The Chris Benoit Tragedy: Two Years Later

It’s hard to believe that it has already been two years since the professional wrestling world got more mainstream attention than it could have ever dreamed (or wanted).

I like to look back at wrestling history, as it is one of my favorite things to write about. Usually, I look back at events from years gone by, and I look back at them with a sense of fondness.

I like to look back at events that helped to shape wrestling history. I look back at things with fondness, but now two years later, I can only look back in despair.

Today, I look back at the tragedy of Chris Benoit and the horrific double-murder and suicide that happened the weekend of June 22-25, 2007.

The battle still wages on between wrestling fans on whether Benoit should be recognized for his in-ring success as a professional or whether he should be stricken completely from history.

Frankly, I’m on the fence.

I think it is asinine to completely erase him from wrestling history as other “famous” murderers are still remembered for his or her past work.

Whether I like to admit, he is a part of wrestling history, for better or worse and may have come close to matching Hulk Hogan, The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin in wrestling notoriety.

But on the other hand, I don’t think I will be able to sit down and just watch a Benoit match just for the enjoyment of it ever again. It just seems so trivial, more so than wrestling already is in the long run.

My Hard Knocks Benoit documentary, produced by WWE in 2004, has now become a collector’s item.

Benoit’s World Championship victory over Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the triple threat main event at WrestleMania XX, which was heralded as one of the best wrestling matches in modern history, will carry an asterisk next to it for some time to come.

It is hard to believe that it has been two years already since all that drama has unfolded.

Benoit has become a punchline in the media while remaining non-existent within WWE canon while crusades against drugs and steroids in wrestling and sports in general still have led to no tangible results.

Former WWE talent Christopher Nowinski has spearheaded the Sports Legacy Institute to raise awareness of head injuries in all forms of athletics. But still, chair shots remain and professional wrestling chugs along, business as usual.

The actions of that weekend still remain fresh in everyones' minds, and only time will tell how this tragedy is shaped through history’s eyes.

For more on Benoit, check out this piece.