The peak of Hollys WWE career came after his return from neck surgery. . [Photo: WWE]In January of 2004, Holly challenged Lesnar unsuccessfully for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. CM Punk. As a teenager, he trained at wrestling icon Stu Hart's "Dungeon" before making his professional debut in 1985 for Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion, aged just 18 years old at that time. Today, Chris Benoit is a dirty name in professional wrestling. Besides the Fayetteville home, estimated to be worth $1.5 million to $3.5 million, the Benoits had a home in nearby Peachtree City, which was for sale for $400,000 at the time of the killings . The argument is that the industrys once-relaxed policies toward drugs and letting performers get hit in the head with chairs might've contributed to his later mental state. During his first month on the shelf, Helms would regularly receive phone calls from Benoit, offering his support and advice, having gone through a similarly debilitating injury some six years earlier. Bob Holly continued, So I didnt call him; I just went home. And Benoit had also begun to exhibit odd behavior. For some reason, though, Punk was quick to make surprisingly positive comments about the man in spite of both this personal slight and the far worse things Benoit did to his family. Be the judge read the full 911 report text messages and all I have not included the crime scene photos as they are too big to upload at one time perhaps I will make another post if this gets attention. According to Chris Jericho, Benoit sobbed uncontrollably at Guerrero's funeral and gave him "the most desperate, saddest 'I'm hanging on for dear life' hugs that you could ever get,"as quoted by CBR. The company's website still recognizes his 153-day reign as World Heavyweight Champion in 2004, and there are some news articleson the site that mention him by name, including a few that detail developments related to the murder-suicide. Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times. HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! Reflecting on this, some skeptical fans actually believed Sullivan may have been involved with the murders, something he found deeply distressing until Nancys family assured him they knew that such claims were absolutely ridiculous. Quite frankly, were not even sure if the two ever wrestled one another or spent more than a few minutes together, but New Jacks vitriolic comments about Benoit in the wake of his murders were too intense for us not to mention on this list. In 2007, he almost found himself in the middle of one of the most tragic stories in wrestling history - the Benoit family tragedy. Sherry Martel's death is even more suspicious to me. Chris Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler for the world wrestling entertainment (WWE). The house is 4,177 square feet and has a total of eight bedrooms. Like with anything else in his sports entertainment empire, Vince controls how and what other wrestlers are allowed to say on the subject, forcing them to either condemn Benoits actions or ignore him outright. As far as the former ECW Tag Team Champion is concerned, by murdering his wife and son, Benoit erased anything positive he ever did and replaced it with pure evil. Holly drew attention in 2002 when he appeared as a guest coach on a season 3 episode of Tough Enough, a reality show where hopefuls competed for a WWE contract. 06.08.20. Who was Shannan texting? While Helms obviously finds what Benoit did horrible, he argued that people suffering from severe mental illness cant be blamed for what they do in the same sense a cancer victim cant be blamed for having contracted the disease. Be the first one to comment on this story. The house in Frederick is where monsterous. You know, Hows TV? According to the five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time WCW Champion, the best-of-seven series he wrestled against Benoit was the best thing he ever accomplished in his career. During a match in Japan, Benoit used an Enzuigiri kick which knocked Eddie out cold. He won 22 championships and was frequently praised for his prowess in the ring, especially his technical skill. Dino Bravo | His Shocking Death and Why He Was Murdered by the Mob. The night Benoit committed suicide, WWE had planned to make him the ECW Champion, and when he failed to show up to win the gold, they let Morrison take his place. Get Directions . Pin On June 25, 2007, Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia, home at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had steroids and other drugs in his system when he killed his wife and young son last month and hanged himself in the family's home . Shane Helms learned Chris Benoit felt this way about him in a major way when he was sidelined from the sport for over a full year due to a severe neck injury. In a statement to ABC News, the wrestling organization insisted that Someone with the brain of an 85-year-old with dementia would be unable to keep a traveling work schedule, drive himself to arenas, and perform intricate maneuvers in the ring much less commit a methodical murder-suicide over a 48 hour period.. "That played a role,". "I dont know if you know this or not, Bob Holly begins, I was supposed to be at Chris house [the night] that he killed Nancy. While in the ring with eventual season winner Matt Cappotelli, Holly showed Matt how tough and real the wrestling world can be, roughing up and making the trainee bleed before his coaches and fellow contestants. Credit: AP Photo/Lois Bernstein. Perhaps the first wrestler to buck this trend was Batista, a close friend of Benoit who released his autobiography in October 2007, a mere three months after the tragedy took place. Hows everything going with you know? His top right lateral incisor was missing for the majority of his career, and the general belief was that Benoit lost this tooth after taking a knock during training or during a match early in his career. It was replete across multiple areas of the brain. Ultimately, the reputation of Chris Benoit in respect to the WWE Universe comes down to the feelings of one person: Vince McMahon. He would tell a similar story to other wrestlers and officials who spoke to him that