Chris Benoit Dead - Toxicology results released

dh86 · July 13, 2007

Personally, I don't necessarily trust Keller and Meltzer's views for one simple reason. Prior to the Benoit tragedy they achieved their greatest notoriety during the Vince McMahon steroid trial. Meltzer was all over tv then too. Seeing this story escalate, with Astin turning into another Zahorian deal, the business and Vince McMahon going before congress, etc. is $$$$ to them. They have no love lost for Vince because he consistently discredits their opinions and shuts them off to access to talent. I'm not saying my thoughts are necessarily true but I just find it ironic.

I'm not pro WWE. I'm personally more bothered by the idea of the company pushing Batista and Lashley, hell even putting Snitsky on tv, than Matt Hardy or Ken Kennedy's opinions. I expected to see smaller bodies and less of a focus on size after Eddie died. It didn't happen and I do hold them accountable for that. They need to improve upon the loopholes of the Wellness Program, add psychiatric counseling to it, cycle the tours and, most importantly, Vince needs to get over his fascination of big guys, ideally he needs to just step down completely.

I just have a problem with people not realizing it's not the rock n roll locker room atmosphere that it was in the 80's or the 90's boom period. Yeah, you can point to Eddie, Chris and Rey as modern era examples but they are also from the 90's core of talent that did ghb, ecstacy, drank alcohol, popped pills and roided up hoping to main event Wrestlemania someday. I really do wanna think that the younger guys in the locker room are more responsible than that and I read things that indicate that they are playing Madden after the shows rather than painting the town Horsemen style.

Keller and Meltzer are very anti WWE anyhow just read anything they put out about the product.......

You'll never convince some people that Meltzer isn't the end all be all beacon of wrestling knowledge either....you know he's not always right either.

There are a ton of personal agenda's involved in this not just the couple of current WWE guys who spoke on their sites.

Why in the world would they be "very anti WWE"? Do you know what would happen to them if WWE falls?

Atticus Chaos · July 13, 2007

More from Meltzer

-the Police Department believes (but are not absolutely certain) that the argument between Nancy and Chris Benoit that resulted in Nancy Benoit's murder was the result of Nancy telling Chris she was leaving him.

- Apparently Benoit actually spoke to next door neighbor Holly McFague sometime on Saturday, after the killing of Nancy Benoit, but before the killing of Daniel Benoit.

- Benoit gave McFague a cover story of how sick Nancy and Daniel Benoit were (the same story that was reported in the phone calls to WWE workers). McFague has previously been reported by many sources as the person who actually led police into the Benoit property and first discovered the bodies of all three Benoits.

- Benoit also spoke to a pool boy (not named) during that period on Saturday. Meltzer reports that multiple sources have stated that this pool boy saw both Chris and Daniel Benoit. One of those sources claim the two were swimming in the Benoit pool.

- Meltzer also outlined the events of the day Chris Benoit that murdered Nancy Benoit where Benoit drove to Dr. Phil Astin's office 50 miles from his house, followed by a return trip to a restaurant before stopping a a GNC store and then presumably home where the argument took place that triggered the chain of events that resulted in the deaths of three people and a wrestling world that will be shaken for a long, long time

dh86 · July 13, 2007

On Dan Abrams Live on MSNBC last night, Marc Mero responded to Ken Kennedy and Gregory Helms' criticism of his comments on the Benoit case, here's the clip from that show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKN7Hr0cX50

And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am so against that Ken Kennedy posting, as well as the same sort of stuff from guys like Helms, Hardy, and so on. This is a very thin line WWE is walking right now, and it would be best not to produce extra ammunition that could be used against them.

I still don't understand how anyone can totally take up for guys on the WWE payroll spouting off their opinions about all of this on their BLOGS AND WEBSITES, and totally discredit any former worker who is taking this opportunity to speak out. Marc Mero has been working since what, 1990? Is it really hard to believe his list? I'd be willing to bet that you could take any number of workers that have been working for as long as Mero and they'd have a list something like that as well. At least he's putting the thought in to actually make the list, and present it to everyone. But, you know, whatever the fuck, it's fine. I just don't get it is all.

And let's say that, just in theory, that every single former WWE worker is ONLY speaking out because they're bitter, or they want a few more minutes of exposure, or maybe they even want to make a few quick bucks off of this horrible tragedy.

You know what I think of that if true (and I don't believe that for a second)?

I simply don't give a shit. No matter the reason behind them coming out, and no matter how scummy some of those reasons could be, I simply don't care. At least it's bringing all of the problems to the mainstream. It's only then, when the media grabs hold of it and sticks with it, that any changes will ever take place. I think everyone can agree that changes do indeed need to take place, and WWE sure isn't going to do anything without some sort of forced push, and the media and the government isn't going to do anything on their own. So if it takes a bunch of greedy, exposure hungry ex-WWE workers to come out like this in order to clean up the wrestling industry and to save some lives, then fine, so be it. As long as they're not spouting off flat out lies, and that would be very easy to check into, then let them go at it.

Just imagine if Hardy and Kennedy had to answer questions from an interviewer while wildly towing the company line. It would be a disaster.

Nate · July 13, 2007

i think Mero is the king of media whores, i mean he brings this list up EVERY SHOW he is on, he is right though they need some sort of change rather thats a stricter policy on the drug testing, and mandatory mental and physical testing

UZI Suicide · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

Nate · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

i know what your saying, but we have seen his list enough times, its beaten into our heads everytime he appears on TV

July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

But he's acting as if they all died from steroid usage, which just ain't the case.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

On Dan Abrams Live on MSNBC last night, Marc Mero responded to Ken Kennedy and Gregory Helms' criticism of his comments on the Benoit case, here's the clip from that show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKN7Hr0cX50

And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am so against that Ken Kennedy posting, as well as the same sort of stuff from guys like Helms, Hardy, and so on. This is a very thin line WWE is walking right now, and it would be best not to produce extra ammunition that could be used against them.

