Professional wrestling shouldn’t be treated as a real sport, especially by the sports media, and Benoit is nothing but a murderer.
The coverage of the story about Chris Benoit, the professional wrestler who murdered his wife and defenseless child before hanging himself, is troubling in that too many media outlets have treated wrestling as if it were a real sport. ESPN.com - the Worldwide Leader in Sports - has covered the Benoit murder/suicide as if Benoit was a legit athlete from a real professional sport league, when he was clearly just one of the most freakish members of a form of entertainment that is nothing more than a high-profile sideshow act.…
Article comments
76 - ian
I can't believe the idiocy of some of these comments.
Pro-wrestling is not a sport. Period. Greco-roman is. Know why? Because somebody actually wins based on their abilities. Oxford dictionary defines sport as a game or competitive activity. Gymnastics is a sport because it's competition, as is golf, racing. mixed martial arts and any number of other sports. Somebody actually wins based on their performance and abilities. Pro-wrestling is a geek show of sterioded out, soap opera theatrics. It's insulting to sports to even use "pro-wrestling" in the same breath as the word "sport".
As for Benoit, the man is a disgusting animal who deserves no respect for anything he's ever done due to what he did last weekend. He bound his wife, kneeled on her back and strangled her in an extremely deliberate action. Strangling somebody is a slow grueling process that causes excessive struggling. He then did the same to his child, but that time he figured he could just do it by hand and did. A person is only as good as as what they are in the current moment. In the days before his death Benoit was a monster and in his final moment he was a coward.
77 - Bill
All these comments just remind me how dumb wrestling fans really are.
78 - R Baker
Funny thing tho, I can recall many boxing matches where the challenger was so undertalented towards the champ, that there was no thought as to which direction the outcome would lie.
Even worse is the obvious matches where judges of said matches saw something that NO ONE in the rest of the world saw and deemed a winner that no one else was able to see.
But I am sure you would consider boxing a sport.
79 - John
Interesting to watch how people respond with their "It's all about me" approach" to everything. Everybody knows this is an abusive entertainment industry. It doesn't really need to be said that stunt men take a beating. It doesn't need to be said that the fan base are entertained by musclemen acting like they are mentally retarded. For anyone who does require the explanation, it will be next to pointless to point these things out.
The fan base's appetite for simulated and real cruelty drives the industry. It is little more than gladiatorial. And frankly, NASCAR may require driving skill but it is boring as heck to watch which is why it cannot hardly be watched sober. The only real draw is the opportunity to see spectacular fiery crashes and death. More gladiatorial sports designed to appeal to the appetite of the fan base for cruelty and violence.
80 - ian
R Baker,
Yes, I do consider boxing a sport, but unfortunately its a sport that needs far more regulation than it has which leads to the types of decisions you speak of. These types of controversies can extend to any judged sport but boxing is the worst, I agree. This doesn't change the fact that while two fighters are in the ring it's a competition that will end with a winner and a loser (and rarely a draw) based on real (KO) or percieved (decision) performance.
81 - ian
R Baker,
I agree that boxing needs much more regulation. That doesn't change the fact that the two men in the ring are fighting to win a competition and have the possibility to not even leave it in judges' hands. Pro wrestling, while athletic, is predetermined and hence can't be compared to the real drama and spirit of actual sports. There is no drive to win, there is no last minute jumpshot, there is no game winning hail mary, there's no real human spirit in it. It's stunt work and bad acting.
82 - Ray Ellis
In regards to #73. . .
I had really hoped I'd said all I had to say on this subject, but I can't let this one go unnoticed. It's just too uninformed--and I'm being diplomatic here.
I've worked with victims of abuse, and very few of them are "idiots." And they are certainly asking for "more punishment." The very nature of that comment points to a mentality that puts mens automatically into a dominant role, and relegates women to a submissive role. In other words, it's a neanderthal philosophy that, unfortunately, too many people still subscribe to--both sexes.
