Christopher Michael Benoit (/bəˈnwɑː/ bə-NWAH; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the USA, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan and Stampede Wrestling in Canada.
Bearing the nicknames The (Canadian) Crippler alongside The
Rabid Wolverine throughout his career, Benoit held 30 championships between
WWF/WWE, WCW, NJPW, ECW and Stampede. He was a two-time world champion, having
reigned as a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time World Heavyweight
Champion in WWE; he was booked to win a third world championship at a WWE event
on the night of his death. Benoit was the twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and
the seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the second of four men in history to
achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championships. He was also the 2004
Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels and preceding Edge as one of three
men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant. Benoit headlined multiple
pay-per-views for WWE, including a victory in the World Heavyweight
Championship main event match of WrestleMania XX in March 2004.
In a three-day double-murder and suicide, Benoit murdered
his wife in their residence on June 22, 2007, killed his 7-year-old son on June
23, and committed suicide on June 24. Subsequent research undertaken by the
Sports Legacy Institute (now the Concussion Legacy Foundation) suggested that
depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition of brain
damage, from numerous concussions that Benoit had sustained during his
professional wrestling career were both likely contributing factors of the
crimes.
Due to his murders, Benoit's legacy in the professional
wrestling industry has remained incredibly controversial and heavily debated.
Benoit has been renowned by many for his exceptional technical wrestling
ability. Prominent combat sports journalist Dave Meltzer considers Benoit "one of the top 10, maybe even [in] the
top five, all-time greats" in pro-wrestling history. Benoit was
inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Wrestling
Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2003. His WON induction was put to a
referendum-style re-vote for WON readers in 2008 to determine if he should
remain a member of the WON Hall of Fame. Ultimately, the threshold percentage
of votes required to remove Benoit was not met and he still remains in that
Hall of Fame.
Early life
Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and
Margaret Benoit. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed
throughout the bulk of his career. He had a sister living near Edmonton.
During his childhood and early adolescence in Edmonton,
Benoit idolized Tom "Dynamite
Kid" Billington and Bret Hart; at twelve years old, he attended a
local wrestling event at which the two performers "stood out above everyone else". Benoit trained to become
a professional wrestler in the Hart family "Dungeon",
receiving education from family patriarch Stu Hart. In-ring, Benoit emulated
both Billington and Bret Hart, cultivating a high-risk style and physical
appearance more reminiscent of the former (years later, he adopted Hart's
trademark "Sharpshooter"
hold as a finishing move).
Professional
wrestling career
Stampede Wrestling
(1985–1989)
Benoit began his career in 1985, in Stu Hart's Stampede
Wrestling promotion. From the beginning, similarities between Benoit and
Billington were apparent, as Benoit adopted many of his moves such as the
diving head-butt and the snap suplex; the homage was complete with his initial
billing as "Dynamite" Chris
Benoit. According to Benoit, in his first match, he attempted the diving head-butt
before learning how to land correctly, and had the wind knocked out of him; he
said he would never do the move again at that point. His debut match was a tag
team match on November 22, 1985, in Calgary, Alberta, where he teamed with "The Remarkable" Rick
Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer, which Benoit's team won the
match after Benoit pinned Moffat with a sunset flip. The first title Benoit
ever won was the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship on
March 18, 1988, against Gama Singh. During his tenure in Stampede, he won four
International Tag Team and three more British Commonwealth titles, and had a
lengthy feud with Johnny Smith that lasted for over a year, which both men
traded back-and-forth the British Commonwealth title. In 1989, Stampede closed
its doors, and with a recommendation from Bad News Allen, Benoit departed for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
New Japan
Pro-Wrestling (1986–1999)
Upon arriving in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Benoit
spent about a year training in their "New
Japan Dojo" with the younger wrestlers to improve his abilities. While
in the dojo, he spent months doing strenuous activities like push-ups and floor
sweeping before stepping into the ring. He made his Japanese debut in 1986
under his real name. In 1989, he started wearing a mask and assuming the name
The Pegasus Kid. Benoit said numerous times that he originally hated the mask,
but it eventually became a part of him. While with NJPW, he came into his own
as a performer in critically acclaimed matches with luminaries like Jushin
Thunder Liger, Shinjiro Otani, Black Tiger, and El Samurai in their junior
heavyweight division.
