Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit | |
---|---|
Birth name | Christopher Michael Benoit |
Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | May 21, 1967
Died | June 24, 2007 Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 40)
Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 3 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Chris Benoit The Pegasus Kid Wild Pegasus |
Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1] |
Billed weight | 229 lb (104 kg)[1] |
Billed from | Atlanta, Georgia Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
Trained by | Bruce Hart[2][3][4] Stu Hart Mike Hammer Tokyo Joe Tatsumi Fujinami New Japan Pro-Wrestling[5] |
Debut | November 22, 1985[6] |
Christopher Michael Benoit (/bəˈnwɑː/ bə-NWAH; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the United States of America, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan, and Stampede Wrestling in his native Canada.
In a
Bearing the nicknames The (Canadian) Crippler alongside The Rabid Wolverine throughout his career, Benoit held 30 championships between WWF/WWE, WCW, NJPW, ECW and Stampede. He was a two-time world champion, Benoit having reigned as a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in WWE;[10][11] he was booked to win a third world championship at a WWE event on the night of his death.[12] Benoit was the twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the second of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and the WCW Triple Crown Championships. He was also the 2004 Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels and preceding Edge as one of the three men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant.[13] Benoit headlined multiple pay-per-views for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) including a victory in the World Heavyweight Championship main event match of WrestleMania XX in March 2004.[14]
Due to his murders, Benoit's legacy in the professional wrestling industry is heavily debated.
Early life
Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career.[9] He had a sister who lived near Edmonton.[20]
During his childhood and early adolescence in Edmonton, Benoit idolized Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington[21][22] and Bret Hart;[22][23] at twelve years old, he attended a local wrestling event at which the two performers "stood out above everyone else".[21] Benoit trained to become a professional wrestler in the Hart family "Dungeon", receiving education from family patriarch Stu Hart. In-ring, Benoit emulated both Billington and Bret Hart,[21][23] cultivating a high-risk style and physical appearance more reminiscent of the former[21] (years later, he adopted Hart's own "Sharpshooter" hold as a finishing move).[citation needed]
Professional wrestling career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2016) |
Stampede Wrestling (1985–1989)
Benoit began his career in 1985, in Stu Hart's
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1986–1999)
Upon arriving to
In August 1990, he won his first major championship, the
World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)
Benoit first came to
He did not return to WCW until January 1993 at
Various promotions (1993–1994)
After WCW, Benoit worked in
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1995)
In August 1994, Benoit began working with
At
After this match Benoit returned to the locker room and broke down over the possibility that he might have paralysed someone.[28] Paul Heyman, the head booker of ECW at the time, came up with the idea of continuing the "Crippler" moniker for Benoit. From that point until his departure from ECW, he was known as "Crippler Benoit". When he returned to WCW in October 1995, WCW modified his ring name to "Canadian Crippler Chris Benoit". In The Rise and Fall of ECW book, Heyman commented that he planned on using Benoit as a dominant heel for quite some time, before putting the company's main title, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, on him to be the long-term champion of the company.
Benoit and
World Wrestling Federation (1995)
In June 1995, while under contract with ECW, Benoit worked in three dark matches losing to
Return to WCW (1995–2000)
The Four Horsemen (1995–1999)
After impressing higher-ups with his work, he was approached by
This onscreen relationship developed into a real-life affair offscreen. As a result, Sullivan and Benoit had a contentious backstage relationship at best, and an undying hatred for each other at worst. Benoit did, however, admit having a certain amount of respect for Sullivan, saying on the DVD
In 1998, Benoit had a long feud with
In 1999, Benoit teamed with Dean Malenko once again and defeated
The Revolution and World Heavyweight Champion (1999–2000)
After a falling out with Anderson and McMichael, Benoit and Malenko left the Horsemen; he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship[25] before bringing together Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Shane Douglas to form "the Revolution".
The Revolution was a heel stable of younger wrestlers who felt slighted (both kayfabe and legitimate) by WCW management, believing they never gave them the chance to be stars, pushing older, more established wrestlers instead, despite their then-current questionable worthiness of their pushes. This led to the Revolution seceding from WCW, and forming their own nation, complete with a flag. This led to some friction being created between Benoit and leader, Douglas, who called into question Benoit's heart in the group, causing Benoit to quit the group, thus turning face, and having his own crusade against the top stars, winning the Television title one more time and the United States title from Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match. In October 1999 on Nitro in Kansas City, Missouri, Benoit wrestled Bret Hart as a tribute to Bret's brother Owen Hart, who had recently died due to an equipment malfunction. Hart defeated Benoit by submission, and the two received a standing ovation, and an embrace from guest ring announcer, Harley Race.
