WWE'S Chris Benoit and his family found dead!

[Anewman]

Wrestling has taken on the term "sports entertainment" because it is scripted.

Yes it is a very clever marketing term...

The definition of an athlete is a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina (miriam webster). By that definition, they are definitely athletes.

Do they participate in a exercise, sport or game??
IMO they participate in a act or performance, not the above.

To those of you who have posted that you are sickened by what he has allegedly done and have called him evil, that is your opinion.

That is not your opinion?

 

[cardaway]

MANY wrestlers get injured and some have died. It's not exactly just acting.

Just like stuntmen.

I didn't see anybody discounting the things they go through, only arguing that what they do is a sport.

 

[declansdad]

Do they participate in a exercise, sport or game??
IMO they participate in a act or performance, not the above.

All sport is part performance and what they do is certainly exercise, so the answer is yes.

That is not your opinion?

I would agree that he should be punished and he was probably sick but I wouldn't go as far as evil.

The only way I would agree with evil is if it was proven that he knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

All sport is part performance and what they do is certainly exercise, so the answer is yes.

The big difference is in the outcomes. When it comes to baseball, football,a and the like, the winners are determined by the competition, not predetermined by promoters.

Wrestling like you see in the Olympics is a competitive sport. WWE is entertainment with storylines and scripts, right down to who is going to win. I'm not discounting the athleticism of the wrestlers. Yes, they are athletic and do exhibit an amount of skill to perform the moves they do, but in the end WWE is more entertainment than anything. In fact, isn't that what the E in WWE stands for?

 

[hentob]

The big difference is in the outcomes. When it comes to baseball, football,a and the like, the winners are determined by the competition, not predetermined by promoters.

Wrestling like you see in the Olympics is a competitive sport. WWE is entertainment with storylines and scripts, right down to who is going to win. I'm not discounting the athleticism of the wrestlers. Yes, they are athletic and do exhibit an amount of skill to perform the moves they do, but in the end WWE is more entertainment than anything. In fact, isn't that what the E in WWE stands for?

Well said.

I do not watch wrestling. Not my cup of tea. Nuff said.

I do know that this man SMOTHERED a seven year old. I think he is a monster that doesn't deserve this attention. I feel dirty even writing to this thread. He KILLED his son. He MURDERED a little boy. Yes, he was obviously off his rocker, but imagine the struggle that the seven year old gave. Think about how that child felt as he was being KILLED by his daddy

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

To those of you who have posted that you are sickened by what he has allegedly done and have called him evil, that is your opinion. If he snapped for some reason and killed his family, he should be punished. I only hope that you say the same thing the next time a mother snaps and kills her kids.

I will. Loudly and clearly.

I do not watch wrestling. Not my cup of tea. :

Me neither.

I think he is a monster that doesn't deserve this attention. I feel dirty even writing to this thread. He KILLED his son. He MURDERED a little boy. Yes, he was obviously off his rocker, but imagine the struggle that the seven year old gave. Think about how that child felt as he was being KILLED by his daddy

AMEN.

 

[Ticket Man]

I'm a pretty avid wrestling fan and I think I can provide a little more information on the drug testing WWE implemented in Late 05/Early 06. They are tested for recreational drugs in addition to steroids. MANY wrestlers have been fined, suspended, or fired because of failures on these tests. The exact drugs they have tested positive for never makes it to the wrestling news sites. If a top level guy fails the test, they will suffer a little less, but are still reprimanded. For example they will only work televised live events, and will take a pay cut, and be suspended for house shows. If they become repeat offenders they will be suspended entirely or fired.

In addition, Benoit tested negative for steroids in an April random test. The prescription could have very well been old, or he may have no longer used them. I think the media is completely overblowing the roid rage issue here, this was a calculated and horrendous act that was not something that occurred in the manner of most roid rage incidents. Benoit most likely had mental issues that were not known to the public and something happened to set this entire thing off. He has always been known as a somewhat bizarre guy behind the scenes, certainly not one of the most outgoing locker room personalities.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Well said.

I do not watch wrestling. Not my cup of tea. Nuff said.

I do know that this man SMOTHERED a seven year old. I think he is a monster that doesn't deserve this attention. I feel dirty even writing to this thread. He KILLED his son. He MURDERED a little boy. Yes, he was obviously off his rocker, but imagine the struggle that the seven year old gave. Think about how that child felt as he was being KILLED by his daddy

EXACTLY.

 

[Anewman]

this was a calculated and horrendous act that was not something that occurred in the manner of most roid rage incidents.

