Christopher Michael Benoit (May 21, 1967 – June 25, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler who performed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment.
On June 25, 2007, Benoit was found dead in his home in Fayetteville, Georgia, along with his wife, Nancy Daus, and his 7-year old son, Daniel.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit
Nancy Elizabeth Daus Sullivan Benoit (May 21, 1964 - c. June 22, 2007) (more commonly known by her in-ring names as Woman and Fallen Angel) was a professional wrestling valet and manager in Jim Crockett Promotions, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling.
On June 25, 2007, Nancy, her husband Chris Benoit, and their son Daniel, were found dead by police in the family's Fayetteville, Georgia home, victims of an apparent double murder-suicide perpetrated by Chris Benoit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Daus
Nancy Elizabeth Benoit
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSlh=1&GRid=20104167&
News on Chris Benoit Death
Chris Benoit report on Fox News
Chris Benoit Death - UNCUT NEWS VIDEO
LT. TOMMY POPE, FAYETTE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT and SCOTT BALLARD, DISTRICT ATTORNEY speak
Police: Benoit was killer
WWE star allegedly strangled wife, suffocated son before hanging self
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.benoit27jun27,0,2974440.story?coll=bal-sports-more
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. // Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to their bodies before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley, police and other authorities said yesterday.
Investigators found anabolic steroids in the house and want to know whether the man nicknamed "The Rabid Wolverine" was unhinged by the bodybuilding drugs, which can cause paranoia, depression and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage."
Authorities offered no motive for the killings, which were spread out over the weekend, and would not discuss Benoit's state of mind. No suicide note was found.
"I'm baffled about why anybody would kill a 7-year-old," District Attorney Scott Ballard said. "I don't think we'll ever be able wrap our head around that."
The Montreal-born Benoit was one of the stars of World Wrestling Entertainment and was known for his wholesome family-man image. His wife, Nancy, was a wrestling stage manager who worked under the name "Woman." They married in 2000.
Asked by The Calgary Sun in 2004 to name his worst vice, Chris Benoit replied: "Quality time with my family is a big vice. It's something I'll fight for and crave."
Nevertheless, Nancy Benoit filed for divorce in 2003, saying the couple's three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging "cruel treatment." She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.
The bodies were found Monday afternoon in the house, situated off a gravel road in this suburb about 20 miles south of Atlanta.
Benoit's 43-year-old wife was killed Friday in a family room, her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle, Ballard said. Daniel Benoit was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, and was found in his bed, the district attorney said.
Chris Benoit, 40, apparently hanged himself several hours to as long as a day later, Ballard said. His body was found in a weight room, his body found hanging from the pulley of a piece of exercise equipment.
A closed Bible was placed next to the bodies of the wife and son, authorities said.
The prosecutor said he found it "bizarre" that Benoit spread out the killings over a weekend and appeared to remain in the house for up to a day with the bodies.
Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.
WWE said on its Web site that it asked police to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who had received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."
Benoit Promo
Benoit Breaks opponent's Neck
Timeline and text messages
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560001-2007290486,00.html
BELOW is a detailed WWE/Chris Benoit timeline from Saturday to Monday:
Chris Benoit was scheduled to appear at the live event in Beaumont, Texas.
3:30pm
A co-worker received a voice message from Benoit. The message from Benoit stated he missed his flight and over slept and would be late to the WWE Live Event. The co-worker called Benoit back, Benoit confirmed everything he said in his voice message and sounded tired and groggy. Benoit then stated, “I love you”. The co-worker stated that it was “out of context.”
3:42pm
The same co-worker was concerned with Benoit’s tone and demeanor and called Benoit for a second time. Benoit did not answer the call and the co-worker left a message stating “just call me back.”
3:44pm
Benoit called the co-worker back stating he didn’t answer the call because he was on the phone with Delta changing his flight. Benoit stated he had a real stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel being sick with food poisoning. They discussed travel plans for the WWE Tour of Texas with Benoit still sounding groggy at this point according to the co-worker.
4:30pm
A co-worker who consistently travels with Benoit, called Benoit from outside Houston airport and Benoit answered. Benoit told the co-worker that Nancy was throwing up blood and that Daniel was also throwing up. Benoit thought they had food poisoning. Benoit stated he changed his flight and he would be arriving into Houston at 6:30pm. Benoit told the co-worker to drive onto the WWE event.
5:35pm
Benoit called WWE Talent Relations stating that his son was throwing up and that he and Nancy were in the hospital with their son, and that Benoit would be taking a later flight into Houston, landing late, but would make the WWE live event in Beaumont.
6:10pm
A representative of Talent Relations called Benoit. The representative from Talent Relations asked Benoit what time Benoit was getting into Beaumont. Benoit responded he was leaving Atlanta at 9:20pm Eastern time arriving into Houston at 9:24pm Central time. The representative from Talent Relations advised Benoit that it would be too late to make the WWE live event in Beaumont. Benoit apologized citing he had a family emergency. The representative from Talent Relations suggested to Benoit that instead of going to the WWE live event in Beaumont, Benoit should take the flight to Houston, rest up and be ready for the Vengeance Pay-Per-View event.
6:13pm
The representative from Talent Relations called Benoit to reconfirm the travel plans with no answer from Benoit. The representativefrom Talent Relations left a voice message to take the flight and rest up.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Text messages sent to co-workers from Chris Benoit and Nancy Benoit’s cell phones: Text Message 1 sent to: Two co-workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before).
From: Benoit’s cell phone
When: 24/6 at 3:53am
Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215.
Text Message 2 sent to: Two co-workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before).
From: Benoit’s cell phone
When: 24/6 at 3:53am
Message: The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open
Text Message 3 sent to: Two co-workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before).
From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone
When: 24/6 at 3:54am
Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215
Text Message 4 sent to: Two co-workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before)
From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone
When: 24/6 at 3:55am
Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215
Text Message 5 sent to: A co-worker who consistently traveled with Benoit
From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone
When: 24/6 at 3:58am
Message: My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215
WWE made several attempts to contact Benoit via phone and text messages, as well as, the local hospitals in the Atlanta area. As of 11:00 pm Sunday night there was no contact made with Benoit.
Monday, June 25, 2007
12:30pm
WWE was notified of text messages sent to the two co-workers.
12:45pm
WWE contacted the Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office and requested them to go to Benoit’s residence
4:00pm
WWE received a call from the Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office, advising that they entered the house of Benoit and found 3 deceased bodies (a male, a female and a child). The Fayette County Sheriff’s office has secured the house as a “major crime scene” and that the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office had no further information.
Full text of WWE statement on Benoit
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6966376
World Wrestling Entertainment is stunned and saddened by the details released by local authorities concerning the double homicide-suicide involving Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel.
However, WWE is concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media following the press conference held by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney. During the press conference, the investigating authorities made the following points, all of which run contrary to the media speculation that "roid rage" was a factor in the senseless murders and suicide:
1. The authorities stated that all drugs found in the house were believed to be legal prescriptions.
2. Steroids were not, and could not, be related to the cause of death (asphyxiation). Authorities had no factual basis to speculate as to Benoit's state of mind, and rightly did not do so.
3. Toxicology tests have not even been completed, so there is no current evidence that Benoit even had steroids or any other substance in his body. In that regard, on the last test done on Benoit by WWE's independently administered drug testing program, done on April 10, 2007, Benoit tested negative.
4. The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.
5. WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts.
WWE is continuing to monitor the ongoing investigation being conducted by local authorities.
Wrestler Chris Benoit and family found dead
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usbenoit0626,0,4246396.story?track=mostemailedlink
Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Tuesday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said test results may not be back for weeks or even months.
Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County.
