Over a three-day period from June 22 to 24, 2007,
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael Benoit (; 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 Wrestlin ...
, a 40-year-old Canadian
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
employed by
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWE) and living in
Fayetteville, Georgia
Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta.
In 201 ...
, murdered his wife
Nancy and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, before hanging himself.
Autopsy
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...
results showed that Benoit's wife was murdered first as she was bound at the feet and wrists and died of
asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...
tion on the night of June 22. On June 25, Nancy was found wrapped in a towel with blood under her head, although
Fayette County District Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...
Scott Ballard reported no other signs of a struggle.
The couple's son, Daniel Christopher Benoit, who also died of asphyxia, was killed as he was lying sedated in his bed on the morning of June 23. Then, on the evening of June 24, Benoit
killed himself in his
weight room
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the physical strength, strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Acros ...
, when he used his lat pulldown machine to hang himself. He placed
Bibles near the bodies of his wife and son. Since Benoit's suicide, numerous explanations for his actions have been proposed, including severe
chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse ...
(CTE),
steroid
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...
and alcohol abuse, leading to a failing marriage and other personal problems. The incident led to numerous media accounts, and a federal investigation into
steroid abuse
In competitive sports, doping is the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors as a way of cheating in sports. The term ''doping'' is widely used by organizations that regulate sporting competitions. The use of ...
in professional wrestling.
Murders and suicide
Nancy Benoit
On Friday, June 22, 2007, Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy in the bonus room of their house which was being used as an office. According to the police report, her limbs were bound prior to her death, with her arms being restrained with coaxial cables, and her feet being duct-taped together. A balled up combination of a tube sock and tape was also found in the kitchen trash and appeared to be soaked in dried blood, which led police to believe that it was being used as a makeshift gag prior to her death. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket. A copy of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
was left by her body. Injuries indicated that Benoit had pressed a knee into her back while pulling on a cord around her neck, causing
strangulation
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hangin ...
. Officials said that there were no signs of immediate struggle.
Toxicologists found alcohol in her body, but were unable to determine whether it had been present before death or was a
decomposition
Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and ...
product. Decomposition also made it difficult to estimate pre-death levels of
hydrocodone
Hydrocodone, also known as dihydrocodeinone, is an opioid used to treat pain and as a cough suppressant. It is taken by mouth. Typically it is dispensed as the combination acetaminophen/hydrocodone or ibuprofen/hydrocodone for pain severe eno ...
and
alprazolam
Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly u ...
, found in "therapeutic levels" in her body. In any case, her medical examiner saw no evidence that she was sedated as her son had been when he was killed.
Daniel Benoit
Daniel Christopher Benoit (February 25, 2000June 23, 2007) was Chris' third child and second son, having older paternal half-siblings named David (born 1993) and Megan (born 1997) via Chris' first wife, Martina, who were all living in Canada at the time the murder-suicide took place. He was Nancy's only child, as she had no children with her ex-husbands Jim Daus or
Kevin Sullivan.
Daniel was suffocated and killed in his bedroom, and a copy of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
was left by his body.
Daniel had internal injuries to the throat area, showing no bruises. Daniel's exact time of death is unknown.
The reports determined Daniel was sedated with
Xanax
Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly ...
and likely unconscious when he was killed.
Daniel's body had also just started to show signs of decomposition but was not as far along as his mother's body.
It was later alleged that Daniel had
Fragile X syndrome
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic disorder characterized by mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. The average IQ in males with FXS is under 55, while about two thirds of affected females are intellectually disabled. Physical features ma ...
and that this was the cause of domestic problems in the Benoit family.
It was also suggested that needle marks on Daniel's arms were the result of growth hormones given to him because Benoit and his family considered him undersized due to Fragile X.
Benoit's coworker and best friend, wrestler
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
, stated that from his own research on the condition, the symptoms "fit Daniel to a tee, all across the board". Concerning those who had publicly stated that they had no knowledge of Daniel having the condition, Jericho said, "If Chris had decided that he wanted to keep it to himself, you wouldn't have been able to pry that out of him with anything." Despite Jericho's initial statements regarding Daniel, he later stated in his 2011 book ''Undisputed'', "It turned out that Daniel didn't have Fragile X, but at the time it made sense because I was grasping at straws."
