Chris, Nancy, & Daniel Benoit found dead

[Jingus]

It would've been hard for any speculation to be more disgusting than what seems to have actually happened.

[Mad Dog]

WWE.com has taken down all the video testimonials from other stars and a video tribute for him.

[Jingus]

The uber-cynical part of me wonders if Vince is secretly relieved that we finally have a major wrestling scandal that can't plausibly be blamed on him. Not that it'll stop Mushnick from trying.

[Dylan Waco]

I am in no way absolving Chris Benoit of responsiblity if the reports are true (and they sadly almost certainly are), but really I think there is ample reason to suggest that the pro wrestling lifestyle is at least minimally complicit in this.

[anarchistxx]

I have been completely unmoved by nearly all wrestling deaths. This left me absolutely shocked and nearly in tears. I couldn't stop saying 'Oh my God' when I was reading all the further details this morning.

 

2 years after his best friend Eddie as well. And the timing with the death angle.

 

Surreal, terrible, shocking, you can't put it into words.

 

I can't believe it.

 

Edit: Just to say thank God this forum exists, every other forum has about 40 pages on the subject, probably full of retarded comments I really don't want to read.

[Loss]

This is horrifying news. Absolutely horrifying.

[Jingus]

I am in no way absolving Chris Benoit of responsiblity if the reports are true (and they sadly almost certainly are), but really I think there is ample reason to suggest that the pro wrestling lifestyle is at least minimally complicit in this.

Yeah, probably. Apparently Benoit had some covered-up roid rage problems.

 

Edit: Just to say thank God this forum exists, every other forum has about 40 pages on the subject, probably full of retarded comments I really don't want to read.

More retarded than Eugene after a talk with Stephanie about how Dinsmore is "being too subtle with the character". It's gotten downright stupid out there at some boards. Well, more stupid than usual, anyway.

[kjh]

This is really f***ed up.

[kjh]

The uber-cynical part of me wonders if Vince is secretly relieved that we finally have a major wrestling scandal that can't plausibly be blamed on him. Not that it'll stop Mushnick from trying.

I think nothing could be further from the truth. Alex Marvez, filling in on the Observer website for Dave Meltzer, who is scheduled to appear on Good Morning America today to talk about the deaths, is already reporting that the wrestling industry itself is about to come under some heavy scrutiny. This very well could turn out to be the worst scandal to ever hit WWE, if the reports are true that Benoit murdered his wife and child and then committed suicide.

[Loss]

Yes, absolutely. We still don't have the full story (though some could justifiably argue that we know all we need to know) and we still don't know all the small pieces of the puzzle, so if anything, this story is only going to get more disturbing.

 

There's no way WWE or Vince McMahon is off the hook on this one. Whether they are complicit or not, the possibility of the wrestling business being complicit is certainly going to be heavily discussed in the days and weeks to come.

[Loss]

From the Observer website:

 

Tuesday morning Chris Benoit update

 

By Alex Marvez

 

Email: [email protected]

 

For the next few hours, I will be offering updates and links to stories on the late Chris Benoit. Dave Meltzer is scheduled to appear on Good Morning America this morning to discuss this horrible situation. Hopefully, ABC will correctly say Benoit’s last name on future news updates [they botched it on the first GMA update]. ABC did report that “instruments of death” were found at the scene and that the wrestling industry itself is about to come under heavy scrutiny.

 

The following is a list of links about this tragedy:

 

WWE posted its latest update here: http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/ch...es/benoitupdate

 

The Corpus Christi Caller Times covered the cancellation of the event here: http://www.caller.com/news/2007/jun/26/wrestling-canceled/

 

 

The Calgary Sun had comments from a distraught Bret Hart here: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/0...290834-sun.html

 

Fayette (Ga.) County District Attorney Scott Ballard spoke about the alleged murder-suicide here: http://www.thecitizen.com/node/18058

 

Ballard also told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “the details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre.”

[Bix]

Depending one what shape Benoit's brain is in (in the literal physical & chemical sense) and how his internal organs look, this could very well be a breaking point Re: concussions & steroids. One of the guy's favorite spots WAS repeated legit headbutts.

[Loss]

I don't know if the Keller report circulating from his audio update of him smothering Nancy and Daniel and then hanging himself are true, but if so, he and Mike Awesome have both hung themselves in 2007.

 

The autopsy should be taking place in about 10 minutes or so.

[Tim Evans]

If this doesn't get Vince Mcmahon and others in the wrestling Biz in front of Congress for a hearing, I don't know what will. People will blame Vince for this somehow.

[Loss]

Also, just to clarify, I think we have enough facts now and know enough about the situation that speculation is okay. My issue was more with people jumping to conclusions as soon as the whole family was reported dead. Now that we know a little more, I think it's fine.

[Jingus]

Chris Nowinski's research into concussions as relating to depression, dementia, and suicide all suddenly looks a lot more relevant, doesn't it?

 

It does piss me off however that a lot of people just insist that wrestling MUST be at least partly if not fully to blame. Last time I checked, the majority of wrestlers weren't murderers, and the majority of murderers weren't wrestlers.

[Loss]

Notes on tonight's WWE TV show in San Antonio

 

 

 

by Dave Meltzer

 

[email protected]

 

The lack of an understandable explanation to the circumstances of the death of Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit has left virtually the entire wrestling community reeling.

 

Within WWE, the obvious questions and lack of answers are no different from fans and most of his long-time friends.

 

Vince McMahon was the inspiring general both to the wrestlers as well as the office staff all day yesterday. He held it together and was a rock of strength for much of the talent, which because of their admiration and in many cases love for Benoit, were saddened, perplexed and having an incredibly difficult time dealing with it.