I still don't understand how anyone can totally take up for guys on the WWE payroll spouting off their opinions about all of this on their BLOGS AND WEBSITES, and totally discredit any former worker who is taking this opportunity to speak out. Marc Mero has been working since what, 1990? Is it really hard to believe his list? I'd be willing to bet that you could take any number of workers that have been working for as long as Mero and they'd have a list something like that as well. At least he's putting the thought in to actually make the list, and present it to everyone. But, you know, whatever the fuck, it's fine. I just don't get it is all.

And let's say that, just in theory, that every single former WWE worker is ONLY speaking out because they're bitter, or they want a few more minutes of exposure, or maybe they even want to make a few quick bucks off of this horrible tragedy.

You know what I think of that if true (and I don't believe that for a second)?

I simply don't give a shit. No matter the reason behind them coming out, and no matter how scummy some of those reasons could be, I simply don't care. At least it's bringing all of the problems to the mainstream. It's only then, when the media grabs hold of it and sticks with it, that any changes will ever take place. I think everyone can agree that changes do indeed need to take place, and WWE sure isn't going to do anything without some sort of forced push, and the media and the government isn't going to do anything on their own. So if it takes a bunch of greedy, exposure hungry ex-WWE workers to come out like this in order to clean up the wrestling industry and to save some lives, then fine, so be it. As long as they're not spouting off flat out lies, and that would be very easy to check into, then let them go at it.

Just imagine if Hardy and Kennedy had to answer questions from an interviewer while wildly towing the company line. It would be a disaster.

I wish WWE would send their wrestlers out there to comment. I don't think it would be a disaster because I don't see Hardy, Kennedy or Helm's comments as towing the company line. Towing the company line in my opinion would be keeping their mouths shut because that's what the company wants their workers to do in regards to the Benoit story.

If current contracted talent got on there and talked about how the road schedule isn't as bad as it used to be, how they have doctors backstage taking their blood pressure and doing cardivascular tests, how their drug usage is monitored, how they are instructed to work a safer ring style and how they've had surgeries paid for by the company and get time off when they ask - the media won't want to hear from them because the sensationalism from the story is gone. They would rather hear from someone who hasn't been in a locker room in five to ten years talk about guys taking handful of somas.

So let me get this straight.... if someone that is currently on the road with WWE says that things really aren't that bad - they are towing the company line? What if they just believe things really aren't that bad? What if Helms, Hardy and Kennedy have a better grasp on things than guys that came in 10-15 years ago? Is it fair for them to be stereotyped into the media's version of the druggie out of control wrestling business?

I have no problem with Marc Mero really. I don't think his personal agenda is a bad one. He's trying to help people. I just don't think he has any credibility in discussing the current business. It's obvious that he quotes websites and the Observer when asked about current issues because he's not there to know anything about their testing or the backstage environment. Even Vince Russo said that it was a completely different world than it was in 1999 when he returned a few years back and that was before Eddie died and before they implemented the wellness program.

Vince needs to stop pushing big guys. That's what it comes down to. That stereotype of a WWE Superstar needs to end so guys don't feel the need to make personal choices that harm them to fit that image. I don't think government has to step in to regulate anything. They've made changes on their own accord - partly due to Eddie's death unfortunately - they just need to make enhancements to those changes, police the drug usage and prescriptions better, in the wake of this incident. It's as simple as that.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

100 dead wrestlers that likely include promoters, referees, suicides, murders, cancer, car accidents and failling from an arena ceiling. All things that have absolutely nothing to do with pain pills and steroids.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

Personally, I don't necessarily trust Keller and Meltzer's views for one simple reason. Prior to the Benoit tragedy they achieved their greatest notoriety during the Vince McMahon steroid trial. Meltzer was all over tv then too. Seeing this story escalate, with Astin turning into another Zahorian deal, the business and Vince McMahon going before congress, etc. is $$$$ to them. They have no love lost for Vince because he consistently discredits their opinions and shuts them off to access to talent. I'm not saying my thoughts are necessarily true but I just find it ironic.

I'm not pro WWE. I'm personally more bothered by the idea of the company pushing Batista and Lashley, hell even putting Snitsky on tv, than Matt Hardy or Ken Kennedy's opinions. I expected to see smaller bodies and less of a focus on size after Eddie died. It didn't happen and I do hold them accountable for that. They need to improve upon the loopholes of the Wellness Program, add psychiatric counseling to it, cycle the tours and, most importantly, Vince needs to get over his fascination of big guys, ideally he needs to just step down completely.

I just have a problem with people not realizing it's not the rock n roll locker room atmosphere that it was in the 80's or the 90's boom period. Yeah, you can point to Eddie, Chris and Rey as modern era examples but they are also from the 90's core of talent that did ghb, ecstacy, drank alcohol, popped pills and roided up hoping to main event Wrestlemania someday. I really do wanna think that the younger guys in the locker room are more responsible than that and I read things that indicate that they are playing Madden after the shows rather than painting the town Horsemen style.

Keller and Meltzer are very anti WWE anyhow just read anything they put out about the product.......

You'll never convince some people that Meltzer isn't the end all be all beacon of wrestling knowledge either....you know he's not always right either.

There are a ton of personal agenda's involved in this not just the couple of current WWE guys who spoke on their sites.