In August 1990, he won his first major championship, the
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, from Jushin Thunder Liger. He eventually
lost the title in November 1990 (and in July 1991 in Japan and in November 1991
in Mexico, his mask) back to Liger, forcing him to reinvent himself as Wild
Pegasus. Benoit spent the next couple years in Japan, winning the Best of the
Super Juniors tournament twice in 1993 and 1995. He went on to win the
inaugural Super J-Cup tournament in 1994, defeating Black Tiger, Gedo, and The
Great Sasuke in the finals. He wrestled outside New Japan occasionally to
compete in Mexico and Europe, where he won a few regional championships,
including the UWA Light Heavyweight Championship. He held that title for over a
year, having many forty-plus minute matches with Villano III.
World Championship
Wrestling (1992–1993)
Benoit first came to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in
June 1992, teaming up with fellow Canadian wrestler Biff Wellington for the NWA
World Tag Team Championship tournament; they were defeated by Brian Pillman and
Jushin Thunder Liger in the first round at Clash of the Champions XIX.
He did not return to WCW until January 1993 at Clash of the
Champions XXII, defeating Brad Armstrong. A month later, at SuperBrawl III, he
lost to 2 Cold Scorpio, getting pinned with only three seconds left in the
20-minute time limit. At the same time, he formed a tag team with Bobby Eaton.
After he and Eaton lost to Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell at Slamboree, Benoit
headed back to Japan.
Extreme Championship
Wrestling (1994–1995)
In August 1994, Benoit began working with Extreme
Championship Wrestling (ECW) in between tours of Japan. He was booked as a
dominant wrestler there, gaining notoriety as the "Crippler" after he put Rocco Rock out. In his first
appearance, Benoit competed in a one-night eight-man tournament for the vacant
NWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing to 2 Cold Scorpio in the
quarter-finals match.
At November to Remember, Benoit accidentally broke Sabu's
neck within the opening seconds of the match. The injury came when Benoit threw
Sabu with the intention that he take a face-first "pancake" bump, but Sabu attempted to turn mid-air and
take a backdrop bump instead. He did not achieve full rotation and landed almost
directly on his neck.
After this match Benoit returned to the locker room and
broke down over the possibility that he might have paralyzed someone. Paul
Heyman, the head booker of ECW at the time, came up with the idea of continuing
the "Crippler" moniker for
Benoit. From that point until his departure from ECW, he was known as
"Crippler Benoit". When he returned to WCW in October 1995, WCW
modified his ring name to "Canadian
Crippler Chris Benoit". In The Rise and Fall of ECW book, Heyman commented
that he planned on using Benoit as a dominant heel for quite some time, before
putting the company's main title, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, on
him to be the long-term champion of the company.
Benoit and Dean Malenko won the ECW World Tag Team
Championship - Benoit's first American title - from Sabu and The Tazmaniac in
February 1995 at Return of the Funker. After winning, they were initiated into
the Triple Threat stable, led by ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas,
as Douglas's attempt to recreate the Four Horsemen, as the three-man
contingency held all three of the ECW championships at the time (Malenko also
held the ECW World Television Championship at the time). The team lost the
championship to The Public Enemy that April at Three Way Dance. Benoit spent
some time in ECW feuding with The Steiner Brothers and rekindling the feud with
2 Cold Scorpio. He was forced to leave ECW after his work visa expired; Heyman
was supposed to renew it, but he failed to make it on time, so Benoit left ECW
in August 1995 as a matter of job security and the ability to enter the United
States. He toured Japan until WCW called.
Return to WCW
(1995–2000)
The Four Horsemen
(1995–1999)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling
(WCW) had a working relationship, and because of their "talent exchange" program, Benoit signed with WCW in late
1995 along with a number of talent working in New Japan to be a part of the
angle. Like the majority of those who came to WCW in the exchange, he started
out in as a member of the cruiserweight division, having lengthy matches
against many of his former rivals in Japan on almost every single broadcast. At
the end of 1995, Benoit went back to Japan as a part of the "talent exchange" to wrestle
as a representative for New Japan in the Super J-Cup: 2nd Stage, defeating
Lionheart in the quarterfinals (he received a bye to the quarterfinals for his
work in 1995, similar to the way he advanced in the 1994 edition) and losing to
Gedo in the semifinals.