Benoit, 40, was discovered dead in his home in suburban Atlanta by Fayetville police yesterday – a day after he no-showed two scheduled matches in Texas over the weekend, including at World Wrestling Entertainment's Vengeance pay per view event in Houston Sunday night. He cited a family emergency as the reason for skipping the shows.
After friends in WWE received several "curious text messages" from Benoit, and WWE officials were unable to reach him, the sheriff's department in Peachtree City, GA went to Benoit's home to check on his family about 2:30 p.m.
After maneuvering through two German shepherds that guarded the home, police found Benoit, his wife and child dead in three separate rooms in the home, according to WAGA-TV. The Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that Fayette County police are operating under the theory that Benoit killed his wife on Saturday, son Daniel on Sunday, and then killed himself yesterday.
ABC News reported that authorities had found "the instruments of death" at Benoit's home – a mansion surrounded by stone walls with a gravel road leading to double iron gates.
MSNBC has reported that a police press conference disclosing preliminary autopsy results is expected to take place this afternoon.
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the details of the incident may "prove a little bizarre" when they come out.
WWE.com reported that, "The three bodies have been received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab, in Decatur, Ga., where autopsies will be performed Tuesday morning. Toxicology reports will not become available for at least two weeks."
WWE scrapped their schedule live, sold-out Monday Night RAW program in Corpus Cristy last night and sent fans home. In the show's place, WWE chairman Vince McMahon and the WWE announce team introduced a three-hour career retrospective that included several highlight's from Benoit's 22-year career, as well as emotional testimonials from fellow pro wrestlers.
McMahon reportedly broke the news around 4:30 p.m. yesterday to a locker room overcome with shock and grief. As news of authorities' suspicion that Benoit killed his wife and son came out, WWE scaled back their tribute to the former world champion on the WWE web site. The company is scheduled to hold its regular television tapings tonight.
Benoit, an Edmonton, Canada native, trained in Calgary and made his pro debut in 1985. He plied his trade in Japan for years before become a fixture on the American wrestling circuit in the mid-1990s. He joined WWE in 1999 and won the company's world heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania XX in 2004. He was widely expected to win the Extreme Championship Wrestling world title at Sunday's pay per view event.
Benoit became romantically involved with the then Nancy Sullivan, who worked as a pro wresting valet under the name "Woman," in the mid-1990's while she was married to another wrestler, Kevin Sullivan. The Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter said the marriage was known among wrestling circles to be volatile.
Benoit had two children from another relationship that were not in the home during the deaths.
Police found Nancy Benoit bound and dead in an upstairs room, 7-year-old son Daniel dead in his bedroom, and pro wrestler Chris Benoit hanged from a weight machine cord in the basement of the house. Police are calling the incident a murder-suicide.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=3315501&page=1
Pro wrestler Chris Benoit asphyxiated his son and wife, leaving copies of the Bible next to each of their bodies, before he hanged himself in a basement weight room using a cord from one of the weight machines, law enforcement officials said Tuesday afternoon.
Police ruled the deaths a murder-suicide a day after discovering Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, dead in the family's suburban Atlanta home.
"We are looking at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide," Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office said during a press conference outside the Benoit house.
Pope, relying on preliminary autopsy results from the state crime lab, laid out a roughly 24-hour timeline that began Friday with the 40-year-old wrestler killing his wife in an upstairs family room.
Nancy Benoit was bound, had blood under her head and was wrapped in a towel, Pope said. Fayette Count District Attorney Scott Ballard described the state of her body -- face down on the hardwood floor -- as "the only sign of a struggle."
"Her hands were bound together, her feet were bound together and there was a little blood over her face," Ballard told ABC News in an interview after the press conference. "The medical examiner found bruising on the small of her back and bruising on the front of her body consistent with being crushed up against the floor."
Police said Benoit then asphyxiated their son early Saturday morning. The boy was found face down in his bed, and there were no handmarks on his neck, Ballard said.
Benoit killed himself in the basement either late Saturday or early Sunday. Ballard said the wrestler, listed as 5 feet 10 inches, and weighing 220 pounds, was found hanging by his neck from a weight machine.
"There was no type of suicide note within the house that we located," Pope said. There was also no sign of forced entry or evidence of any type of burglary attempt.
Authorities said they currently have no motive for the crime, adding that they will await the results of toxicology reports and will investigate computers and telephones found in the Benoit home.
Officials found many different prescription medications -- including prescription anabolic steroids -- inside the house, but Pope said they seemed to be legally prescribed to Benoit. The final toxicology reports could take up to two weeks to complete.
The World Wrestling Entertainment released a statement Tuesday evening scrutinizing media accounts the organization felt unfairly tied Benoit's alleged murder-suicide to "'roid rage," a short-tempered condition associated with steroid usage.
The statement claimed that Benoit tested negative in an independently administered steroid test April 10, 2007, part of a two-pronged Talent Wellness Program introduced on Feb. 27, 2006, that included an "aggressive substance abuse and drug-testing policy.
"The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage," the statement read, pointing out details released by police like long periods of time between each murder and the presence of a Bible next to each of the bodies.
The WWE substance policy "prohibits the nonmedical use and associate abuse of prescription medications and performance-enhancing drugs," according to a release from the pro wrestling organization.
Under the policy, every wrestler was reportedly tested to create "baseline" data. Wrestlers would not be punished for failing the baseline tests but could face suspensions and possible termination after multiple failures.
In March 2007, Sports Illustrated reported that 11 professional wrestlers had joined the list of athletes tied to a national steroid probe. At the time, WWE spokesman Gary Davis told the magazine that the organization had a policy prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs but would not say if any wrestlers had tested positive since the program was introduced.
Wade Keller, founder of PWTorch.com, a professional wrestling Web site, said that steroid use is simply part of the WWE culture. "It's considered the price you pay to be a pro wrestler," Keller said, placing the blame for rampant steroid use in part on Vince McMahon, the chairman of the WWE board.
"The No. 1 guy who runs this industry has a body fetish," Keller said. "He's obsessed with bodies, and he's always pushing muscular guys to the top because they have that comic-book image."
McMahon faced a federal indictment on steroid-related charges in the early 1990s but was acquitted when the case went to trial in 1994.
The WWE said on its Web site that the organization asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."
The WWE also announced that Benoit had failed to appear at a Saturday live event in Beaumont, Texas, as well as at the WWE's "Vengeance" event in Houston Sunday night, an absence attributed to a "family emergency."
Authorities responding to the scene had a difficult time entering the Fayetteville home, WWE stated, because a pair of German shepherds were left roaming on the property.
The house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by a stacked stone wall and a double-iron gate. Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, along with two uniformed officers.
The WWE also reported that it was in possession of further information regarding the police investigation and the cause of death, but the Fayette County Sheriff's Department had requested that the pro wrestling organization not release additional details at this time.
The Journal-Constitution also reported that Benoit and his wife went through a difficult period after their marriage in 2000. Nancy Benoit petitioned for protection against domestic abuse as part of a 2003 divorce filing -- describing her husband as a "threat." In May 2003, a judge granted a restraining order, but both were dismissed upon Nancy Benoit's request three months later.
Benoit was a former world heavyweight and Intercontinental champion. He also held several tag-team titles during his career. The native of Canada maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling.
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the wrestling organization said in a statement on its Web site.
Keller described Benoit as among the most consistent WWE stars, a wrestler adept at being able to make the theater of the sport appear real. He also said Benoit was a mellow character out of the ring who loved his son very much.
"The image from Chris backstage was a guy walking around with slacks, no shirt and a cup of coffee. That was Chris's informal work outfit before he got ready for the show," Keller said.
The WWE canceled its live "Monday Night RAW" card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.