Maybe, but we dont know that yet.

He may have strangled the wife in a fit of a rage and then setup the bibles(and other stuff) postmortem, we just dont have all the facts either way yet.

 

[The_Horned_King]

Are pro wrestlers "athletic" yes, do they "COMPETE" in a sport?

Not imo, they perform an act plain and simple.

There are many jobs that require great physical strength, endurance and agility, but that does not make that job a sport. The pre-determined outcome pretty much disqualifies it from being considered a sport IMO, to me SPORT implies "competition" not performance.


Does anyone really think that Benoit will be inducted into the WWE hall of fame?

No it's not a sport...it is a skill and entertainment.

Nope 0% chance...all info on Benoit has been removed from wwe.com also on ecw tonight(thier tuesday ngiht show) Vince McMahn came out and said last ngiht we had a tribute for chris benoit...over the last 24 hours more information has come to light and you will no longer hear us mention his name on wwe broadcast. Our thoughts and prayers go out ot everyone effected by this.

They are pretty much dis avowing all knowledge of him at this point.

Exactly! Just because you're a big muscled guy and can hurt someone, doesn't mean your a Pro Athlete. The difference between Pro wrestling and the NFL is that in the NFL once the ball is snapped, all bets are off. There's no guaranteed outcome to what's going to happen. Strength alone doesn't guarantee victory. The Pro wrestler "The Rock" tried out for an NFL gig before he went into Pro Wrestling and he didn't make it off the practice squad. He washed out and was considered a failure. He's one of the biggest men I ever saw and looked the part of a pro athlete, but just didn't have the skills or natural ability.

Rock was NEVER in the NFL....
he entered try-outs as a "walk on" for the program and made the team, playing defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' National Championship team.[4] After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by Warren Sapp, who went on to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now with the Oakland Raiders.[3] Baltimore Ravens Linebacker and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis also played with Johnson on the Miami Hurricanes.
After his graduation from the University of Miami, Johnson was passed over in the NFL draft and signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, who assigned him to their practice squad. He was cut from the team within a year, without ever having played

More than one source has confirmed roids being found in the house. I'm sure we will find out more on that angle in the future. And why would it be a surprise given the other roid related wrestling deaths in the last few years?

How many wrestlers have to die steroid related deaths before people take notice and stop believign the denial machine?

Cardaway this isn't roid related Im about 100%certain. Has no simptoms of roid rage at all.
BTW who else died of roids? Liz wasn't roids, Eddie wasn't, Sherry (probably wasn't),Chris Candido,In fact I can't think of one that was.

Is that what makes their veins pop out? I always wondered why some body builders etc had that look. I always thought it was because they had a lot less "cushion" than myself.

Steroids are illegal, anyone doing them is doing them on the sly. I will say, just because someone is prescribed something by a doctor, doesn't make the way they are using them "legal". Of course we don't know ANY of this... all speculation.... in a way I hope he was just out of his mind... and this wasn't steroid use...

Roids DO NOT make your veins pop out..that has all to do with a body building thing....Some people can simply make it happen by lifting weights enough...others will actually tie a band around the arm(much like if you were drawing blood....if you notice it makes your veins easier to spot) then lift a few curles....pop! out comes the veins!

I assume then, that you would consider ballet dancers athletes.

Yes, Actually I would they certainly train like an athlete.

Joanne or anyone else, didn't Benoit also do Ultimate Fighting? I thought that's how he and Dean Malinko became best friends because I know Malinko was a UF as well as Ken Shamrock.

NOPE!!! DEAN MELINKLO has been pro wrestlings since 1988 along time before the UFC was ever around. he was never part of it.

I remember a few years ago watching a PPV and Owen Hart's harness gave away and he fell from the rafters. They turned off all cameras and made an announcement about this being real and cancelling the PPV.

I don't think they canceled the PPV did they? They took Owen away in an ambulance and annouced his death later during the show

You are correct. During the "pre-fight" story-line being told was when the accident occured. They came back to JR saying something had happened to the Blue Blazer (Owen's persona at the time) and something went terribly wrong that wasn't a part of the entertainment but a real situation. They showed only him (JR) and the crowd for several minutes before moving on with the next story-line. Upon finishing the Val Venus and Jeff Jarret and Debra and Nicole Bass pre-show story-line leading up to the match, JR kept reminding everyone that "something had gone wrong with the equipment and they would not show anything because it was NOT a part of the show or a wrestling angle." After he (Owen) was attented to, they said they would continue with the show because it is what Owen would have wanted.