Why in the world would they be "very anti WWE"? Do you know what would happen to them if WWE falls?

They would feel like they took down the man and the empire that has labeled their work as a joke for the past twenty years? And like someone said, Meltzer could finally have the MMA Observer.

UZI Suicide · July 13, 2007

On Dan Abrams Live on MSNBC last night, Marc Mero responded to Ken Kennedy and Gregory Helms' criticism of his comments on the Benoit case, here's the clip from that show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKN7Hr0cX50

And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am so against that Ken Kennedy posting, as well as the same sort of stuff from guys like Helms, Hardy, and so on. This is a very thin line WWE is walking right now, and it would be best not to produce extra ammunition that could be used against them.

I still don't understand how anyone can totally take up for guys on the WWE payroll spouting off their opinions about all of this on their BLOGS AND WEBSITES, and totally discredit any former worker who is taking this opportunity to speak out. Marc Mero has been working since what, 1990? Is it really hard to believe his list? I'd be willing to bet that you could take any number of workers that have been working for as long as Mero and they'd have a list something like that as well. At least he's putting the thought in to actually make the list, and present it to everyone. But, you know, whatever the fuck, it's fine. I just don't get it is all.

And let's say that, just in theory, that every single former WWE worker is ONLY speaking out because they're bitter, or they want a few more minutes of exposure, or maybe they even want to make a few quick bucks off of this horrible tragedy.

You know what I think of that if true (and I don't believe that for a second)?

I simply don't give a shit. No matter the reason behind them coming out, and no matter how scummy some of those reasons could be, I simply don't care. At least it's bringing all of the problems to the mainstream. It's only then, when the media grabs hold of it and sticks with it, that any changes will ever take place. I think everyone can agree that changes do indeed need to take place, and WWE sure isn't going to do anything without some sort of forced push, and the media and the government isn't going to do anything on their own. So if it takes a bunch of greedy, exposure hungry ex-WWE workers to come out like this in order to clean up the wrestling industry and to save some lives, then fine, so be it. As long as they're not spouting off flat out lies, and that would be very easy to check into, then let them go at it.

Just imagine if Hardy and Kennedy had to answer questions from an interviewer while wildly towing the company line. It would be a disaster.

I wish WWE would send their wrestlers out there to comment. I don't think it would be a disaster because I don't see Hardy, Kennedy or Helm's comments as towing the company line. Towing the company line in my opinion would be keeping their mouths shut because that's what the company wants their workers to do in regards to the Benoit story.

They already sent Cena to Larry King, so they probably feel that's enough. Of course, King does nothing but toss up softball after softball to all his guests.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

From pwinsider.com - I tend to agree with these guys more than Meltzer, Keller and the gang.

A MUCH LONGER RANT ABOUT THE WAY THE BENOIT STORY HAS BEEN COVERED AND HOW SOME PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR HOW THEY HAVE TRIED TO CAPITALIZE ON IT

by Dave Scherer @ 12:09:31 PM on 7/13/2007

Almost three weeks after the murder-suicide at the Benoit house, in sadly typical fashion the media is getting every bit of mileage out of the story, or at least their version of it, that they possibly can. For three weeks, I have seen shoddy and blatantly false reporting on the supposedly credible news channels. I have seen whores come out of the woodwork looking for their chance to spew their personal venom or further their own cause at the expense of a tragedy where three people died. There has been so much conjecture, assumption and blatant agenda pushing that I shudder now every time I see "The Benoit Story" being covered in many outlets because you know what, these people aren't covering the story any longer.

No, now they are now just trying to get ratings for their TV shows or clicks for their websites and it's downright disgusting to me. How do I know that they are doing that? I have been contacted by numerous news outlets and when I don't and won't say what they want to hear, they find someone else who will. I had one conversation with an AP reporter who brought up the "wrestling deaths" list. On it were people who were, at best, indy wrestlers, part time promoters, people who died in accidents and people who had been out of wrestling for years. I told the reporter, "Why are you clouding the issue by including people on the list to make it seem like a big problem when if you just talked about the people who really fit the criteria that, in and of itself, would clearly make the point you are trying to make?" On the other end of the phone was silence. He found another reporter to comment instead.

That was fine by me because it's my belief that appearing on a show or being quoted in a story that is knowingly going down a sensationalistic track or where I know that at least some of the facts will be incorrect makes me complicit to what they are doing and that will never happen. What this kind of bush league reporting does is make everyone lose any respect for the two people who were murdered. That has been totally lost in the weeks since the murder, and it's wrong. Really, really wrong. In place of respect and sympathy for Nancy and Daniel Benoit are people trying to make money and get themselves over, all at the expense of three dead people. It's downright despicable.

Instead of focusing on what happened people are looking to put WWE on trial, painting a picture of company that is purely evil, which makes its supporters tell a story of one that is purely good. The way the battle lines have been drawn, people are picking sides where in truth there is no clear right or wrong here. You see people ripping WWE so of course, they have to defend themselves. What gets lost in the muck are the actual issues that should be in play here. WWE is neither the heel or the angel here. There are positives and negatives where they are concerned. Instead of looking at the big picture, the national and in same cases wrestling media just polarizes on certain things.

Let's look at both sides, for once. Does WWE have some things that they could make better? For sure. They could:

Change the Wellness policy to eliminate the "it's OK to use steroids if you have a doctor's note" stipulation. It's a loophole and it allows wrestlers to go to unscrupulous doctors and get drugs that they don't really need. Also, if a guy fails the test, make it public knowledge and suspend the guy for a month. There should be no more hiding a positive test from the public and allowing the guy to work unpaid.

