circle.

Coincidently, Benoit shared that Wrestlemania moment with Guerrero, his wife and his son. Now, all of those people are dead and Benoit — if the reports remain the same — will be remembered not for his great matches but as a murderer who strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself in his weight room.

Ron Snyder is a staff writer with The Examiner. He can be reached at rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com

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 WWE owner Vince McMahon expresses his sadness over the deaths of wrestler Chris Benoit and his family in Georgia. Click here to see the video.

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