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"On June 25th, 2007, Chris Benoit's brutal murder of his wife and son dominated the news cycle, leaving the world searching for answers..."
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- Benoit was never the same after the death of his close friend Eddie Guerrero. You can see his sorrow during the November 14, 2005 tribute show for Latino Heat, as he is among the superstars present mourning Eddie's passing. His speech about Eddie makes it all the more heartwrenching.
- In the Dark Side of the Ring episode focusing on Benoit mentioned above, Chavo Guerrero described Benoit's reaction upon hearing that Eddie had died as a Death Wail, especially for someone who is mostly The Stoic. From that point on, Benoit's mood and behaviour changed significantly, to the point that he couldn't stop crying during Eddie's tribute show and at the funeral.
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Chavo Guerrero: "I'd never seen Chris show that much emotion before. And of course, it affected all of us... but I just think it affected Chris just so much more and it affected Chris like a spouse or something." |
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- The murders of his own wife and 7-year-old son and his subsequent suicide. From that fateful day onward, it shook the professional wrestling industry to its core. The reputation and legacy of one of the world's greatest technical wrestlers was forever marred, all because of a shockingly disturbing and irredeemable crime he committed.
- The aforementioned passing of Eddie Guerrero may have been one of the factors that sent Benoit off the deep end. According to Vickie Guerrero during her appearance on Dark Side of the Ring, where an episode focuses on the Benoit tragedy, Chris became more and more distant to the point where he wasn't seen much backstage. She then mentions that Benoit's endless grieving strained his relationship with his close friends and even his own family... and Vickie is visibly heartbroken when she remembers the poor guy crying in her arms.
- Those who have worked with Chris (and wrestling fans in general) who found out about the tragedy eventually lost their respect for the man who had a hugely successful pro-wrestling career before he brutally murdered his own family and took his own life.
- Chris's surviving eldest son, David, stated in an interview that his father would never do such a horrible act and it genuinely affected him growing up. Given that WWE has removed all mentions/references about Benoit, David insisted that WWE should have inducted him into the Hall of Fame for his accolades rather than disavowing his legacy because of that heinous act.
- To top it all off, the tragedy likely would never have happened if Chris had retired early, as stated by David himself in his appearance on Dark Side of the Ring.
- David himself faced episodes of prejudice from his peers growing up, given the circumstance that caused his father to kill his half-mother Nancy and half-brother Daniel. However, the silver lining is that he was able to get over it and move on once approached by people who'd previously worked with his father, particularly Chris Jericho, who helped him reconnect with his aunt and Nancy's sister, Sandra.