Chris Benoit Dead - Toxicology results released

[Celtic Jobber 0]

CNN's Anderson Cooper 360's coverage of the Benoit case, with statistics on all the untimely deaths in wrestling, and an interview with Jerry Lawler's son Brian Christopher:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytHZks-QWxI

[art_vandelay 0]

Debra McMichael speaks as well:

Steve Austin's ex-wife, Debra Marshall, has spoken out on the Chris Benoit situation in a story for the FOX affiliate in Colorado.

 

- She called the domestic and drug abuse in WWE "out of hand" and brought up the statistic of 60 wrestlers under the age of 45 having died in the last ten years.

 

- Debra went as far as claiming that her story is very similar to Nancy Benoit's story, mentioning that Nancy had sought help from law enforcement in 2003 for domestic abuse.

 

- Debra also stated that like Nancy, Austin had basically forced her to write a letter to authorities saying the original complaint was a mistake.

 

- Debra said that she had personally seen Steve Austin take steroids.

 

- Debra said that had she spoken up earlier about how out of control domestic abuse is in wrestling, maybe Nancy and Daniel would still be alive today.

 

- Debra said that she "knows what it's like" to have someone who is really big sitting on top of you hitting you.

 

- Debra said she is glad she is alive after going through what she went through with Steve Austin.

 

Credit: PWTorch.com

 

 

[Darth Vader 0]

What the hell is with Brian Christopher? Did Lawler snug his 2nd cousin or something.

[Mecca 0]

I don't think of Benoit as an evil monster, I think of him as a man who finished his life with serious problems that he didn't let many people know about. It's very sad that he felt he needed to take his wife and son with him..the stress and strain all of that Eddie....he probably in his state of mind thought they'd all be better off with Eddie.

 

It's sad to know he likely ended up as a emotionally broken mentally unstable man that could do those things. it's pretty obvious to me that over the last couple of years he had slowly slid more and more and wasn't the same guy we all held in such high regard.

 

It's really really sad Eddie wasn't still alive or he didn't have anyone else he could open up too all this could have been avoided.

[art_vandelay 0]

Lawler seemed like he was really trying to downplay the steroids and protect the business... He looked totally fucked up...

[UZI Suicide 0]

I don't think of Benoit as an evil monster, I think of him as a man who finished his life with serious problems that he didn't let many people know about. It's very sad that he felt he needed to take his wife and son with him..the stress and strain all of that Eddie....he probably in his state of mind thought they'd all be better off with Eddie.

 

It's sad to know he likely ended up as a emotionally broken mentally unstable man that could do those things. it's pretty obvious to me that over the last couple of years he had slowly slid more and more and wasn't the same guy we all held in such high regard.

 

It's really really sad Eddie wasn't still alive or he didn't have anyone else he could open up too all this could have been avoided.

 

How do you know? Comments like that have been made by a lot people throughout this thread and it's ridiculous. Stop trying to be armchair psychologists. Nobody here knows what was going on in his mind or what led to this. We don't know how far back his depression/insanity goes (although considering the restraining order, it obviously goes back to before Eddie passed). We also don't know if it was really steroids/stress that led to this or if he's just psychotic.

 

Just because you see a man put forth good wrestling matches on TV doesn't mean he was a good guy. He could have spent the last 10 years as a raging drunk/wife beater for all we know.

[Mecca 0]

I was more or less going on what people who knew him said of him...

[Enigma 0]

Sounded like Brian Christopher was jockeying for a WWE job.

[UZI Suicide 0]

I was more or less going on what people who knew him said of him...

 

Everytime something like this happens, friends say "we never saw it coming" or "this is nothing like him/her", when in reality the person was probably always looney. Besides, as many have said, he had a VERY small circle of friends so there weren't that many people who really knew what kind of guy he was.

[RedJed 0]

Well, I guess Debra found the perfect chance to vent about Austin because of this. Jesus. I'll probably get heat for saying this, but half of the shit she was spouting there was bullshit and overdramatic. Yes, her and Austin has physical altercations (was it just once documented?) but she's throwing out some SERIOUS accusations there that I have a hard time buying, such as Austin "forcing her" to sign a waiver exhausting him from getting arrested, etc. By that same effect, she's implying what exactly - that he would beat her to death if she didnt pull back on the issue? And then for her to bring the goddamn steroid issue into the fold here too, ugh. Austin should sue her ass for slander if this shit isnt true.