After impressing higher-ups with his work, he was approached
by Ric Flair and the WCW booking staff to become a member of the reformed Four
Horsemen in 1995, alongside Flair, Arn Anderson, and Brian Pillman; he was
introduced by Pillman as a gruff, no-nonsense heel similar to his ECW persona, "The Crippler". He was brought
in to add a new dynamic for Anderson and Flair's tormenting of Hulk Hogan and
Randy Savage in their "Alliance to
End Hulkamania", which saw the Horsemen team up with The Dungeon of
Doom, but that alliance ended with Dungeon leader and WCW booker, Kevin
Sullivan feuding with Pillman. When Pillman abruptly left the company for the
WWF, Benoit was placed into his ongoing feud with Sullivan. This came to
fruition through a dissension between the two in a tag team match with the two
reluctantly teaming with each other against The Public Enemy, and Benoit being
attacked by Sullivan at Slamboree. This led to the two having violent
confrontations at pay-per-views, which led to Sullivan booking a feud in which
Benoit was having an affair with Sullivan's real-life wife and onscreen valet,
Nancy (also known as Woman). Benoit and Nancy were forced to spend time
together to make the affair look real, (hold hands in public, share hotel
rooms, etc.).
This onscreen relationship developed into a real-life affair
off-screen. As a result, Sullivan and Benoit had a contentious backstage
relationship at best, and an undying hatred for each other at worst. Benoit
did, however, admit having a certain amount of respect for Sullivan, saying on
the DVD Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story that Sullivan never took undue
liberties in the ring during their feud, even though he blamed Benoit for
breaking up his marriage. This continued for over the course of a year with
Sullivan having his enforcers apprehend Benoit in a multitude of matches. This
culminated in a retirement match at the Bash at the Beach, where Benoit
defeated Sullivan; this was used to explain Sullivan going to a
behind-the-scenes role, where he could focus on his initial job of booking.
In 1998, Benoit had a long feud with Booker T. They fought
over the WCW World Television Championship until Booker lost the title to Fit
Finlay. Booker won a "Best-of-Seven"
series which was held between the two to determine a number one contender. Benoit
went up 3 to 1 before Booker caught up, forcing the 7th and final match on
Monday Nitro. During the match, Bret Hart interjected himself, interfering on
behalf of Benoit in an attempt to get him to join the New World Order. Benoit
refused to win that way and told the referee what happened, getting himself
disqualified. Booker refused that victory, instead opting for an eighth match
at the Great American Bash to see who would fight Finlay later that night.
Booker won the final match and went on to beat Finlay for the title.[25] This
feud significantly elevated both men's careers as singles competitors, and both
remained at the top of the midcard afterward.
In 1999, Benoit teamed with Dean Malenko once again and
defeated Curt Hennig and Barry Windham to win the WCW World Tag Team
Championship. This led to a reformation of the Four Horsemen with the tag team
champions, Anderson, and Steve "Mongo"
McMichael. The two hunted after the tag team championship for several
months, feuding with teams like Raven and Perry Saturn or Billy Kidman and Rey
Mysterio Jr.
The Revolution and
World Heavyweight Champion (1999–2000)
After a falling out with Anderson and McMichael, Benoit and
Malenko left the Horsemen; he won the WCW United States Heavyweight
Championship before bringing together Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Shane Douglas
to form "the Revolution".
The Revolution was a heel stable of younger wrestlers who
felt slighted (both kayfabe and legitimate) by WCW management, believing they
never gave them the chance to be stars, pushing older, more established
wrestlers instead, despite their then-current questionable worthiness of their
pushes. This led to the Revolution seceding from WCW, and forming their own
nation, complete with a flag. This led to some friction being created between
Benoit and leader, Douglas, who called into question Benoit's heart in the
group, causing Benoit to quit the group, thus turning face, and having his own
crusade against the top stars, winning the Television title one more time and the
United States title from Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match. In October 1999 on
Nitro in Kansas City, Missouri, Benoit wrestled Bret Hart as a tribute to
Bret's brother Owen Hart, who had recently died due to an equipment
malfunction. Hart defeated Benoit by submission, and the two received a
standing ovation, and an embrace from guest ring announcer, Harley Race.
Benoit was unhappy working for WCW. One last attempt in
January 2000 was made to try to keep him with WCW, by putting the vacant WCW
World Heavyweight Championship on him by defeating Sid Vicious at Souled Out.
However, due to disagreements with management and to protest the promotion of
Kevin Sullivan to head booker, Benoit left the company the next day alongside
his friends Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn, forfeiting his
title in the process. WCW then refused to acknowledge Benoit's victory as an
official title reign, and Benoit's title reign was not listed in the title
lineage at WCW.com. However, the WWF recognized Benoit's title win, and
Benoit's title reign is still listed in the title lineage at WWE.com. Benoit
spent the next few weeks in Japan before heading to the WWF, who acknowledged
his WCW World Heavyweight Championship win and presented him as a former world
champion.