"My relationship with Chris has extended many years, and I consider him a great friend," Carl DeMarco, the president of WWE Canada, said in a statement. "Chris was always first-class warm, friendly, caring and professional, one of the best in our business."
The WWE, which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, reported $400 million in total revenues during a 12-month fiscal period ending April 30, 2006, according to the organization's SEC filing. In the eight-month period from May 1, 2006, until the December 31, 2006, the WWE collected another $262 million.
The pro wrestling organization generates revenues through a variety of business endeavors, including live events, prime time television programs, Pay-Per-View specials and merchandise and advertising.
Benoit's wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name "Woman." Chris Benoit has two other children from a previous relationship.
'Canadian Crippler' admired in world of wrestling
Competition and family were Benoit's life, colleagues say
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/fayette/stories/2007/06/26/0627benoitprofile.html
In professional wrestling's shadow world, where a "babyface" is a good guy, a "heel' is a villain and a "tweener" vacillates between the two, Chris Benoit is remembered as a solid citizen who vacillated for no one.
"You got Hulk Hogan and The Rock before him," said former veteran wrestler Rocky King of Atlanta. "But Chris has been out here 15 years and he wasn't at the very top but he was right near the top his whole career
"Maybe he wasn't a household name everywhere, but in the wrestling world, he was a household name."
A tight-clasp fraternity, the wrestling industry was still catching its collective breath Tuesday as details emerged from Benoit's murder-suicide case. The image of a troubled father who would kill his son and wife before hanging himself does not jibe with the diligent performer who moved easily through Atlanta's wrestling community.
"Oh, man, he was a good guy," King said. "From what I knew of him, he was one of the best guys around. His wife (Nancy), too. I'm trying to get over the shock myself."
Between the rigged matches and the choreographed violence, professional wrestlers spend much of their time working out and interacting with the opponents they may been cast to dislike. But Benoit displayed a different appreciation for his profession, beyond the script that determined who would win that night and how the match was supposed to appear.
"I pride myself on loving this business," said Chris Klucsarits, known to mat fans as "Kanyon" and who worked with Benoit at both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. "But I don't know if there's anyone who's loved it as much or has been more dedicated to the business as Chris.
"Wrestling and his family were his life. There was nothing else."
Klucsarits recalled wrestling Benoit for the WCW tag team titles during a high-profile pay-per-view match in the late '90s. Benoit and his partner were scripted to lose.
"For some guys, it's hard to lose a belt, and they'll make the match look bad," he said. "But not Chris. He just cared about having a great match."
Undersized by wrestling's gargantuans at 5-foot-11 and 234 pounds, Benoit earned the professional respect for competing in the heavyweight class, where he might face opponents 100 pounds heavier or more.
Competing under various ring names just as the Rabid Wolverine, the Crippler, the Canadian Crippler and the Shooter, he reclaimed his original family name before his popularity rose. Benoit seemed never to forget how the wrestling Hart family — father Stu and sons Bruce and Bret — took in him and trained him as a teenager in Calgary, Canada.
Benoit first signed with Atlanta-based WCW in 1992 and was still listed among the 100-odd wrestlers and performers currently under contract to WWE, which bought out WCW in 2001. He earned a handful of championships during his career, including the WWE world heavyweight title, which he held in 2004. In recent years, Benoit had done most of his wrestling in Japan.
Alan Funk was barely an apprentice in the field, learning his craft at the WCW Power Plant with a host of other aspirants in the late 1990s. He recalls a day Benoit walked into the Atlanta gym and voluntarily worked with Funk and fellow rookie Elix Skipper on selling their moves.
"I used to bring my father to the shows and (Benoit) would sit down and talk with him," Funk said. "He didn't have a problem with people. You had to strike up a conversation with him but he didn't shy away."
Bob Ryder, owner and reporter for wrestling news site 1Wrestling.com, said that Benoit was one of the best wrestlers in recent memory, but "unfortunately he'll be remembered for this tragedy."
Ryder worked with Benoit at WCW as host of its Internet radio show "WCW Live."
"As a person, he was one of the people who really stood out in the wrestling business," Ryder says, "someone you'd want to be friends with. That's why this is so surprising and out of character."
On the 1Wrestling.com Website, fan reaction has been mixed, Ryder says.
"Initially there was grief and a lot of disbelief," he said. "When the details started coming forward, it was almost a 180-degree turn and people began getting angry. It's certainly not the Chris Benoit that I knew. I don't know what brought it on, but it's something that can't be forgiven."
Benoit tragedy raises question of steroids link
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070625/chris_benoit_070626/20070626?hub=CTVNewsAt11
Questions are being asked about whether anabolic steroids may have been a contributing factor in the murder-suicide deaths of Canadian pro wrestler Chris Benoit and his family.
Benoit -- 180 centimetres tall and weighing 100 kilograms -- strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself with a pulley on a weightlifting machine, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
Benoit -- 180 centimetres tall and weighing 100 kilograms -- strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself with a pulley on a weightlifting machine, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
"From an investigation that has taken place yesterday afternoon, and continued at the crime lab earlier today where autopsies were performed on all three subjects, we're now looking at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide," said Lt. Tommy Pope, lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.
Pope said evidence from Benoit's suburban Atlanta home led investigators to believe that the one-time world champion murdered his 43-year-old wife Nancy, possibly on Friday. Sometime shortly after that, Benoit murdered his seven-year-old son Daniel.
"Then maybe later on Saturday evening, sometime early Sunday, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement," said Pope, adding that no suicide note was found at the scene.
Benoit was supposed to participate in a pay-per-view World Wrestling Entertainment event in Houston over the weekend but cancelled because of a family emergency.
Friends of Benoit said they received "curious text messages" from the wrestler on Sunday morning. One said his wife and child were sick, and the other said the doors were open and the pets were outside.
The WWE notified authorities after hearing from friends who received the messages, the wrestling organization said on its website.
Benoit, 40, his wife and son were found dead at 2 p.m. on Monday in three separate rooms. Police said Benoit placed a Bible next to the bodies of his wife and son before hanging himself. All three died of asphyxiation, autopsy results show.
"I'm baffled about why anybody would kill a seven-year-old, said District Attorney Scott Ballard."I don't think we'll ever be able wrap our head around that."
Daniel had needle marks on his arms. His parents considered him under-sized and had injected him with growth hormones, Ballard said.
Investigators found anabolic steroids in the house.
Steroids can cause paranoia, depression and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage."
A wrestler who toured with Benoit for years said he's seen the harm steroids can cause. "One little thing goes wrong and you're going to see an outburst, a rage," said Jacques Rougeau.
WWE issued a news release Tuesday decrying the speculation about steroid use being behind the tragedy.
WWE noted that investigators believed the drugs found were legally prescribed and that Benoit's actions indicate he killed in deliberation, not rage. Toxicology tests haven't been completed yet.
"WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts."
Other professional wrestlers' deaths have been linked to long-term steroid use. However, none of those individuals were suspected of killing anyone.
Benoit a 'family man'
Benoit was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.
He began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operate Stampede Wrestling.
Five-time champion Bret Hart called Benoit a "beautiful man" who "loved his son" and was a credit to professional wrestling.
"It's so hard for me to get my head around what happened, and I don't think it's even hit home yet how horrible all this is," Hart told CTV Newsnet from Calgary on Tuesday evening.
"I don't know what brought it on, ... but my understanding from Chris is that he was a happy, proud father and family man and he gave everything he had to wrestling and his fans ... This is not something that was characteristic of Chris Benoit."
Benoit won the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.
Benoit was known as "The Canadian Crippler," in part after he unintentionally broke another wrestler's neck during a match in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move was the "Crippler Crossface."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Benoit's wife, known by her stage name "Woman," managed several wrestlers.
