RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling Chris Benoit and family found dead

The senseless and tragic death of the 3 people in the double murder-suicide that occurred over the weekend in the Benoit’s home in an Atlanta suburb is a nightmare that one still wants to awake from. For those of us that knew Chris, Nancy, and Daniel on a personal level it is still hard to believe that this horrific event could even occur much less why.

The last time I saw the three of them together was at Wrestlemania 23 and my wife and I had a long visit with the Benoits and at no time could one detect that there were any issues whatsoever. I even had the occasion to speak at length privately to Nancy and she said things were fine at home. As well as Nancy and I knew each other, if that had not been the case, she would have inferred otherwise I assure you. Like so many others who attended the event on that night, the Benoit family was happy and enjoying the moment.

So what happened? I do not know. No one knows. We will hopefully know more when the toxicology reports are completed. Until then all anyone has, including the media, is supposition based on speculation. To garner ratings, the media will continue to make this as huge a story as possible, even without all the facts. That’s the business in which they are involved. Remember when the media, without all the facts, essentially convicted the Duke Lacrosse team several months ago only to find out that there was no case but in the spirit of ratings and to scoop the competition, the three young men from the Duke Lacrosse team were in essence ruled guilty by the media?

I know this damn sure isn’t a Duke Lacrosse matter or even remotely close, because two innocent people are dead. But again we hear the media rush to judgment about why and how this horrific chain of events came to pass, but still without the evidence or a valid motive. So then why are three people dead? What caused this irrational and totally uncharacteristic behavior from an individual who hereto for had never demonstrated such tendencies in his workplace, not even once? I don’t know and neither does anyone else until the medical examiner can provide more information and then there will be most likely questions in this matter than may never be answered. I know this, God knows and he will deal with this matter accordingly.

Plus, some of those who have or are loosely associated with wrestling and who are making statements with little or no background of the facts of this matter or who simply want another 15 minutes are in a large sense pathetic.

The bottom line is that a woman and a small child are dead of murder and that is an utter shame. That act is inexcusable. The victim’s families need to be held close to our hearts and in our prayers. Let’s consider putting forth as much passion and effort in prayer and reflection as some are in playing amateur detective and wannabe investigative reporters. Let’s spend a little more time with our own families while we are at it, because there are no guarantees about tomorrow and we should covet every day we are blessed to have with our loved ones. I know this, I am going to do all I can to spend more time with family and friends than ever before as this sad situation has slapped me in the face in more ways than one.

I have had friends who questioned the Benoit-themed Monday Night Raw, especially in light of the events that occurred in the Benoit home. For all those who seem to know all the answers and seemingly like to give the appearance of having 20/20 vision after the fact let me add this; when we went on the air at 7 p.m. central time, all we knew was that the police, at the WWE’s urging, had gone to the home and had found three dead bodies in the Benoit home Monday afternoon. This information was confirmed to us late in the day Monday in Corpus Christi and that was all we knew. There was no talk from the authorities themselves of a double murder suicide that was relayed to us in Texas. The facts came out as the night progressed and more facts are still being released several days after this unspeakable nightmare.

Obviously, and in my opinion, if the WWE had known the information of what had actually happened in suburban Atlanta over the weekend, a different decision regarding Monday’s three hour retrospective to Benoit’s career would have obviously been different.

I know that Benoit’s behavior was totally uncharacteristic of him, as I knew him over so many years as he was one of the most professional and polite men with which I have ever been associated. I don’t know why this sickening chain of events happened, but murder, especially taking one’s own child’s life, is unpardonable. I am anxious to read the results of the toxicology reports as the next curious individual but the bottom line is that 3 people are dead including a mother and her son.

It is not too late for all of us to change how we deal with our own families and our friends and to honor every day we have the privilege of being on this earth. Remember, we are all only passing through, so take every day as a gift and continue to count all one’s blessings.

Today can truly be the first day in the rest of our lives. God Bless all of you that are suffering. Lean on God…He can handle it.

J.R.

Vince McMahon appeared in the first segment after the news on The Today Show this morning. He was interviewed by Meredith Vierra after a recap of the Chris Benoit tragedy, where they mentioned that anabolic steroids were one of the focal points of the investigation. They showed a short clip with Lex Luger, who told them that mixing alcohol and steroid use is a bad combination. They mentioned the death of Eddie Guerrero in 2005 and linked it to steroids. They showed Curt Hennig and said his father blamed his son's death on drug and steroid use.

Vince was then interviewed and was very somber. He was asked about WWE's role in alerting authorities to a potential problem at the Benoit home. Vince said that Chris missed a house show on Saturday in Beamont, TX, which is very unlike him. He said that the office then contacted Chris to rearrange his travel to get him to the PPV. When he didn't show up on Sunday, they knew something was drastically wrong. Vince said that Benoit was a consummate professional from a business perspective so they knew there had to be a problem. Vince said that he heard that Benoit contacted his friends early Sunday morning with strange text messages. He said that they decided to contact the authorities.

He was asked if he contacted police. He said he didn't. He oversaw how WWE handled it.

He was asked about the steroids found in the home. Vierra mentioned that the police said they didn't know if steroids played a part in the tragedy and then mentioned that WWE almost immediately released a statement after the press conference saying that steroids were not related to the death. She asked Vince how they could possibly know that since the toxicology reports hadn't come in yet. Vince said they didn't say that. Vierra countered by saying she had just read the exact quote, which made Vince look bad.