World Wrestling
Federation/Entertainment (2000–2007)
The Radicalz and
teaming with Chris Jericho (2000–2001)
Benoit was disqualified from the 2000 King of the Ring for
using a chair against Rikishi.
Benoit joined the World Wrestling Federation near the end of
its Attitude Era. Along with Guerrero, Saturn and Malenko, he debuted in the
WWF as a stable that became known as the Radicalz. After losing their "tryout matches" upon entry,
The Radicalz aligned themselves with WWF Champion Triple H and became a heel
faction. Benoit quickly won his first title in the WWF just over a month later
at WrestleMania 2000, pinning Chris Jericho in a triple threat match to win
Kurt Angle's Intercontinental Championship. It was also in this time period
that Benoit wrestled in his first WWF pay-per-view main events, challenging The
Rock for the WWF Championship at Fully Loaded in July and as part of a fatal
four-way title match at Unforgiven in September. On both occasions Benoit
appeared to have won the title, only to have the decision reversed by then-WWF
commissioner Mick Foley due to cheating on Benoit's part. Benoit simultaneously
entered into a long-running feud with Jericho for the Intercontinental title,
with the two meeting at Backlash, Judgment Day and SummerSlam; Benoit winning
all three matches. The feud finally culminated in Jericho defeating Benoit in a
ladder match at the Royal Rumble in January 2001. Benoit won the
Intercontinental title three times between April 2000 and January 2001.
In early 2001, Benoit broke away from The Radicalz (who had
recently reformed three months earlier) and turned face, feuding first with his
former stablemates and then with Kurt Angle, whom he wrestled and lost to at
WrestleMania X-Seven. He gained some amount of revenge after beating Angle in
an "Ultimate Submission"
match at Backlash. The feud continued after Benoit stole Angle's cherished
Olympic Gold Medal. This culminated in a match at Judgment Day where Angle won
a two out of three falls match with the help of Edge and Christian. In
response, Benoit teamed up with his former rival Jericho to defeat Edge and
Christian in that night's Tag Team Turmoil match.
The next night on Raw Is War, Benoit and Jericho defeated
WWF Tag Team Champions Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H for their title.
The pair used the win as a springboard to challenge Austin for his WWF
Championship. Benoit got two title matches the following week, first losing in
a manner similar to the Montreal Screwjob in Calgary and then losing in a close
match in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. However, Benoit injured his neck in a
four-way TLC match that required surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood. Despite
this, he continued to wrestle until the King of the Ring, where he was pinned
in a triple threat match versus Austin and Jericho. Benoit missed the next year
due to his neck injury, missing the entire Invasion storyline.
Championship pursuits
and reigns (2002–2003)
During the first WWF draft, he was the third wrestler picked
by Vince McMahon to be part of the new SmackDown! roster, although still on the
injured list. However, when he returned, he did so as a member of the Raw
roster. On his first night back, he turned heel again and aligned himself with
Eddie Guerrero, and he feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin briefly. Benoit
defeated Rob Van Dam on the July 29, 2002 edition of Raw to become
Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time. He and Guerrero were then moved
to SmackDown! during a storyline "open
season" on wrestler contracts, with Benoit taking his newly won belt
with him. Van Dam defeated Benoit at SummerSlam and returned the title to Raw.
After returning to SmackDown!, he embarked on a feud with
Kurt Angle in which he defeated him at Unforgiven. On October 20, 2002, at No
Mercy, he teamed with Angle to win a tournament to crown the first-ever WWE Tag
Team Champions. They became tweeners after betraying Los Guerreros. At
Rebellion, Benoit and Angle made their successful title defense, defeating Los
Guerreros. They lost the championships to Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr. on the
November 7 episode of SmackDown! in a two-out-of-three falls match. They
received a rematch at Survivor Series in a triple threat elimination match
against Edge and Mysterio and Los Guerreros, but failed to win the titles after
being the first team eliminated. The team split up shortly afterward and Benoit
became a face.
Angle won his third WWE Championship from Big Show at
Armageddon, and Benoit faced him for the title at the 2003 Royal Rumble. The
match was highly praised from fans and critics. Although Benoit lost the match,
he received a standing ovation for his efforts. Benoit returned to the tag team
ranks, teaming with the returning Rhyno.
At WrestleMania XIX, the WWE Tag Team Champions, Team Angle
(Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin), put their titles on the line against
Benoit and his partner Rhyno and Los Guerreros in a triple threat tag team
match. Team Angle retained when Benjamin pinned Chavo.
