XHeadlines.com’s good friend Sam Jerry sent in another Rounding the Squared Circle column – this time dealing with the Chris Benoit situation.
“A DARK DAY IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN LOWER DUDLEYVILLE”
OR
“GRANDPA DUDLEY AND I MOURN A GREAT LOSS”
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Like everyone else, Grandpa Dudley and I were shocked at the news of Chris Benoit’s death, and even more so when Iwe learned that his wife Nancy and their seven year old son Daniel had died also. Reports are that this was a murder-suicide, with Chris first killing Nancy, then Daniel, and finally taking his own life. I can’t begin to understand what would drive a man to killing his family, especially a young child. We may never really know what the reason was, but it is a tragedy beyond my comprehension.
I first saw Chris wrestle when he was in WCW, where he met Nancy, who was a manager known as ‘Woman.’ Nancy became Chris’ manager, and they became romantically involved in an angle conceived by Nancy’s then boy friend. The angle became real when Nancy split with her boyfriend and she and Chris became a real couple. They married and eventually settled into the home in Atlanta where the tragedy took place.
I was not a big fan of his at the time, especially when he joined The Four Horsemen, a group that seemed to change members more often than Grandpa Dudley changes his shivies. Ric Flair was the leader of the group, that included among others, the Anderson brothers, who I really didn’t like. I thought Chris was wasting his talent being a member of a group that was booed as often as it was cheered and in which he played second fiddle. As time went on I became more and more impressed with Chris and how he handled himself in the ring. He became a genuine main eventer, displaying his talent in every match. He eventually moved to ECW, and as Tazz said during the Monday RAW Tribute Show, he put ECW on the map. ECW needed a real top player in their attempt to compete with WCW and the WWF/E. ECW seemed to energize Chris with their ‘extreme’ style and he fit in well. He eventually returned to WCW and then moved on to The WWE. He was a Champion in each promotion, holding various individual and tag team titles, including World Champion. That is how I would like to remember Chris – World Champion, where in the ring, he had few equals.
I will miss Chris, as I know every wrestling fan will. I hope his legacy will be what it was in the ring and that he be remembered for his accomplishments there. The Tribute given by The WWE told you what his peers thought of him. Rest in peace Chris, Nancy and Daniel.