The couple met when Chris Benoit wrote a script depicting an ongoing love affair between the two on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.
Nancy Benoit filed for a divorce in May 2003, saying their three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging "cruel treatment." She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order, in which she charged that Chris Benoit threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.
In the divorce filing, she said Benoit made more than US$500,000 a year as a professional wrestler and asked for permanent custody of Daniel and child support. In his response, Benoit sought joint custody.
Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.
Chris Benoit 'Roid Rage': WWE Fires Back - Bibles At Scene Refute Claim
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21288777.shtml
Chris Benoit Roid Rage? Chris Benoit and his legacy have taken an enormous hit. Now the WWE is firing back at reports that the murders/suicide by the former wrestling champion were the result of "roid rage."
Many media outlets speculated that after authorities revealed that steroids were found at the Benoit house, a violent reaction caused by use of the supplements may have contributed Benoit's murderous behavior.
The WWE has shot back with a loud "That's bulls**t!," although the wrestling organization can cite no criminal, psychopharmaceutical or hormone expert as the source of their claims.
In a statement released to our friends at TMZ, representatives for the WWE claim that the proof can be found by way of the Bibles left at the feet of Benoit's two victims. "The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage."
The WWE also states that Benoit had tested negative for steroids in the company's independently administered drug testing program, which was done on April 10, 2007.
Steroid Use Contributing Factor in Chris Benoit Murder Suicide?
http://www.gambling911.com/Chris-Benoit-Murder-Suicide-062707.html
Concerns over the role anabolic steroids may have played in the murder suicide of Chris Benoit and his family have been raised almost immediately since the tragedy was announced.
The Professional Wrestler strangled his wife and suffocated his 7-year old son before hanging himself with a pulley on a weightlifting machine, a Fayette County (Georgia) law enforcement official said Tuesday. The family resided in a secluded residence outside of Atlanta.
"From an investigation that has taken place yesterday afternoon, and continued at the crime lab earlier today where autopsies were performed on all three subjects, we're now looking at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide," said Lt. Tommy Pope, lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.
Pope said evidence from Benoit's suburban Atlanta home led investigators to believe that the one-time world champion murdered his 43-year-old wife Nancy, possibly on Friday. Sometime shortly after that, Benoit murdered his seven-year-old son Daniel.
"Then maybe later on Saturday evening, sometime early Sunday, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement," said Pope, adding that no suicide note was found at the scene.
"Chris was always first-class - warm, friendly, caring and professional - one of the best in our business," said Carl DeMarco, president of WWE Canada.
And yet the hints of trouble were sprinkled everywhere, even before police found the anabolic steroid bottles inside the house, according to Ellis Henican of NewsDay. You could start just by looking at the man.
"All 240 rock-solid pounds of him. The leathery neck. The heaving chest. The muscle carved out of stone. Sure, he was a well-toned athlete. But you or I could spend the rest of our lives pumping iron and working the pulley machines and - unaided by steroids and growth hormone - we'd never look anything like that."
The relationship between Chris and his wife, Nancy, seemed strained from the get-go.
When Nancy filed for divorce in May 2003, she claimed that he'd been violent to her. A judge signed a legal order of protection, barring Chris from the family home.
According to the court filing: "(Chris) lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties, including furniture and furnishings. Petitioner is in reasonable fear for petitioner's own safety and that of the minor child."
And in three months, she went back into court and dismissed everything.
Police say Benoit did not act hastily over the weekend. Hours, as much as a day, separated each of the killings. He had enough time to fire off text messages to friends in the wresting world.
"The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre," warned the local district attorney, Scott Ballard.
Late yesterday, WWE's home page posted an article saying the organization was concerned by "sensationalistic" reporting on the Benoit story, specifically that use of steroids might have contributed to his actions.
In a televised news conference yesterday afternoon, authorities said that in addition to prescription drugs they found anabolic steroids in the house. The bodybuilding drugs can cause paranoia, depression and explosive behavior that is sometimes called "roid rage," the Associated Press reported.
During the news conference, District Attorney Scott Ballard told reporters that toxicology test results may not be available for weeks or possibly months. Asked whether steroids played a role in the deaths, he said, "We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at."
With the recent revelations about steroid use in Major League Baseball, Northeastern University psychology professor Richard Melloni, who studies the link between steroid use and aggression, has recently found evidence that use of anabolic steroids may have long-term effects on behavior and aggression levels well after they stop abusing these performance enhancing drugs.
"We know testosterone or steroids affect the development of serotonin nerve cells, which, in turn, decreases serotonin availability in the brain," Melloni says. "The serotonin neural system is still developing during adolescence and the use of anabolic steroids during this critical period appears to have immediate and longer-term neural and behavioral consequences. What we know at this point is that aggressiveness doesn't simply cease after the ingestion of steroids does."
Based on this research, Melloni also believes that athletes who abuse steroids may also be inclined toward aggressive behavior long after their drug abuse and musculature have waned.
Immediately following the announcement of Chris Benoit's death along with his immediate family members, the WWE aired a three hour tribute to the professional wrestler on the USA Network, apparently not knowing the full extent of the tragedy.
WWE and USA Network officials also were reported as saying they were not aware of the circumstances when the tribute was put together to air in place of the scheduled live "Monday Night Raw" program -- an "investigation" into the faux death of McMahon. (In the scripted story line, McMahon had been "blown up" in a bomb explosion in a stretch limo.)
Last night, at the top of "Extreme Championship Wrestling" on Sci Fi Channel, which, like USA, is owned by NBC Universal, McMahon mentioned the previous night's tribute show.
"However, some 26 hours later," he said, "facts of this horrible tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit's name tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process.
"Tonight WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world -- entertain you."
WWE downplays drug factor
Sources: Benoit ordered steroids from raided clinic
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/06/26/benoitcase/
Since last summer Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim have been investigating an alleged illegal steroid distribution network that has implicated numerous pro athletes. On Feb. 27 the two SI writers accompanied federal and state drug enforcement agents on a raid of a Jupiter, Fla., anti-aging clinic that investigators allege conspired to fraudulently prescribe steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs over the Internet.
SI.com: What's the latest?
Llosa/Wertheim: Sources with knowledge of the multi-state steroid pipeline case confirmed to SI on Tuesday that pro wrestler Chris Benoit (a.k.a. The Canadian Crippler) was a customer of MedXLife, a Florida-based, anti-aging clinic that had two of its owners plead guilty in April to illegal steroid distribution. Benoit, of course, is alleged to have strangled his wife and suffocated his 7-year-old son over the weekend before hanging himself. On Tuesday, Georgia investigators revealed that they had found large quantities of prescription drugs in the home, including steroids. Speculation soon swirled in the media about whether 'roid rage had played a part in the tragedy.
SI.com: So how was Benoit linked to the drug distribution pipeline?
Llosa/Wertheim: According to SI's sources, three packages sent to Benoit originated at Signature Pharmacy, the compound pharmacy that was the primary target of the February raid in Orlando. And while investigators do not have prescriptions with Benoit's name on them and cannot name the exact drugs he received, they confirm that a package was sent in his name on Feb. 13, 2006, to an address linked to him in Peachtree City, Ga. Packages were also sent to him at a Marriott property in San Antonio in December 2005 and in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., in July 2006.
SI.com: Is Benoit the first wrestler to be linked to the multi-state investigation?
Llosa/Wertheim: No. SI.com reported in March that the names of multiple high profile wrestlers have surfaced in this investigation. For example, according to documents we reviewed, HCG and the steroid stanozolol were sent to WWE star Eddie Guerrero in early 2005. (Guerrero died on Nov. 13, 2005, in a Minneapolis hotel room due to what a coroner later ruled as heart disease, complicated by an enlarged heart resulting from a history of anabolic steroid use.)