 

Vince made the decision to run Smackdown and ECW tapings tonight without any angles or backstage storylines. The show will consist of straight wrestling matches and like last night, the original shows were scrapped. The attempt to put together a show was difficult because the crew and creative staff were said to be both emotionally and physically wrecked after yesterday.

 

The belief is they will brief viewers on what happened early in the show, and then product two low key shows of nothing but matches.

[sek69]

I can't see how they can tape 3 hours of TV, even if it's just straight wrestling matches, under the circumstances. This is so much more than the usual wrestling tragedy where someone with a history of drug use is found OD'd or dead of some form of chemically induced heart failure. Even with Owen it was just a freak accident and not the result of a murderous rampage. More power to whoever can perform tonight, even JBL seemed pretty shaken up. I guess at least Smackdown can rely on being taped to help move things along.

[MikeCampbell]

In the Benoit thread over at DVDVR one poster brought up a very good point, and, honestly, I've actually spent the bulk of my morning running errands with it floating in the back of my mind.

 

Many wrestling fans have feelings of utter contempt for Invader I for what happened to Brody, and similar feelings for Russo and McMahon over Owen Hart (and yes, I'm well aware of the vast difference in those two situations).

 

If it's concluded that Nancy and Daniel were in fact killed by Chris, before suicide. Will that change how we, as wrestling fans view Benoit?

[JHawk]

In the Benoit thread over at DVDVR one poster brought up a very good point, and, honestly, I've actually spent the bulk of my morning running errands with it floating in the back of my mind.

 

Many wrestling fans have feelings of utter contempt for Invader I for what happened to Brody, and similar feelings for Russo and McMahon over Owen Hart (and yes, I'm well aware of the vast difference in those two situations).

 

If it's concluded that Nancy and Daniel were in fact killed by Chris, before suicide. Will that change how we, as wrestling fans view Benoit?

It may.

 

But I can still watch Invader 1 matches and enjoy them knowing what he did to Brody.

 

I just won't get choked up watching Benoit matches like I do watching some of Eddy's.

[anarchistxx]

I have to say, I watched a Benoit match today, and found I was merely apathetic. I can honestly say though, that it was more due to me boredom at a lot of wrestling than any contempt to the wrestlers, so it probably won't effect the way I watch his matches.

 

I think WMXX won't be ranked so high anymore by most people, since a lot of what made that match was the happiness they felt for Benoit at finally achieving his goal, which may now be evaporated.

 

I'm not jumping to conclusions though, I mean, anything is possible. Nancy could have killed the kid, and Benoit killed her in a rage then himself because he was unable to live with them. He may have been suffering dementia from all the neck and head trauma and the steroids. Who can say.

[Childs]

I don't know how I'll react to this long-term. I certainly understand the folks who feel, right now, that they never want to see another Benoit match. I was thrilled to receive Goodhelmet's Finlay comp in the mail yesterday. But as the news started to break, I wondered if I'd want to watch the Benoit matches. I can't imagine enjoying them right now. But at the same time, I thought of his upcoming Guerrero comp and found myself hoping that the Benoit matches would stay on that one because they're such a tribute to Eddy's art.

 

This is all very trivial compared to the main story, but these are clearly the sorts of things we think about when a public person does the unthinkable. So I guess it's worth discussing in a glimpse of the human mindset kind of way. Sorry, I'm rambling -- just don't have a compass on this one.

[Bix]

http://www.tmz.com/2007/06/26/benoit-murde...tails-revealed/

 

Benoit Murder Details Revealed

 

Posted Jun 26th 2007 11:37AM by TMZ Staff

 

TMZ has learned more about the deaths of WWE wrestling superstar Chris Benoit, his wife and son -- and the information is extremely disturbing.

 

Several Atlanta-based law enforcement sources have told TMZ Benoit may have strangled his wife on Saturday, then smothered his son in his bed a day later. Investigators refuse to officially comment, pending final confirmation by the coroner on the cause and time of the deaths.

 

One source told TMZ that Benoit was texting friends during Sunday's WWE "Vengeance" Pay-Per-View program -- possibly watching the show with his son, who may have been alive at the time.

 

According to sources, Benoit then hanged himself Monday in a weight room inside the family home.

 

A police investigation is ongoing.

[jdw]

Following up on Bix's post, and dragging over what I wrote on tOA:

 

I've seen in several places that Wade Keller's audio update (subscription req) reported several hours prior to TMZ.

 

I tend to give it credibility. From the comments of the DA, and having seen them fuller in the CNN clip, it's clear from the crime scene that Nancy and Daniel were murdered. The only question was whether it was triple homicide or murder-suicide. While he was specific that they weren't ruling out a triple homicide, the comments about the murder-suicide and that they weren't looking for anyone else... one could tell that they were 99.99% certain what they were seeing.

 

Fake suicides are hard to successfully stage in the midst of a triple homicide. Given Chris athletisism, there likely would have been a give-away sign - signs of a struggle, or a blow to the head before anyone could try to stage it. Those are things homicide dicks instantly look for. Given the body tempts could give a very clear indication of the times of death, and obviously Chris' being well after Nancy's... if Chris was found in a fashion that reflected suicide (and the Keller/TMZ report is such a fashion), the likelihood of something other than sucide is essentially nil.

 

This is a brutal story.

 

 

John

[jdw]

Addendum...

 

One wishes the loons around the net who are trying to say Nancy may have killed Daniel and then Chris snapped on her would just shut the fuck up. Bix has pointed out elsewhere - time of death isn't difficult to establish, especially if they are as spread out as the appear to be in this case.

 

John