Benoit was unhappy working for WCW.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2000–2007)
The Radicalz and teaming with Chris Jericho (2000–2001)
Benoit joined the
In early 2001, Benoit broke away from The Radicalz (who had recently reformed three months earlier) and turned face, feuding first with his former stablemates and then with Kurt Angle, whom he wrestled and lost to at
The next night on
Championship pursuits and reigns (2002–2003)
During the first WWF draft, he was the third wrestler picked by Vince McMahon to be part of the new SmackDown! roster,[39] although still on the injured list. However, when he returned, he did so as a member of the Raw roster. On his first night back, he turned heel again and aligned himself with Eddie Guerrero, and he feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin briefly.[40] Benoit defeated Rob Van Dam on the July 29, 2002, edition of Raw to become Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time. He and Guerrero were then moved to SmackDown! during a storyline "open season" on wrestler contracts,[41] with Benoit taking his newly won belt with him.[42] Van Dam defeated Benoit at SummerSlam and returned the title to Raw.[43][44]
After returning to SmackDown!, he embarked on a feud with Kurt Angle in which he defeated him at
Angle won his third WWE Championship from Big Show at Armageddon,[47] and Benoit faced him for the title at the 2003 Royal Rumble. The match was highly praised from fans and critics. Although Benoit lost the match, he received a standing ovation for his efforts.[48] Benoit returned to the tag team ranks, teaming with the returning Rhyno.[49]
At
In April 2003, following
In June 2003, the WCW United States Championship was reactivated and renamed the WWE United States Championship, and Benoit participated in the tournament for the title. He lost in the final match to Eddie Guerrero at Vengeance.[53] The two feuded over the title for the next month,[54] and Benoit went on to defeat the likes of A-Train at No Mercy,[55] Big Show, and eliminating Brock Lesnar by submission at Survivor Series as part of a Survivor Series elimination tag team match between Team Angle against Team Lesnar. As a result, Benoit challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship on the December 4 episode of SmackDown!, but lost after passing out to Lesnar's debuting Brock Lock submission hold.[55] General Manager Paul Heyman had a vendetta against Benoit along with Lesnar, preventing him from gaining a shot at Lesnar's WWE title.[56]
World Heavyweight Champion (2004–2005)
When Benoit won a qualifying match for the
On March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his signature submission move, the Crippler Crossface, in a highly acclaimed match.[60] The match marked the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission.[61][62] After the match, Benoit celebrated his win with then-reigning WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. The rematch was held at Backlash in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. It was Michaels who ended up submitting to Benoit's Sharpshooter, allowing Benoit to retain his title.[60] The next night in Calgary, he and Edge won the World Tag Team Championship from Batista and Ric Flair, making Benoit a double champion.[63]
Following his victories, Benoit and Edge engaged in a rivalry with La Résistance for the World Tag Team Championship, which saw a series of matches (including losing the titles to La Résistance on the May 31 episode of Raw), while simultaneously having confrontations with Kane over the World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit wrestled in two matches at Bad Blood in his respective rivalries; he and Edge failed to regain the World Tag Team Championship (winning by disqualification when Kane interfered) while he successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane. A month later at Vengeance, Benoit retained the title against Triple H.[64]
On August 15, 2004, Benoit was defeated by Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.[65] Benoit then teamed with William Regal at Unforgiven against Ric Flair and Batista in a winning effort. Benoit then feuded with Edge (who had turned into an arrogant and conceited heel), leading to Taboo Tuesday where Benoit, Edge, and Shawn Michaels were all put into a poll to see who would face Triple H for the World Heavyweight title that night.[66] Michaels received the most votes and as a result, Edge and Benoit were forced to team up to face the World Tag Team Champions, La Résistance, in the same night. However, Edge deserted Benoit during the match and Benoit was forced to take on both members of La Résistance by himself. He and Edge still managed to regain the World Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles back to La Résistance on the November 1 episode of Raw.[65] At Survivor Series, Benoit sided with Randy Orton's team while Edge teamed with Triple H's team, and while Edge was able to pin Benoit after a Pedigree, Orton's team won.[67]
The Benoit-Edge feud ended at New Year's Revolution in an Elimination Chamber match, which both men lost.[68] The feud stopped abruptly, as Edge feuded with Shawn Michaels, and Benoit entered the Royal Rumble, lasting longer than any competitor before being eliminated by Ric Flair.[69] The two then continued to have matches in the following weeks until the two of them, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian were placed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21. Edge won the match by knocking Benoit off of the ladder by smashing his arm with a chair.[69] The feud finally culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash, which Edge won with a brick shot to the back of Benoit's head.[70]
United States Champion (2005–2007)
On June 9, Benoit was drafted to the SmackDown! brand after being the first man selected by SmackDown! in the
On July 24 at
On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room. The following night, Raw held a Guerrero tribute show hosted by both Raw and SmackDown! wrestlers. Benoit was devastated at the loss of his best friend and was very emotional during a series of video testimonials, eventually breaking down on camera.[79] The same week on SmackDown! (taped on the same night as Raw), Benoit defeated Triple H in a tribute match to Guerrero. Following the contest, Benoit, Triple H, and Dean Malenko all assembled in the ring and pointed to the sky in salute of Guerrero.[80]