They at this point also HAD NOT TOLD the fans that he had basically died on impact..as far as we knew he was badly hurt.

I'm a pretty avid wrestling fan and I think I can provide a little more information on the drug testing WWE implemented in Late 05/Early 06. They are tested for recreational drugs in addition to steroids. MANY wrestlers have been fined, suspended, or fired because of failures on these tests. The exact drugs they have tested positive for never makes it to the wrestling news sites. If a top level guy fails the test, they will suffer a little less, but are still reprimanded. For example they will only work televised live events, and will take a pay cut, and be suspended for house shows. If they become repeat offenders they will be suspended entirely or fired.

In addition, Benoit tested negative for steroids in an April random test. The prescription could have very well been old, or he may have no longer used them. I think the media is completely overblowing the roid rage issue here, this was a calculated and horrendous act that was not something that occurred in the manner of most roid rage incidents. Benoit most likely had mental issues that were not known to the public and something happened to set this entire thing off. He has always been known as a somewhat bizarre guy behind the scenes, certainly not one of the most outgoing locker room personalities.

He definately had some mental issues.
Anyone else wonder about the use of the bibles...That one really has me thinking.

 

[The_Horned_King]

Maybe, but we dont know that yet.

He may have strangled the wife in a fit of a rage and then setup the bibles(and other stuff) postmortem, we just dont have all the facts either way yet.

You may be right...but the fact that in the press conference the police stated that there was no signs of stuggle at all..would lead me to believe that she was tied up first.

 

[Anewman]

You may be right...but the fact that in the press conference the police stated that there was no signs of stuggle at all..would lead me to believe that she was tied up first.

I am not a investigator or anything, but I imagine there would be more of a struggle trying to tie up a live person...

I mean it takes two hands to tie a knot, unless she was cooperating IMO she would have to be unconscious at the very least for him to tie her up.

But again we dont have the facts yet, but some reports mention blood.

 

[katerkat]

While they were PRESCRIPTION anabolic steroids BUT just because he obtained them legally for a medical procedure doesn't mean that they couldn't have had a negative effect on him. Prescribed or not, they are still a controlled substance. People get addicted to legal prescribed medications all the time.

When I was on prescription steroids, I had to wean off them slowly and carefully following doctor's orders. I was halfway through a one-week pack when my son was born and the doctors (my OB and his ped) determined that passing any of the steroids through breastmilk was not as risky as me quitting halfway through the pack. I was CRAZY paranoid on them. I don't know how much of it was end-of-pregnancy stuff plus the itching PUPPPs that led me to the steroids in the first place, but I was accusing my husband of expecting me to die in childbirth because he bought frozen enchiladas. Everyone who knew me said my attitude change on the steroids was pretty drastic.

And this was a low dose over a two week period.

 

[The_Horned_King]

WWE comments on Media jumping to "roid Rage" idea....My thoughts pretty much too

WWE.com posted an updated statement Tuesday criticizing the media for connecting Benoit's alleged steroid use to the double homicide-suicide he apparently committed this weekend.

Based on the stigma associated with pro wrestling and the fact that anabolic steroids were among the prescription drugs found in Benoit's home, a number of pundits and analysts have speculated that "roid rage" could be responsible for the tragic events.

But WWE cites a number of points in calling the "roid rage" speculation worthy of concern:

"1. The authorities stated that all drugs found in the house were believed to be legal prescriptions.

2. Steroids were not, and could not, be related to the cause of death (asphyxiation). Authorities had no factual basis to speculate as to Benoit’s state of mind, and rightly did not do so.

3. Toxicology tests have not even been completed, so there is no current evidence that Benoit even had steroids or any other substance in his body. In that regard, on the last test done on Benoit by WWE's independently administered drug testing program, done on April 10, 2007, Benoit tested negative.

4. The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.

5. WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts."

More crazy NEws....
I obviously think he was religious at the end...hence the bibles! a nonreligious person does NOT have a bible in the house period.

Bob Ryder from 1wrestling.com is reporting that sources close to Nancy Benoit say she had a safety deposit box with evidence of past rages from Chris Benoit, and if anythng were to happen to her, police should check the box. Ryder also reports that about a year ago Chris became paranoid and thought that he was always being followed and would not let Nancy leave the house. In addition, some friends close to Chris say that he hated religion while others say he recently became religious.

