DeweyDevil's Blog

Wrestler Chris Benoit Is Found Dead With Wife, Son (Update1)

By Erik Matuszewski

June 26 (Bloomberg) -- Professional wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and 7-year-old son were found dead in their Georgia home yesterday, said local law enforcement officials.

The death of the 40-year-old wrestler, a former heavyweight champion once known as the ``Canadian Crippler,'' and his family is being investigated as a murder-suicide, police said. The Associated Press today reported that Benoit strangled his wife, smothered his son and hanged himself, citing a law enforcement official that it didn't identify.

``It's very shocking,'' Fayette County detective Bo Turner said in televised comments to reporters last night. ``Until we get the crime lab reports, it's unclear what happened.''

Lt. Tommy Pope, who is leading the investigation, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Benoit had performed with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. for the past eight years after starting in the business in 1985. He failed to compete in a pay-per-view title match on June 24, due to what the WWE said during the broadcast was a ``family emergency.''

Share Price

Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE, which stages choreographed matches in which the winner is determined beforehand, has a $1.15 billion market capitalization. Its shares were down 27 cents at $16.11 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 2:58 p.m.

The stock reached a 52-week high of $18.60 on May 3, when the company reported a 60 percent gain in first-quarter profit to $15.1 million from $9.45 million. The company said sales of toys and video games helped drive the increase.

The company said on its Web site that police were asked to check on the wrestler and his family after several friends received ``curious text messages'' from Benoit. When sheriff's department officials arrived at Benoit's house outside Atlanta, they found Benoit's body in a weight room, his wife in an office and his son in an upstairs bedroom, Turner said.

WWE canceled last night's live show in Corpus Christi, Texas, and instead aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit's career on the USA Network, where its matches were the two highest-rated programs on basic cable the week of June 11, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc.

`Crippler Crossface'

Benoit, whose signature move was the ``Crippler Crossface,'' won the WWE's heavyweight championship in 2004 by defeating a wrestler named Triple H.

``Chris was beloved among his fellow superstars, and was a favorite among fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability,'' WWE said in a statement. ``He always took great pride in his performance, and always showed respect for the business he loved, for his peers and toward his fans. This is a terrible tragedy and an unbearable loss.''

Benoit's 43-year-old wife, Nancy, was a manager for several wrestlers, and the two met when they were with now-defunct World Championship Wrestling. In addition to their son, Daniel, who was found dead, Benoit had two children from a previous relationship, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.

 

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One has to wonder what drives a person to commit such horrible acts.

Was it a mental issue?

Could years of possible steroid use be to blame?

 

The purpose of wrestling is to entertain first. We sometimes forget these entertainers are real people with real problems whether they be a face or heel.