In April 2003, following WrestleMania XIX, Benoit then
feuded with John Cena (wearing a shirt saying "Toothless Aggression") and The Full Blooded Italians,
teaming with Rhyno occasionally.
In June 2003, the WCW United States Championship was
reactivated and renamed the WWE United States Championship, and Benoit
participated in the tournament for the title. He lost in the final match to Eddie
Guerrero at Vengeance. The two feuded over the title for the next month, and
Benoit went on to defeat the likes of A-Train at No Mercy, Big Show, and
eliminating Brock Lesnar by submission at Survivor Series as part of a Survivor
Series elimination tag team match between Team Angle against Team Lesnar. As a
result, Benoit challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship on the December 4
episode of SmackDown!, but lost after passing out to Lesnar's debuting Brock
Lock submission hold. General Manager Paul Heyman had a vendetta against Benoit
along with Lesnar, preventing him from gaining a shot at Lesnar's WWE title.
World Heavyweight
Champion (2004–2005)
When Benoit won a qualifying match for the 2004 Royal Rumble
against the Full Blooded Italians in a handicap match with John Cena, Heyman
named him as the number one entry. On January 25, 2004, he won the Royal Rumble
by last eliminating Big Show, and thus earned a world title shot at
WrestleMania XX. He became only the second WWE performer to win the Royal
Rumble as the number one entrant along with Shawn Michaels. With Benoit being
on the SmackDown! brand at the time, it was assumed that he was going to
compete for his brand's championship, the WWE Championship. However, Benoit
exploited a "loophole" in
the rules and moved to the Raw brand the following night to announce he would
instead challenge World Heavyweight Champion Triple H at WrestleMania. Though
the match was originally intended to be a one-on-one match, Shawn Michaels,
whose Last Man Standing match against Triple H at the Royal Rumble for the
World Heavyweight Championship ended in a draw, thought that he deserved to be
in the main event. When it was time for Benoit to sign the contract putting
himself in the main event, Michaels superkicked him and signed his name on the
contract, which eventually resulted in a Triple Threat match between Michaels,
Benoit, and the champion, Triple H.
On March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, Benoit won the World
Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his signature
submission move, the Crippler Crossface, in a highly acclaimed match. The match
marked the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission.
After the match, Benoit celebrated his win with then-reigning WWE Champion
Eddie Guerrero. The rematch was held at Backlash in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton.
It was Michaels who ended up submitting to Benoit's Sharpshooter, allowing
Benoit to retain his title. The next night in Calgary, he and Edge won the
World Tag Team Championship from Batista and Ric Flair, making Benoit a double
champion.
Following his victories, Benoit and Edge engaged in a
rivalry with La Résistance for the World Tag Team Championship, which saw a
series of matches (including losing the titles to La Résistance on the May 31
episode of Raw), while simultaneously having confrontations with Kane over the
World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit wrestled in two matches at Bad Blood in
his respective rivalries; he and Edge failed to regain the World Tag Team
Championship (winning by disqualification when Kane interfered) while he successfully
defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane. A month later at
Vengeance, Benoit retained the title against Triple H.
On August 15, 2004, Benoit was defeated by Randy Orton for
the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.[64] Benoit then teamed with
William Regal at Unforgiven against Ric Flair and Batista in a winning effort.
Benoit then feuded with Edge (who had turned into an arrogant and conceited
heel), leading to Taboo Tuesday where Benoit, Edge, and Shawn Michaels were all
put into a poll to see who would face Triple H for the World Heavyweight title
that night. Michaels received the most votes and as a result, Edge and Benoit
were forced to team up to face the World Tag Team Champions, La Résistance, in
the same night. However, Edge deserted Benoit during the match and Benoit was
forced to take on both members of La Résistance by himself. He and Edge still
managed to regain the World Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles back to
La Résistance on the November 1 episode of Raw. At Survivor Series, Benoit
sided with Randy Orton's team while Edge teamed with Triple H's team, and while
Edge was able to pin Benoit after a Pedigree, Orton's team won.
The Benoit-Edge feud ended at New Year's Revolution in an
Elimination Chamber match, which both men lost. The feud stopped abruptly, as
Edge feuded with Shawn Michaels, and Benoit entered the Royal Rumble, lasting
longer than any competitor before being eliminated by Ric Flair. The two then
continued to have matches in the following weeks until the two of them, Chris
Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian were placed in the Money in the
Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21. Edge won the match by knocking Benoit off
of the ladder by smashing his arm with a chair. The feud finally culminated in
a Last Man Standing match at Backlash, which Edge won with a brick shot to the
back of Benoit's head.