day(via Wrestling Inc). Before his marriage to Nancy Benoit, Chris was married to Martina Benoit. Even so, Venis and Benoit only crossed paths in WWE a handful of times in Raw and SmackDown matches that have mostly been forgotten. No matter who it was from, each story had a similarity: the person Chris was at his death was not the person many remembered him to be over his 22-year career and 40 years in life. Holly shared the following when asked by Ross what was the night like when he found out that Chris, Nancy, and Daniel were gone. Timeline: Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 The home is an 5-bedroom property. Balor, however, soon dropped the gimmick before becoming a huge name in Japanese wrestling without it. Quick Facts Killer (s): Chris Benoit, Victim (s): Nancy Benoit, Daniel Benoit, Written by: Jewls Krueger About This Location: More than 50 percent of the voters wanted Chris Benoit to be out of the Hall of Fame 53.6 percent to be precise. Het is an American native and is of Caucasian ethnicity. In Cenas words, people should take ownershipof their actions, and that means all of them. Benoit's professional debut also came at Stampede Wrestling . Thus, him missing Vengeance was a cause of concern for the WWE. By STEVE DONOHUE. One of the most prolific interviews within this timeframe was Chris Jericho's, and with good reason. Next, it appears that Benoit gave his son Xanax, then smothered him. In many respects, Stone Cold Steve Austin became the biggest star of the Attitude Era by always speaking his mind, no matter how many times WWE corporate executives told him to stop. Second I doubt that anyone would want to buy a house that people got murdered in. Chris even mentioned that he wondered what it would be like to step in the ring with each of them. benoit could also have had a brilliant fued with jericho, and i would also have loved to see some matches between him and hbk. Vague and confusing as the statement was, for a WWE employee to sayhe was in any way proud of a man the company wantedits employees to ignore was a pretty huge shock. When I'm not blogging I'm usually trail hiking where I enjoy photographing Florida wildlife like this gopher tortoise. Credit: LA Times. Unfortunately was it her possible to get one of the audio data to play. In fact, he once said that Benoit is among the top 10 wrestlers of all time, which is why Benoit went into the Wrestling Observer's Hall of Fame in 2003. He then went on to compete for New JapanPro-Wrestling and had a brief stint in World Championship Wrestling in the early '90s. 6 Chris Killed Nancy In 2007. via slam.canoe.com. Benoit was one of WWEs stars, with 22 championships under his belt and a bevy of loyal fans. In the summer of 2007, the national news was flush with stories about the brutal slayings of Nancy and Daniel Benoit at the hands WWE Superstar Chris Benoit. Here are some of the things that you probably didn't know about Chris Benoit. Daniel was found in bed. I'm a passionate celebrity information blogger. (Brian Adams and Johnny Crush in July and August 07) Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Brian Pillman all died the night before they were set to win title belts. Early in the run of his series, Austin knew this question would come up, so he gave a few quick thoughts summing up his feelings on the matter, hoping fans wouldnt keep asking him about it. As Chris Jericho testifies, Benoit and Nancy's relationship went from very loving to, in Jericho's carefully chosen words, "volatile.". I had talked to him a few days prior to that, and he said, Hey, Im gonna be home on Wednesday.. Back to the point, this was enough for Venis to develop a very strong opinion on Benoit as an incredibly talented worker, something that was completely shattered by the way Benoit left this Earth. The Benoit house is remote enough that cell phones spin from roaming to no service, but his fans keep coming. If it wasn't for the dark history inside the walls of this red brick residence on 15 th St . Most fans are aware of the crime that has since overshadowed all of Benoit's accomplishments and sullied his reputation as a hard-nosed, yet technically gifted worker who could have a fantastic match with just about anybody. Benoit missed the house shows leading up to the show and the event itself, leading to WWE replacing him with Johnny Nitro. He said, Why in the heck arent you coming up here? I dont think that roid rage, which is believed to be a snap judgment in emotions or actions, I dont think this is what explains Chriss behavior., Instead, some experts believed that Benoits brain injuries led the wrestler to kill his family and take his own life. But, as mentioned above, one of the most significant factors was the death of Chris Benoit. As his father later told ABC News, Benoit wanted to wrestle even as a young boy. On the afternoon of June 23, 2007, Chavo Guerreroreceived a voice message from Chris Benoit, who claimed that he had missed his flight and would be late to the WWE SmackDown live event scheduled that day in Beaumont, Texas. Chair shots to the head were banned and blood usage was restricted. She had the following to say during an interview with The2count.com: Wrestling legend Chris Benoit's final actions led to him being erased from wrestling history. My name is Julie Fidler. I would like people to have an understanding that the tragedy that took place in 2007 happened because of his career choice.. According to Talk Sports, he tied a cable around his neck, attached it to the highest weight on a weight machine, and let go. The wrestler, born in Quebec, had steadily climbed the ranks of pro wrestling over 22 years. Holly would have been off the road in June of 2007 at the time of the Chris Benoit tragedy. All revealed: The first film gave no hints about Benoit's private life but this time around we find out a little more about him, including the fact that he has a live-in boyfriend - played by a. From a business perspective, this is almost certainly the right thing to do, as Benoits image alone brings up vile and painful feelings for a great number of WWE fans. Chris Benoits death has profoundly impacted his legacy as a professional wrestler. He called me on his way home from the doctor, this was at like 11 oclock