He said, "I understand" and then went on to say that their reaction was to the hysteria of the media. Vierra again asked how they could say that steroids "were not and could not be related to the cause of death" when they have no way of proving that. Vince said that they were referring to steroid rage when they wrote that. He said that the crime happened over three days so it wasn't steroid rage. He added that it's all speculation until the toxicology reports come back.

Since Vince was ignoring her question, she flat out asked why they were so defensive about steroid involvement being linked to the crime. She mentioned steroids were found in the home and pointed to the 2003 protection order that Nancy Benoit filed to show that Benoit had a history of violence. She mentioned that steroid use also causes depression and paranoia. Vince agreed and pointed to the other medications found in the house and mentioned that there could have been other factors.

He said he hoped they could find out why it happened and was basically saying he wasn't jumping to any conclusion. He said that the whole thing goes against what WWE does. They are entertainers who bring smiles to people's faces. He didn't want this to "taint and smear" his company. He compared what Benoit did to a postal worker who commits a crime, saying it wasn't the Post Office's fault and that you still use them for your mail. He said that Benoit does not represent what WWE is about and he doesn't know why Benoit turned into a "monster". He said WWE wants to know what happened as well and whether steroids played a part in it in any way. He said it could have been the pressures of his son's illness that caused the tragedy.

Vierra said that steroid use has always been suspected among wrestlers. She asked Vince how he deals with it. He said that now they have implemented the Wellness Program. He talked about it and said it was a blood and urine test, plus cardiovascular tests to check their hearts. He said Benoit was tested in April and it came back negative. He added, "That doesn't mean he wasn't taking prescription medication and perhaps even steroids when this happened, we don't know." He added that it will be determined by the authorities.

Vierra then came back to how Vince said his business was tainted by this. She used that as a segue to talk about early deaths in wrestling, saying it was "almost an occupational hazard". She read the early death stats that always make their way out to the media (and you all probably know how I feel about those stats by now). She asked Vince what his responsibility was to the people who he makes so much money from. He said that they have had five people who were under contract to them pass away. He said he can't comment on the others and didn't even know if the stats were accurate. He told Vierra, "nor do you". Vince appeared to be getting agitated at this point.

She rolled her eyes and said, "It's disingenuous to say that you don't believe there is suspected steroid use within the wrestling community." Vince said he never said that. He said that he can only speak about the five people under contract to WWE that died on his watch. He mentioned that Benoit's death was a suicide, Owen Hart was an accident and said that the other three died of heart failure.

Vierra asked if steroids are found to have been in Benoit's system, what impact will it have on wrestling and him in particular. Vince again mentioned the Wellness Program and said how effective it is. He said that if you ask his performers, they would tell you the same thing. He said all WWE can do is establish the program and do what they can to help the wrestlers. He was asked if Benoit had steroids in his body, will it do anything to make him change his approach. Vince said he thinks people are rushing to judgment here and they won't know what is what until the toxicology reports come back.

He said that WWE is not trying to hide from the fact that Benoit was a part of their organization. "Unfortunately, he was," Vince said. He said, "There was no way of telling this man was a monster." He mentioned Benoit never gave off any signs of this kind of behavior. Vierra asked if the business creates monsters and Vince said no. He said they are well adjusted people and performers. He said that he and his company need to move on as best as they can for themselves and their fans.

They shook hands and that ended the interview.

WWE’s CEO Linda McMahon was on ABC’s Good Morning America this morning discussing the Benoit tragedy as well as WWE’s Wellness Policy. As with the Today Show with Vince McMahon I missed it due to my morning commute. Thankfully Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com watched the show and wrote the following recap:

World Wrestling Entertainment's CEO Linda McMahon appeared on GMA this morning to discuss the Benoit family tragedy this morning. Robin Roberts said that at first steroids were being focused on as the possible cause, but that Danie Benoit suffered from Fragile X syndrome may not be a factor. She then said, "We've also learned that Benoit was about to be demoted by the WWE" (I guess the movement to ECW, since it's a third-tier brand, could be seen as a demotion) and went to Linda.

Linda was asked if Benoit was about to be "demoted from a main wrestler to a lower role as a coach." Linda said no and she wasn't sure where that came from. She noted that Chris was a big part of one of their three brands. She said that we have to go by the facts as they get them. She said the actions of Benoit were out of character for those that knew him or worked with him. Linda described Benoit as a "mild manner guy, no one had ever seen him get angry. He was private but he was a good friend, he was a locker room leader, he was supportive of the young men who came in the organization."

Linda said that over the last 48 hours the company has become aware of Daniel Benoit suffering from Fragile X syndrome. When asked if they were previously aware of it, Linda said they weren't, nor were they aware of any tension in the home. Linda said they weren't even aware that Nancy had filed for divorce in 2003, saying they were never aware of any strife between Nancy and Chris because it didn't manifest itself in WWE's presence. .

When asked if they knew Chris had been served with a 2003 restraining order, Linda said, "Absolutely not. The only time we've ever seen Chris with Daniel or with Nancy, and I had personally, I sat next to a breakfast table at one of our events, Wrestlemania and he was a loving and kind father. He was with another wrestler and his wife and family. The boys were playing. This was absolutely, we don't know what snapped inside of Chris..." and said they are just learning now that the investigators are starting to focus on the management and school and rearing of Daniel Benoit. "We've learned that Nancy wanted Chris home more but his job was on the road. We have found that Chris would fly home for 4-5 hours just to be with Daniel. All of this is so totally incongruous to what we knew."