Change the culture of the company so that the perception is no longer there that a big body, even one lacking in talent, will get you a big push. If the company stops pushing a guy just because he's unnaturally huge, it will send a message to everyone that size alone will not get you a big payday. Plus, as history has shown, pushing overly huge guys on top has mixed results and they have made a lot of money when their top talents were "just big", like The Rock and Steve Austin.

Add more comprehensive cardiovascular, as well as neurological, testing. What's sad here is that everyone in the media assumes and "reports" that Chris Benoit did what he is alleged to have done because of "roid rage". They do it because it is a buzzword that gets ratings and clicks, even though "roid rage" is a momentary thing, not one that lasts the better part of two days. I think it's fair to say that if people want to assume anything, it's that something snapped in his head and made him do something that no one who knew him thought he was capable of doing. It's no secret that Benoit has taken a lot of blows to the head over the years, as have many wrestlers. Comprehensive neurological testing may have found changes in his brain and could have prevented this tragedy.

Make psychologists a part of the company's medical team. For the same reason they need to implement neurological testing, they also need to have psychologists meet with the talent periodically just to get a read on where their head is.

But, by the same token, they have done a number of positive things to try and help the boys. They have:

Implemented the Wellness Policy and have been testing regularly. They have had positives and the testing has helped. The program isn't perfect, for sure, but it's a start. If they improve elements of it, it can be even more effective.

The company has a long standing history of helping any talent that comes forth with a substance abuse problem. All someone has to do is ask and they will get help. Expecting the company to be all knowing is just not realistic.

They have banned some big moves in an effort to cut back on injuries. They have also instructed the talent to work more ground-based matches in an effort to cut down on injuries and wear and tear.

So when you look at it like this, it's clear that while there is certainly room for improvement, WWE has not been asleep at the wheel either. Unfortunately, getting a balanced look at the story is just not something that is happening very often of late. But, they do happen from time to time. In a few rare cases, we have also seen some people that aren't out to "get themselves over" or "further their agenda" but rather truly care about the issues at play here. I saw one of those people yesterday.

I was at the gym yesterday and saw Lance Storm on ESPN's "Outside The Lines". I have to tell you, Lance made as much sense as anyone who has commented on the Benoit tragedy yet. In fact, I put more stock in what he says than those of other experts for a number of reasons:

He is well known to have never done drugs (and from personal knowledge I fully believe that to be the case).

He is a retired (for the most part) worker and unlike most of the other experts who have been doing running commentary, he has no agenda to promote or axe to grind, he just told the truth.

He has been around the business long enough to both know what it was like 10 years AND one year ago, so he knows how things were and how they are. TMZ ran a really sensationalistic story yesterday where Terri Runnels talked about "Soma Comas". Let me tell you this. 10 years ago, a lot of guys were using Somas. That is the truth and I got to see some of the effects up close and personal. 5 years ago, less guys were using them. Today is their still use? Sure, some guys are still doing them, and other pain pills. Only a fool would argue otherwise, but writing a story about Soma Comas as if it's happening today the way that it was 10 years ago is like talking about Bill Clinton as if he were still the president. Unlike Runnels, who hasn't been around WWE for years, Storm talked from legitimate experience, and did so currently

The key points he made were that the WWE Wellness policy loophole that allows guys to take steroids if they have a doctor's note. He also said that far too often, guys in the business convince themselves that the only way that they can live with the rigors on the road is by taking pain pills and other drugs. He said it makes him angry that people say that they need to take drugs to deal with the rigors of the road. He said it's a crock. He pointed out that WWE now has doctors at all the shows and has top of the line medical equipment and tests there for the wrestlers. In essence, he said that while WWE is accountable for their workers, they are also accountable for themselves. In the end, they take drugs because they say they need to take drugs and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the end, that is what it comes down to. Everyone involved, WWE and the wrestlers, has a role in what happens to the workers. You just can't pin the blame on one side or wrap what happened at the Benoit home up in a nice little package with a bow because there is far more to what happened than that.

Yesterday, someone got it and my hat is off to Lance Storm and ESPN for not taking the easy out. It was a welcome change from the garbage reporting that other news outlets have been doing of late. Unfortunately, since he didn't sell what the media whores wanted him to, that will probably be the last time we hear from him.

dubq · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

But he's acting as if they all died from steroid usage, which just ain't the case.

No he's not. The media is. He's bringing this list out because there is a PROBLEM in Pro Wrestling regardless of steroids. He hasn't once said that the list is of steriod only deaths.

dubq · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

i know what your saying, but we have seen his list enough times, its beaten into our heads everytime he appears on TV

Maybe it needs to be beaten into some people's heads because obviously it's not getting through.

Let me also point out that he's had two lists. The first one was personal to him - 25 wrestlers he's been in the ring with who are dead now.

The newer list that's more populated is of all the wrestler casualties over the past while.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

i know what your saying, but we have seen his list enough times, its beaten into our heads everytime he appears on TV

Maybe it needs to be beaten into some people's heads because obviously it's not getting through.

Let me also point out that he's had two lists. The first one was personal to him - 25 wrestlers he's been in the ring with who are dead now.

The newer list that's more populated is of all the wrestler casualties over the past while.

Because 25 dead wrestlers isn't enough for the media - 104 is much more sensational even if it includes deaths that aren't relevant to the subject. It's all in the number.

July 13, 2007

I like checking in on this thread. We have some thinkers here, don't we.

dh86 · July 13, 2007

From pwinsider.com - I tend to agree with these guys more than Meltzer, Keller and the gang.

