I was gonna blog about Big Love, but really it's the other topic that's bringing all the traffic, so we'll continue down that road for a while.
This has gone beyond the point where I can even wrap my head around the situation any longer. It's like there's this guy who was basically a hero to me, who everyone I've talked to that knew him always said what a great guy he was, who never let me down as a performer...then suddenly he's dead. And so's his family. And it's like "Oh, shit, that's awful, I feel so sorry for him." And then you find out that he killed his family and then himself. And then you find out that he not only killed them, he killed them in what can only be called a gruesome and ritualistic manner. And ironically, when the WWE is getting more mainstream press off him than at any time before, they suddenly erase him from history, too and distance themselves as fast as possible so that we all know that they're the victim here. And all the shows scheduled for the prairies in July are cancelled. Of course, the Saskatoon house show had only done about 1000 tickets if that to date, so I was expecting that one anyway. But it's like every time I log on, there's something else getting piled onto the story to really twist the knife in. It's just weird, man. Lemme tell ya, I've been wearing my Backlash 2004 t-shirt on a fairly regular basis as of late, but I'm not risking wearing it again.
I think that more interesting than the story itself is the range of reactions, not just on this blog but everywhere. I don't think anyone's defending him or even attempting to, but it's interesting to me that reactions are ranging so wildly between shock and disbelief (which is mostly where I fall at the moment) all the way to outright hatred and comparisons to Hitler. In all fairness, Hitler killed a LOT more people before doing himself in, so Benoit had a long way to go.
It does raise an interesting question -- do the deeds of the performer retroactively affect the quality of the performance? Someone noted in another thread that defending Benoit's in-ring work is like trying to seperate Hitler the dictator from Hitler the painter. I don't think that's such a crazy notion, frankly. If you have moral high ground enough to judge the entire body of work of a man because of his deeds in real life, then bully for you. It must be nice to be so righteous. I think it's sad, and it's a tragedy, and Benoit proved to be a horrible human being who got exactly what he deserved, but in the end unless you were related to Nancy and Daniel it's hard to justify acting like you knew them any better than Benoit's longtime fans knew him. In the end, there'll be a TV movie or an episode of Law & Order, and we'll all go on with our lives doing the best we can to cope or mourn or forget about it or whatever. I'm glad I didn't know Benoit the person, because it would have made it a lot tougher to like Benoit the performer, and if nothing else positive can come out of this whole sick situation it's that I can at least still get enjoyment from his matches and hope that one small bit of happiness can overcome the crushing horror that the past two days have brought. I'll take what I can get, I guess.
I love the comparisons to Hitler. Hitler was a failed painter, Chris Benoit was a great wrestler. Hitler killed millions of people. Benoit was a troubled man who killed his wife and child.
I am a father of 2 and these murders horrify me. You still can divorce Benoit the perfromer and Benoit the person.
I still find O.J. Simpson as hilarious in the Naked Gun movies, doesn’t change the fact he killed 2 people.
What gets me is these EBay people. Somone is auctioning off Nancy Benoit’s photo? Why would someone buy that? Are they going to put her photo on the fall? Also, always nice to see someone trying to make a quick buck off some deaths.
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tmz.com/media/2007/06/0628_benoit_son_ldp.jpg
Now how do you people feel?
I’ll still always remember that best of 7 clash against Booker T. That was amazing.
I think I, like many people, just feel betrayed. I stopped watching a while ago (around the time Eddie died) but Chris Benoit was still “that wrestler” for me. It’s like if I ever could come back to watch, it would be for him. Now he’s gone and I don’t think I’ll ever watch again. I think I, like many people hear, just feel betrayed. In our hearts, we don’t really want to hate Chris Benoit: it’s too early, we’re still confused, just asking “why, Chris, why?” We all have our heroes. It’s hard to watch them fall.