Linda was asked if, when looking back now, if there was any emotional turbulence of mood swings. Linda said in 2006, Chris asked for time off and was given four months. Linda said they were happy to do that that anytime their talent say they need time off, they are "welcome to do that."

The comments by Steve Austin's ex-wife Debra Marshall were brought up. Linda was asked what the company was doing about steroid abuse in wrestling. Linda said that within their profession, she can only speak of WWE, commenting, "We have always had a drug policy since the late 80s. We've morphed from street drug testing to steroid testing to more comprehensive testing which we have now. Our Wellness Policy, as we call, was put into policy in February 2006 and we test for steroids, we test for drugs of abuse, we test for misuse of prescription drugs, it's very comprehensive. In addition to that, we utilize the services of New York Cardiologists to make sure that we are checking and helping our talent who live this very rigorous lifestyle so they can be as healthy as they can be."

Linda was asked, is there a problem with steroid use and responded, "I can tell you, we've had some positive tests and our goal is to eliminate that. Steroids used improperly without a prescription are illegal. 75%? No. We've had some positives that would range in the 4-6% and it's a three tier approach. First time, you are suspended without pay for 30 days. Second time, 60 days. Third time, you're out." She didn't mention that in many cases of late, wrestlers are working without being paid while under suspension.

Roberts thanked Linda for her time and she thanked them for the opportunity

Baseball has to start doing a better job of educating the public about steroids, because no one else is going to do it. Right now, many people believe that steroids drove Benoit to strangle his own child — a belief so self-evidently simplistic and ridiculous that it allows WWE to point to its pathetic drug policy and ignore the real issues at play, which involve not only Benoit's own private demons, but a brutal, dehumanizing schedule, work that requires a level of physical punishment the body just can't handle, drug abuse as a near condition of employment, and a string of dozens and dozens of deaths about which no one has cared.

"Nancy had for a long time believed this relationship would end violently and in a bad, bad way," said a former co-worker and Benoit family friend speaking on conditioning of anonymity. "She always said the two of them were doomed to hurt each other. But she never imagined Daniel would get in the crosshairs."

"I refuse to join the choir. I don't have enough information. I wasn't there. I am not a psychiatrist. I just can't imagine how or why this could have happened. God bless Nancy and Daniel. God forgive Chris Benoit."-Eric Bischoff

The IP in question, listed by wikipedia as 69.120.111.23, also made a series of other edits to different entries, including former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, current WWE star Chavo Guerrero, basketball star Ron Artest and HBO series The Sopranos. Many of the edits were misspelled or explicit in nature, leading one to believe that the postings were made by a hoaxer. For those of you who want to read the edits for yourself, they can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/69.120.111.23. If you click the links listed as (diff) you will see the changes made by the user highlighted in red, even if they have been removed from the wikipedia entries as they currently stand.

Although the IP address is traced back to the Stamford, CT area, it's also entirely conceivable that the user was concealing his true IP address. According to one person I spoke to with a masters in Internet technology, "They have software out there that you install on your computer that will change your IP address and location or origin that people will see on the Internet. IP spoofing is a little more technical so with this user, based on the grammar, looks to be someone young using a software program of that nature."

Given the other postings, it appears most likely the user was taking part in the act of Sporgery, where one falsifies objectionable material and attempts to credit to a third party. In this case, what may have been someone playing games may turn into a much more serious matter for the hoaxer, considering the tragic Benoit incident.

People want to fuck her in her lovely сunt and whip her ass til the dawn of day. Many people fantasize about ramming their cocks up her asshole.

This is apparently what he wrote about Stacy Keibler:

I think we can all agree on this much...

- Dave Meltzer from WrestlingObserver.com adds more: "The WWE later found that on its chat line at 8:41 p.m., during the PPV, after Benoit missed the show, someone on a WWE chat said that he missed the show due to his wife dying. Later, when the person was asked where he heard the story, he said, "Meltzer reported it." An hour later after the Wikipedia entry was taken down, someone from Australia edited it and again put that Nancy Benoit had passed away, attributing it to "several pro wrestling web sites." I didn't know of this until today when questioned by WWE who asked if Benoit had called me, which he hadn't, nor did I report it or know anything until Monday afternoon, after the WWE wrestlers were told. It appears it was a hoax started by someone and given credibility by usage of my name, no more than the daily fake stories people make up on MMA and pro wrestling chat boards, the appear to have led to the Wikipedia edit, this become a big story, and it may be nothing more to the story other than an eerie irony."

- Speaking of Meltzer, he has posted that "Monday's issue is done. It will be about the Benoit case. There will be a tremendous amount in there that I don't believe has been reported anywhere else. I believe that while in the end, there is no way to not be outraged at the situation, nor any valid excuse whatsoever, you will see what is a very complex, sad and horrifying story. I don't believe it's a roid rage story. I don't rule out steroids being one of numerous aspects that could have played a part in the story. There were numerous stresses, personal, professional, and Chris had a dark side."

Professional wrestler Chris Benoit will have a private service in Canada, separate from the services for his wife and son, his father said Thursday.

