Edmonton-born WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their son Daniel were found dead in their home.
Known as the Canadian Crippler, Benoit had a long and distinguished career in federations around the world and was one of the most respected among his peers. His hard-nosed style and technical skills were his calling cards. Though it is no secret that wrestling is a staged sport, Benoit had style in the ring that felt very realistic. Because of his tenacity, he was also known called the Rabid Wolverine.
Benoit's death comes at an awkward time for the WWE which had just started a controversial storyline where the owner of the company was presumed dead after a car explosion. The company had been playing that death as real, but with the real death of an active and highly regarded wrestler, many would say continuing on with the charade would be in poor taste. Tonight's episode of Raw was supposed to be a tribute to the "death" of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but will now be a real tribute to Benoit.
The death of Benoit and his family comes after the passing of another wrestling icon, Sherri Martel who died on the 15th. Eddie Guerrero, another active WWE wrestler and a very close friend of Benoit's, was found dead in a hotel room in 2005.
Benoit trained in the famous "dungeon" of the wrestling Hart family, which has also seen its share of tragedies in recent years, including the death of Owen Hart in the ring in 1999, mother Helen Hart in 2001, and patriarch Stu Hart in 2003. Bret Hart, the most famous product of the family, suffered a stroke in 2002.
Leave the anti-wrestling comments on your fingertips folks. This isn't the time.
Known as the Canadian Crippler, Benoit had a long and distinguished career in federations around the world and was one of the most respected among his peers. His hard-nosed style and technical skills were his calling cards. Though it is no secret that wrestling is a staged sport, Benoit had style in the ring that felt very realistic. Because of his tenacity, he was also known called the Rabid Wolverine.
Benoit's death comes at an awkward time for the WWE which had just started a controversial storyline where the owner of the company was presumed dead after a car explosion. The company had been playing that death as real, but with the real death of an active and highly regarded wrestler, many would say continuing on with the charade would be in poor taste. Tonight's episode of Raw was supposed to be a tribute to the "death" of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but will now be a real tribute to Benoit.
The death of Benoit and his family comes after the passing of another wrestling icon, Sherri Martel who died on the 15th. Eddie Guerrero, another active WWE wrestler and a very close friend of Benoit's, was found dead in a hotel room in 2005.
Benoit trained in the famous "dungeon" of the wrestling Hart family, which has also seen its share of tragedies in recent years, including the death of Owen Hart in the ring in 1999, mother Helen Hart in 2001, and patriarch Stu Hart in 2003. Bret Hart, the most famous product of the family, suffered a stroke in 2002.
Leave the anti-wrestling comments on your fingertips folks. This isn't the time.
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