Chris Benoit (1967 – 2007)

The tragic deaths of Chris Benoit and his wife Nancy and son Daniel have shocked the wrestling world. The police are calling it a double-murder-suicide, but is it really? Let's look at some facts. It has been 10 years exactly since Nancy divorced Kevin Sullivan to marry Chris Benoit. In the 1980's Sullivan, along with his then-wife Nancy, were running a gimmick in wrestling of how they were Satanists, and Nancy was known as "The Fallen Angel." She later became known as "Woman." The trouble with the Satanists gimmick was it was for real, and was not a work, or fake. In the 1990's Kevin Sullivan was the booker for WCW, and he scripted his wife Nancy into having an affair with Chris Benoit who was a member of the Four Horsemen. This made for a good angle, except, the acting became reality as Chris and Nancy actually fell in love and Nancy divorced Sullivan to marry Benoit.

Benoit left the WCW to go to work for the WWE which was then known as the WWF. It is a fact that Sullivan threatened Benoit and told him he would kill him. Yes, that was 10 years ago, but Kevin Sullivan is no dummy. He is known for being a calculating, cold-hearted individual. Today, according to a source close to me, Kevin Sullivan is a high ranking member of the Satanic Church. The police need to consider the possibility that Sullivan carried out these gruesome murders in order to have his revenge, which is what Satanists live for. He could have entered the home, with an accomplice or accomplices and held the Benoit's at gunpoint, Sullivan could have then bound up Nancy, and made Benoit and his son watch as he strangled the life out of her. Then the next day after making Benoit and his son spend the day in agony, murdered Benoit's little boy because of his hatred for the offspring of Benoit and Nancy. Then he could have made Benoit wait an entire day before killing him to by hanging him in the basement.

By doing this, not only would Kevin Sullivan have lived out his Satanic Church creed with his lust for revenge, but he would have destroyed Chris Benoit's reputation which is what has happened now as the wrestling world is attacking the memory of Chris Benoit remembering him as an insane baby killer and wife killer instead of the great World Champion wrestler and friend that he was.

Satanists hate the Bible and the police have stated that a Bible was found next to the bodies of Benoit's wife and son. This would serve as a bizarre calling card as if to either say "What good did your Bible do you?" or to throw off investigators to keep them from suspecting Sullivan and his Satanists would have been involved.

Another thing to note is the fact that Kevin Sullivan was also associated with Sherri Martel, who died just a few days before the bodies of Chris Benoit, and his family was found, and the full details of Martell's death have not been made known as of the time of this writing.

I wonder why the police have not even considered investigating the possibility the Kevin Sullivan killed Benoit, Nancy, and their child. It is certainly a possibility worth looking in to.

Also, Benoit was going to be crowned ECW World Champion on Sunday night. Why would he murder his family and kill himself when he was going to be on top again and make lots more money?

Why would he tie his wife up before killing her? He would have no reason to, but Kevin Sullivan sure would!

Sure he had some problems with Nancy, but that was 4 years ago and what married couple doesn't have problems? Remember also that they reconciled and as far as everyone knows there has been no other incidents reported.

One also needs to consider the fact that Benoit loved his kids and was so proud of his son that was killed. His kids wore suits and ties to his wrestling events and was proud of their dad. He was loved and respected by all those who knew him.

In my opinion, there is no way he would have murdered his family. This whole murder case has Satanists written all over it and Sullivan is a Satanist and has the motive to murder them.

I am encouraging anyone who reads this to send this to police authorities and circulate it on the internet, so these facts can be investigated, before the case is closed and Benoit is written off in history a murderer. If Sullivan is the real killer, justice should be served!

As a former Pro Wrestler myself, now a born again Christian and world wide evangelist, I am hoping and praying for justice no matter who is responsible.

by
Rev. Johnny Lee Clary

On June 25, 2007, Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia, home at around 2:30 p.m. EDT.[80] Lieutenant Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Georgia Sheriff's Department reported to ABC News that police entered Benoit's home on a "welfare check" after several missed appointments, leading to concerns. Pope also stated the police were not searching for any suspects outside of the house, as the instruments of death were located at the scene of the crime.