Women (and, in some cases, men)who fall victim to abuse have been conditioned to believe that somehow it is their fault. The abuser perpetuate that belief through a simple system of reward and punishment. I don't have the space here to go into the myriad this all manifests itself,but suffice it to say it's a cycle not easily broken.
It's frustrating to see, especially when you've spent the night in an emergency room with a victim who swears she's done with the abuse, only to see her kiss and make up with the svengali abuser who scarred her within a couple of days.
Idiots? Hardly. Tragic? Definitely.
We need a new attitude in this culture that deemphasizes male culture in favor of a human culture.
83 - ian
Sorry about the double posts. It didn't seem like it was going through.
84 - Lizzie
Uh Ray Ellis-what does what you said have to do with anything I said? I didn't touch ANYTHING on that subject. I believe you're referring to #75 because I didn't say crap about abused people. So please next time you're going to criticize someone, make sure its the right person.
85 - Lizzie
or others who made comments about abusive situations because i didn't not once say anything about any type of abuse, victim or attacker. . .
86 - Ray Ellis
My mistake. Time for new glasses.
87 - #11
I have followed Chris Benoit's career for years and when I heard about this tragic event I was saddened and shocked. Never the less everyone R.I.P. But it sure is a shame that Chris Benoit left this earth without paying for what he did. But I do believe that he will pay in the after life.
88 - Lizzie
ray-you're forgiven
89 - Anonymous
women who are abused are not idiots they are just blinded by love.
90 - Arch Conservative
Ian had it pegged. Although these guys may be athletic, they are not perticipating in a sport as the outcome is fixed and there is no real competition hence it is not a sport.
They should change the name from WWE to WTT and that stands for White Trash Theatre as that's all this shit is. What kind of loser would tune in to watch this shit with it's ridiculous story lines? I guess if you are a seven year old boy and you haven't yet realized how fucking stupid it all is it might be appealing.
91 - Britt Phillips
I've worked out in large gyms for many years. And several years back I worked out with Chris Benoit, William Regal, and Steve Austin. These guys were extremely professional and as nice as anyone would hope them to be. WHile it's true you can never really know anyone, it's also true that wrestling has a place in entertainment. It's all about commercialization anyway.
92 - modern idiot
Ok..... I have read a lot of commentry on the tragic events of last weekend, but this is my first post where I want to discuss it. Partially as a response to some of the posts above, and partly because it has taken me this long to get my head round what has happened.
Firstly, lets dispell the myth that all wrestling fans are stupid/naieve/live in trailers/alcholic/meatheads etc.
I'm a 31 year old guy with 2 university degrees, have been teaching theatre studies and history to high school students for the past 9 years and yes.... I love wrestling.
I also have competed in a number of different sports playing rugby at county level and Judo to 1st Dan (black belt) competeing in tournements across europoe when I was younger.
Should sports channels be covering a wrestling story? - If that story involves one of the atheletes of wrestling (for there is no denying they are athelets as many of the above posts have proven)in a matter that is 'real life' then why would it be any different to a football player being mentioned in light of something that has happened to them off the pitch. I would not expect a sports channel to cover a 'storyline' aspect of the wrestling business though (ie. a new champion/ vince McMahon's 'death' etc.)
Wrestling is a strange entity it is both drama/acting and sport/athletic. This is why the term sports entertainment was invented. It is unique in this aspect. To be the best and rise to the top you have to be a proficient actor and athelete. Now don't tell me that the acting is awful blah blah... I'm a drama teacher remeber....I have seen some of the greatest living actors in the world perform in everything from Shakespere to Chekov. The acting has its own particular style and some wrestlers are better than others...but as well as the amazing feats of athleticism that they perform in the ring, to go out and hold a baying audiences attention with a five minute monologue (promo) is pretty spectacular and takes some real skill.
To simply dismiss wrestling as made by idiots for idiots is simply insulting. The avarage wrestler has to much more intelligent than many athelets from just about any other sport BECAUSE the match is predetermined. The sport is in creating the best looking, most involving match they possibly can....learning how to read the reactions of the live audience and creatively adjusting the pace and tone of the match to feed that reaction, all the while protecting yourself and your partner whilst performing some of the most insane acrobatic skills.