United States
Champion (2005–2007)
On June 9, Benoit was drafted to the SmackDown! brand after
being the first man selected by SmackDown! in the 2005 Draft Lottery and
participated in an ECW-style revolution against the SmackDown! heels. Benoit
appeared at ECW One Night Stand, defeating Eddie Guerrero.
On July 24 at The Great American Bash, Benoit failed to win
the WWE United States Championship from Orlando Jordan, but won a rematch at
SummerSlam in 25 seconds. Benoit then won three consecutive matches against Jordan
in less than a minute. Benoit later wrestled Booker T in friendly competitions,
until Booker and his wife, Sharmell, cheated Benoit out of the United States
title on the October 21 episode of SmackDown!.
On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel
room. The following night, Raw held a Guerrero tribute show hosted by both Raw
and SmackDown! wrestlers. Benoit was devastated at the loss of his best friend
and was very emotional during a series of video testimonials, eventually
breaking down on camera.] The same week on SmackDown! (taped on the same night
as Raw), Benoit defeated Triple H in a tribute match to Guerrero. Following the
contest, Benoit, Triple H, and Dean Malenko all assembled in the ring and
pointed to the sky in salute of Guerrero.
After controversy surrounding a United States Championship
match against Booker T, Theodore Long set up a "Best of Seven" series between the two. Booker T won
three times in a row (at Survivor Series, the November 29 SmackDown! Special,
and the December 9 episode of SmackDown!), due largely to Sharmell's
interference, and Benoit faced elimination in the series. Benoit won the fourth
match to stay alive at Armageddon, but after the match, Booker suffered a
legitimate groin injury, and Randy Orton was chosen as a stand-in. Benoit
defeated Orton twice by disqualification on the December 30 and January 6, 2006
episodes of SmackDown!. However, in the seventh and final match, Orton defeated
Benoit with the help of Booker T, Sharmell, and Orlando Jordan, and Booker
captured the United States Championship. Benoit feuded with Orton for a short
time, before defeating Orton in a No Holds Barred match on the January 27
episode of SmackDown! via the Crippler Crossface. Benoit was given one last
chance at the United States Championship at No Way Out and won it by making
Booker submit to the Crippler Crossface, ending the feud.
The next week on SmackDown!, Benoit (kayfabe) broke John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)'s
hand (JBL actually needed surgery to remove a cyst). A match was set up for the
two at WrestleMania 22 for Benoit's title, and for the next several weeks, they
attacked each other. At WrestleMania, JBL won the match with an illegal cradle
to win the title. Benoit used his rematch clause two weeks later in a steel
cage match on SmackDown!, but JBL again won with illegal tactics. Benoit
entered the King of the Ring tournament, only to be defeated by Finlay in the
opening round on the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, after Finlay struck Benoit's
neck with a chair and delivered a Celtic Cross. At Judgment Day, Benoit gained
some revenge by defeating Finlay with the Crippler Crossface in a grudge match.
On the following episode of SmackDown!, Mark Henry brutalized Benoit during
their match, giving him (kayfabe) back and rib injuries and causing him to
bleed from his mouth. Benoit then took a sabbatical to heal nagging shoulder
injuries.
On October 8, Benoit made his return at No Mercy, defeating
William Regal in a surprise match. Later that week, he won his fifth United
States Championship from Mr. Kennedy. Benoit then engaged in a feud with Chavo
and Vickie Guerrero. He wanted answers from the Guerreros for their rash
behavior towards Rey Mysterio, but was avoided by the two and was eventually
assaulted. This led to the two embarking on a feud with title matches at
Survivor Series and Armageddon, matches that Benoit won. The feud culminated
with one last title match as a No disqualification match, which was also won by
Benoit.[95] Later, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), who claimed that he was the
best man to hold the United States title, challenged Benoit for the title at
WrestleMania 23, where Benoit retained. Their rivalry continued with similar
results again at Backlash. At Judgment Day, however, MVP gained the upper hand
and won the title in a two out of three falls match, thus ending the feud.
Benoit would wrestle MVP one last time at Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIV on
May 28, (aired June 2), in a winning effort in a tag-team match where Benoit
partnered with Batista and MVP partnered with then-World Heavyweight Champion
Edge.