In total, there were 11 professional wrestlers listed in the documents that we saw related to a previous raid. Some of these wrestlers are working as independents; some are out of the business entirely; others are first-tier stars.
SI.com: What's the WWE's reaction to the Benoit case?
Llosa/Wertheim: Reached on Tuesday night, WWE spokesman Gary Davis directed us to a statement the company released earlier in the day, which was titled WWE Shocked At Latest Developments In Benoit Tragedy, Concerned By Sensationalistic Reporting. The statement reads, in part, "Toxicology tests have not even been completed so there is no current evidence that Benoit even had steroids or any other substance in his body. In that regard, on the last test done on Benoit by WWE's independently administered drug testing program, done on April 10, 2007, Benoit tested negative.
"The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each [of the bodies] is also not an act of rage."
SI.com: What is the WWE's drug policy?
Llosa/Wertheim: In March, Davis pointed us to a Talent Wellness Program instituted in February 2006. As to whether anabolic steroids and HGH are banned, Davis sent us an email quoting the policy: "The WWE policy prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician. For purposes of WWE's policy, prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose." Citing privacy issues, Davis declined to say whether WWE wrestlers have tested positive for banned substances since the policy was implemented.
Vince McMahon in 1991 announcing a drug policy he just imposed at the World Wrestling Federation.
New twist in Benoit murders
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560001-2007290539,00.html
WRESTLING killer Chris Benoit was so obsessed with steroids - he even injected his seven-year-old son with growth hormone.
Daniel - who was murdered by Benoit along with mum Nancy before the WWE star committed suicide - was found with needle marks in his arms.
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard confirmed the findings, saying Daniel had been given growth hormones for some time because Chris and Nancy considered him to be undersized.
He added: "The boy was very small, even dwarfed."
Sources in the States say Chris, who was a lot smaller than your typical wrestling superstar, took steroids throughout his career as he was worried about losing work due to his size.
One reported: "This was decades and decades of steroid use with no cycling - even when undergoing neck surgery.
"And that's not healthy in any way."
Investigators say Chris illegally received deliveries from a Florida business called MedXLife.com that sold steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone on the Internet.
Six people at the pharmacy, including two of the owners, have already pleaded guilty to supplying sport stars with drugs and 20 more have been arrested.
Since the death of Benoit's pal and fellow MedXLife.com customer Eddie Guerrero from heart failure in November 2005 - brought on by years of alcohol, drug and steroid abuse - the WWE instituted a strict testing procedure.
However, crucially, the company's 'Wellness Policy' allowed for prescribed steroids, meaning use is still rife.
It states: "The WWE policy prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician."
Smaller wrestling groups in the US and UK don't test at all.
A source in the industry told us: "Wrestlers have an insane schedule, with no off season and little to time to fully heal injuries.
"On top of that they are under immense pressure from bosses and fans to have superhuman physiques.
"So they turn to steroids in order to look better and return to action more quickly after injuries.
"I would say almost every single wrestler in the business today has been on 'the gear' at one point in their career, and many still are even after all the shocking deaths we've seen.
"Some are able to move on after they achieve the body they want but others, like Benoit, become addicts.
"If they say a physique is too good to be true then it probably is."
He added: "Steroids are not hard to get hold of legally. You just have to find a quack who will prescribe them so they can hang out with the wrestlers and get some cool pictures for the wall.
"They are known as 'mark doctors' and have been around as long as wrestling itself."
It is unknown whether the killings were due to 'roid rage' and a full blood test is not due for around two weeks.
The WWE released a strongly wording statement saying: "Steroids were not, and could not, be related to the cause of death (asphyxiation).
"Authorities had no factual basis to speculate as to Benoit's state of mind, and rightly did not do so.
"A full Toxicology (blood test) report has not even been completed, so there is no current evidence that Benoit even had steroids or any other substance in his body."
Chris Benoit's Son Had Fragile X Syndrome, says report
http://www.huliq.com/25692/chris-benoits-son-had-fragile-x-syndrome-says-report
Canadian female Pam Winthrope told News 1130 in Canada that Chris Benoit's son had a genetic condition called Fragile X syndrome.
According to WebMD, "Fragile X Syndrome is a defect of the X chromosome which causes mild mental retardation. The disorder occurs more frequently and severely among males than females. This condition is the leading known familial cause of mental retardation in the United States. Language delays, behavioral problems, autism or autistic-like behavior (including poor eye contact and hand-flapping), enlarged external genitalia (macroorchidism), large or prominent ears, hyperactivity, delayed motor development and/or poor sensory skills are among the wide range of symptoms associated with this disorder."
Winthrope, whose son also suffers from the condition, told the Canadian news outlet that her husband reached out to Benoit five years ago in an attempt to increase awareness about Fragile X.
She told News 1130, "We talked to him because I was trying to set up a support group in BC and in Canada, we only have a couple of them. My husband was struggling when we got diagnosed with our son, and Chris was struggling with his. They talked for a few minutes and then he said he didn't want to be a public face for Fragile X, he just wanted to keep it really, really quiet."
Winthrope noted that the lack of support for those affected by the disorder can tear families apart. Nonetheless, "she couldn't believe the news that Benoit had taken his life along with his wife and 7-year-old son," wrote News 1130.
This may explain why Daniel was taking growth hormone injections. It also may shed light onto why Chris didn't want someone else raising his son and made the fateful decision to kill him. As irrational and twisted as it may sound, he may have felt he was saving his son from the double-blow of losing his parents through a murder-suicide and being subject to being raised by people who didn't understand or care for his condition.
WWE and USA Wrestle With Fallout From Chris Benoit Case
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062602234.html
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon issued a non-apology last night for his organization's three-hour tribute to pro wrestler Chris Benoit that aired Monday night on the USA Network. USA itself had no comment on having telecast a three-hour tribute to a man who, according to authorities, over the weekend bound and strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed Bibles next to their bodies before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley several hours and possibly as long as a day later.
The bodies of the longtime WWE wrestler, his wife and their son were found in their Fayetteville, Ga., home Monday afternoon and reports said police were treating it as a double murder and suicide.
On its Web site, World Wrestling Entertainment said it had asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."
But WWE and USA Network officials also were reported as saying they were not aware of the circumstances when the tribute was put together to air in place of the scheduled live "Monday Night Raw" program -- an "investigation" into the faux death of McMahon. (In the scripted story line, McMahon had been "blown up" in a bomb explosion in a stretch limo.)
Last night, at the top of "Extreme Championship Wrestling" on Sci Fi Channel, which, like USA, is owned by NBC Universal, McMahon mentioned the previous night's tribute show.
"However, some 26 hours later," he said, "facts of this horrible tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit's name tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process.
"Tonight WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world -- entertain you."
A spokeswoman for USA said the network had no comment about the fact it had run the Benoit tribute, explaining, "Really, they [WWE] know more than we do -- it's all coming out of their camp."
Late yesterday, WWE's home page posted an article saying the organization was concerned by "sensationalistic" reporting on the Benoit story, specifically that use of steroids might have contributed to his actions.
In a televised news conference yesterday afternoon, authorities said that in addition to prescription drugs they found anabolic steroids in the house. The bodybuilding drugs can cause paranoia, depression and explosive behavior that is sometimes called "roid rage," the Associated Press reported.
During the news conference, District Attorney Scott Ballard told reporters that toxicology test results may not be available for weeks or possibly months. Asked whether steroids played a role in the deaths, he said, "We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at."
WWE was already spinning that angle yesterday afternoon, insisting "roid rage" could not have been involved because the "physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage."