Detective Bo Turner of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department told television station WAGA-TV that the case was being treated as a murder-suicide. The station reported that investigators believe that Benoit murdered his wife and son over the weekend and hanged himself sometime on Monday.

It was first reported to fans of WWE on their WWE Mobile Alerts Service and posted to their official website soon after. On their website, World Wrestling Entertainment released the following statement:

" World Wrestling Entertainment is deeply saddened to report that today Chris Benoit and his family were found dead in their home. There are no further details at this time, other than the Benoit family residence is currently being investigated by local authorities. Tonight's Raw on USA Network will serve as a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy. "

WWE cancelled the scheduled three hour long live RAW show on June 25, and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to his life and career, featuring his past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers. However, once the details of the events became apparent, WWE quickly and quietly began distancing itself from the wrestler by removing merchandise and no longer mentioning him in any way, shape or form.

Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007 revealed that at their time of death, Nancy Benoit had three different drugs in her system: Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, all of which were found at the therapeutic, rather than toxic, levels.

Daniel Benoit was found to have Xanax in his system, which led the chief medical examiner, Kris Sperry to believe that he was sedated before he was murdered.

Chris Benoit was found to have Xanax as well as hydrocodone in his system. It was also revealed that in his body was an elevated level of testosterone, which is caused by synthetic testosterone and was the only steroid in his system. The chief medical examiner has considered this a mystery, but attributed it to Benoit possibly being treated for a testosterone deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse.

The examiner also ruled that the drug GHB was not present in any of the three bodies, and that there was no indication that anything in Chris' body contributed to his violent behavior that led to his death as well as his wife and son's, concluding that there was no "roid rage" involved.

Many of Benoit's close friends, including former WWE wrestler Chris Jericho defended the accusations of "roid rage", saying Benoit was a quiet person, and said that he believed his friend was fighting a private battle with mental illness.

In 2003, Chris Benoit was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame. As a result of Benoit's double murder-suicide, his induction will undergo a recall election in 2008. Benoit will be removed from the Hall of Fame if 60 percent or more of the WON Hall of Fame voters elect to remove him. This is similar to the policies of the Baseball and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

On August 30, 2007, Benoit was discovered to have been given illegal steroids not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness program in February 2006. Benoit received nandrolone and anastrozole. Eddie Guerrero and Brian Adams, were discovered to have been given steroids prior to their deaths during this investigation, as well as former WWE superstar Sylvain Grenier%u200E and eleven current WWE superstars, which have been suspended in accordance with the WWE Talent Wellness program.

After the double-murder suicide, Chris Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, was contacted by former wrestler Chris Nowinski. Chris Nowinski suggested that years of trauma to Chris Benoit's brain may have led to his actions. Tests were conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, and results showed that "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient." Benoit's brain was shown to have an advanced form of dementia and was similar to the brains of four retired NFL players who have suffered multiple concussions, sank into depression and harmed themselves or others. Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead to dementia, which can contribute to severe behavioral problems. Benoit's father suggests that brain damage may have been the leading cause of his crime.

Benoit's death part of a double murder-suicide
Written: June 25, 2007According to lead investigator Lt. Tommy Pope, of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, in Fayetteville, Ga., the deaths of WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and son Daniel were the result of a double murder-suicide, WWE.com has learned.

Benoit failed to appear both at Saturday's live event in Beaumont, Texas, and WWE's Vengeance: Night of Champions in Houston Sunday night, after informing WWE of a family emergency. Several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning prompted concerned friends to alert Richard Hering, VP of Government Relations for WWE, Inc. Hering, in turn, spoke with Fayette County sheriffs Monday, and requested they respond to the Benoit residence to check on him and his family.

Authorities representing the Sheriff's Department initially had a difficult time entering Benoit's new Fayetteville home Monday afternoon, which had been guarded by two large German Shepherds roaming freely around the property. Once authorities entered the residence, they quickly located the bodies of Benoit, Nancy and Daniel. WWE was notified of the discovery at approximately 4 p.m.