ECW (2007)
On the June 11 episode of Raw, Benoit was drafted from
SmackDown! to ECW as part of the 2007 WWE draft after losing to ECW World
Champion Bobby Lashley. On the June 19 episode of ECW, Benoit wrestled his
final match, defeating Elijah Burke in a match to determine who would compete
for the vacated ECW World Championship at Vengeance on June 24. Since Lashley
was drafted to Raw, he had vacated the title.
The diving head-butt was blamed as one of the primary causes
of Benoit's death.
Benoit missed the weekend house shows, telling WWE officials
that his wife and son were vomiting blood due to food poisoning. When he failed
to show up for the pay-per-view, viewers were informed that he was unable to
compete due to a "family
emergency" and he was replaced in the title match by Johnny Nitro, who
won the match and became ECW World Champion. The crowd spent the majority of
the match chanting for Benoit. It would be revealed in the following days that
Benoit had murdered his wife Nancy and son Daniel before committing suicide.
WWE executive Stephanie McMahon later indicated that Benoit
would have defeated CM Punk for the ECW World Championship had he been present
for the event. Professional wrestler and MMA fighter Bob Sapp, whom WWE had
tried to sign up before a contract dispute with K-1 rendered it impossible,
reported he would have been put into an oncoming angle with Benoit in case he
would have been able to debut.
Professional
wrestling style
Benoit included a wide array of submission holds in his
move-set and used a crossface, dubbed the Crippler Crossface, and a
sharpshooter as finishers. He also used a diving head-butt to finish off
opponents. The diving head-butt, which saw the deliverer leap off the top rope
and land head first on the opponent, was partially blamed for the head trauma
that caused Benoit to commit his crimes. Another of Benoit's trademark moves
was three rolling German suplexes. This move would later be mimicked by
multiple other wrestlers, including Brock Lesnar who uses it as Suplex City.
Benoit was renowned for his high-impact technical style.
Former WWE rival Kurt Angle said in a 2017 interview that "he has to got to be in the top three of all time."
Professional
wrestling games
1997 WCW vs. nWo:
World Tour First video game
appearance
1997 Virtual Pro
Wrestling 64 Only released in Japan
1998 Shin Nippon
Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 3 Only
released in Japan
1998 WCW/nWo
Revenge
1999 WCW Mayhem Last WCW video game appearance
2000 WWF Royal
Rumble First WWF/E video game
appearance
2000 WWF No Mercy
2000 WWF
SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
2001 WWF Betrayal
2001 With
Authority! Cover athlete;
Online game
2001 WWF Road to
WrestleMania
2001 WWF
SmackDown! Just Bring It
2002 WWF Raw
2002 WWE
WrestleMania X8
2002 WWE Road to
WrestleMania X8
2002 WWE SmackDown!
Shut Your Mouth
2003 WWE Crush
Hour
2003 WWE
WrestleMania XIX
2003 WWE Raw 2
2003 WWE
SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
2004 WWE Day of
Reckoning
2004 WWE Survivor
Series Cover athlete
2004 WWE
SmackDown! vs. Raw
2005 WWE
WrestleMania 21 Cover athlete (PAL
version)
2005 WWE
Aftershock Cover athlete (PAL
version)”
2005 WWE Day of
Reckoning 2
2005 WWE
SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
2006 WWE
SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 Last
video game appearance
Championships and
accomplishments
Benoit won the WWE/WCW United States Champion a total of
five times across WWE and WCW.
Cauliflower Alley
Club
Future Legend Award (2002)
Catch Wrestling
Association
CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dave Taylor
Extreme Championship
Wrestling
ECW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dean Malenko
New Japan
Pro-Wrestling
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Super J-Cup (1994)
Top/Best of the Super Juniors (1993, 1995)
Super Grade Junior Heavyweight Tag League (1994) – with
Shinjiro Otani
Pro Wrestling
Illustrated
Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Triple H
Match of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H at
WrestleMania XX
Wrestler of the Year (2004)
Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500
in 2004
Ranked No. 69 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the PWI
Years in 2003
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship
(4 times)
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (4
times) – with Ben Bassarab (1), Keith Hart (1), Lance Idol (1), and Biff
Wellington (1)
Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1995)
Universal Wrestling
Association
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Championship
Wrestling
WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dean Malenko
(1) and Perry Saturn (1)
WCW World Television Championship (3 times)
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion
World Wrestling
Federation/Entertainment
World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Kurt
Angle
WWE United States Championship (3 times)
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (4 times)
WWF/World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Chris
Jericho (1) and Edge (2)
Royal Rumble (2004)
WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Kurt
Angle
Twelfth Triple Crown Champion
Wrestling Observer
Newsletter
Best Brawler (2004)
Best Technical Wrestler (1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004)
Feud of the Year (2004) vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H
Match of the Year (2002) with Kurt Angle vs. Edge and Rey
Mysterio at No Mercy
Most Outstanding Wrestler (2000, 2004)
Most Underrated (1998)
Readers' Favorite Wrestler (1997, 2000)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2003)
Personal life
Benoit spoke both English and French fluently. He married
twice, and had two children (David and Megan) with his first wife, Martina. By
1997, that marriage had broken down, and Benoit was living with Nancy Sullivan,
the wife of the WCW booker and frequent opponent Kevin Sullivan. On February
25, 2000, Chris and Nancy's son Daniel was born; on November 23, 2000, Chris
and Nancy married. It was Nancy's third marriage. In 2003, Nancy filed for
divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as "irrevocably
broken" and alleging "cruel
treatment". She claimed that he would break and throw furniture
around. She later dropped the suit as well as the restraining order she had filed.