Benoit's parents, Michael and Margaret Benoit, live in Ardrossan in the Canadian province of Alberta.

The bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy Benoit and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, are at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab.
. . .


"It's a horrible, horrible event that's happened," Michael Benoit, the wrestling star's father said, speaking softly on the phone. "We have no understanding why it happened. It's going to take us a long time to come to terms with this, and we may never come to terms with it."

Nancy Benoit's parents, Paul and Maureen Toffoloni, live in Daytona Beach, Fla., where services for Nancy Benoit and Daniel probably will be held, Benoit said.

The plan is to cremate the mother and child in Georgia, according to Bee Huddleston of Carl J. Mowell and Sons Funeral Home in Peachtree City, which is assisting the families.

Mowell and Sons was scheduled to pick up the bodies of the mother and son late Thursday from the G.B.I. medical examiner's office in Decatur.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Nancy's family," Benoit said. "We're very concerned about the long-term affects on her family.

"There are no words to describe the loss we feel."

Also Thursday, Ballard told the AP that 10 empty beer cans were found in a trash can in the Benoit home. An empty wine bottle was found a few feet from where Benoit hanged himself, Ballard said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287194,00.html

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but this opens up the possibility that somebody might have broken into the Benoit house, knocked off the entire family, and posthumously framed Chris Benoit to make it seem he was responsible.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but this opens up the possibility that somebody might have broken into the Benoit house, knocked off the entire family, and posthumously framed Chris Benoit to make it seem he was responsible.

Wade Keller at the Torch is reporting that he's heard from many wrestlers who knew Chris Benoit that they will not be attending his funeral (only his close inner circle like Chavo and Regal are supposedly considering it), but those who were friends with Nancy will be attending hers. The feeling is that they don't want to honor Chris and also feel that by attending, it wouldn't be comforting to his relatives.

Keller also has a very detailed report up of Chris Jericho's appearance on the Nancy Grace show tonight, which includes these comments: "It's almost a tale of two cities, a tale of two people. There was the Chris Benoit that had these horrendous acts of extreme psychopathic lunacy in the last days of his life. Then there's the Benoit I myself travelled with, lived with, said I love you to on many occasions; he was my mentor, one of my best friends, and was a brother to me in so many ways. The 15 years I knew him and the two days he did these horrible horrible acts, it's hard to kind of discern the two. That's why we have to find out what would make a mild-mannered, polite, influential tremendous person and performer to do such things. Is steroids a reasons? I think it goes much deeper than that. I think we're seeing a man with some severe psychological, troubled issuese and held them in for far too long and they combined to cause him to snap in such a horrible way." When asked about whether or not Benoit talked about his son's condition, Jericho said "No. See, this is why I really wanted to come talk to you, Nancy, and talk about Chris Benoit the man to some of the people who don't know anything about wrestling or him and the millions of fans or hundreds of co-workers he influenced in such a positive way. Chris was a very quiet man, but not a recluse and not a hermit. He minded his own business. In all of the years I was with him, I never once saw anything. If I went nuts and wanted to beat somebody up, he was the guy who would contain me. A lot of people can tell you that. As far as knowing Daniel's condition, it wouldn't surprise me - and I'm saying this seriously - if even his parents didn't even know. If Chris had decided he wanted to keep it to himself, you wouldn't have been able to pry it out of him for anything. I don't know anybody, myself or any of his close friends, his co-workers, his boss, who knew or suspected anything about him having Fragile X. Yet as soon as I read the symptoms of Fragile X, it fit Daniel to a T all across the board. The lack of social skills, hard to make eye contact, intense shyness, flapping the hands, ADHD, and even to the point of his ears being a little bigger, his head being a little larger. You don't think much about that; some kids grow into themselves over the years. But now that you read it, you can kind of see where this all ties in."

Long-time Memphis wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler is speaking out about the Benoit tragedy and the brewing controversy over whether steroids played a role.

Lawler had known Chris Benoit for more than 15 years, his wife, Nancy, even longer.

Lawler said the wrestling world is in a tailspin, not only mourning, but dealing with the fallout. Lawler also said people in the wrestling community are puzzled after learning fellow wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife and seven-year-old son, then hung himself from a weight machine.

"You try to figure out why something like this would occur and sadly, it's hard to come up with a reason," said Lawler.

He says Benoit brought his family on the road during wrestling matches and they always seemed so close, "and I think that's what's so shocking to the wrestling community. Everyone that knew Chris, to everyone that knew Nancy and especially to everyone who knew his son Daniel," he added.


Lawler thinks some people are looking to give pro-wrestling a black eye after investigators found steroids in Benoit's home.

He points out Benoit's steroids were prescription and said he never saw signs of what people call "roid rage."

"I've seen certain wrestlers that have taken steroids their entire life and have suffered no ill effects," said Lawler.


Lawler says he's never done steroids, but he doesn't judge others who have. He calls this a time of reflection.

Lawler added, "it reminds us of how precious life is and how fleeting life is."

Lawler believes Benoit's actions were a tragic snapshot of what's happening in society as a whole and that wrestling is not the enemy.

He said people may never know exactly what was going through his friend's mind, but he said Benoit loved his family.

"Kurt hopes that you will join him in extending condolences and prayers for the survivors of the Chris Benoit Family. This news is very sad for all of us that knew and loved Chris. It is a sad tragedy and we wish the best for the family members that have to deal with this situation and go forward from this."