A MUCH LONGER RANT ABOUT THE WAY THE BENOIT STORY HAS BEEN COVERED AND HOW SOME PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR HOW THEY HAVE TRIED TO CAPITALIZE ON IT

by Dave Scherer @ 12:09:31 PM on 7/13/2007

Almost three weeks after the murder-suicide at the Benoit house, in sadly typical fashion the media is getting every bit of mileage out of the story, or at least their version of it, that they possibly can. For three weeks, I have seen shoddy and blatantly false reporting on the supposedly credible news channels. I have seen whores come out of the woodwork looking for their chance to spew their personal venom or further their own cause at the expense of a tragedy where three people died. There has been so much conjecture, assumption and blatant agenda pushing that I shudder now every time I see "The Benoit Story" being covered in many outlets because you know what, these people aren't covering the story any longer.

No, now they are now just trying to get ratings for their TV shows or clicks for their websites and it's downright disgusting to me. How do I know that they are doing that? I have been contacted by numerous news outlets and when I don't and won't say what they want to hear, they find someone else who will. I had one conversation with an AP reporter who brought up the "wrestling deaths" list. On it were people who were, at best, indy wrestlers, part time promoters, people who died in accidents and people who had been out of wrestling for years. I told the reporter, "Why are you clouding the issue by including people on the list to make it seem like a big problem when if you just talked about the people who really fit the criteria that, in and of itself, would clearly make the point you are trying to make?" On the other end of the phone was silence. He found another reporter to comment instead.

That was fine by me because it's my belief that appearing on a show or being quoted in a story that is knowingly going down a sensationalistic track or where I know that at least some of the facts will be incorrect makes me complicit to what they are doing and that will never happen. What this kind of bush league reporting does is make everyone lose any respect for the two people who were murdered. That has been totally lost in the weeks since the murder, and it's wrong. Really, really wrong. In place of respect and sympathy for Nancy and Daniel Benoit are people trying to make money and get themselves over, all at the expense of three dead people. It's downright despicable.

Instead of focusing on what happened people are looking to put WWE on trial, painting a picture of company that is purely evil, which makes its supporters tell a story of one that is purely good. The way the battle lines have been drawn, people are picking sides where in truth there is no clear right or wrong here. You see people ripping WWE so of course, they have to defend themselves. What gets lost in the muck are the actual issues that should be in play here. WWE is neither the heel or the angel here. There are positives and negatives where they are concerned. Instead of looking at the big picture, the national and in same cases wrestling media just polarizes on certain things.

Let's look at both sides, for once. Does WWE have some things that they could make better? For sure. They could:

Change the Wellness policy to eliminate the "it's OK to use steroids if you have a doctor's note" stipulation. It's a loophole and it allows wrestlers to go to unscrupulous doctors and get drugs that they don't really need. Also, if a guy fails the test, make it public knowledge and suspend the guy for a month. There should be no more hiding a positive test from the public and allowing the guy to work unpaid.

Change the culture of the company so that the perception is no longer there that a big body, even one lacking in talent, will get you a big push. If the company stops pushing a guy just because he's unnaturally huge, it will send a message to everyone that size alone will not get you a big payday. Plus, as history has shown, pushing overly huge guys on top has mixed results and they have made a lot of money when their top talents were "just big", like The Rock and Steve Austin.

Add more comprehensive cardiovascular, as well as neurological, testing. What's sad here is that everyone in the media assumes and "reports" that Chris Benoit did what he is alleged to have done because of "roid rage". They do it because it is a buzzword that gets ratings and clicks, even though "roid rage" is a momentary thing, not one that lasts the better part of two days. I think it's fair to say that if people want to assume anything, it's that something snapped in his head and made him do something that no one who knew him thought he was capable of doing. It's no secret that Benoit has taken a lot of blows to the head over the years, as have many wrestlers. Comprehensive neurological testing may have found changes in his brain and could have prevented this tragedy.

Make psychologists a part of the company's medical team. For the same reason they need to implement neurological testing, they also need to have psychologists meet with the talent periodically just to get a read on where their head is.

But, by the same token, they have done a number of positive things to try and help the boys. They have:

Implemented the Wellness Policy and have been testing regularly. They have had positives and the testing has helped. The program isn't perfect, for sure, but it's a start. If they improve elements of it, it can be even more effective.

The company has a long standing history of helping any talent that comes forth with a substance abuse problem. All someone has to do is ask and they will get help. Expecting the company to be all knowing is just not realistic.

They have banned some big moves in an effort to cut back on injuries. They have also instructed the talent to work more ground-based matches in an effort to cut down on injuries and wear and tear.

So when you look at it like this, it's clear that while there is certainly room for improvement, WWE has not been asleep at the wheel either. Unfortunately, getting a balanced look at the story is just not something that is happening very often of late. But, they do happen from time to time. In a few rare cases, we have also seen some people that aren't out to "get themselves over" or "further their agenda" but rather truly care about the issues at play here. I saw one of those people yesterday.

I was at the gym yesterday and saw Lance Storm on ESPN's "Outside The Lines". I have to tell you, Lance made as much sense as anyone who has commented on the Benoit tragedy yet. In fact, I put more stock in what he says than those of other experts for a number of reasons:

He is well known to have never done drugs (and from personal knowledge I fully believe that to be the case).

He is a retired (for the most part) worker and unlike most of the other experts who have been doing running commentary, he has no agenda to promote or axe to grind, he just told the truth.