At 10 p.m. Monday night, Lt. Pope held a press conference in conjunction with Scott Ballard, the district attorney for Fayette County. The press conference officially ruled authorities' findings as a double murder-suicide from within the home.

WAGA, a FOX-owned and operated television station in Atlanta, reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son over the weekend, then himself on Monday.

The three bodies have been received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab, in Decatur, Ga., where autopsies will be performed Tuesday morning. Toxicology reports will not become available for at least two weeks.

After a brutal attack by Mark Henry on the May 26 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Chris Benoit has taken an indefinite sabbatical from SmackDown. That night, Henry destroyed Benoit, repeatedly ramming the Rabid Wolverine into the ringpost. The World's Strongest Man lost the match by disqualification, but the damage was done and Benoit had to be taken from ringside on a stretcher. There is no timetable for Benoit's return, but the fans can only hope that the Rabid Wolverine comes back to SmackDown sooner rather than later.

Certainly deserving of his nickname "The Rabid Wolverine," Chris Benoit is one of the toughest, most aggressive competitors in WWE. Benoit's intensity and no-nonsense attitude has earned him the respect of many WWE Superstars, and his in-ring ability has earned him several championships around the world.

Benoit is certainly no stranger to tough battles, having trained with Stu Hart in his legendary "dungeon" in Calgary. The dungeon produced numerous other superstars, such as Bret Hart, Owen Hart, the British Bulldog and Chris Jericho to name a few.

Prior to coming to WWE, Benoit wrestled in Japan, ECW and WCW. He won his first major championship in Japan, defeating the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1990. After moving to ECW, Benoit earned the nickname "The Crippler" when he broke Sabu's neck. During his two years in ECW, Benoit won the ECW Tag Team Championship with good friend Dean Malenko.

Moving to WCW in 1995, Benoit became a member of the legendary Four Horsemen, standing alongside Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. During that time, he had one of the most intense and rivalries in WCW history with Kevin Sullivan before beginning a long-running rivalry with Booker T. The two traded the WCW Television Championship a few times before eventually beginning a historic Best-of-Seven Series for the gold. Benoit also held the United States Championship and WCW Tag Team Championship twice each before leaving WCW. On his final night in WCW, Benoit appeared to win the WCW Championship at Souled Out, but the decision was reversed the next night.

In early 2000, Benoit jumped from WCW to WWE along with Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn. Calling themselves "The Radicalz," they debuted on RAW in January 2000. Benoit was immediately successful, capturing the Intercontinental Championship just two months after his WWE debut at WrestleMania 2000.

He would go on to hold that championship twice more that same year.

A major setback in Benoit's career occurred in 2001; shortly after winning the World Tag Team Championship with Chris Jericho, a major neck injury caused the Rabid Wolverine to have major neck surgery, which put him out of action for an entire year. Upon returning, Benoit set his goal on reaching the top. Drafted to SmackDown during the 2002 brand extension, Benoit found himself teaming with hated rival Kurt Angle. The two won the WWE Tag Team Championship together in October 2002, and would go on to have a memorable match for the WWE Championship at the 2003 Royal Rumble.

One year later, Benoit entered the 2004 Royal Rumble Match as the No. 1 entrant and defeated twenty nine other Superstars to win the match. In an unprecedented move, Benoit used a loophole and jumped to RAW to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX. In another memorable WrestleMania match, Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat Match to win the championship, making Triple H tap out to the Crippler Crossface. After the match, then-WWE champion and best friend Eddie Guerrero celebrated in the ring with Benoit as the show went off the air in a WrestleMania moment.

A month after WrestleMania, Benoit became a double champion when he and Edge won the World Tag Team Championship from La Resistance. Shortly after Benoit lost the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, he and Edge won the World Tag Team Championship a second time, even after Edge walked out on the match. The reign was short lived, as Edge turned on Benoit soon after, allowing La Resistance to reclaim the gold.