Some quotes from an interview with District Attorney Scott Ballard - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2917133
In an interview with ESPN.com on Tuesday, Ballard indicated that the boy had needle marks in his arms. The district attorney said he believed that the boy had been given growth hormones for some time because the family considered him undersized. That was only one of the strange facts that Ballard revealed. He said that two text messages of note caused authorities to investigate the house. In one, Benoit told somebody he knew that his wife and son were sick. "Of course, they were dead," Ballard told ESPN.com. In a second message to a neighbor, Benoit said that the door of the house was open and the pets were outside. "And our assumption is that that was an effort to try and get somebody to come find the bodies after the suicide," Ballard said. "That is our assumption."

Ballard said that Benoit's wife, 43, was killed Friday in an upstairs family room, her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle. Ballard told ESPN.com that it appeared that she had been pinned to the floor and asphyxiated with some sort of cable. The son, Daniel, was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, the body found in his bed, Ballard said. The district attorney indicated that he had been choked to death. Benoit, 40, apparently killed himself several hours and as long as a day later, Ballard said. His body was found in a downstairs weight room, his body found hanging from the pulley of a piece of exercise equipment. Ballard said that he had used weights, the pulley and cable to choke himself to death.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2917133

Was the boy injected with something so he was asleep when he was killed?

WWE announcer Jim Ross speaks....

Jim Ross Posted The Following On His Website jrsbarbq.com

Jim Ross Remembers Chris Benoit

I am in shock, as I’m sure many of you are as well, at the horrific tragedy that occurred involving Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel. I knew them all well and this is a terrible and unnecessary loss of 3 lives.

Monday in Corpus Christi was surreal and overtly challenging for everyone. Broadcasting the 3 hour tribute show on Raw seemed befitting to recognize Chris’ career, but it wasn’t an easy show to execute. As of this writing, I couldn’t pass a quiz as to what actually aired.

The details that are now coming out of the police investigation are beyond my comprehension. I don’t even know how to respond to them.

I knew Chris for many, many years and knew his wife Nancy even longer. Daniel was a precious, little gentleman.

While the news media reports on this senseless and tragic event, my thoughts turn to the families of Nancy and Chris and especially to Chris’ two other young children, David and Megan, notwithstanding the Benoit’s many friends and business associates who will miss them all so dearly.

For those of us that knew this family on a personal basis, this tragedy is especially heartbreaking. I did not sleep Monday night thinking about the last time I saw Chris, Nancy, and David. I remember the smiles on their faces. I will try and retain that memory for as long as I possibly can. This is a surreal, unfathomable occurrence. For all of those that are hurting as are my wife, Jan and me, we wish you our sincere condolences.

We are all hurting, but we all must move forward. May God Bless and comfort the Benoit family and their many friends during this time. J.R.

Some interesting news about Daniel(the son) could this also have been part of what led him to snap...or could it explain the needle marks on his(daniels) arms>>>Were they trying to "fix him"???

Canadian female Pam Winthrope told News 1130 in Canada that Chris Benoit's son had a genetic condition called Fragile X syndrome.

According to WebMD, "Fragile X Syndrome is a defect of the X chromosome which causes mild mental retardation. The disorder occurs more frequently and severely among males than females. This condition is the leading known familial cause of mental retardation in the United States. Language delays, behavioral problems, autism or autistic-like behavior (including poor eye contact and hand-flapping), enlarged external genitalia (macroorchidism), large or prominent ears, hyperactivity, delayed motor development and/or poor sensory skills are among the wide range of symptoms associated with this disorder."

Winthrope, whose son also suffers from the condition, told the Canadian news outlet that her husband reached out to Benoit five years ago in an attempt to increase awareness about Fragile X.

She told News 1130, "We talked to him because I was trying to set up a support group in BC and in Canada, we only have a couple of them. My husband was struggling when we got diagnosed with our son, and Chris was struggling with his. They talked for a few minutes and then he said he didn't want to be a public face for Fragile X, he just wanted to keep it really, really quiet."

Winthrope noted that the lack of support for those affected by the disorder can tear families apart. Nonetheless, "she couldn't believe the news that Benoit had taken his life along with his wife and 7-year-old son," wrote News 1130.

 

[The_Horned_King]

When I was on prescription steroids, I had to wean off them slowly and carefully following doctor's orders. I was halfway through a one-week pack when my son was born and the doctors (my OB and his ped) determined that passing any of the steroids through breastmilk was not as risky as me quitting halfway through the pack. I was CRAZY paranoid on them. I don't know how much of it was end-of-pregnancy stuff plus the itching PUPPPs that led me to the steroids in the first place, but I was accusing my husband of expecting me to die in childbirth because he bought frozen enchiladas. Everyone who knew me said my attitude change on the steroids was pretty drastic.