He has been around the business long enough to both know what it was like 10 years AND one year ago, so he knows how things were and how they are. TMZ ran a really sensationalistic story yesterday where Terri Runnels talked about "Soma Comas". Let me tell you this. 10 years ago, a lot of guys were using Somas. That is the truth and I got to see some of the effects up close and personal. 5 years ago, less guys were using them. Today is their still use? Sure, some guys are still doing them, and other pain pills. Only a fool would argue otherwise, but writing a story about Soma Comas as if it's happening today the way that it was 10 years ago is like talking about Bill Clinton as if he were still the president. Unlike Runnels, who hasn't been around WWE for years, Storm talked from legitimate experience, and did so currently

The key points he made were that the WWE Wellness policy loophole that allows guys to take steroids if they have a doctor's note. He also said that far too often, guys in the business convince themselves that the only way that they can live with the rigors on the road is by taking pain pills and other drugs. He said it makes him angry that people say that they need to take drugs to deal with the rigors of the road. He said it's a crock. He pointed out that WWE now has doctors at all the shows and has top of the line medical equipment and tests there for the wrestlers. In essence, he said that while WWE is accountable for their workers, they are also accountable for themselves. In the end, they take drugs because they say they need to take drugs and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the end, that is what it comes down to. Everyone involved, WWE and the wrestlers, has a role in what happens to the workers. You just can't pin the blame on one side or wrap what happened at the Benoit home up in a nice little package with a bow because there is far more to what happened than that.

Yesterday, someone got it and my hat is off to Lance Storm and ESPN for not taking the easy out. It was a welcome change from the garbage reporting that other news outlets have been doing of late. Unfortunately, since he didn't sell what the media whores wanted him to, that will probably be the last time we hear from him.

Dave was right on until the Lance Storm part. Terri was in the WWE locker room up until April 2004. Around the same time Lance left...so its irresponsible to say she has no idea about todays WWE and Lance does. Didnt Eugene just go into a Soma Coma just a year and a half ago? A current WWE wrestler?

EVIL~! alkeiper · July 13, 2007

He brings the list up because there is over ONE HUNDRED dead wrestlers, dummy. It's kind of something that should be talked about, ya know?

i know what your saying, but we have seen his list enough times, its beaten into our heads everytime he appears on TV

Most people don't watch every show, they see one or two. It has to be repeated ad nauseum or otherwise it doesn't come through.

Ripper · July 13, 2007

Dave was right on until the Lance Storm part. Terri was in the WWE locker room up until April 2004. Around the same time Lance left...so its irresponsible to say she has no idea about todays WWE and Lance does. Didnt Eugene just go into a Soma Coma just a year and a half ago? A current WWE wrestler?

Sure, some guys are still doing them, and other pain pills. Only a fool would argue otherwise, but writing a story about Soma Comas as if it's happening today the way that it was 10 years ago is like talking about Bill Clinton as if he were still the president.

I think that pretty much covers it.

And for the people defending Mero and his list. His list contains alot of things that have nothing to do with wrestling. Giving a blind number on a show about the effects of steroids in wrestling is at best irreasponsible of him. He isn't a idiot, he knows what he is doing. He knows he is a former wrestler with a list with over 100 dead wrestlers and that is what they want to hear. Never mind the Yoko's, JYD's, Owens, part time indie wrestlers on the list. The subject of these shows are roids, their effects on wrestling and the WWE.

Bottomline is that the VAST majority of these list have nothing to do with the WWE. if he was just trying to point out something for change, perhaps he would have mentioned that once or twice. or edited out the guys that were just in unavoidable incidents or obesity or cancer. But nope...that might make his list shorter.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

From pwinsider.com - I tend to agree with these guys more than Meltzer, Keller and the gang.

A MUCH LONGER RANT ABOUT THE WAY THE BENOIT STORY HAS BEEN COVERED AND HOW SOME PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR HOW THEY HAVE TRIED TO CAPITALIZE ON IT

by Dave Scherer @ 12:09:31 PM on 7/13/2007

Almost three weeks after the murder-suicide at the Benoit house, in sadly typical fashion the media is getting every bit of mileage out of the story, or at least their version of it, that they possibly can. For three weeks, I have seen shoddy and blatantly false reporting on the supposedly credible news channels. I have seen whores come out of the woodwork looking for their chance to spew their personal venom or further their own cause at the expense of a tragedy where three people died. There has been so much conjecture, assumption and blatant agenda pushing that I shudder now every time I see "The Benoit Story" being covered in many outlets because you know what, these people aren't covering the story any longer.

No, now they are now just trying to get ratings for their TV shows or clicks for their websites and it's downright disgusting to me. How do I know that they are doing that? I have been contacted by numerous news outlets and when I don't and won't say what they want to hear, they find someone else who will. I had one conversation with an AP reporter who brought up the "wrestling deaths" list. On it were people who were, at best, indy wrestlers, part time promoters, people who died in accidents and people who had been out of wrestling for years. I told the reporter, "Why are you clouding the issue by including people on the list to make it seem like a big problem when if you just talked about the people who really fit the criteria that, in and of itself, would clearly make the point you are trying to make?" On the other end of the phone was silence. He found another reporter to comment instead.

That was fine by me because it's my belief that appearing on a show or being quoted in a story that is knowingly going down a sensationalistic track or where I know that at least some of the facts will be incorrect makes me complicit to what they are doing and that will never happen. What this kind of bush league reporting does is make everyone lose any respect for the two people who were murdered. That has been totally lost in the weeks since the murder, and it's wrong. Really, really wrong. In place of respect and sympathy for Nancy and Daniel Benoit are people trying to make money and get themselves over, all at the expense of three dead people. It's downright despicable.