 

While it is certainly not cool if she was battered and beaten by Austin, we're not talking about the same thing here. You think the dumb bitch would get that. Having a domestic dispute and cold blooded murder are two different things. A small percentage of men who have beaten their spouse would take that a step further and actually hurt a spouse seriously, perhaps getting out of hand and overboard, causing serious damage. An even much MUCH smaller percentage of twisted fucks like Benoit would take that even another step further and actually kill them maliciously.

 

Unfortunately, there is nothing her, nor anyone, could have really done to prevent this, I truly believe. And just to clarify, I by all means am not condoning spousal abuse, but I just feel like Debra is trying to get noticed by spouting off her "comparisons" here.

[1234-5678 0]

http://podcast.941freefm.com/wysp1/542389.mp3

 

Jerry Lawler on the Kidd Chris show out of Philly discusses Benoit, Owen, etc. It starts a little more then halfway through. This was broadcast yesterday afternoon.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

In terms of wrestling, this is a damned shame. Benoit's going to be erased from everything. He'll never be on another DVD. All the PPVs, Raws, and Nitros he appeared on will be edited to completely remove all mentions of him and will never appear on anything WWE 24/7 ever airs anymore.

 

For what it's worth, WM 23 is on currently. Unless they've done a massive edit job (I can check later this afternoon), his match would air.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I found out on Monday afternoon during work from a friend of mine that one of my favorite professional wrestlers, Chris Benoit, lost his life along with his wife and kid over a meaningless act of violence. I really looked up to the guy over the years and became a huge fan of his so it pains me that he, OF ALL PEOPLE, could commit such an unspeakable act of evil, but I would rather remember him for how he lived and what he did for the sport than how he died. I know people are going to be sad and angry, but I hope that fans and people, in time, can find it within themselves, within their hearts...to forgive him.

 

I'll have more later because I don't know what to think right now. I'm seriously traumatized by this shit. But meeting him in person and seeing him win the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania XX were two of my greatest experiences ever as a wrestling fan, I'm a mess and so depressed over this senseless tragedy of how a beloved hero could meet such a violent end.

[1234-5678 0]

Can someone repost the link the Chris's tribute to Eddie Guerrero? I'm having trouble finding it.

[Oldschool 0]

This might give a little more insight, though we will never know for sure what happened in the final days of Chris Benoit and his wife and son...

[qoute]

[News Update] Benoit's Son Had Fragile X Syndrome

From News1130.com:

 

We may never know the reasons behind Chris Benoit's decision to take the life of his wife, young son and himself. However, a Delta woman, who was in contact with the Canadian wrestler a few years ago, said she might have some insight into the family. Pam Winthrope said Benoit's son had a genetic condition called Fragile X syndrome. Winthrope said she has experienced the condition first hand and knows how it can tear a family apart.

 

Fragile X syndrome is an inherited mental impairment. Pam's 12-year-old son has the condition and she said in an effort to shed light on the syndrome, her husband called Chris Benoit about five years ago.

 

She said, "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 said she couldn't believe the news that Benoit had taken his life along with his wife and 7-year-old son. She added that families can be torn apart by the disease because it's very difficult to find help and support. She said, "You as a parent have to go out there and find what's available and it's not easy --they don't tell you."

 

Authorities offered no motive for the killings, which were spread out over a weekend, and would not discuss Benoit’s state of mind.

 

According to WebMD.com, "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."

 

While the above information has not been verified by authorities, this may explain why the Daniel was being given Human Growth Hormone as reported by Fayetteville District Attorney Scott Ballard in an interview with ESPN.com. Ballard said that Daniel was apparently found with needle marks in his arm and was being given HGH because the family thought he was undersized.

 

It may also shed light onto why Chris didn't want someone else raising his son and made the fateful decision to kill him. As irrational and twisted as it may sound, he may have felt he was saving his son from the double-blow of losing his parents through a murder-suicide and being subject to being raised by people who didn't understand or care for his condition.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

A bunch of bullshit.