And this was a low dose over a two week period.

Pretty crazy..hope you told him you were sorry.

As I just posted the rumor was that he got really paranoid reciently...maybe the perscription was messing with him.

 

[dreamin in pa]

I've read this thread from the announcement that they were all found dead all the way through all the arguing (sp) about whether wrestling is a sport or not. At this point, what does it matter if he was a great athlete or if wrestling is a sport?

He was a man. A man who killed his wife and child. And left two other children behind without a father, their brother, and their stepmom. And those two other children are going have to spend the rest of their lives knowing what their father did. And those two other children are who my heart goes out to.

We may never know what made him do this. Whether it was steroid use and he just snapped or some undiagnosed mental illness. Whatever the reason, it is a horrible thing these other children have to live with.

Liked him, didn't like him, like wrestling, don't like wrestling, etc, etc,. none of it matters in the big picture. He's a man who killed his wife and child. And that alone is what matters.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

I've read this thread from the announcement that they were all found dead all the way through all the arguing (sp) about whether wrestling is a sport or not. At this point, what does it matter if he was a great athlete or if wrestling is a sport?

He was a man. A man who killed his wife and child. And left two other children behind without a father, their brother, and their stepmom. And those two other children are going have to spend the rest of their lives knowing what their father did. And those two other children are who my heart goes out to.

We may never know what made him do this. Whether it was steroid use and he just snapped or some undiagnosed mental illness. Whatever the reason, it is a horrible thing these other children have to live with.

Liked him, didn't like him, like wrestling, don't like wrestling, etc, etc,. none of it matters in the big picture. He's a man who killed his wife and child. And that alone is what matters.

I was thinking the same thing! If this had been an "ordinary" man there would be no argument at all. People would all agree that he deserves no respect and he was sick. But since he's a celeb, it's different for some.

To me, I don't give a flying flip who he was. He murdered his wife and child. Anyone who murders their own family, especially a little child, gets no sympathy or respect from me. I only wish he would have simply committed suicide and would have left his family out of it all together.

 

[JadenLayne]

Liked him, didn't like him, like wrestling, don't like wrestling, etc, etc,. none of it matters in the big picture. He's a man who killed his wife and child. And that alone is what matters.

I wholeheartedly agree. That and what we can do to prevent it from happening again.

The Horned King I have to say WOW, you are very knowledgeable about wrestling. I applaud your posts which all make absolute sense!

 

[The_Horned_King]

I was thinking the same thing! If this had been an "ordinary" man there would be no argument at all. People would all agree that he deserves no respect and he was sick. But since he's a celeb, it's different for some.

To me, I don't give a flying flip who he was. He murdered his wife and child. Anyone who murders their own family, especially a little child, gets no sympathy or respect from me. I only wish he would have simply committed suicide and would have left his family out of it all together.

In a way I agree with you, but in a way I don't let me explain why....Up here in ohio as you know we just had a lady and her unborn child murdered by her boyfriend who just so happened to be a **cough married cough**cop.

This is just my opinion but The fact that I didn't know who he was personally makes no difference in that I respect that he WAS a man of the law who served and protected us. I repsect the job he did...do I repsect him as a man? NOPE...in fact I hope he can be forgiven for what he has done..but thats not my place to judge.

I think the thing is for some people...like me...it's easy to seperate someone(and the job they did) weither it was entertainment or a cop from the human person that I did not know. I knew Benoit as a performer, I didn't know him as a fellow human beign. I can seperate the entertainer form the man other's can't.

Again just my feelings and opinion on it.

I wholeheartedly agree. That and what we can do to prevent it from happening again.

The Horned King I have to say WOW, you are very knowledgeable about wrestling. I applaud your posts which all make absolute sense!

Thanks you JadenLayne....I've been watching wrestling in one way or another since I was about 8 that was almost 20years ago. In fact I even run a local indipendent wrestling organization up here in cleveland. So I have some inside experience in the biz. Some of the stories I could pass along...

 

[thewishfire]

I am not a investigator or anything, but I imagine there would be more of a struggle trying to tie up a live person...

I mean it takes two hands to tie a knot, unless she was cooperating IMO she would have to be unconscious at the very least for him to tie her up.

But again we dont have the facts yet, but some reports mention blood.

Yes, I read that there was blood underneath her head which may point to a struggle.