Hello
I am a 26 year old wrestling fan who has been watching WWE and other
wrestling organisations for over 20 years and have been following the backstage
manoeuvrings of the industry closely for the last 10 years or so with the advent
of the Internet. I have been to 2 WWE UK PPVs (Insurrexion 2000/1) in London and
1 UK House Show in Manchester. I also caught the WWE when it last came to town
in 2003. I do follow the thrice weekly broadcasts and monthly PPVs and tune
in even to rival TNA's Impact pretty regularly. In addition, I have a mighty
fine collection of DVDs, enjoying especially the history-based DVDs that the E
puts out occasionally. Basically I am a smart fan who appreciates it from both a
fan and insider level. In spite of going through the deaths of countless current
stars (Brian Pillman in 1997, Owen Hart in 1999, Eddie Guerrero in 2005), this
one still floors me more than those because of the circumstances and the
potential shakeout from it.
First, I would have to say that as a performer, I completely respect Chris
Benoit. From his early days in Stampede Wrestling and Japan and later through
WCW and finally the WWE, I always considered him one of the best technical
wrestlers of all time (although the best overall package would probably be Ric
Flair or Shawn Michaels, Chris wasn't much of a talker and entertainer as you
noted), and one who could brawl and get a good match out of virtually anyone he
worked with, even the proverbial broom stick). I had the privilege of watching
him live twice against Brock Lesnar in Singapore and against Kurt Angle in the
UK. To me in the ring, there were few better. He idolised the Dynamite Kid and
patterned his hard-hitting style after the former British Bulldog. In turn, up
and comers, as you noted in your piece in TODAY, idolised Benoit as well, hoping
to learn from and train under him. Even the next generation of Hart family
members like Harry Smith and Nattie Neidhart were training under Chris, awaiting
their time in the spotlight.
The problem now with the evidence that has come to light, is that Chris'
legacy may be sullied and destroyed altogether. The WWE has started to eliminate
all traces of association with him from their website and programming, only
following the unravelling of the story as more facts come to light. This is NOT
an Eddie or Owen situation but something entirely different that has virtually
never happened in the world of pro-wrestling. Instead of a wrestling genius and
all-around good human being, Benoit will be remembered by many casual fans and
the public as the pro-wrestler who murdered his family and killed himself. In
fact, Vince McMahon sort of apologised for the Benoit tribute on ECW Tuesday
night (US time) once the facts got out and the public called up the USA TV
network to complain. It is the same public pressure that will almost ensure that
Benoit may never be mentioned again by the WWE in the near or foreseeable future.
Sad as it may seem, this is only reasonable given the potential for a backlash
from the general public. An induction into the WWE Hall of Fame would be
questionable and doubtful at this point for the same reasons. In fact, the Chris
Benoit tribute has been pulled from international distribution altogether once
facts emerged that Benoit was the murderer. Supersports will NOT be screening
that episode on July 4. The hardcore fans will remember the Benoit from the
great matches but I guess we may the only one who do so. Such is life.
Also, with the seemingly high profile nature of this case, the industry may
come under scrutiny for its widespread use of steroids. "Roid rage" was cited as
a possible cause of the double homicide/suicide and who knows if Washington
would see it worth its while to investigate the industry and the many
drug-related deaths that have occurred in recent years, with many workers like
Bam Bam Bigelow, Curt Hennig, Mike Awesome and Davey Boy Smith not living pass
the age of 45. The strange thing is that the most often cited Roid Rage victim,
Scott Steiner, is still alive and well and competing in TNA. The industry and
Vince McMahon could be forced to do things like give the talent much needed time
off or conduct stricter drug checks to cut down drug abuse, which could possibly
help alleviate the situation as it stands. We are at a point that the industry
might have to change in response to the Benoit situation and perhaps this is the
only good that could come out of this situation.
Thank you once again for your nice little tribute to Benoit in the paper
today. Really hope to hear from you on this situation and your interest in the
strange but interesting world of pro-wrestling. (I don't have much time for MMA
at this point in my career)
Thanks again
Alvin Lim
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