I want to say my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the horrific events that happened this past weekend with the Benoit family. I have never been this close to a tragedy of this scale, and still have no understanding how this incomprehensible thing could have happened.

I knew the family well, and I don’t want to add my speculation to what happened. I just want to say, I wish it never had, I think it is deplorable and my heart is broken that it did.

John Bradshaw Layfield

In 2001, the Georgia state medical board suspended Phil C. Astin, M.D.'s license to practice medicine for three months and fined him $500.

Early Thursday morning, authorities raided Dr. Astin's office in connection with Benoit investigation. Officials claim they seized medical records, but no arrests were made. According to the AP, Astin has admitted to prescribing testosterone to Benoit in the past, but has not commented on what, if anything, he prescribed to the wrestler on Friday.

Ironically, Dr. Astin's father had also run into trouble with the state medical board. According to records from the Georgia State Board of Medical Examiners, Phil Carroll Astin Sr. was found guilty of engaging in "unprofessional conduct" in 1992 by over-prescribing a plethora of pills including amphetamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers and narcotics to various patients.

As a result, the medical board suspended the father's license for 30 days, put him on 5 years probation and fined him $2000. Astin Sr. was reinstated in 1997, following the completion of his sentence.

Astin's offices were located in Carrollton, Georgia -- a small college town about 50 miles from Benoit's home.

Calls to Dr. Astin Jr. were not immediately returned.

The following is from Wikipedia.com:

The anonymous individual responsible for suggesting, 14 hours before police discovered the body, that WWE wrestler Chris Benoit's wife was dead is confessing, saying his/her comment was a "terrible coincidence."

The anonymous editor left a lengthy apology to the Wikimedia community, explaining, "I hope this puts an end to this speculation that someone knew about the tragedy before it was discovered."

Below is the full, unedited apology:

"... Hey everyone. I am here to talk about the wikipedia comment that was left by myself. I just want to say that it was an incredible coincidence. Last weekend, I had heard about Chris Benoit no showing Vengeance because of a family emergency, and I had heard rumors about why that was. I was reading rumors and speculation about this matter online, and one of them included that his wife may have passed away, and I did the wrong thing by posting it on wikipedia to spite there being no evidence. I posted my speculation on the situation at the time and I am deeply sorry about this, and I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard that this actually would happen in real life. It is one of those things that just turned into a huge coincidence. That night I found out that what I posted, ended up actually happening, a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening, or so I thought. I was beyond wrong for posting wrongful information, and I am sorry to everyone for this. I just want everyone to know it was stupid of me, and I will never do anything like this again. I just posted something that was at that time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on wikipedia, as it is done all the time.

Nonetheless, I feel incredibly bad for all the attention this got because of the fact that what I said turned out to be the truth. Like I said it was just a major coincidence, and I will never vandalize anything on wikipedia or post wrongful information. I've learned from this experience. I just can't believe what I wrote was actually the case, I've remained stunned and saddened over it.

I wish not to reveal my identity so I can keep me and my family out of this since they have nothing to do with anything. I am not connected to WWE or Benoit at all in anyway. I am from Stamford as the IP address shows, and I am just an everyday individual who posted a wrongful remark at the time that received so much attention because it turned out to actually happen. I will say again I didn't know anything about the Benoit tragedy, it was a terrible coincidence that I never saw coming.

I hope this puts an end to this speculation that someone knew about the tragedy before it was discovered. It was just a rumor that I had heard about from other people online who were speculating what the family emergency Chris was attending to. I made a big mistake by posting this comment on his page, since all we had were what we thought was going on and nothing about what actually was going on yet, and sadly what happened turned out to be my speculation at the time. I assumed wiki would edit out my information, which they did, so thats why I didn't go back to edit it out myself.

I know I keep repeating it but I feel terrible about the mainstream coverage this has received, since it was only a huge coincidence and a terrible event that should of never happened. I am not sure how to react, as hearing about my message becoming a huge part of the Benoit slayings made me feel terrible as everyone believes that it is connected to the tragedy, but it was just an awful coincidence. That is all I have to say, I will never post anything here again unless it is pure fact, no spam nothing like that. Thank you, and let this end this chapter of the Benoit story, and hopefully one day we will find out why this tragedy ever actually happened."

The following is from The Toronto Sun

Chris Benoit was a "delusional juice freak" who chased the dark side and had trouble distinguishing between his fictional character and reality, says the man who started him out in professional wrestling.

"The last time I saw him he was in pretty rough shape mentally," said Bruce Hart, son of the legendary Stu Hart. "I didn't know all the details but I knew it wasn't good. I was not at all shocked (by what happened).

"If I could see and determine that in a few visits, how the hell could they (World Wrestling Entertainment) not have known something was wrong? (In my opinion) I think the WWE needs to re-evaluate what it is doing here."

Hart will not simplify the shocking murder of Benoit's wife and 7-year-old son or the eventual suicide of the wrestler by attributing it only to steroid usage. But he truly believes that steroid abuse, in combination with delusional behaviour, painkillers and failing health -- "almost all the people we started out with (who did steroids) began breaking down around 40," Hart said -- is a deadly cocktail that needs to be further examined.