District Attorney Ballard later released a statement saying that a source with access to Daniel's medical files found no mention of any pre-existing mental or physical ailments. Likewise, Daniel Benoit's teachers reported that he was on par with other students and not about to be held back as previously thought.
Speaking publicly for the first time in a major public interview on a ''
Talk is Jericho'' podcast in 2016, Nancy's sister, Sandra Toffoloni, unequivocally denied any claims that Daniel had ever had Fragile X or any other such condition. She also stated that claims of needle track marks on Daniel's arms were "preposterous".
After the murders
At about 3:30 p.m.
EDT on Saturday, June 23, 2007, fellow wrestler and close friend
Chavo Guerrero
Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federati ...
received a
voicemail
A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to ind ...
message from Benoit's phone stating that both Nancy and Daniel had food poisoning and he would be late for that night's
house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that t ...
in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...
. Guerrero called Benoit back and found that Benoit sounded tired and groggy as he confirmed everything that he had said in his voice message. Guerrero, who was "concerned about Benoit's tone and demeanor," called him back 12 minutes later. Benoit did not answer the call, and Guerrero left a message asking Benoit to call back.
At 3:44 p.m. EDT, Benoit called Guerrero back, stating that he had not answered the call because he was on the phone with
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
changing his flight. Benoit stated that he had a stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel "being sick from food poisoning". Guerrero then replied with "All right man, if you need to talk, I'm here for you". Benoit ended the conversation by saying "Chavo, I love you". During a 2014 appearance on
Chris Jericho's ''Talk is Jericho'' podcast, Guerrero said Benoit sounded "off" when he talked to him, especially when he said "I love you" with emphasis. Another co-worker who often traveled with Benoit called him from outside the
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
airport; Benoit answered and told the coworker that Nancy was vomiting blood and that Daniel was also vomiting. Benoit failed to show up for the house show in Beaumont, and left a voicemail on Chavo Guerrero's cell phone that he would be on a flight that would arrive in Houston at 8:00 a.m.
CDT on the following Sunday morning. During this time, Benoit also called and left a voicemail for an unknown friend.
On Sunday, June 24, 2007, five text messages were sent to co-workers between 3:51 a.m. and 3:58 a.m. using both Chris and Nancy Benoit's cell phones. Four of them were the Benoits' address; the fifth said that the family's dogs were in the enclosed pool area, and also noted that a garage side door had been left open. Guerrero and referee
Scott Armstrong were two of the recipients of these texts. Guerrero was woken up by the texts, and went back to sleep, telling himself that he was picking Benoit up at the Houston airport in a few hours. Benoit failed to show at the Houston airport on the flight that arrived at 8:00 a.m.
Late Sunday morning, Benoit called WWE's talent relations office stating that his son was vomiting, and that he and Nancy were at the hospital with him. He also stated that he would be taking a later flight into Houston where he was scheduled to face
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known f ...
for the vacant
ECW World Championship at
Vengeance: Night of Champions. Benoit failed to appear for the
Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view event in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
on the night of Sunday, June 24.
Suicide
Chris Benoit, according to District Attorney Ballard and the city sheriff, committed
suicide by hanging
Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck.
Hanging is often considered ...
.
Benoit used a weight machine cord to hang himself by creating a
noose from the end of the cord on a
pull-down machine from which the bar had been removed. Benoit released the weights, causing his
strangulation
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hangin ...
. Ballard said Benoit was found hanging from the pulley cable.
On the 2016 ''Talk is Jericho'' podcast, Nancy's sister Sandra Toffoloni clarified some details further. She said that over the weekend, the search history on Benoit's computer showed he had researched "the quickest and easiest way to break a neck". He had then later used a towel around his neck attached to the handle of the machine, which he pulled down using a very heavy weight and let go, breaking his neck instantly.
However, the police report done by Fayette County Police Department states he had no damage to his neck area other than that which came from the cable around his neck. It also states the only thing he researched on his computer in that time period was that of the Prophet of
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
and the resurrecting of a dead boy. No mention of the claims made by Toffoloni were on the police report and his autopsy report made no mention of damage to Benoit's
cervical vertebrae
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In ...
,
hyoid bone
The hyoid bone (lingual bone or tongue-bone) () is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. At rest, it lies between the base of the mandible and the third cervical verteb ...
,
trachea
The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air- breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends from t ...
or
larynx
The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
area, further indicating he didn't snap his neck as a manner of suicide.