In June 2005, Chris Benoit returned to SmackDown as the brand's first draftee during the 2005 Draft Lottery. He immediately set his sights on JBL, and eventually onto JBL's former Chief of Staff, then-United States Champion Orlando Jordan. At SummerSlam 2005, the Rabid Wolverine made history when he defeated Jordan for the gold in just 25.5 seconds - the fastest United States Championship victory in the celebrated 20 year history of the prestigious title.

In the following weeks, Benoit made a habit of defeating Jordan in a series of rematch, all of which were over in under a minute.

Eventually, former rival and then friend Booker T stepped up as the No. 1 Contender. On the Sept. 14, 2005 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Booker defeated Benoit with Sharmell's assistance to become United States Champion. Benoit confronted Booker about the interference, but the new champion refused to believe the accusation; finally, weeks later, Booker attacked Benoit, revealing he knew all along about Sharmell's participation.

This led to a bitter rivalry with Booker over the championship. After a controversial finish to a rematch in November 2005, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long held up the United States Championship and ordered another Best-of-Seven Series between the two men to determine the undisputed champion.

In the series, Booker took a quick 3-0 lead, but Benoit battled back to win the fourth match at Armageddon. Booker then suffered a groin injury, forcing him to find a substitute to continue the series. He chose Randy Orton, and after Benoit battled back to tie the series, Orton won the seventh and deciding match on the Jan. 13 edition of Friday Night SmackDown to give Booker the championship for the fourth time.

For nearly a month, Booker tried to avoid Benoit by claiming his groin was still hurt. Finally, after Benoit won a No. 1 Contender's Match, Theodore Long gave Booker an ultimatum: defend the gold against Benoit at No Way Out or forfeit the Championship. Booker chose the former, but in the end, Benoit regained the gold by making Booker tap out to the Crippler Crossface.

Once Booker was out of the picture, Benoit found JBL as his first challenger to the championship. Their issue began on the Feb. 24 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, when Benoit broke JBL's hand during a Six-Man Tag Team Match. With JBL unable to wrestle in the following weeks, the two took turns trying to get into one another's head; after JBL attacked Benoit with a beer cooler on March 17, Benoit prevented JBL from running away from Stone Cold the next night. Finally, at WrestleMania 22, JBL was cleared to wrestle, and they met for the United States Championship. In the end, Benoit had JBL locked in the Crippler Crossface, but the "Wrestling God" rolled Benoit onto his back and grabbed the ropes for leverage, getting the winning pin while still locked in Benoit's finisher.

Two weeks later, on the April 14 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Benoit invoked his rematch clause, and General Manager Theodore Long made the match a Steel Cage Match. At one point, Benoit had JBL tapping out, but Jillian's distraction prevented the referees from seeing it. Later, as Benoit tried a German suplex, JBL gave him a mule kick and scampered out the door to win the match and retain the gold.

On the May 5 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Chris Benoit lost to Finlay in a King of the Ring tournament opening-round match. It was the third straight week that Benoit and Finlay had a confrontation; on the April 21 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Benoit teamed with Bobby Lashley to defeat Finlay and Orlando Jordan, and the following week, the Rabid Wolverine ran off Finlay and Booker T, saving Gunner Scott from their 2-on-1 attack. Finally, Benoit defeated Finlay in a good old-fashioned fight at Judgment Day, making the Irishman tap out to the Crippler Crossface.

WWE Champion : Chris Benoit
March 14, 2004 - August 15, 2004

On March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX, Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship by forcing Triple H to tap out to his signature submission move, the Crippler Crossface. It marked the first time the main event of a WrestleMania ended in submission. (It happened again at WrestleMania 22 and WrestleMania 23). After the match, an emotional Benoit celebrated his win with the then-reigning WWE Champion and best friend Eddie Guerrero. Four years after they came to WWE together, they stood in the ring at Madison Square Garden, both of them world champions. It is considered the biggest win of Benoit's 19-year career, as he won his second official World Championship in the main event of the biggest show of the year.