"I've known too many wrestlers who couldn't separate the character they play on television from their real life," said Hart, who has wrestled professionally, promoted wrestling and trained wrestlers all his life.

"Wrestlers start believing their press clippings and what is said on television. It's like an actor leaving the set but still playing the part. There's a delusional element to this. I've seen it over and over again. Some people can't separate the character from real life, and Chris was one of those people.

"From my experience, that has been quite prevalent with wrestlers and that becomes exacerbated by steroids, drugs, painkillers and failing health."

They hadn't seen each other much over the past few years, with Hart still in Calgary and Benoit working the circuit. "We saw each other mostly at funerals," Hart said. "At my brother's (Owen), my dad's, my brother-in-law's (Davey Boy Smith). Not that long ago I was talking to Hillbilly Jim and we were reminiscing a little. I told him I was worried about Chris."

While the WWE has a drug-testing policy, Hart believes they should bring in psychologists and physicians to evaluate not only their drug-testing procedures but how they treat their athletes, deal with them, and the toll their gimmicks take on the lives of their performers.

"Imagine if Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier were all dead in their 40s. Imagine what the reaction would be?" Hart asked. "There would be investigations and more investigations. Wouldn't people want to know what happened and why?"

Hart was also deeply angered that the WWE aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit on Monday night.

"I kept hearing 'He was a nice guy, a great guy' and I knew him when he was a kid. But all I know now is he's a murderer," Hart said. In my opinion, "for them to do a tribute show was disgraceful."

Officials at WWE Canada refused to comment yesterday.

WWE owner Vince McMahon told NBC Today Show viewers yesterday that "steroids may or may not have had anything to do with this. It's all speculation until the toxicology reports come back."

Hart did wonder if Benoit had been given an unfavourable medical report, which may been another factor in his violent behaviour. "A lot of the steroid users start getting liver and kidney problems around the age of 40," Hart said. "There are a lot of wrestlers out there who are dead that you never heard about whose bodies broke down. I've known others who had looming health issues and went a little crazy. Maybe this caused him to go off."

GRACE: Back to former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, also a very dear friend of Benoit`s. A lot of people have perceived him moving down to the "ECW" as a demotion. You say that`s not a demotion. Why do you say that, and why the perception?

JERICHO: I`m glad that -- once again, I`m glad I got to talk to you about some of this because that`s -- that`s just such a fabrication and totally wrong. The WWE operates with three separate TV shows, "Raw," "Smackdown" and "ECW." They`re three separate brands. There`s a champion of each brand. Chris was the WWE champion on the "Raw" brand. That`s where you see him where he`s hugging his family and all the confetti`s coming down.

Then he moved to "Smackdown," which they moved the wrestlers around to freshen things up. And on "Smackdown," he was kind of in the middle level. So to better utilize his talent, because he was across the board probably the best wrestler in the WWE, and anyone would probably tell you that -- so to move him to "ECW" was twofold. One, he was about to become the "ECW" champion. And two, "ECW" is more with some younger guys that are just learning, and Chris was a great trainer and so well respected, they wanted him to be kind of more of a trainer to some of these younger guys to help them with their future endeavors.

So to move Chris to "ECW," Chris would not see that as a demotion. He would see it as doing his job, which is to help the business and to continue the business going, the business that he loved.

Chris never had a job, ever, except for wrestling. He never delivered papers. He never worked at a convenience store. He wrestled. So for him to go help some of the younger guys, he would take that as an honor.

GRACE: Well, it sounds like to me he was turning into more of a trainer.

JERICHO: Well, no because he was about to become the "ECW" champion. A champion is a champion, right?

GRACE: OK. OK. I`m glad you cleared that up because I didn`t understand it.

...

JERICHO: [Answering a caller's question about Chris Benoit's two other children] Well, I mean, they`re doing the best they can to deal with this, obviously. And I think everybody is still processing it. Chris`s son is 14, his daughter is 10 or maybe 11. So I mean, think of it from that respect, losing your father at an age, also a hero, and the way that it happened. I know they`re going to do good, but right now, it`s as devastating as it is to all of us. I mean, what do you expect?

...

GRACE: In fact, it would ease my heart to know maybe he was on steroids, maybe he flipped for a moment. I`d rather think that than think that he could do that. When he died, the little boy had a little statuette by his bed of his father. He worshipped his father. And from what I`ve been told, the father adored the boy. So what are we supposed to think?

JERICHO: Nancy, that`s the thing. That`s such the dichotomy of this case. This is the problem. Chris loved his children. I`m not just saying he loved his children. He loved his children, all three of them, talked about them constantly, would go out of his way to go home even just for a few hours to see his son, to see Daniel, for sure.

This is the type of father he was and this is the type of guy he was, and that`s why it`s such a crazy -- you can`t comprehend it. That`s what the problem is. Was it steroids? Maybe. But I don`t want to hang everything just from the fact they found steroids. He did not take a shot of steroids and go, "I`m going to go crazy."

This is something that had been building in him for many, many years, obviously, for him to snap like that and go absolutely insane and take away the most important thing in his life. And I know it, because he told me, all three of his children.

Chris Benoit was a "delusional juice freak" who chased the dark side and had trouble distinguishing between his fictional character and reality, says the man who started him out in professional wrestling.

"The last time I saw him he was in pretty rough shape mentally," said Bruce Hart, son of the legendary Stu Hart. "I didn't know all the details but I knew it wasn't good. I was not at all shocked (by what happened).