Discovery of the bodies
On Monday, June 25, 2007, WWE wrestlers and senior officials arrived in
Corpus Christi for ''
WWE Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...
'', which was to take place on that Monday night at the American Bank Center. As the early hours of the afternoon progressed and the show got closer to starting, WWE senior officials were increasingly concerned that they had not heard from Benoit in over 24 hours. Guerrero then showed WWE Vice President of Talent Relations
John Laurinaitis
John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ringname Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive.
He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan ...
(aka Johnny Ace) the texts that he and Scott Armstrong had received from Chris and Nancy's cellphones in the early hours of Sunday. As some more time progressed without any contact from Benoit, WWE called the Fayetteville, Georgia, police for a welfare check at the Benoit household. After discovering the bodies, the police notified WWE around 4:15 p.m. (CDT), informing them that they had discovered three bodies at the Benoit home and the house was now ruled as a "major
crime scene
A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcemen ...
".
A
suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide.
A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depen ...
was not discovered during the initial investigation, but one was later discovered in a Bible that had been among Benoit's possessions that were sent to his first wife (Martina Benoit) and their two children in Canada. Benoit's father Michael Benoit stated that Chris had left "a hand-written notation in there saying, 'I'm preparing to leave this Earth.'"
Memorial and cremation
A memorial for Nancy and Daniel took place in
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...
, on July 14, 2007. Both were
cremated
Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...
and their ashes placed in
starfish
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish a ...
-shaped
urns for Nancy's family. Chris was also cremated, following a private memorial service in
Ardrossan
Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the ' Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
, on August 6, 2007, but the fate of his ashes has not been publicly revealed.
Possible motives
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt appeared on ''Live with Dan Abrams'' on July 17, 2007, and said that Benoit was prescribed
testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristi ...
as part of a treatment for
testosterone replacement therapy, which McDevitt said was a common medical practice for people who had used
steroids
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...
in the past, and had suffered
testicular
A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testosteron ...
damage as a result.
Former wrestler
Christopher Nowinski
Christopher John Nowinski (born September 24, 1978) is an American neuroscientist and author. After extensively researching concussions in American football, Nowinski co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he is currently the CEO, ...
stated that Benoit may have been suffering from repeated, untreated concussions throughout his wrestling career, ultimately leading to an unstable mental state. Nowinski was quoted as saying that Benoit "was one of the only guys who would take a chair shot to the back of the head ... which is stupid". Tests conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of
neurosurgery
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and pe ...
at
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
, showed "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
patient". Other tests conducted on Benoit's
brain tissue
The human brain is the central organ of the human nervous system, and with the spinal cord makes up the central nervous system. The brain consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. It controls most of the activities of th ...
revealed severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),
and damage to all four
lobes of the brain and
brain stem
The brainstem (or brain stem) is the posterior stalk-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The midbrain is co ...
. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
, which can contribute to severe behavioral problems. Benoit's father said that brain damage may have been the leading cause of the double
murder-suicide. A statement released by WWE described this as "speculative".
Nancy Benoit had filed for divorce in May 2003, allegedly after
domestic abuse
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...
from Chris, but had withdrawn it in August 2003. In February 2008, ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' (''AJC'') reported that Nancy may have suspected her husband of having an affair with a
female
Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Fema ...
WWE wrestler, and that they may have also argued over a
life insurance
Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the dea ...
policy. The ''AJC'' claimed the source was a recently released report from the
Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
Responses
World Wrestling Entertainment
The deaths were first reported to fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on their WWE Mobile Alerts Service and posted to its official website soon after. On its corporate website, the company released the following statement:
After
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
had gathered the wrestlers together to tell them that Chris, Nancy and Daniel had all died, WWE canceled the scheduled three-hour-long live ''Raw'' show that had been scheduled for a few hours later on the night of June 25 (which, coincidentally, was supposed to be a memorial for the Mr. McMahon character, who, on the June 11 episode of ''Raw'', "died" in a limo explosion) that was scheduled to take place at the
American Bank Center
The American Bank Center is an entertainment complex located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The complex consists of an auditorium, convention center and arena. The facility hosts numerous conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, live performances and sp ...
in Corpus Christi, Texas, and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to Chris Benoit's life and career, featuring past matches, segments from the ''Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story''
DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers from the
Raw,
SmackDown!, and
ECW brands. Shortly after the program aired, many of the aired comments were posted on WWE.com. It was not until the last hour of the tribute program that reports surfaced one after the other that Chris, Nancy and Daniel had all died on different days over the weekend, and that the police were not looking for any other suspects, working under the belief that Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself.