 

You're an asshole. The fact that you have to end your post with "just to clarify, it's not okay to hit your wife" just goes to show what exactly you're trying to defend here. Nice try.

 

Didn't know that about Chris' son. That fact combined with Benoit's own mental issues may have caused him to think he was "saving" his son.

[Superfly Snuka 0]

It may also shed light onto why Chris didn't want someone else raising his son and made the fateful decision to kill him. As irrational and twisted as it may sound, he may have felt he was saving his son from the double-blow of losing his parents through a murder-suicide and being subject to being raised by people who didn't understand or care for his condition.

 

As a physician who has dealt with alot families whose child/children have mental retardation (and once one with Fragile X syndrome), obviously it can be very devastating. But if this were Chris' s real thinking in killing his son, it makes a little sense at least. Obviously, children who lose one parent, let alone two, would be potentially seriously f'ed up being raised by other family members, but this is REALLY compounded if you have mental retardation (esp. Fragile X) or are autistic, where the only normalcy in you life is taken away and the coping mechanism is completely altered. It's even worse often when these kids lose their parents when the reach adult age if they lived with their parents their whole life (as they often do) and have to go to a group home (this is a true disaster, often); they often completely shut down. I honestly think this is would be a legitimate line of thinking by Chris (though not justifiable, of course) if this were the case, of not wanting his son to have experience that pain and be raised by people his son may not be able to function at all with/understand.

[Mik 0]

The crazy thing about Fragile X is what it all boils down to on a molecular level is your DNA taking three base pairs in a random sequences on a particular gene and just copying and repeating the 3 base pairs to obscene amounts. The symptoms get worse the more times the DNA is repeated. This stops proteins from binding to the DNA and doing their work.

 

I know you all wanted to know that.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Ok, I can buy the reason why he killed Daniel giving those set of circumstances (I don't agree with it nor am I justifying it), but why the hell would he tie up and strangle Nancy. If he was truly upset and angry that she was going to take Daniel away from him, then I can see if Benoit slapped/punched her in a fit of rage (Once again, I'm not condoning these actions). To tie someone up and strangle them to death with a cord......thats fucking insane. Sorry Benoit, I once held you in such high regards, but now I could not give a fiddler's fuck about you.

 

RIP Nancy and Daniel

[Failed Bridge 0]

The crazy thing about Fragile X is what it all boils down to on a molecular level is your DNA taking three base pairs in a random sequences on a particular gene and just copying and repeating the 3 base pairs to obscene amounts. The symptoms get worse the more times the DNA is repeated. This stops proteins from binding to the DNA and doing their work.

 

I know you all wanted to know that.

and with that knowledge its all starting to make sense why this happened! *takes a smoke from an old english wooden pipe*

[Superfly Snuka 0]

Anyone hear anyting about funeral preparations? I wonder if all three would be buried together under the current circumstances.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Anyone hear anyting about funeral preparations? I wonder if all three would be buried together under the current circumstances.

 

I can see Nancy and Daniel being buried side by side. Maybe Chris' body will be buried in Edmonton perhaps?

[LooseCannon25 0]

Anyone hear anyting about funeral preparations? I wonder if all three would be buried together under the current circumstances.

 

I hope not.......Chris doesn't deserve to be buried in the same place as them. He should be buried in a landfill under tons of garbage, because that's what he is. Sorry, I have so much distain for him right now.

[Perfxion 0]

More than likely, Nancy's parents would do the plans for her and Daniel. Chris would have a small serivce with only close friends who are trying to grasp what happened but not sure if its going to be in US or Canada.

[Jingus 0]

No football fans can watch footage of O.J. Simpson the same anymore. Nor can anyone watch the Naked Gun movies the same anymore.

I still love watching the Naked Gun movies, even though I know what he did.

I agree. If anything, OJ's role is only made better.

Same here. OJ plays a fuckup who constantly gets beaten half to death, what's not enjoyable about that?

 

 

The Fragile X syndrome stuff was already discussed by me & various others, a couple pages back.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

I was thinking I may be able to enjoy watching a Chris Benoit match again down the road, maybe a few years. But if the rumors about him killing Daniel with a Crossface are true, then I may never be able to watch a match with Benoit using the crossface again.