"If I could see and determine that in a few visits, how the hell could they (World Wrestling Entertainment) not have known something was wrong? (In my opinion) I think the WWE needs to re-evaluate what it is doing here."

Hart will not simplify the shocking murder of Benoit's wife and 7-year-old son or the eventual suicide of the wrestler by attributing it only to steroid usage. But he truly believes that steroid abuse, in combination with delusional behaviour, painkillers and failing health -- "almost all the people we started out with (who did steroids) began breaking down around 40," Hart said -- is a deadly cocktail that needs to be further examined.

"I've known too many wrestlers who couldn't separate the character they play on television from their real life," said Hart, who has wrestled professionally, promoted wrestling and trained wrestlers all his life.


"Wrestlers start believing their press clippings and what is said on television. It's like an actor leaving the set but still playing the part. There's a delusional element to this. I've seen it over and over again. Some people can't separate the character from real life, and Chris was one of those people.

"From my experience, that has been quite prevalent with wrestlers and that becomes exacerbated by steroids, drugs, painkillers and failing health."

They hadn't seen each other much over the past few years, with Hart still in Calgary and Benoit working the circuit. "We saw each other mostly at funerals," Hart said. "At my brother's (Owen), my dad's, my brother-in-law's (Davey Boy Smith). Not that long ago I was talking to Hillbilly Jim and we were reminiscing a little. I told him I was worried about Chris."

While the WWE has a drug-testing policy, Hart believes they should bring in psychologists and physicians to evaluate not only their drug-testing procedures but how they treat their athletes, deal with them, and the toll their gimmicks take on the lives of their performers.

"Imagine if Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier were all dead in their 40s. Imagine what the reaction would be?" Hart asked. "There would be investigations and more investigations. Wouldn't people want to know what happened and why?"

Hart was also deeply angered that the WWE aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit on Monday night.

"I kept hearing 'He was a nice guy, a great guy' and I knew him when he was a kid. But all I know now is he's a murderer," Hart said. In my opinion, "for them to do a tribute show was disgraceful."

Officials at WWE Canada refused to comment yesterday.

WWE owner Vince McMahon told NBC Today Show viewers yesterday that "steroids may or may not have had anything to do with this. It's all speculation until the toxicology reports come back."

Hart did wonder if Benoit had been given an unfavourable medical report, which may been another factor in his violent behaviour. "A lot of the steroid users start getting liver and kidney problems around the age of 40," Hart said. "There are a lot of wrestlers out there who are dead that you never heard about whose bodies broke down. I've known others who had looming health issues and went a little crazy. Maybe this caused him to go off."

Even after such a tragic event, those Harts still cant let old wounds heal.

more from Jericho's tv appearance:

GRACE: Back to former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, also a very dear friend of Benoit`s. A lot of people have perceived him moving down to the "ECW" as a demotion. You say that`s not a demotion. Why do you say that, and why the perception?

JERICHO: I`m glad that -- once again, I`m glad I got to talk to you about some of this because that`s -- that`s just such a fabrication and totally wrong. The WWE operates with three separate TV shows, "Raw," "Smackdown" and "ECW." They`re three separate brands. There`s a champion of each brand. Chris was the WWE champion on the "Raw" brand. That`s where you see him where he`s hugging his family and all the confetti`s coming down.

Then he moved to "Smackdown," which they moved the wrestlers around to freshen things up. And on "Smackdown," he was kind of in the middle level. So to better utilize his talent, because he was across the board probably the best wrestler in the WWE, and anyone would probably tell you that -- so to move him to "ECW" was twofold. One, he was about to become the "ECW" champion. And two, "ECW" is more with some younger guys that are just learning, and Chris was a great trainer and so well respected, they wanted him to be kind of more of a trainer to some of these younger guys to help them with their future endeavors.

So to move Chris to "ECW," Chris would not see that as a demotion. He would see it as doing his job, which is to help the business and to continue the business going, the business that he loved.

Chris never had a job, ever, except for wrestling. He never delivered papers. He never worked at a convenience store. He wrestled. So for him to go help some of the younger guys, he would take that as an honor.

GRACE: Well, it sounds like to me he was turning into more of a trainer.

JERICHO: Well, no because he was about to become the "ECW" champion. A champion is a champion, right?

GRACE: OK. OK. I`m glad you cleared that up because I didn`t understand it.

...

JERICHO: [Answering a caller's question about Chris Benoit's two other children] Well, I mean, they`re doing the best they can to deal with this, obviously. And I think everybody is still processing it. Chris`s son is 14, his daughter is 10 or maybe 11. So I mean, think of it from that respect, losing your father at an age, also a hero, and the way that it happened. I know they`re going to do good, but right now, it`s as devastating as it is to all of us. I mean, what do you expect?

...

GRACE: In fact, it would ease my heart to know maybe he was on steroids, maybe he flipped for a moment. I`d rather think that than think that he could do that. When he died, the little boy had a little statuette by his bed of his father. He worshipped his father. And from what I`ve been told, the father adored the boy. So what are we supposed to think?

JERICHO: Nancy, that`s the thing. That`s such the dichotomy of this case. This is the problem. Chris loved his children. I`m not just saying he loved his children. He loved his children, all three of them, talked about them constantly, would go out of his way to go home even just for a few hours to see his son, to see Daniel, for sure.