The next night, Tuesday, June 26, 2007, after details of the murder-suicide became available, the company aired a recorded statement by McMahon before its ''
ECW'' broadcast:
On Friday, June 29, 2007, before the ''
SmackDown!'' edition of that week, McMahon released another statement indicating that the related events of the tragedy were not known at the time. The rest of the statement remained the same as the first one.
After learning about the full details of his and his family's deaths, WWE quickly distanced itself from Chris Benoit:
* Except for his results and listings in WWE's title history (though the summaries of his title reigns have been removed), and select press releases from WWE's corporate subsite, the WWE website removed all past mentions of Benoit, including all news articles relating to the specific details of the incident, as well as his biography and the video tribute comments from Benoit's peers.
* WWE pulled the tribute episode from international markets which aired ''Raw'' on a tape-delay basis. Several channels announced the episode was being withheld for legal reasons. A substitute ''Raw'', hosted by
Todd Grisham from WWE Studios, was created featuring recaps of
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a World championship (professional wrestling), world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand di ...
and
World Heavyweight Championship matches which had occurred over the past year.
* Benoit's name was removed from his previous theme song "Rabid" on the MP3 release of ''
WWE Anthology''.
* Benoit, along with his "
Crippler Crossface
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
" and other signature moves, were removed from the ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ in November 2007, and developed by Yuke's for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation Por ...
'' video game, after Benoit was originally included in the game as a playable character. Starting with ''
WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010'', the move was reinstated as "Crossface."
*
WWE Classics On Demand, WWE's subscription
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...
service, began removing the likeness and mentions of both Chris and Nancy Benoit from archival footage.
* Matches and other footage involving Benoit appeared very sparingly on any WWE DVD releases following his death, with all of them being footage involving multiple wrestlers such as a
battle royal or a multiple-person
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
match. The
WCW WarGames
''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follow ...
DVD by WWE, which features all of the WarGames matches, does include the
1997 WCW Fall Brawl WarGames match between the
nWo and the
Four Horsemen, featuring Benoit (who was not involved in the finish of the match), but has commentary about Benoit edited out,
* On the
WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...
, a parental advisory warning is shown before a program that features Benoit. The WWE Network shows the June 25, 2007 internationally aired episode of ''Raw'' featuring several world title matches instead of the original Benoit tribute show. The opening promo for the June 26, 2007 ''ECW'' show with Vince McMahon, mentioning Benoit, has also been omitted from the broadcast. Several pay-per-view posters which featured Benoit have been replaced with new artwork on the Network's menu screen. Matches listed for shows and pay-per-views that have Benoit in them don't mention him by name, but instead list his opponent(s) and stipulation. Additionally, entering Benoit's name into the Network's search function will return no results.
* In 2015, Benoit's name was mentioned as part of the WWE Network's ''Monday Night Wars'' series that looks back at the fall of
WCW. A segment in the series talked about the 2000 Invasion storyline with Benoit and his
Radicalz stablemates
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero ...
,
Dean Malenko, and
Perry Saturn
Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...
. However, barring an establishing shot, Benoit was omitted from all footage and photographs featured of the group.
* Benoit is listed in the ''WWE Encyclopedia'', where his wrestling career up to where he lost the
World Heavyweight Championship to
Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
is detailed, along with his title history.
* Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace, who had written Benoit's theme song "Whatever" in 2001, were asked if they would ever perform the song again in a 2012 interview with ''The Huffington Post''. Band members Raine Maida and Steve Mazur responded that they felt they could not, given the circumstances of Benoit's death. They had not performed the song for several years before Benoit's death, however.
* WWE included the moment when Randy Orton pinned Benoit at SummerSlam (2004), SummerSlam 2004 to capture his first World Heavyweight Championship in a promotional video for the match between Orton and John Cena at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2013), TLC 2013. However, Benoit's face cannot be seen. This was also done in videos for the build up to Orton's 14th world championship win against Drew Mcintyre in 2020.