[Guest edog29vb]

Ok, here it is from a straight shooter and someone that was in the business for years. The above quotes from Debra are indeed correct. The rampant use of drugs and alcohol in this business is out of control. Wrestling is a cult fraternity and will never change. The cult like atmosphere even makes its way to the production staff to the point of a production assistant there killing himself several years ago being under so much pressure to fit in and succeed. Those production people who know a lot about the business are forced out by jackasses like Kevin Dunn and never heard from again. You get on Kevin Dunn's sh*t list and you will find yourself on the road every weekend just to get Vince's coffee. Just as jobbers need to put over the main carders, the production staff is treated the same way...the reason why I state all of this is because this is what the business is all about. Just like Triple H said, respect. If you don't respect the big boys you drown.

 

Now was this the cause of these people's death, probably not. Getting moved to pretty much development territory of the ECW surely had an effect on Benoit psyche. The man was troubled indeed, but the road does an awful thing to people. I'm sure, as with most of the others, he was hitting every arena rat possible, and popping pills like pez candy. The stress of success is too much for anyone in this cursed business. The human body was not built for this sort of punishment and the mental hardships from higher ups surely doesn't help. I mean c'mon, Kevin Dunn knows shit about wrestling yet he has the final say on anything that makes TV. He openly criticizes performances and yet he doesn't have the physical attributes to shine the shoes of these guys. Roid rage is a real proven thing people..who knows what mental state he was in when committing this awful crime. But you can definitely place some blame on Vince and others who have forced the hand of these men just to fill their pockets.

[humongous2002 0]

I found out on Monday afternoon during work from a friend of mine that one of my favorite professional wrestlers, Chris Benoit, lost his life along with his wife and kid over a meaningless act of violence. I really looked up to the guy over the years and became a huge fan of his so it pains me that he, OF ALL PEOPLE, could commit such an unspeakable act of evil, but I would rather remember him for how he lived and what he did for the sport than how he died. I know people are going to be sad and angry, but I hope that fans and people, in time, can find it within themselves, within their hearts...to forgive him.

 

I'll have more later because I don't know what to think right now. I'm seriously traumatized by this shit. But meeting him in person and seeing him win the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania XX were two of my greatest experiences ever as a wrestling fan, I'm a mess and so depressed over this senseless tragedy of how a beloved hero could meet such a violent end.

First of all the guy was an entertainer on a fake sport not a hero (unless he saved you from a burning building), Benoit is actually a coward and a monster for killing a woman and a kid. I do admit he was a great wrestler but after this tragedy he doesn't deserve to be missed, praised, or to rest in peace.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Ok, here it is from a straight shooter and someone that was in the business for years. The above quotes from Debra are indeed correct. The rampant use of drugs and alcohol in this business is out of control. Wrestling is a cult fraternity and will never change. The cult like atmosphere even makes its way to the production staff to the point of a production assistant there killing himself several years ago being under so much pressure to fit in and succeed. Those production people who know a lot about the business are forced out by jackasses like Kevin Dunn and never heard from again. You get on Kevin Dunn's sh*t list and you will find yourself on the road every weekend just to get Vince's coffee. Just as jobbers need to put over the main carders, the production staff is treated the same way...the reason why I state all of this is because this is what the business is all about. Just like Triple H said, respect. If you don't respect the big boys you drown.

 

Now was this the cause of these people's death, probably not. Getting moved to pretty much development territory of the ECW surely had an effect on Benoit psyche. The man was troubled indeed, but the road does an awful thing to people. I'm sure, as with most of the others, he was hitting every arena rat possible, and popping pills like pez candy. The stress of success is too much for anyone in this cursed business. The human body was not built for this sort of punishment and the mental hardships from higher ups surely doesn't help. I mean c'mon, Kevin Dunn knows shit about wrestling yet he has the final say on anything that makes TV. He openly criticizes performances and yet he doesn't have the physical attributes to shine the shoes of these guys. Roid rage is a real proven thing people..who knows what mental state he was in when committing this awful crime. But you can definitely place some blame on Vince and others who have forced the hand of these men just to fill their pockets.

 

 

And you are.......?

[Guest edog29vb]

I "was" on the production staff for several years.