According to authorities, Benoit killed his wife Friday, his son late Saturday or early Sunday and himself some time later; his body was found hanging from the pulley of a piece of gym equipment. Ballard said it was "bizarre" that Benoit spread out the killings over a weekend.
"I'm baffled about why anybody would kill a 7-year-old," he said. "I don't think we'll ever be able to wrap our head around that."
O'Reilly Factor Reports On Chris Benoit
Why Would Chris Benoit Apparently Murder his Family and Kill Himself?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286935,00.html
Benoit may have believed family was 'better off in heaven': expert
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/World/2007/06/26/4292416.html
Chris Benoit may have been so depressed that he believed his family would be “better off in heaven” when he allegedly murdered his wife and son before killing himself, says an expert on murder-suicide.
WWE wrestler Benoit, his wife Nancy and son Daniel, 7, were found dead Monday in their suburban Atlanta home.
Local police are treating the case as a murder-suicide.
Dr. John Bradford, associate chief of the integrated forensic program for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, said murder-suicides that wipe out a family are most often carried out by the father.
“The most usual cause is a major depression, normally a severe one with psychotic features,” said Bradford, also a professor of forensic psychiatry at the University of Ottawa.
“They sort of start to think, in this psychotic thinking, that the whole family would be better off in heaven ... that, ‘This is a horrible place, I think we’d all be better off dead.’”
Psychiatrists commonly refer to murder-suicide as “extended suicide,” when the killer decides life is not worth living, he said.
Police in Georgia say they will be investigating whether steroid use was a factor in the case.
Prescription anabolic steroids were found in the home.
Bradford said steroid use carries “a lot of baggage” when it comes to psychiatric health because the drugs alter brain and body chemistry.
“People that abuse steroids carry with them an increase risk of rage and rage attacks. There’s also an increased risk of depression, so it’s kind of a double whammy.”
Dads who decide to kill their kids often turn to methods such as smothering because they don’t want the children to suffer, said Bradford.
High death rate lingers behind fun facade of pro wrestling
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-03-12-pro-wrestling_x.htm
Mike "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand died from an enlarged heart caused by high blood pressure at 46. Mike "Crash Holly" Lockwood died from what a medical examiner ruled a suicide at 32. A lethal combination of painkillers was found in his system.
Mike Lozanski died from what his family says was a lung infection at 35. His relatives are awaiting an autopsy report.
All died in the last five months. All were professional wrestlers with bulging muscles on sculpted bodies. The deaths received little notice beyond obituaries in small newspapers and on wrestling Web sites, typical of the fringe status of the $500 million industry.
Yet their deaths underscore the troubling fact that despite some attempts to clean up an industry sold on size, stamina and theatrics, wrestlers die young at a staggering rate. Since 1997, about 1,000 wrestlers 45 and younger have worked on pro wrestling circuits worldwide, wrestling officials estimate.
USA TODAY's examination of medical documents, autopsies and police reports, along with interviews with family members and news accounts, shows that at least 65 wrestlers died in that time, 25 from heart attacks or other coronary problems — an extraordinarily high rate for people that young, medical officials say. Many had enlarged hearts.
Illegal steroid use in professional sports has gained plenty of attention: President Bush in his State of the Union address in January urged athletes and professional sports leagues to stop steroid use, and a federal grand jury has been investigating Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.
However, it is pro wrestling where the problem appears to be the most pervasive and deadly. In five of the 25 deaths, medical examiners concluded that steroids might have played a role. Excessive steroid use can lead to an enlarged heart. In 12 others, examiners in medical reports cited evidence of use of painkillers, cocaine and other drugs.
The widespread use of drugs and the deaths associated with it raise questions about a largely unregulated business that is watched on TV and in arenas by an estimated 20 million fans a week, including children. Those fans will tune in Sunday for the industry's biggest event, WrestleMania XX.
Fifteen current and former wrestlers interviewed by USA TODAY say they willingly bulked up on anabolic steroids, which they call "juice," to look the part and took pain pills so they could perform four to five nights a week despite injuries. Some admit to use of human-growth hormones, a muscle-building compound even more powerful and dangerous than steroids. And many say they used recreational drugs.
"I experienced what we in the profession call the silent scream" of pain, drugs and loneliness, says wrestling legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, 49, who has been in the business more than 30 years. "You're in your hotel room. You're banged up, numb and alone. You don't want to go downstairs to the bar or restaurant. The walls are breathing. You don't want to talk. Panic sets in and you start weeping. It's something all of us go through."
Scott "Raven" Levy, 39, says he used steroids and more than 200 pain pills daily before he kicked the habit a few years ago. "It's part of the job," Levy says. "If you want to be a wrestler, you have to be a big guy, and you have to perform in pain. If you choose to do neither, pick another profession."
The costs are high. Wrestlers have death rates about seven times higher than the general U.S. population, says Keith Pinckard, a medical examiner in Dallas who has followed wrestling fatalities. They are 12 times more likely to die from heart disease than other Americans 25 to 44, he adds. And USA TODAY research shows that wrestlers are about 20 times more likely to die before 45 than are pro football players, another profession that's exceptionally hard on the body.
Some wrestlers bet among themselves on who will die next, says Mike Lano, a former wrestling manager and promoter.
Steroids-ingrained culture
Unlike amateur wrestling, which is a competitive sport in high school and college, pro wrestling combines sports, stunts and storytelling. The results are scripted.
Pro wrestling does not test for performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. Nor are they banned by wrestling organizations as they are in pro football, basketball and baseball.
That is one reason, wrestlers and industry watchers say, that use of steroids and other drugs in pro wrestling has gone largely unchecked. It also has been ingrained in the culture for decades. Several of wrestling's biggest names, including Hulk Hogan and former Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura, years ago acknowledged using bodybuilding drugs.
"There was a joke: If you did not test positive for steroids, you were fired," former wrestler and broadcaster Bruno Sammartino told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1991.
"That's a cop-out," says Vince McMahon, head of wrestling's biggest organization, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). "These guys took steroids because they wanted to.
"Because we are the most visible organization, we get the black eye," adds McMahon, noting that only two of the 65 deceased wrestlers died while working for his company. "It is alarming whenever young people pass away from these insidious causes, but you can't help someone if they don't want to help themselves."
Piper says he lived on a steady diet of muscle builders and painkillers for more than two decades.
The amateur boxer and wrestler left home in Canada at 13. A promoter noticed his "mean streak" and paid him $25 to fight the legendary Larry "The Axe" Hennig in Winnipeg. Piper made a lasting impression with his entrance: Clad in a kilt, he ambled to the ring as his bagpipe band played. Hennig pinned the 15-year-old in 10 seconds, the shortest of Piper's 7,000 matches, but Piper quickly was assigned to shows in Kansas City, Montreal and Texas.
Soon Piper had become one of the industry's best-known villains. By the mid-1980s, he was the foil to Hogan, the WWF's golden boy. Wrestling had become a pop-culture phenomenon. Both moonlighted as movie and TV stars, had their own action figures and hobnobbed with celebrities.
Even so, Piper never forgot what he heard as a penniless teenager. "A promoter said to me, 'If you die, kid, die in the ring. It's good for business.' "
A 'rock god' lifestyle
Despite, or because of, its testosterone-fueled danger, wrestling attracts mostly young men to a circuslike life built on outsized personalities, "ripped" bodies and death-defying stunts. Newcomers dive headfirst into the rough-and-tumble profession. Current and former wrestlers interviewed say they live on the edge and see few career options. Only a handful of stars have more than a high school education. During a typical 15-minute match, combatants exchange choreographed body slams and punches. Some leap from top ropes onto cement surfaces outside the ring.
In more physical "hard-core" matches, wrestlers are smashed through tables, whacked in the head with steel chairs and punctured with barbed wire and tacks. Those antics are not fake. "Wrestling is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll because we have a rock god kind of thing going," Levy says.
