Chris Benoit: A Fan’s Remembrance
I have been a wrestling fan since I was a little kid. Watching wrestling on Saturday and Sunday night was a family tradition. My paternal grandfather, my father, and my great uncle watched wrestling. Their wrestling association of choice was the old NWA during the time of the Road Warriors, the original 4 Horseman, Barry Windham, and Dusty Rhodes. As I kid, I grew up watching the NWA then later WCW and WWF (now the WWE) TV shows. Like most kids, I believed it was real until I grew old enough to realize it was fake. Nevertheless, wrestling was extremely entertaining. I was a hardcore fan who watched every show faithfully.
The first time I saw Chris Benoit was on WCW. I liked his style and his precision in the ring, but it wasn’t until a no-holds barred match he had with Kevin Sullivan for a Pay-Per-View that he earned my deep respect as a performer. I realized what a true talent Chris Benoit was and that if given the chance, he would be a great champion.
I was lucky enough to see Chris perform in the ring twice: once on a WCW show (Thunder) and once on a WWE show (Smackdown). Both times, he was excellent in the ring and made me love his in-ring work even more. Pound for pound, Chris Benoit was arguably the best wrestler of his generation; however, I believe it was his stature (him being short) and his inability on the mic (a must in wrestling) that held him back from being world champion for so long. As a fan, it was frustrating to see such talent being held back due to those factors and the legendary backstage politics that goes along with wrestling, especially in the WWE. By the time Chris got his opportunity and was finally crowned champion, I had stopped watching wrestling. Vince McMahon, by then, had bought up his main competition (WCW), and the best competition (minus the polish) against his product (ECW) had folded. Still, I kept up with the wrestling world and was happy to hear he’d finally become champion. For anyone who’d seen him in the ring, it was long overdue, trust me.
Chris Benoit was one of my favorite wrestlers, and it saddens me to hear the tragedy of the alleged murder-suicide of his wife, 7 year old son, and himself. I heard the news from a friend who watches WWE Raw. As soon as he called me, I went online to find out any news. As I learned more details about the story throughout last night and this morning, it became increasingly clear that the legendary Rabid Wolverine released an unseen, violent side of himself and perhaps, according to some, as a result of roid rage; however, some are disputing that claim. Regardless, this is truly a tragedy. A wife and mother (known as Woman in the wrestling world) is gone. A child is gone. A husband and father is gone. For wrestling fans, a legend always lives, and Chris Benoit’s ability and talent in the squared corner was legendary. Despite the horrific events of the past two days, I like to remember Chris as I knew him: a highly underrated wrestler who always outshined his opponents in the ring.