Benoit became good friends with fellow wrestler Eddie
Guerrero following a match in Japan, when Benoit kicked Guerrero in the head
and knocked him out cold.
Benoit was also close friends with Dean Malenko, as the trio
traveled from promotion to promotion together putting on matches, eventually
being dubbed the "Three Amigos"
by commentators. According to Benoit, the Crippler Crossface was borrowed from
Malenko and eventually caught on as Benoit's signature hold.
Benoit's lost tooth, his top-right lateral incisor, was
commonly misattributed to training or an accident early on in his wrestling
career. It actually resulted from an accident involving his pet Rottweiler: one
day while playing with the dog, the animal's skull struck Benoit's chin, and
his tooth "popped out".
Death
Wikinews has related
news:
Professional wrestler
Chris Benoit and family found dead
On June 25, 2007, police entered Benoit's home in
Fayetteville, Georgia when WWE, Benoit's employers, requested a "welfare check" after Benoit
missed weekend events without notice, leading to concerns. The officers
discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel
at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Upon investigating, no additional suspects were sought
by authorities. It was determined that Benoit had committed the murders. Over a
three-day period, Benoit had killed his wife and son before committing suicide.
His wife was bound before the killing. Benoit's son was drugged with Xanax and
likely unconscious before Benoit strangled him. Benoit then committed suicide
by hanging himself on his lat pulldown machine.
WWE cancelled the scheduled three-hour long live Raw show on
June 25 and replaced the broadcast version with a three-hour tribute to his
life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The
Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers.
Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007, revealed that
at their time of death, Nancy had three different drugs in her system: Xanax,
hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic
rather than toxic levels. Daniel was found to have Xanax in his system, which
led the chief medical examiner to believe that he was sedated before he was
murdered. Benoit was found to have Xanax, hydrocodone, and an elevated level of
testosterone, caused by a synthetic form of the hormone, in his system. The
chief medical examiner attributed the testosterone level to Benoit possibly
being treated for a deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse or testicular
insufficiency. There was no indication that anything in Benoit's body contributed
to his violent behavior that led to the murder-suicide, concluding that there
was no "roid-rage"
involved. Prior to the murder-suicide, Benoit had illegally been given
medications not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program in February
2006, including nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, and anastrozole, a breast
cancer medication which is used by bodybuilders for its powerful antiestrogenic
effects. During the investigation into steroid abuse, it was revealed that
other wrestlers had also been given steroids.
After the double-murder suicide, former wrestler Christopher
Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit, Chris' father, suggesting that years of
trauma to his son's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on
Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia
University, and results showed that "Benoit's
brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old
Alzheimer's patient." He was reported to have had an advanced form of
dementia, similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who had had
multiple concussions, sank into depression, and harmed themselves or others.
Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to
dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioral problems. Benoit's father
suggests that brain damage may have been the leading cause.
Once the details of Benoit's actions became apparent, WWE
made the decision to remove nearly all mentions of Benoit from their website,
future broadcasts, and all publications.
Notes
Benoit's reign with
the championship is not recognized by WWE, who does not recognize any reign
prior to December 1997.
After Benoit left WCW
for the WWF, WCW refused to acknowledge Benoit's victory as an official title
reign, and Benoit's title reign was not listed in the title lineage at WCW.com.
However, the WWF recognized Benoit's title win, and Benoit's title reign is
still listed in the title lineage at WWE.com.
Benoit underwent a
special recall election in 2008 due to the double murder-suicide of his wife
and son. The recall was supported by a majority of 53.6% of voters, but was
below the 60% threshold necessary to remove him.
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