Hall of Justice No. 6: Deadman, Chris Benoit, and Future Leaders

3) Two years have passed since the horrific events that transpired with Chris Benoit. Should Benoit be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?

Dub: "I know it was not your intent to set me off with this question, I promise no overly foul language, other than that I will be quite blunt. The short answer is HELL NO!

Speaking of Hell, I hope it is hot enough for that murdering cowardly monster down there. I have heard all of the, 'Oh, we should remember Chris Benoit, the wrestler; Oh, it was 'Roid Rage.' None of that will ever excuse what he did.

I fully support him being erased from the pages of wrestling history. Maybe if some idiot makes a murderer's hall of fame, he can get in there. How can you take the life of your own child? It makes me sick, it makes me even sicker to think I was sad when I first heard of his death.

He killed his wife and young son, then took the coward's way out. I can only hope the torture he is receiving in Hell is worse than anything I could ever think to do to him. This one incident, for me, erases everything he ever accomplished in the world of wrestling. He deserves nothing more than to be erased and forgotten."

Nefatiri: "For the record, I don't think any athlete should be penalized for things that happen in their personal life. Media or not, it's not anyone else's business. Therefore, yes, I think he should be inducted into the HoF.

It was a sad thing that happened but it doesn't erase his legacy. The man was one of the finest technical wrestlers in the WWE; second only to Kurt Angle. He's had several great matches and fans will never forget them. You cannot just pretend like they never happened and you certainly cannot act like he never existed.

The media could never understand why a man like Benoit meant so much to his fans and I say, 'screw them.' It shouldn't matter what CNN thinks. All that matters is what we think. We had a connection with Benoit that only wrestling fans can understand.

We don't connect with the superstars because of what goes on in their personal lives. We connect with them each time they step in the ring wrestling and telling a story that we will remember forever. Benoit did this, and as a result, earned himself a spot in the HoF. He should get it.

I'm sure some people will disagree, but I'm looking at it like this: Every one of his co-workers said Benoit was a very private person but he was also well-liked. He kept his private life private and who could blame him? Everybody has problems and maybe Benoit just didn't know how to deal with his issues. A lot of people are like that.

The thing is, tragedies like the Benoit case happen everyday but because he was a wrestler and TV star, the media ate it up. If Benoit would have been just some regular Joe it would have been looked at as just another day in the USA.

My point is, I know what he did was horrible and I'm not trying to make excuses for him. But the media acts like it was Vince McMahon's fault that Benoit snapped, which is not true.

Benoit worked for Vince but that doesn't mean Vince was responsible for him 24/7. I think Vince should shake it off and do what's right by remembering the Benoit we all knew, and not letting the Benoit we didn't, reflect how he runs his company."

Kevin: "If every athlete was inducted into the hall of Fames of their respective sports based on talent alone, then few individuals would be more deserving of a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame than Chris Benoit.

As it is, the double murder-suicide will always linger over the legacy of Chris Benoit. I personally feel that "The Crippler" Chris Benoit should be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a wrestler.

I am aware, however, that the chances of this are highly unlikely. In the two years since Benoit's death, the WWE has made no mention of Benoit, and often disassociate themselves with Benoit, taking actions such as editing out parts of WCW Nitro on WWE 24/7 where Benoit is included.

The WWE already has a sketchy public image, and the Benoit tragedy only saw to increase that. With that said, although his accomplishments in the ring prove that he is more than deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame, the horrific events that occurred two years ago will prevent Chris Benoit from being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame."

Moderator: "Thank you three for taking part in today's discussion. We have concluded another episode of Enter the Hall of Justice. We hope to see you next time."

Shane Howard is a member of the Hit The Ropes Radio Show team. Tune in to HTR this and every Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Be sure to add HTR's Web site to your favorites, YouTube us, add us on Myspace, follow us on Twitter, and join the Facebook group. Be sure to check out HTR this week as we welcome Elijah Burke. 

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