Do wrestling fans have a right to grieve over Chris Benoit? Of course they do. Music fans grieved over Kurt Cobain. 2/3rds of the nation geived over Princess Di. When I first heard the news on a radio report that was being broadcast in a shop my legs almost buckled below me. I had followed this guys career for 15 years. He wasn't my favourite wrestler, but i sure as hell respected what he could do and how his integrity shined through in his performances. Up until last weekend he was a guy destined for the wrestling history books as one of the greats of the sport. Now his legacy is trnished for all time. His reputation ruined. The man became a monster and a coward. End of story. That doesn't mean we can't grieve. In fact it makes the grieving process even stronger as we have not only lost the man, but have had our illusions and memories shattered. We don't have the comfort in his death that would usually accompany the passing of other people that were respected by many people. I have a 5 year old daughter, and my grief is also for the tragic deaths of Daniel and Nancy. And with my grief comes my anger at what Benoit has done. Nobody has the right to wipe out an innocent life. I prey that they are with God.
Do I blame WWE/Vince McMahon? Hell no! The wwe wellness policy was installed to combat the use of steroids with frequent drug tests for all wrestlers on the books. Proffesional sport has had its fair share of scandals with top atheletes testing positive for steroids and yes so has wrestling. There are penalties in place for those found breaking the rules just like there are in 'real' sports. What else can they do? Give each wrestler a nanny? People are flawed in what ever walk of life you are in. How many murders were there in the US in the last week? One of them happened to involve someone who was a wrestler.
Sorry this has been an long ramble - but as much as I am disgusted and horrified by the actions of one man last weekend, I will not let him spoil the 'sport' that I have loved for 20 years and more. And to the people on here using this story to attack or belittle something that you don't like - you should be ashamed at yourselves.
93 - modern idiot
I do appologise for the spelling errors in the above post.....its 2.49 am here in the uk and i am too tired to preview!
94 - Bear
Arch Conservative,
Anyone can look down on something and judge. Are NBA fans morons because they watch the whole season? Everyone knows the "Money" players don't start playing untill the playoffs. While the outcome is predetermined, and finishes may be rehearsed, the "Entertainment" factor is that these ATHLETES!!! can do this day in and day out and still make me say "how did they do that"? Oh yeah, do you still enjoy magic shows?
95 - goldengloves88
Sal, you nailed it with this article. However they do show some athleticism by the stunts that they do. other that than it is mainly just a soap opera for men. great article..
96 - cengiz
hi everyone let me start this off by saying i was very upset when i heard chris benoit died i also found it hard to believe he killed his family. Even though the police have been investigating this as a double murder suicide i dont think he did it. If he did do it he can burn in hell (i am sorry if that upsets anyone it even upsets me). But the way this has been investigated by police it seems they are missing alot of of information. Whether they are doing it intentionally to save time or protect someone or they cant be fucked means they are ignoring the possibility of a triple murder. There reason for not looking into it "all weapons used for the murders were found in the house". So the fuck what. anyone can put them inside and leave. If it was a triple murder then they would be smart enough to wear gloves. as for the tools used rope to tie up nancy. chris was a big guy and he woudlnt need rope to kill her he could use his hands he was strong enough. as for using a choke hold on his kid he loved his kid he would not want to harm him. police have denied rage of any sort was involved, they say this was deliberately done. they havent found a suicide note or a motive and have found this case bizzare and unusual.
they have played out a senario as what happened that weekend which started on firday. apperntly chris was drinking alot that weekend. 10 empty cans of beer have been found as well as a half empty bottle of wine found next to chris' body and police believe he was drinking it. the only proiblem is that toxology reports showed there was no alcohol or roids in in system except for testosterone which he was taking for medical reasons. this raises the question of who drank da booze. couldnt be nancy or daniel as they were dead and it couldnt be chris as there was no alcohol in his body. i can only think of one thing someone else was in the house and was drinking it.
