Chris Benoit was a major technical figure mostly remembered for his impact in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
He had many different achievements under his belt such as being one of two people ever to win a Royal Rumble match from the first position. This meant he beat out 29 other superstars to win for a chance at the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania.
Benoit tragically died on June 24, 2007, along with his wife Nancy, and son Daniel. As the police investigated the household, they determined it all as a result of a double murder-suicide.
He had taken many shots to the head in his career causing multiple concussions. Chris was so messed up by all of the head shots that he was tested and the result showed that he had the brain of an 80-year-old man with dementia. On top of that, he had been paranoid at the time, as if he felt like he was being followed.
When the WWE found out about the crime, they immediately stopped mentioning Benoit’s name in every program they have shown since. They have gone so far as to even “erase” everything he has done. Every achievement he has gained was just tossed away as the company cuts so many corners just to not bring him up.
When mentioning the Royal Rumble, commentators have said there has been only one winner from the first position instead of including Benoit in the two. If you were to make a created wrestler after Chris Benoit in WWE 2K15, would you be moderated and banned from online play? The WWE has deleted past clips and erased him from history as a whole.
Some would say the company is making the right decision in taking Benoit’s name away as they don’t want to promote his alleged crime, but many also go so far as to say he should be in the Hall of Fame.
For the most part, some people believe that Chris Benoit had too many great moments for the WWE to just take his name away for good, although they have been doing pretty well at it for over a decade. Others believe Benoit shouldn’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but they should at least recognize that he has existed.
Image: TSGT Lias M. Zunzanyika, USAF [Public domain]