After controversy surrounding a United States Championship match against Booker T, Theodore Long set up a "Best of Seven" series between the two. Booker T won three times in a row (at Survivor Series, the November 29 SmackDown! Special, and the December 9 episode of SmackDown!), due largely to Sharmell's interference, and Benoit faced elimination in the series.[81][82][83] Benoit won the fourth match to stay alive at Armageddon,[81] but after the match, Booker suffered a legitimate groin injury, and Randy Orton was chosen as a stand-in. Benoit defeated Orton twice by disqualification on the December 30 and January 6, 2006, episodes of SmackDown!.[84][85] However, in the seventh and final match, Orton defeated Benoit with the help of Booker T, Sharmell, and Orlando Jordan, and Booker captured the United States Championship.[86] Benoit feuded with Orton for a short time, before defeating Orton in a No Holds Barred match on the January 27 episode of SmackDown! via the Crippler Crossface.[87] Benoit was given one last chance at the United States Championship at No Way Out and won it by making Booker submit to the Crippler Crossface, ending the feud.[81]
The next week on SmackDown!, Benoit (
On October 8, Benoit made his return at
ECW (2007)
On the June 11 episode of Raw, Benoit was drafted from
Benoit missed the weekend
WWE executive
Professional wrestling style
Benoit included a wide array of submission holds in his move-set and used a
Benoit was renowned for his high-impact technical style. Former WWE rival Kurt Angle said in a 2017 interview that "he has to got to be in the top three of all time."[111]
Professional wrestling games
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1997 | WCW vs. The World
|
First US video game appearance |
1997 | WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | |
1997 | Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 | Only released in Japan |
1998 | Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 3 | Only released in Japan |
1998 | WCW Nitro
|
|
1998 | WCW/nWo Revenge | |
1999 | WCW/nWo Thunder | |
1999 | WCW Mayhem | Last WCW video game appearance |
2000 | WWF No Mercy | First WWF/E video game appearance |
2000 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | |
2001 | With Authority! | Cover athlete; Online game |
2001 | WWF Road to WrestleMania | |
2001 | WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It | |
2002 | WWF Raw | |
2002 | WWE WrestleMania X8
|
|
2002 | WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 | |
2002 | WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth | |
2003 | WWE Crush Hour | |
2003 | WWE WrestleMania XIX | |
2003 | WWE Raw 2 | |
2003 | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | |
2004 | WWE Day of Reckoning | |
2004 | WWE Survivor Series | Cover athlete |
2004 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw | |
2005 | WWE WrestleMania 21 | Cover athlete (PAL version) |
2005 | WWE Aftershock | Cover athlete (PAL version) |
2005 | WWE Day of Reckoning 2 | |
2005 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 | |
2006 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 | Last video game appearance |
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Catch Wrestling Association
- Dave Taylor[113]
- Extreme Championship Wrestling
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- 1 time)[115]
- Super J-Cup (1994)[116]
- Top/Best of the Super Juniors (1993, 1995)[117]
- Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League (1994) – with Shinjiro Otani[118]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Triple H[119]
- Match of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H at WrestleMania XX[120]
- Wrestler of the Year (2004)[121]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004[122]
- Ranked No. 69 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the PWI Years in 2003[123]
- Stampede Wrestling
- 4 times)[24]
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Ben Bassarab (1), Keith Hart (1), Lance Idol (1), and Biff Wellington (1)[124]
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1995)[125]
- Universal Wrestling Association
- World Championship Wrestling
- World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
- 1 time)[133]
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Kurt Angle[134]
- WWE United States Championship (3 times)[135][136]
- WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (4 times)[137]
- WWF/World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris Jericho (1) and Edge (2)[138]
- Royal Rumble (2004)[139]
- WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Kurt Angle[140]
- 12th Triple Crown Champion[132]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Brawler (2004)[141]
- Best Technical Wrestler (1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004)[141]
- Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H[141]
- Match of the Year (2002) with Kurt Angle vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio at No Mercy[141]
- Most Outstanding Wrestler (2000, 2004)[141]
- Most Underrated (1998)[141]
- Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1997, 2000)[141]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)[c][142]
Personal life
Benoit spoke both English and French fluently.[143] He married twice, and had two children (David and Megan) with his first wife, Martina.[144] By 1997, that marriage had broken down, and Benoit was living with Nancy Sullivan, the wife of the WCW booker and frequent opponent Kevin Sullivan. On February 25, 2000, Chris and Nancy's son Daniel was born; on November 23, 2000, Chris and Nancy married. It was Nancy's third marriage. In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as "irrevocably broken" and alleging "cruel treatment". She claimed that he would break and throw furniture around.[145][146] She later dropped the suit as well as the restraining order she had filed.[145]
Benoit became good friends with fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero following a match in Japan, when Benoit kicked Guerrero in the head and knocked him out cold.