* In Kurt Angle's Hall of Fame video upon his induction in 2017, WWE briefly showed a clip of his match with Chris Benoit. However, the shot is distant and Benoit's face cannot be seen.
* On a 2020 episode of Raw after Summerslam emanating from WWE's WWE ThunderDome, ThunderDome, a fan showed an image of Chris Benoit in a prominently featured position during Drew Mcintyre's segment. This was apparently the last picture of Benoit taken before his death.
Professional wrestling industry
Numerous individuals in professional wrestling, past and present, commented on the deaths and their aftermath:
* Hulk Hogan commented on Benoit's personality and his thoughts on the crime, saying: "He was peaceful and kept to himself," and, "I think it had to be something personal, a domestic problem between him and his wife."
* Kurt Angle chose to comment more on the frenzy created by the crime, stating, "This is not WWE's fault, and this is not Vince McMahon's fault. Chris Benoit was responsible for his own actions."
* Eric Bischoff discussed the media frenzy, saying: "It's clear that the media wants to blame steroids, professional wrestling, Vince McMahon, or anyone or anything else that further sensationalizes this family tragedy. I refuse to join the choir. I don't have enough information. I wasn't there. I am not a Psychiatry, psychiatrist. I just can't imagine how or why this could have happened."
* Other wrestlers also commented, including Lex Luger, Marc Mero, Ted DiBiase, Ted DiBiase, Sr., Bret Hart, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, Lance Storm, Chyna, Steve Blackman, Rob Van Dam, The Ultimate Warrior, New Jack, John Cena, Chris Jericho, and William Regal. Vince McMahon and his wife Linda McMahon, Linda (WWE
CEO) were interviewed (separate and jointly) by various news outlets. Some wrestlers, such as Steve Williams (wrestler), "Dr. Death" Steve Williams" wrote posts on their websites and social media pages.
* CM Punk, who was scheduled to face Benoit at the Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view the night he died, was among the many WWE personnel that commented on Benoit during the three-hour tribute show on ''Raw.'' He also briefly touched on the subject of the Benoit murder/suicide in a 2011 interview with ''GQ''. He described it as "a pretty... low point in everyone's life. A lot of people don't like to talk about it. It still blows my mind." At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during an interview session with wrestlers including Punk, he was asked if WWE was trying to erase Benoit from history. Punk responded that while Benoit is in the history books and that cannot be changed, it does not make any sense for WWE to further promote him, due to "the horrific nature of what he did".
* Sean Waltman, in a 2014 interview, said of Benoit: "He was a pleasant guy, but always had a darkness about him ... a sadness, or something." Waltman added that Benoit had a bleak sense of humor, finding amusement in "things that were a little bit bent."
* Paul Heyman, in a 2019 interview with ''Inside the Ropes,'' briefly mentioned Benoit during an interview focused on Brock Lesnar after a fan kept interrupting whenever Heyman mentioned Benoit's name, and said: "Three people died in that house that night, and only one person [Benoit] had the choice behind it, as the other two [Nancy and Daniel] didn't have a choice to die." Heyman also stated that he doesn't care about CTE being the motive behind Benoit's actions, and while forever respecting Benoit as a performer, lost any and all respect and compassion for him personally following the incident.
Media
When the news was released about Benoit's death, most mainstream news outlets covered the story, including MSNBC and Fox News Channel.
Benoit made the cover of ''People (magazine), People'' magazine. ECW Press (which has no affiliation with Extreme Championship Wrestling, a promotion for which Benoit once worked though their initials are the same) announced on July 16 that noted wrestling writer Irvin Muchnick had written a book on the Benoit case, due out in 2008. At the ''Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav'' in August 2007, Jimmy Kimmel joked to honoree Flavor Flav that "Chris Benoit is a better father than Flavor Flav", which drew a shocked, appalled response, and laughs from the crowd. The show aired less than two months after the incident, but no reference was made to the taping date of the episode in question.
Government
With Benoit and his death allegedly linked to Anabolic steroid, steroid abuse, WWE underwent investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their World Wrestling Entertainment#Talent wellness program, talent wellness policy.