the wikipedia post saying benoit wasnt at vengence because his wife died 14 hours before the cops found the bodies is strange especially since it came from the same area as wwe hq (2 miles away) and was taken done one hour later as though they were trying to hide it. they later claimed it was a coincidence wat they wrote came true but refused to say which site they got the information from. makes me think someone knew about it b4 the cops.
the timeline they have put also makes no sense. according to police chris killed his wife on fiday i find this hard to believe as chavo guerroro was at his house that day and he said everything was ok also chris had other drugs in his system that basically noked u out and make u feel grogy (check da net for his games) when co-workers called him they said he sounded grogy. With that shit in u, it's very hard to keep ur eyes open let alone kill 2 people then hang urself.
sure he haid brain damage but a guy with brain damage and groggy from drugs can barely stand
what i havent heard anything about is fingerprints. i havent heard of one report of the cops fingerprinting the whole house to see who was in the house, who drank the beer who did the killings etc. if anyone hears anything let me no. my email is theceng at hotmail dot com (sorry about da breaks but the posting doesnt allow email addresses)
though the cops are trying to make us all believe chris did it, they have inadvertantly let people know someone knew about the bodies before they did. They have been carefull by not saying someone else was in the house during the murders or someone knew about this before us. they did this when they revealved wat time chris died and what time sms were sent from chris and nancy's fone.
the text were sent to co-workers from both chirs and nancy's fones saying my physical address is *********** (i have put stars as im not sure of the address though this can be found online) messages were also sent saying the back door is open and the dgs are in the yard. what makes it strange is the co-workers already knew this. these messages were sent between 3 and 4am(correct me if im wrong)
according to police chris died either late saturday nite or just after midnite. as the messages were sent several hours after midnite it's impossible chris did it. this means the only way this is possible is if someone else did it. the question then is who did it and why.
many theories have been on the net some more believeable then others.
one theory is that kevin sullivan did it. this has been posted by wrestling fans and a former wrestler who is now a priest. kevin has been suspected as he said about 10 years ago he would kill chris in front of many people when chris was still in wcw. this was becuase chris broke up his marriage and took nancy from him. this can be considered his fault as he made the angle where nancy left him for benoit and it later became real. though its been 10 years some have said he is cold and calculating and wouldnt do it rite away to avoid attention. though its bad 2 accuse one without proof the cops should question him to clear his name.
satanists have also been accused. nancy did a gimmick back in wcw where she was a satanist with then husband kevin sullivan. though it was an act some say she really was one. when she married chris after leaving kevin she became a christian. satansits dont like this kind of betrail and may have takn their revenge. this is likely as the killings happened on the weekend the satanists have their ritual of human sacrifice. kevin sullivan has been put it this as well since many claim he is a satanist in real life.
wwe is a suspect becuase chris may have found out some dirty business going on. if he did, he would have 2 be silinced.
i have even thought his neigbour did it or may be somehow invloved. im saying this as he/she had a key to the house, entered the house b4 the cops on the monday they came to the house and the fact that he/she has gone into hiding since the benoit family was found dead.
nancy's family should be suspected. they havent done anything but try to prove chris killed his son first then nancy so they can get all his money and leave nothing for his other kids from his first marriage. they havent shown being upset much just hungry to get chris benoit's money and estate. pretty sick considering it was their daughter and grandson that died
some have suspected chris' first wife becuase she wouldnt want all his money. But i find this unlikely as chris had opened up and account under her name to help support her and the kids. now thats wat a loving father does.
all this leads me to believe chris is innocewnt and a real killer is still out there. i hope the police look at this from all angles so the truth comes out.
and when it does, which i hope and pray it does all those who bad mouthed chris will have 2 apoligise especcially vince mcmahon and thats something i really want to see b4 i die
thanks for your time, bye
97 - 4 h.m.
if your brain was gas, it wouldn't be enough to put in a pissant's motorcycle and ride around a b.b.
98 - Juan
Say what u want there really isnt to much proof to blame him or anyone else and this happens and murders happen everyday so just stop just because he's famous doesnt mean you should pay more attention to this but maybe your to stupid...