Top performers make more than $1 million annually. Millions of youngsters pine to become the next Mick Foley. He parlayed death-defying stunts — he plunged more than 20 feet from steel cages and was frequently bloodied — into a multimillion-dollar wrestling career. He has since written books on wrestling that made the USA TODAY best-seller list.
But for every star, scores of others toil in obscurity at run-down gyms. "Strongman" Johnny Perry, 30, who died of cocaine intoxication in North Carolina in 2002, moonlighted as a repo man. Curtis Parker, 28, accidentally killed in practice in St. Louis in 2002, also worked at a Jack in the Box.
Some, like Hegstrand, fade from being headliners at sold-out football stadiums — as he was in the early and mid-1990s — to performing at high school gyms and armories. For nearly two decades, Hegstrand — a hulking figure with wrecking-ball biceps who died in October — freely admitted he indulged in hard living. Though he didn't specify what he took, he made it clear that pro wrestling was fraught with steroids, pain pills and recreational drugs. Then came the sobering news: Years of excess had created a tear in his heart.
"I'd put just about everything (drugs) in me that was humanly possible during my wrestling career," Hegstrand told wrestling radio talk-show host Lano in April 2003.
Hegstrand spent his last few years barnstorming in wrestler-turned-evangelist Ted DiBiase's "Heart of David Ministry" promotion. When he died, traces of marijuana were found in his body, according to his autopsy report.
Others, like Lozanski, wrestle despite serious injuries. More than 18 months after he took a nasty fall that damaged his lungs during a match, Lozanski traversed North America, wrestling for small promotions. He died unexpectedly in his sleep in December.
"That's the nature of the business," says Chris Lozanski, 31, Mike's brother and a former wrestler. "Mike felt he had to keep working. I left the business because I want to see my 11-month-old son grow up," he says.
Since he could walk, Lockwood wanted to be a wrestler. What the 5-foot-8 Lockwood lacked in height, he made up for in determination and tireless training, his mother, Barbara, says. "Everyone laughed when this kid said he would make it, but he did."
Lockwood won more than 20 titles in the WWE and a cult following from 1998 to 2003.
With fame came sacrifices. Lockwood was in constant pain and began using prescription painkillers 18 months ago. He also gained noticeable bulk and was irritable — two signs of steroid use. But when Barbara asked, her son denied using them.
Lockwood was released from his WWE contract after five years on July 1 because it did not have "further plans for his character," the WWE said in a statement.
He was about to move back to California, where he planned to reunite with his high school sweetheart and their 7-year-old daughter. He planned to perform in Japan and train young wrestlers. "He was on his way home, but he didn't make it," Barbara says. Lockwood died in November in Florida. He was 32. A medical examiner ruled it a suicide from an overdose of painkillers. But Barbara thinks it was an accident. "Mike had too much to live for," she says.
Wrestling on trial
When anabolic steroids were cast as a controlled substance in 1991, federal law made purchases and possession of them illegal except for medical purposes. Two grand jury investigations shortly thereafter resulted in admissions of steroid abuse by a handful of big wrestling names and the 1991 conviction of a urologist, George Zahorian of Harrisburg, Pa.
He was convicted of 12 counts of selling steroids and painkillers to a body builder and several WWF performers, including Piper (whose real name is Roderick Toombs) and Hogan (Terry Bollea).
"The doctor had shopping bags with our names on them that were filled with steroids and prescription drugs," Piper says.
Shortly thereafter McMahon was indicted. But he was acquitted of charges of conspiring to distribute steroids to wrestlers.
The probes led to stringent drug testing in the WWF, but only for a few years. A few stars were suspended for flunking tests. By late 1996 the program was scrapped because of the expense — and other wrestling organizations didn't test or were lax in enforcement, the WWF said at the time.
Jerry McDevitt, the outside legal counsel for McMahon's wrestling organization, contends testing "just doesn't work" because wrestlers can fake urine tests or use designer steroids that are undetectable. "Anybody who wants to beat it can beat it. The only ones who are caught are stupid," he says.
Last year, the WWE — the WWF changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment after a copyright dispute with the World Wildlife Fund in 2002 — let go star performer Jeff Hardy for refusing to undergo drug rehab treatment. Within weeks, several wrestling organizations lined up to hire him.
Major promoters say the industry has moved on from its "Wild, Wild West" days of the late 1980s.
Young wrestlers take better care of themselves. "The new guys play PlayStation in their hotel rooms," wrestler Sean Waltman, 31, says.
WWE, the largest wrestling organization in North America with 125 wrestlers, says it tests for recreational drugs if there is probable cause. If a wrestler refuses rehab, he is booted. It has cut weekly performances to three or four, down from about five in the mid-1990s. And it has improved training techniques to minimize injuries.
"Steroids and painkillers (aren't) a professional choice but a lifestyle," says WWE wrestler John Cena, 26, who at 6-1 and 240 pounds is the size he was when he played college football. "I've learned to play in pain. If it's a serious enough injury, I take time off."
McMahon says he requires only that his wrestlers are in shape, not that they're "the size of monsters," as many were in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. "We're not looking for bodybuilders," he says.
The No. 2 wrestling employer, NWA-TNA, is considering mandatory drug testing. In November it began offering medical coverage for injuries inside and outside the ring to its 35 contracted wrestlers — the first time a pro wrestling organization has done so. It is considering medical and dental coverage.
But such reforms help only those wrestling for the top two organizations, leaving hundreds of wrestlers largely working under the same conditions as years ago.
Not much has changed on the regulatory front, either. Attempts by wrestlers to unionize have flopped. They have no player associations, as do football, basketball and baseball players.
In most states, oversight of pro wrestling is left to local athletic commissions. They usually have lenient prematch requirements. In New York, for example, performers are subject to little more than a blood-pressure test.
"No one is standing up. Either they don't know what's going on or they're terrified of being blacklisted," says wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, echoing the sentiment of others.
For now the only one standing up seems to be Piper. He says he forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential earnings because his outspokenness about rampant steroid and drug use got him fired from the WWE in June.
The WWE denies Piper's allegations. It says the two were unable to negotiate a contract.
Piper doesn't allow any of his four children to watch wrestling — or harbor dreams of being a wrestler. He is sober, living on a 12 1/2-acre spread near Portland, Ore. He is hardly down on his luck. He's been in 26 movies, such as They Live, and TV's The Love Boat and The Mullets since 1978. He has agreed to appear in the movie Fish in a Barrel with Burt Reynolds.
Yet he clings to hopes of another big payday in wrestling. He suggests he and McMahon take their feud over Piper's dismissal to the airwaves.
"It would be great reality TV: two strong personalities going at it over a topical issue," he says, wistfully. "Maybe we could save lives in the process."
Benoit tragedy not the only one
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6964262
Professional wrestling is fake.
The carnage it has left in its wake is not.
Add Chris Benoit to the long list of freakishly muscled carnival attractions for whom a pro wrestling career ended tragically.
Toxicology results are pending and Benoit may well have been battling deeper, more primal personal demons when he reportedly killed his wife and son before taking his own life, but only the most naïve observer could ignore the overwhelming evidence that most wrestlers who look like Benoit have undergone countless cycles of chemical enhancement.
The prescription anabolic steroids found at Benoit's home have long been known to contribute to paranoia, depression and the violent outbursts we've come to know as "roid rage." Couple that with the near-compulsory painkillers a wrestler must take to do his job effectively after enduring countless body slams and you have a cocktail for massive, mind-altering mood swings.
The Benoit story is the latest and most tragic installment in an ongoing saga that the men who get rich promoting professional wrestling would prefer their fans didn't know too much about.