Instead of focusing on what happened people are looking to put WWE on trial, painting a picture of company that is purely evil, which makes its supporters tell a story of one that is purely good. The way the battle lines have been drawn, people are picking sides where in truth there is no clear right or wrong here. You see people ripping WWE so of course, they have to defend themselves. What gets lost in the muck are the actual issues that should be in play here. WWE is neither the heel or the angel here. There are positives and negatives where they are concerned. Instead of looking at the big picture, the national and in same cases wrestling media just polarizes on certain things.

Let's look at both sides, for once. Does WWE have some things that they could make better? For sure. They could:

Change the Wellness policy to eliminate the "it's OK to use steroids if you have a doctor's note" stipulation. It's a loophole and it allows wrestlers to go to unscrupulous doctors and get drugs that they don't really need. Also, if a guy fails the test, make it public knowledge and suspend the guy for a month. There should be no more hiding a positive test from the public and allowing the guy to work unpaid.

Change the culture of the company so that the perception is no longer there that a big body, even one lacking in talent, will get you a big push. If the company stops pushing a guy just because he's unnaturally huge, it will send a message to everyone that size alone will not get you a big payday. Plus, as history has shown, pushing overly huge guys on top has mixed results and they have made a lot of money when their top talents were "just big", like The Rock and Steve Austin.

Add more comprehensive cardiovascular, as well as neurological, testing. What's sad here is that everyone in the media assumes and "reports" that Chris Benoit did what he is alleged to have done because of "roid rage". They do it because it is a buzzword that gets ratings and clicks, even though "roid rage" is a momentary thing, not one that lasts the better part of two days. I think it's fair to say that if people want to assume anything, it's that something snapped in his head and made him do something that no one who knew him thought he was capable of doing. It's no secret that Benoit has taken a lot of blows to the head over the years, as have many wrestlers. Comprehensive neurological testing may have found changes in his brain and could have prevented this tragedy.

Make psychologists a part of the company's medical team. For the same reason they need to implement neurological testing, they also need to have psychologists meet with the talent periodically just to get a read on where their head is.

But, by the same token, they have done a number of positive things to try and help the boys. They have:

Implemented the Wellness Policy and have been testing regularly. They have had positives and the testing has helped. The program isn't perfect, for sure, but it's a start. If they improve elements of it, it can be even more effective.

The company has a long standing history of helping any talent that comes forth with a substance abuse problem. All someone has to do is ask and they will get help. Expecting the company to be all knowing is just not realistic.

They have banned some big moves in an effort to cut back on injuries. They have also instructed the talent to work more ground-based matches in an effort to cut down on injuries and wear and tear.

So when you look at it like this, it's clear that while there is certainly room for improvement, WWE has not been asleep at the wheel either. Unfortunately, getting a balanced look at the story is just not something that is happening very often of late. But, they do happen from time to time. In a few rare cases, we have also seen some people that aren't out to "get themselves over" or "further their agenda" but rather truly care about the issues at play here. I saw one of those people yesterday.

I was at the gym yesterday and saw Lance Storm on ESPN's "Outside The Lines". I have to tell you, Lance made as much sense as anyone who has commented on the Benoit tragedy yet. In fact, I put more stock in what he says than those of other experts for a number of reasons:

He is well known to have never done drugs (and from personal knowledge I fully believe that to be the case).

He is a retired (for the most part) worker and unlike most of the other experts who have been doing running commentary, he has no agenda to promote or axe to grind, he just told the truth.

He has been around the business long enough to both know what it was like 10 years AND one year ago, so he knows how things were and how they are. TMZ ran a really sensationalistic story yesterday where Terri Runnels talked about "Soma Comas". Let me tell you this. 10 years ago, a lot of guys were using Somas. That is the truth and I got to see some of the effects up close and personal. 5 years ago, less guys were using them. Today is their still use? Sure, some guys are still doing them, and other pain pills. Only a fool would argue otherwise, but writing a story about Soma Comas as if it's happening today the way that it was 10 years ago is like talking about Bill Clinton as if he were still the president. Unlike Runnels, who hasn't been around WWE for years, Storm talked from legitimate experience, and did so currently

The key points he made were that the WWE Wellness policy loophole that allows guys to take steroids if they have a doctor's note. He also said that far too often, guys in the business convince themselves that the only way that they can live with the rigors on the road is by taking pain pills and other drugs. He said it makes him angry that people say that they need to take drugs to deal with the rigors of the road. He said it's a crock. He pointed out that WWE now has doctors at all the shows and has top of the line medical equipment and tests there for the wrestlers. In essence, he said that while WWE is accountable for their workers, they are also accountable for themselves. In the end, they take drugs because they say they need to take drugs and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the end, that is what it comes down to. Everyone involved, WWE and the wrestlers, has a role in what happens to the workers. You just can't pin the blame on one side or wrap what happened at the Benoit home up in a nice little package with a bow because there is far more to what happened than that.

Yesterday, someone got it and my hat is off to Lance Storm and ESPN for not taking the easy out. It was a welcome change from the garbage reporting that other news outlets have been doing of late. Unfortunately, since he didn't sell what the media whores wanted him to, that will probably be the last time we hear from him.

Dave was right on until the Lance Storm part. Terri was in the WWE locker room up until April 2004. Around the same time Lance left...so its irresponsible to say she has no idea about todays WWE and Lance does. Didnt Eugene just go into a Soma Coma just a year and a half ago? A current WWE wrestler?