To hear how he killed Nancy is horrible, and to be honest, does seem like a crime of passion. From there, I don’t think we’ll ever know what happened in that house. It seems as if he spiraled downwards, desperately trying to reach help, until deciding it was too late for everyone and killing his son. Then, he killed himself.
I’m making presumptions here and probably shouldn’t. I don’t know what happened, none of us do. No excuses, no taking sides. I think we all can agree murder is wrong, and to murder your wife and son is a very particular sort of tragedy. I look at the picture posted above and see a father who loved his son, and regardless or in spite of his actions, in his heart, I believe he loved his son up until the end.
I don’t pretend to know Chris Benoit’s actions or call him “evil” or “Hitler.” No one knows what went on it that house that night. The most we can do is stick to our convictions and know that, one way or the other, life will move on.
But still… why, Chris, why?
If Hitler had painted about his plans for genocide (pictures of gas ovens, etc.)…would you buy and enjoy these paintings? Or if OJ had a role as a violent murderer named “OJ” in a movie, would you celebrate his work or watch this movie?
That’s the difference here. Benoit worked matches that simulated violence. His persona was of a violent person. He was a violent person, an expert in hurting people with technical holds. He was a stoic ring general, who carefully planned and executed a plan of attack.
Suddenly this isn’t a fantasy…He used these same wrestling holds in real life to brutally murder his wife and a 7-year old retarded boy. He stoically planned his attack. Can you honestly watch him apply the cross-face in the ring and not think about that? Was he thinking about his wife when he worked a punch or choke-hold? Was he fantasizing about killing his opponent for real?
Well, the fantasy is ruined for me and most other people.
Those are some pretty silly examples. Chris Benoit’s persona was that of an intense violent guy working in the context of a staged athletic competition. When I see him lock Kurt Angle in the crippler crossface, I think about it in the context of the match.
When I think about Chris Benoit the man, I think about how heartbreaking it is that what was once in inspirational story turned so tragic, and how someone who may have seemed a role model somehow turned into a monster.
I can make the distinction between the two, however I understand those who can’t. To me, Benoit the wrestler is a character and not a true reflection of who Chris Benoit is in real life, just like Travis Bickle is not a true reflection of who Robert DeNiro is in real life, or Alice Cooper on stage is not a true reflection of who he is in real life. There may have been things I learned about Benoit the person that increased my appreciation of his work, but truly what I liked about him was that character in the ring and I can still enjoy that on some level.
Peabody- All jokes aside, I think maybe it would be easier for the rest of us if he had worked under a mask or was an over the top character like TL Hopper or something. I don’t know, it’s just too weird and creepy watching it. Even just going on Ebay and seeing a picture of him yelling with someone in the sharpshooter was too disturbing for me.
I get it, and I can’t say you’re wrong. And I don’t agree with that jackass on 411 that compares Benoit’s crimes with people that smoke pot or people that are “assholes.” And it’s somewhat tough to compare pro wrestling with other art forms given that a lot of wrestlers’ in ring personalities are some exaggerated form of themselves.
For me, I can put some distance between the art and the artist. It sure helps if they seem like good people in real life, but it’s not required. In no way does Benoit being a good wrestler have any effect on how I feel about what he did and what he became. At the same time, what he did has little effect on how I feel about him as a wrestler. I’m not saying that’s the right way to react to this, but that’s how I feel. If the WWE sees fit to permanently erase all memory of Benoit the wrestler, I’ll be upset by that, but still understand why.
I think we’ve all gotten to the point now that we’re just arguing in circles.
In other news, TNA’s 1 hour triple threat is a major clusterf*ck.
What was interesting though was the visceral boo the crowd gave Angle when he german suplexed Rhino.
To borrow a phrase from a rather (in)famous blubbery wrestling fan, “Thank you for saying what needed to be said.”
This was a terrible crime committed by a deeply troubled person.
Now, if you can separate the wrestler from the murderer and still enjoy Benoit’s matches, great. If not, that’s fine too.
But this thread has run its course.
It’s time to move on.
Aaaaaand scene.