Congress did not take action against either the WWE or any other professional wrestling company in the wake of the event. In January 2009, Henry Waxman, outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested that the Office of National Drug Control Policy chief, John P. Walters, "examine steroid use in professional wrestling and take appropriate steps to address this problem." In the letter, Waxman stated, "In the first year of WWE's testing program, which began in March 2006, 40% of wrestlers tested positive for steroids and other drugs, even after being warned in advance that they were going to be tested." He also wrote about how wrestlers who test positive for performance enhancers receive light punishment and afterwards can often participate in wrestling events. The committee investigation also uncovered how easily wrestlers can secure "therapeutic use exemptions" (TUEs, permission to take banned substances for medical reasons) so they can continue performing while using steroids. When Waxman's staff interviewed Dr. Tracy Ray, a physician contracted by WWE, Ray claimed there was "shadiness in almost every [TUE] case that I've reviewed."
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy reports
At the time of the incident, research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), led by forensic neuropathologist Bennet Omalu, in former players of gridiron football was a fast-growing issue in the sport that had been at the forefront following Dr. Omalu's 2002 report on Pro Football Hall of Fame member Mike Webster done after his death. Subsequent postmortem analyses of the brains of recently deceased NFL players agreed with the report on Webster's death, as each player showed the kind of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, as well as in some retired boxers. Michael Benoit agreed to have his son's brain analyzed by the same neurosurgeons. On September 5, 2007, Julian Bailes, the chief of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, conducted a news conference in New York City to announce the results of Benoit's postmortem brain examination.
In December 2009, nearly 30 months after Benoit's death, Dr. Omalu confirmed to ESPN's ''Outside the Lines'' that the death of a second WWE wrestler, Test (wrestler), Andrew Martin, known in WWE by his ring name Test, was attributed to CTE. Bailes told ESPN, "When we announced our findings about Chris, some in the media said it was 'roid rage. We said at the time the real finding was that repeated head trauma was the cause. With Andrew Martin as the second case, the WWE and the sport in general have to ask themselves, 'Is this a trend?' The science tells us that jumping off 10-foot ladders and slamming people with tables and chairs is simply bad for the brain."
WWE noted the research was new at the time but released the following statement to ESPN for ''Outside the Lines'':
In the decade that followed after the broadcast, postmortem brain research on numerous deceased wrestlers diagnosed findings consistent with CTE. Wrestlers diagnosed with CTE in postmortem research include Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Jimmy Snuka, Mr. Fuji, and Ron Bass (wrestler), Ron Bass.
Over 60 professional wrestlers and representatives of deceased wrestlers filed lawsuits against WWE, with attorney Konstantine Kyros representing them. The litigation claims WWE concealed the risks of injury, specifically CTE. United States District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuits in September 2018. Bryant said the Benoit tragedy did not cause WWE to recognize a link between CTE and professional wrestling but stated: "The circumstances surrounding Mr. Benoit's death were so tragic and so horrifying that it would have been reasonable for his fellow wrestlers to follow news developments about him and about CTE, through which they could have deduced that they were at risk of developing CTE and sought medical opinions about risks to their own health." The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected an appeal in September 2020 and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case in April 2021.
Steroids debate
Background
Steroids were found in the home, leading some media organizations to hypothesize that a steroid-induced rage may be the cause of Benoit's actions, as some doctors have linked steroid use to uncontrollable anger, among other psychological issues which include paranoia.
[ WWE released a press-statement, challenging the "roid-rage" claims. One part of the statement reads:
Prosecutors in New York (state), New York investigated the deliveries Benoit received from Signature Pharmacy and MedXLife.com, which sold steroids and Growth hormone, human growth hormone (HGH) over the internet.][ ] Terence Kindlon, the lawyer for MedXLife co-owner Gary Brandwein, denied allegations that his client's company sold steroids to Benoit. Brandwein pleaded not guilty to six counts in New York state court related to the criminal sale of a controlled substance. According to a report from ''Sports Illustrated'', three packages sent to Benoit were from Signature Pharmacy with the first one sent in December 2005 to San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. The second package was sent on February 13, 2006, to an address in Peachtree City, Georgia and the third package was sent in July 2006 to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This followed eleven wrestlers that were announced in a ''Sports Illustrated'' steroids investigation that began March 2007, which included Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Oscar Gutierrez (Rey Mysterio, Jr.), Edge (wrestler), Adam Copeland (Edge) and Gregory Helms, with Copeland receiving a high amount of steroids.