And she was probably referring to something from 1999 for all we know. Or maybe not. Neither of us know. Eugene did go into a soma coma and was immediately taken off the road and put into rehab. That was also before the wellness program was implemented. Again.. what exactly is the company supposed to do to ensure that a few guys on their roster aren't abusing drugs, prescription or recreational, besides test them? And one guy isn't indicative of the entire roster.

luke-o · July 13, 2007

The first time Mero was on TV, my reaction was "oh cool, it's Johnny B. Badd, cool to see him again." But now I see him on TV and I think, "what again? Jesus doesn't he do anything else?"

Saying that, I'm so looking forward to Finaly against Mero. That stereotypical Irish bastard does love a fight.

haVoc · July 13, 2007

The Nancy/Heavy Metal incident (Meltzer doesn't name Metal) where he held her hostage in his hotel room and bit her led to major problems between AAA and WCW.

Never heard this one before. Can someone please fill me in?

July 13, 2007

Bottom line, everyone speaking out on this has an agenda, whether it's to be pro-WWE or anti-WWE. This goes for people with ties to the wrestling industry and the fans as well. Not surprisingly I've noticed on many boards that people who are against WWE in this are people who have always been typical WWE haters.

I also have a hard time trusting the motives of someone like Marc Mero in all this knowing that he has a history of bad relations with WWE be it with lawsuits, locker room heat and divorces. Sometimes Mero shows that he's not all that informed about the current wrestling scene. I know people who subscribe to the Torch have been suspecting that Wade Keller has been feeding info to Mero for him to use on TV. Some of Mero's comments are similar to comments made by the Torch and Keller slipped up on an audio and mentioned that Mero is always EMailing his media schedule

. Speaking of which I can't trust the Torch based on what people like justcoz and Mecca have touched on also due to the fact that Bruce Mitchell has clearly had a disdain for wrestling in the past 15 years or so. He has always been bitter over WWE surviving while his favorite territory went out of business(Mid-Atlantic/JCP). He's typically one of these bitter old school types.

Hunter's Torn Quad · July 13, 2007

What I've noticed is that most people talking about this, and it's usually been the heavier pro-WWE crowd though both sides have been guilty, have spent more time attacking those speaking out rather than talking about the issues raised about the problem at hand. Instead of talking about the points someone like Mark Mero raises, those who take a more defensive stance regarding WWE's position have ignored the points raised and taken to attacking Mero personally and criticizing his motives for speaking up. Conversely, when Kennedy and Helms speak out, the people taking more negative position against WWE have attacked them for being self-serving and sucking up and ignored the points they too have raised. Instead of attacking the messenger, which makes it easier to ignore the points they're raising, both the good ones and the bad, it would be a lot better if everyone involved focused on the underlying issue, that being that whether people like it or not there are serious problems in wrestling, not just WWE, and they're not going to go away simply by attacking the people speaking up, no matter what side in the debate they're on.

Enigma · July 13, 2007

WWE SENDING DAVE FINLAY TO DEBATE MARC MERO ON NANCY GRACE

Friday night on Nancy Grace's show, WWE will dispatch Dave Finlay to be on the show to debate with Marc Mero, who has been all over the media circuit since the Benoit tragedy talking making very anti-WWE comments about the conditions it forces its wrestlers to work in.

Might want to set your VCR or DVR for this one.

SamoaRowe · July 13, 2007

I look forward to seeing that on youtube.

dubq · July 13, 2007

WWE SENDING DAVE FINLAY TO DEBATE MARC MERO ON NANCY GRACE

Friday night on Nancy Grace's show, WWE will dispatch Dave Finlay to be on the show to debate with Marc Mero, who has been all over the media circuit since the Benoit tragedy talking making very anti-WWE comments about the conditions it forces its wrestlers to work in.

Might want to set your VCR or DVR for this one.

Misleading... he's been talking about the business as a whole.

I'm not some big Mero supporter or whatever, but if someone can show me where he specifically singles out only the WWE, I'd like to see it. If it did happen then I must've missed it. But otherwise, every clip on YouTube that I've seen has him talking about the business as a whole and he only mentions Vince/WWE because they're on a big enough stage to institute some sort of change.

justcoz · July 13, 2007

WWE SENDING DAVE FINLAY TO DEBATE MARC MERO ON NANCY GRACE

Friday night on Nancy Grace's show, WWE will dispatch Dave Finlay to be on the show to debate with Marc Mero, who has been all over the media circuit since the Benoit tragedy talking making very anti-WWE comments about the conditions it forces its wrestlers to work in.

Might want to set your VCR or DVR for this one.

Misleading... he's been talking about the business as a whole.

I'm not some big Mero supporter or whatever, but if someone can show me where he specifically singles out only the WWE, I'd like to see it. If it did happen then I must've missed it. But otherwise, every clip on YouTube that I've seen has him talking about the business as a whole and he only mentions Vince/WWE because they're on a big enough stage to institute some sort of change.

Right - Mero may be guilty of getting a lot of face time but he's not singling out WWE. Unlike Konnan who said on Nancy Grace that Vince McMahon gets away with murder literally and figuratively.

tekcop · July 14, 2007

So... right now is my first time watching Nancy Grace. She completely clueless. I can't see how she's respected by anyone with at least a double digit IQ.

Steve J. Rogers · July 14, 2007

Has pretty much NOTHING to do with Chris Benoit, but I was reminded recently of this turn of the century Major League baseball catcher who, well, committed the same acts that Chris Benoit did

The article of his obit from Jan. 12th 1900 is scanned in as a picture on this site:

Marty Bergen, Boston Red Sox

Bergen at times had been subjects to fits of melancholy and had been the subject of comment among his friends. This was noticeably the case last October, when he showed signs of insanity

Chris Benoit Dead - Toxicology results released

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