This is the type of father he was and this is the type of guy he was, and that`s why it`s such a crazy -- you can`t comprehend it. That`s what the problem is. Was it steroids? Maybe. But I don`t want to hang everything just from the fact they found steroids. He did not take a shot of steroids and go, "I`m going to go crazy."

This is something that had been building in him for many, many years, obviously, for him to snap like that and go absolutely insane and take away the most important thing in his life. And I know it, because he told me, all three of his children.

I'm kinda shocked people haven't come down as hard on Benoit as they did on that Va Tech kid, ya know?

Investigators seized computers believed to belong to the individual who posted a Wikipedia entry late Sunday night stating that Nancy Benoit had died some 13 hours before she was discovered deceased in her home. "It is unbelievable what a hindrance this has put on our investigation. We've got to put a lot of effort and time into working to prove or disprove that someone put up a hoax situation or that somebody was conceiving the death from out of state," Lt. Tommy Pope told ABC News.

From ESPN.com:

The parents of Nancy Benoit, Paul and Maureen Toffoloni, commented publicly for the first time since the tragedy via their Atlanta-based lawyer, Richard Decker.

The Toffoloni's stated that they were unaware of their grandson's Fragile X Syndrome condition. "To them, he's always been a normal, healthy, happy child with no signs of illness," Decker said. "And that's not from a distance. That's from day-to-day contact, which included babysitting Daniel often.

Nancy's parents are "grieving and trying to keep a low profile." The Toffoloni's have asked Decker to investigate a possible civil lawsuit, and he is waiting for the investigation to conclude.

"We're trying to stay out of their way right now," Decker said. "In the meantime, Maureen and Paul and Sandra [Nancy's sister] have asked me to ask members of the media and public to remember that this is an investigation of the death of their daughter and only grandchild. And even though Chris and Nancy led public lives, the family, specifically Daniel, did not lead a public life."

From ajc.com:


Chris Benoit's former wife, Martina Benoit, said the star wrestler "was the most loving person anyone could imagine. I love him."

Reached at her home in Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada, Benoit called reporting of the killings in Fayette County "crap." She did not elaborate before ending the call.

From ajc.com:

Greg Oliver is a freelancer writer from Toronto who knew and wrote about fellow Canadian Chris Benoit, the professional wrestler who allegedly killed his wife, Nancy, 7-year-old son, Daniel, and himself last weekend inside their Fayette County home. Oliver has written three books about professional wrestling, produces the "SLAM! Wrestling" Web site and has published articles in newspapers in Canada. Oliver had an occasional e-mail correspondence with Benoit, and shared some of that with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I first interviewed Chris Benoit in 1997. We'd done a few other interviews here and there, and seen each other at various wrestling events. In November 2005, WWE star Eddie Guerrero died unexpectedly of natural causes related to heart disease. Guerrero was Benoit's best friend, and I sent a note to Chris offering my condolences. Here is his response:

"Hi Greg, thank you for your e-mail. I know that he has left us but I still feel like I'm going to see him on the road next week. I do not know if I will ever have as good a friend as I did in Eddie. I was able to talk to him about anything in my life, and he was always able to make sense of things or change my perspective.

"He was somewhat of a spiritual guide for me. I do not know if you read the Bible at all, or what your beliefs are, and I will respect you for whatever your beliefs are. But if you ever get the opportunity to read about Job, it reminds me so much of Eddie. He at one point after coming out of rehab had nothing but the clothes on his back. He had physically, mentally emotionally and monetarily hit rock bottom. He lost his family, his wife and children had left. But he never lost his faith and through it was able to overcome the odds.

"Instead of Eddie becoming bitter, Eddie became better. In our business it is really difficult to understand why we do what we do and why we think what we think unless you are in it, unless you have a passion for it, it is so demanding physically, mentally and emotionally in every possible way, but when you love it as did Eddie, as do myself, you have a better understanding of why we do what we do.

"I do not believe that I will ever find someone that I will bond with and be able to understand and be understood as I was with Eddie. I'm not looking forward to going back on the road, not that I ever did, I hate the road, but I looked forward to Eddie's company and camaraderie. Both of us hated the road, being away from our families, but both of us lived for that in ring bell to bell time.

"My wife Nancy bought me a diary and I have started to write letters to Eddie, it may sound crazy but that is how I'm coping. I'm sorry if some of this e-mail does not make any sense either but it helps me cope. Thank you, Greg."

—————

But not all his emails were dreary. In a later e-mail, Benoit also talked about how life on the road was different.

"We were even warned about our conduct when we are out having a few beers. Sometimes we can get a little rowdy especially when we are overseas. Apparently someone video taped a few of the guys acting up on they're cell phone and posted it on the internet. So much for privacy."

—————

With an offer to contact him anytime, via cell phone or e-mail, he said his goodbyes.

It was the last e-mail I got from him, but not the last I sent. On Saturday, I'd e-mailed him best wishes, as I'd heard someone in his family was ill, and that he wouldn't be appearing at the WWE Vengeance pay-per-view. I also wanted his thoughts on his old tag team partner Shayne Bower, a.k.a. Biff Wellington, who had just died at age 44, down and out in Calgary, after years of painkiller abuse.

Needless to say, I didn't hear back from Chris, and now I never will.

Benoit's ex-wife calls him "loving":