Vince McMahon wants you to think about the stars of today and tomorrow, not the cemetery of steroid-fueled bodies his "sport" has helped put in the ground. But on the grim occasion of the deaths of Nancy and Daniel and Chris Benoit, let's remember some of the other pro wrestlers who died before their time.
Ravishing Rick Rude — Died at 40 of an apparent heart attack in 1999, a bottle of prescription pills for his bad back at his side. The autopsy report said he died of "mixed medications." Rude was an admitted user of anabolic steroids.
Louis Mucciolo, a.k.a, Louie Spicolli — Died in 1998 at age 27 when he suffocated on his own vomit after ingesting massive amounts of Soma and alcohol. Investigators also found an empty vial of testosterone, pain pills and an anti-anxiety drug at the scene.
Brian Pillman — An admitted user of steroids, he died of a heart attack at age 35 in 1997 on the morning of WWF's In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view event.
Rick "the Renegade" Williams — Died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 33 after being released from his World Championship Wrestling contract in 1999.
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig — Found dead of a cocaine overdose at age 44 in his motel room on April 10, 2003, the morning of a match. Hennig's father maintained that steroids and painkillers contributed to his death.
Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i — Died of a heart attack in 2002 at 34.
Davey Boy Smith, "The British Bulldog" — Died of a heart attack at age 39 on May 17, 2002. An autopsy report indicated that past steroid use had likely played a part in his death.
Michael "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand — An admitted steroid user, he died of a heart attack at age 46 in 2003.
Michael Lockwood, "Crash Holly" — In 2003, at the age of 32, he choked to death on his own vomit after ingesting 90 painkiller pills.
Jerry Tuite, "The Wall" a.k.a. "Malice" — Died at age 36 in 2003 of an apparent heart attack in his hotel room.
Raymond "Hercules" Hernandez — Dead of heart failure in 2004 at age 47.
Ray "The Big Boss Man" Traylor — Found dead of a heart attack in 2004 at age 42.
Eddie Guerrero — After a long battle with painkillers, he was found dead of a heart attack by his nephew in his hotel room at age 38. The first person his nephew reportedly called was Guerrero's best friend, Chris Benoit.
Chris Candido — Died in 2005 at age 33 from a blood clot after breaking his tibia and fibula and dislocating his ankle in a pay-per-view event.
Owen Hart — Fell to his death at age 34 in 1999 when the rigging that was lowering him into the ring malfunctioned.
And then there's the story of the Von Erich wrestling family.
Wrestling patriarch Fritz Von Erich, nee Jack Adkisson, had five wrestling sons: Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.
David died in a hotel room in Tokyo at the age of 25 in 1984 just as he was embarking on a three-week pro wrestling tour of Japan. The official cause of death was acute enteritis, severe inflammation of the intestines.
Three years later, Mike committed suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer Placidyl at the age of 23. After David's death, Mike had suffered a series of setbacks including a serious shoulder injury that had left him severely depressed.
Devastated by the deaths of his older brothers and frustrated by his own limitations as a wrestler, the youngest and smallest brother, Chris, shot himself to death at the age of 21 in 1991.
Two years later, Kerry, who had battled a long addiction to painkillers, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 33, leaving eldest brother Kevin as the only survivor of the sport that had defined his family.
And now Chris Benoit, his wife and son have been added to the long, unbearably sad list of victims claimed, in part, by the brutal chemical calculus that is professional wrestling.
There is no arguing that the physical capabilities of these massive men can provide awesome theater. When Hulk Hogan lifted the 500-pound Andre the Giant and dropped him to the canvas, it was legitimately hugely thrilling.
But keep in mind there is a price these impossibly engorged specimens are paying for your entertainment.
And the price for many of them is their very lives.
More to the point, the paper's research indicated that pro wrestlers were 20 times more likely to die by age 45 than pro football players.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/03/22/SPGIROPMDM1.DTL
Go ahead: Chuckle knowingly about the reports that 11 pro wrestlers have been linked to a nationwide steroids investigation. Borrow the Claude Rains line from "Casablanca" at will. You're shocked, shocked to find ...
But after the punch lines, let's go to a critical bottom line: Pro wrestling has a disturbingly high mortality rate, and it offers an ugly glimpse of the future in sports, particularly if the laissez-faire camp manages to recast steroid use as a personal choice rather than a crime.
Three years ago, not long after the first indictments were handed up in the BALCO case, USA Today ran an exceptionally thoughtful article about the hazards in pro wrestling. The paper found that 1,000 men younger than 46 had participated in pro wrestling over a seven-year period and that at least 65 of them had died in that time, 25 from some type of coronary disease. The story chronicled widespread steroid use in the ring, plus extensive use of painkillers.
Bear in mind, the story didn't measure wrestlers who retired and died at 55, and it specified that 65 deaths -- 6.5 percent of the measured group -- far exceeded the numbers in the general population. More to the point, the paper's research indicated that pro wrestlers were 20 times more likely to die by age 45 than pro football players.
At least, that was the case between 1997 and 2004. Who knows what the numbers will say in 10 years? Football might catch up, especially as more people look apathetically on efforts to halt, or even reveal, the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Eventually, baseball and the Olympics might catch up, too, once the purists are shouted down and the record book is so polluted that it seems pointless to fight doping.
Already, we have pundits saying they don't care, so nobody else does, either. Then there are the geniuses who argue that we should permit doping, as long as the dosages aren't dangerously high. How exactly would that monitoring work? Athletes routinely evade positive tests with an array of masking methods. Now, scientists are supposed to determine not only the presence of drugs, but the quantity as well?
As an alternative, let's cut the Claude Rains act and demand nationally televised Congressional hearings into drug use in pro wrestling (and while we're at it, bodybuilding). If nothing else, these athletes/performers would be a lot more honest about the dirty side of their craft than the baseball players were. Wrestlers routinely out themselves as dopers.
Granted, pro wrestling offers less genuine competition than an episode of "Survivor," which makes it easier to confess. But if the inquiries on steroids are really based on public-health concerns, and not merely the legitimacy of hallowed records and the tender boyhood fantasies of middle-aged legislators, then Rowdy Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan should go to Capitol Hill.
They and their colleagues are the canaries in the mine. Overlooking their cautionary tales, and the statistics cited in USA Today, is an unscrupulous form of denial.
The same holds for extreme bodybuilding, which has gone from freak show to uber-freak show in the last 30 years. Check out pictures from Arnold Schwarzenegger's prime. The bodies are bizarrely overdeveloped, but they look healthy compared with today's versions, which include biceps that resemble exploding relief maps. Steroids were prominent back in the '70s, so what is going on now?
And what will be going on 30 years from now in baseball? Will 300-pounders proliferate, as they have in the NFL? We've been told that steroids were common in football in the '70s, and yet, even after drug testing entered the picture, the players kept growing. They're still getting bigger, faster, scarier. It must be the Pilates and nutritional supplements.
They're becoming uber-freaks, but at least they're not dying at a clip of 6.5 percent before they turn 50. Not yet.
They're real athletes, not entertainers like the wrestlers. But when Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman tested positive last fall, the standard response wasn't a mournful "Say it ain't so." The line from "Casablanca" worked then, too.
Authorities say Benoit killed wife, child and hanged himself
Chris Benoit Death and "Roid Rage"
Police officials speak on the death of Chris Benoit
Tribute to Wrestlers that have died
Pro Wrestling's Hold On America
![Brotherhood" (2006) [TV-Series]](http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1421/379621144723082/211/z/425926/gse_multipart33129.jpg)
1 comment:
It's just so very sad...my sympathies go to members of their families who not only have to cope with their own grief but sensationalist media reporting as well. May they all find peace. http://wwemania17.blogspot.com.
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