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt stated that "they believe the facts of this crime do not support the hypothesis that 'roid rage' played a role in the murders." They cite evidence of Premeditated murder, premeditation in addition to the lack of a toxicology report, and the fact that the steroids found within Benoit's home were legally prescribed. Gary I. Wadler, who served on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List and Methods Committee, and its Health, Medicine, and Research Committee agreed stating that "that was a premeditated act and that's not rage". Investigators seized both Chris and Nancy's medical records. They also have medical records of Mark Jindrak, Bob Holly, Hardcore Holly (Robert Howard), Lex Luger (Lawrence Pfohl), Rey Mysterio, Jr., Buff Bagwell, Buff Bagwell (Marcus Bagwell), and Johnny Grunge, Johnny Grunge (Mike Durham), all of whom were patients of Phil Astin.
Toxicology results
At the press conference held by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on July 17, 2007, it was announced that three different drugs were found in Nancy Benoit's system: hydrocodone
Hydrocodone, also known as dihydrocodeinone, is an opioid used to treat pain and as a cough suppressant. It is taken by mouth. Typically it is dispensed as the combination acetaminophen/hydrocodone or ibuprofen/hydrocodone for pain severe eno ...
, hydromorphone and Xanax
Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It is most commonly ...
. All three drugs were found to be at levels investigators considered normal for therapeutic treatment (as opposed to recreational use or abuse). A Blood alcohol content, blood-alcohol level was found to be 0.184. Kris Sperry, the medical examiner, added it was impossible to say whether any of the blood findings were due to ingestion of alcohol or the post-mortem process. It was also ruled out that Nancy was sedated by Chris before she was murdered.
Xanax was found in Daniel Benoit's system. District Attorney Scott Ballard noted this was not a drug that would be given to a child under normal circumstances. It is believed that Daniel was Sedative, sedated before being murdered, with Sperry ruling out that Daniel died of a drug overdose.[ The GBI, however, said in the press conference that it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on Daniel because of a lack of urine.
Xanax and hydrocodone were also found in Chris Benoit's system, at levels investigators called consistent with therapeutic use. Elevated levels of the synthetic anabolic steroid testosterone cypionate were found in his urine; investigators believed that the level found suggested it had been taken recently. While the synthetic anabolic steroid testosterone cypionate was found in his urine, there was no evidence of GHB contrary to speculation.][ Benoit also tested negative for blood alcohol.
]
Drug charges against Benoit's doctor
Phil C. Astin III was the personal doctor for Chris Benoit. His attorney, Manny Aurora, asked a judge to throw out evidence seized during a raid on Astin's office after Benoit and his family died. He claimed the search exceeded authority granted in a search warrant and that police seized other patients' records and three years of bank records and computers. According to the Associated Press in February 2008, Astin was charged with overprescribing medication in a case not connected to Benoit. On January 29, 2009, he admitted he illegally prescribed drugs, sometimes without examining the patients first, and pleaded guilty to all 175 counts against him. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Wikipedia controversy
A statement regarding Nancy Benoit's death was added to the Chris Benoit English Wikipedia article 14 hours before police discovered the bodies of Benoit and his family. This seemingly prescient addition was initially reported on Wikinews and later on Fox News. The article originally read: "Chris Benoit was replaced by John Morrison (wrestler), Johnny Nitro for the ECW World Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy." The phrase "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy" was added at 4:01 a.m. EDT on June 25, whereas the Fayette County police reportedly discovered the bodies of the Benoit family at 2:30 p.m. EDT (10 hours, 29 minutes later). The IP address of the editor was traced to Stamford, Connecticut, which is also the location of WWE headquarters. After news of the early death notice reached mainstream media, the anonymous poster accessed Wikinews to explain his edit as a "huge coincidence and nothing more."
Police detectives "seized computer equipment from the man held responsible for the postings" and called the posting an unbelievable "hindrance" to their investigation, but believed he was otherwise uninvolved, declining to press charges. The man had found several rumors online, which supported his theory about the Benoit "family emergency" as reported in wrestling news. The IP from which he made the edit was tentatively traced to Vandalism on Wikipedia, vandalizing the Wikipedia entries for African wild ass, The Bronx, ''The Sopranos'', Metta Sandiford-Artest, Ron Artest, Stacy Keibler, and Naugatuck, Connecticut. He also reverted vandalism to Chavo Guerrero Jr. and recorded a loss for the Golden State Warriors.