or 11:15 in the morning on his way home from the doctors office, and he got on me for not calling him and coming over. Angle entered the WWE Universe in 1999 and was WWE Champion by the year 2000, one of the fastest rises in the companys history. However, some individuals were extremely close friends with Chris Benoit the man, to the extent they still can't reconcile the person he was with the way he ended his and his family's lives. origins and history of globalization epoch; objects of affection central idea. He had some notable matches under the gimmick in Japan and went on to earn plenty of respect there. In almost every suicide case, their is a suicide not. Could another wrestler patch things up with Triple H like CM Punk did? He joked, "you're making me look taller than I already am.". ", I replied, Chris, its your day off, I want you to spend time with Nancy and Daniel, and you dont need me there., He goes, well, Im not gonna repeat how he said it, but he said, That doesnt matter, just come. He said, I dont mind, Nancy doesnt mind just come on, and you know you can have dinner with us or whatever.. Both men were respected athletes up until that point, and afterward, both were truly poised for greatness, slowly gravitating up the card until they became World Champions. A subreddit centered on the phenomenon of mass murder and the perpetrators who commit them, their motivations, crimes and the psychology of these individuals. For a crash course in how two wrestlers can make one anothers careers in 7 matches or less, look no further than the series between Booker T and Chris Benoit that took place in WCW throughout 1998. Who is Chris Benoit? This promise has mostly been kept, even extending to out of character interviews with WWE superstars on major news outlets. New Africa/Shutterstock. They became close after the incident and Benoit shared notes about his deep bonding with Eddie in his diary entries as well. Cables, ladders, chairs the props they were using when they were getting hit in the head. Author: Luke Marcoccia Jan. 23, 2023. Inside The Death Of Chris Benoit, The Professional Wrestler Who Killed His Family And Then Himself. This apparently includes when troll-like fans of NXT decide to heckle the performers by chanting Benoits name, which happened immediately prior to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. The murder-suicide shocked the wrestling world and beyond. Naturally, this extends to the Chris Benoit situation, as Cena has been publicly agreeing with WWEs stance that silence is the best policy as recently as July 2017. Bite My Shinny Metal Ass. Nov 1, 2007 at 1:43pm. Nowhere, though, is his name listed in the show descriptions, not even in the one for WrestleMania XX, where he won the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The debate onwhether or not Chris Benoit should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame still rages on 15 years later. Ive had these for awhile. He married Nancy in November 2000, eight months after the birth of their son, Daniel. The Day I Met Chris Benoit Three Weeks Prior to the Tragic Double Murder-Suicide. This evening, marks the first step of the healing process. A makeshift memorial at the Benoit house in Fayetteville, Georgia, shortly after Chris Benoit died after killing his family. The Watts family bought the house in May 2013 for $399,954. But at least one person continues to defend the wrestler who killed his family. The wrestling school plan never took off due to this offer from WWE. However, the rise of the New World Order in 1996 as well as Pillman's departure to the WWE proved to be a serious blow to the Horsemen's relevance in WCW. * The WAW was featured in the movie Fighting With My Family and was founded by the Knight family. Though Benoit seemed to be able to function normally outside the ring, marrying twice and having three children, he sometimes displayed violent behavior. July 2nd, 2007Greenmeadow Lane -Fayetteville, GAThis is Raw footage of outside Chris Benoit's home, only one week after the tragic double/murder suicide.I ha. This was the main focus of Jerichos thoughts during his many news appearances, with his favorite talking points all focused on the fact Benoit was a great friend, husband, and father up until the very last moments of his life. New Jack even goes so far as to condemn the people who try to praise his work, saying none of that matters, because Benoits just an awful murderer. Schrepfer has asserted that she told police that she encountered then WWE wrestler Dave Taylor and his wife Lisa (who didn't live in the neighborhood) carrying a platter of deli food toward the Benoit house. If you want some great tips on how to collect celebrity contact information check out my new celebrity addresses page: Click Here. This all culminated at WrestleMania XX in 2004, where the two longtime friends celebrated in the ring as new world champions Benoit, representing the Raw brand, won the World Heavyweight Championship, while Guerrero, who was affiliated with the SmackDown brand, beat Kurt Angle to take the WWE Championship. We need to confirm your email address. And that was really tough to digest because I talked to Chris. Chris could only be reached on his cell phone about 3 hours later. It might not be possible to pinpoint an exact reason as to why WWE went PG; a lot of factors contributed to it. While even half the people who talk about how they hate what Benoit did have to point out he was a good wrestler and nice person at one point in his life, New Jack makes no such consolations. But despite taking part in many now-iconic matches and winning his fair share of championships, his name isn't one that you should expect to see in anyone's wrestling hall of fame going forward. I meanthat hit me hard. Then, before Chris Benoit died by suicide, he did some online searches. According to The New York Times, Nancy was found with her hands and feet tied and with blood under her head. For fans of professional wrestling, just hearing June 2007 can bring on goosebumps, a chilled spine, mixed feelings, and disbelief. However, a team of doctors revealed toward the end of 2007 that Benoit had suffered so many concussions that his brain was akin to that of a man in his 80s (via ABC News).