Benoit was also close friends with
Benoit's lost tooth, his top-right lateral incisor, was commonly misattributed to training or an accident early on in his wrestling career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet rottweiler: one day while playing with the dog, the animal's skull struck Benoit's chin, and his tooth "popped out".[149]
Death
On June 25, 2007, police entered Benoit's home in Fayetteville, Georgia,[150] when WWE, Benoit's employers, requested a "welfare check" after Benoit missed weekend events without notice, leading to concerns.[151] The officers discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel at around 2:30 p.m. EDT.[152] Upon investigating, no additional suspects were sought by authorities.[153] It was determined that Benoit had committed the murders.[154] Over a three-day period, Benoit had killed his wife and son before committing suicide.[7][8] His wife was bound before the killing. Benoit's son was drugged with Xanax and likely unconscious before Benoit strangled him.[155] Benoit then committed suicide by hanging himself on his lat pulldown machine.[154][156]
WWE cancelled the scheduled three-hour-long live Raw show on June 25 and replaced the broadcast version with a three-hour tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers.[157]
Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007, revealed that at their time of death, Nancy had three different drugs in her system: Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic rather than toxic levels. Daniel was found to have Xanax in his system, which led the chief medical examiner to believe that he was sedated before he was murdered. Benoit was found to have Xanax, hydrocodone, and an elevated level of testosterone, caused by a synthetic form of the hormone, in his system. The chief medical examiner attributed the testosterone level to Benoit possibly being treated for a deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse or testicular insufficiency. There was no indication that anything in Benoit's body contributed to his violent behaviour that led to the murder-suicide, concluding that there was no "roid-rage" involved.[158] Prior to the murder-suicide, Benoit had illegally been given medications not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program in February 2006, including nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, and anastrozole, a breast cancer medication which is used by bodybuilders for its powerful antiestrogenic effects. During the investigation into steroid abuse, it was revealed that other wrestlers had also been given steroids.[159][160]
After the double-murder suicide, neuroscientist and retired professional wrestler Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit, Chris's father, suggesting that years of trauma to his son's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, and results showed that "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient."[161] He was reported to have had an advanced form of dementia, similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who had multiple concussions, sank into depression, and harmed themselves or others. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioural problems.[161] Benoit's father suggests that brain damage may have been the leading cause.[162]
Once the details of Benoit's actions became apparent, WWE made the decision to remove nearly all mentions of Chris Benoit from their website,[163] future broadcasts, and all publications.[164]
See also
Notes
- ^ Benoit's reign with the championship is not recognized by WWE, who does not recognize any reign prior to December 1997.[127]
- ^ After Benoit left WCW for the WWF, WCW refused to acknowledge Benoit's victory as an official title reign, and Benoit's title reign was not listed in the title lineage at WCW.com.[34] However, the WWF recognized Benoit's title win, and Benoit's title reign is still listed in the title lineage at WWE.com.[35]
- ^ Benoit underwent a special recall election in 2008 due to the double murder-suicide of his wife and son. The recall was supported by a majority of 53.6% of voters, but was below the 60% threshold necessary to remove him.
References
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Benoit began training at the legendary New Japan Dojo, and began wrestling for NJPW
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Growing up as a fan, and once I began wrestling, I always looked up to him; I always emulated him [...] Bret Hart, the man that I spent so many years looking up to, idolizing; he was somewhat of a role model to me.
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{{cite web}}
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- Wrestling Digest: Technically Speaking, wrestler and sports entertainer Chris Benoit
External links
- Chris Benoit at IMDb
- World Championship Wrestling profile at the Wayback Machine (archived May 8, 1999)
- World Wrestling Entertainment profile at the Wayback Machine (archived June 17, 2005)
- Chris Benoit's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database