Aftermath and legacy
In the years following the double-murder and suicide, it continued to be referred to in the media. The Great American Bash (2008), The Great American Bash pay-per-view on July 20, 2008, was the last WWE pay-per-view with a TV-14 rating; WWE immediately thereafter PG Era, adopted their current TV-PG rating, which resulted in a noticeable toning down of edgy content in shows. Within a few months, blood was severely toned down, which returned WWE's product to its pre-1997 rule on prohibiting deliberate blading in matches.
The removal of Benoit from WWE media was extensive with the organization immediately opting to remove any and all references to Benoit in all of their media. This also included significant matches with his involvement from pay-per-views including main events. In recent years, WWE has softened its policy and matches he participated in began to appear on the WWE Network, WWE network not long after its launch. While Benoit's matches began to appear again, his name would not appear in any descriptions of the event and searching with his name would yield no results. WWE has also mentioned his name in lists regarding the lineages of titles that he also held, though with no links or biographical information present for Benoit's reigns. WWE would take similar actions with other wrestlers in later years, notably with Jimmy Snuka for his 2015 arrest regarding the death of Nancy Argentino, and Hulk Hogan following the release of a sex tape that included Hogan Bollea v. Gawker, using a racial slur. As both men were members of the WWE Hall of Fame, the company would remove them from the hall. Journalists and fans compared their removals to the scale of Benoit's, though Snuka and Hogan would eventually have these actions be reversed and both would be reinstated into the Hall of Fame with Hogan being inducted a second time for his work with the New World Order (professional wrestling), NWO in 2020.
There have been discussions about whether or not Benoit would ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Steve Austin predicted that Benoit, although important to the business, would never be inducted into the Hall of Fame due to his actions. Jericho also stated that Benoit should never be in the Hall of Fame. Benoit's eldest son David however, believes that his father will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Some journalists, fans and wrestlers, including Hall of Famer Mick Foley, have advocated for the inclusion of Nancy into the Hall of Fame for her work in World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling as a valet and manager.
*On July 26–27, 2012, the rap group Insane Clown Posse released a music video for the song "Chris Benoit (song), Chris Benoit". The song and music video, however, are not about Benoit himself, but a man's breakdown that is similar to Benoit's. The song and music video do include stock footage and a recording of Chris Benoit before his death. A remix with rappers Ice Cube (rapper), Ice Cube and Scarface (rapper), Scarface was later released with Ice Cube's verse being entirely about Benoit.
*In a July 2013 interview, Sandra Toffoloni (Nancy Benoit's sister) said she believes a blackout caused him to murder her sister. She stated that the medical examiner who examined Benoit's body stated he had only ten more months to live due to an enlarged heart. Toffoloni also stated that Benoit was contemplating retiring and opening a wrestling school, but decided to continue wrestling due to being in one of the main events at Vengeance for the ECW World Championship.
*A biopic titled ''Crossface'' was announced in 2011, which would have been based on Matthew Randazzo's book ''Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry''. The film would have shown Benoit, from his early days being trained by the Hart wrestling family, Hart family, to his rise with ECW, WCW and WWE, to the deaths of his wife and son, and his suicide. Liev Schreiber was set to portray Benoit. Filming was set to begin in 2012; however, according to Chris' eldest son David, the film was cancelled following a legal dispute with the Benoit family.
* In March 2020, Vice on TV, Vice's ''Dark Side of the Ring'' released a two-hour documentary episode about the incident featuring family (his son David and Sandra Toffoloni) and close friends in the wrestling industry (Chavo Guerrero Jr., Vickie Guerrero, Jim Ross, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho).
See also
* List of premature professional wrestling deaths
*List of murdered American children
References
External links
NPR: Wikipedia Entry Presaged Wrestler's Wife's Death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, Chris, Double Murder And Suicide
2007 in Georgia (U.S. state)
2007 in professional wrestling
2007 murders in the United States
Crimes in Georgia (U.S. state)
Deaths by person in Georgia (U.S. state)
Familicides
Filicides in Georgia (U.S. state)
History of WWE
June 2007 crimes
June 2007 events in the United States
Murder in Georgia (U.S. state)
Murder–suicides in Georgia (U.S. state)
Professional wrestling controversies
Professional wrestling in Georgia (U.S. state)
Uxoricides
Wikipedia controversies