Other Columns
The Benoit Tragedy's Real Issue
By Adam Wilcox
Jul 7, 2007 - 4:42 PM

  As the wrestling world begins to recover from what is likely the most tragic incident in the history of the industry, questions continue to abound as to what could have possibly caused Chris Benoit, one of the world's most respected wrestlers, to murder his wife Nancy and seven-year-old son Daniel.

    Obviously, we have all been exposed to a flood of speculation and opinion from countless sources (some more credible than others) regarding possible explanations for the killings, the most prevalent being psychosis caused by steroid and prescription drug abuse. Other theories have surfaced also, including the side effects of head trauma due to the physicality of the wrestling business, as well as stories of personal stress that may have pushed Chris Benoit over the edge.

    I wish I could accept one or all of these explanations as plausible causes for the Benoit tragedies. Such factors would suggest that Chris wasn't a bad person, but rather the victim of the rigors of his profession, or a good man driven insane due to problems at home and the loss of his best friend.

    I'd like to believe those things ... but I can't.

    As hard as this is to say, I truly feel that Chris Benoit was an evil man who somehow managed to conceal his dark side from those in his professional life. I simply cannot accept that someone capable of murdering a seven-year-old child - much less their own child - could in any way exist as a genuinely good person.

    "'Roid rage" has shouldered the majority of the blame for Benoit's mental breakdown due to the discovery of anabolic steroids in his home. Considering that Benoit was a professional wrestler, I fail to see the story in such a finding, as the use of steroids in the industry is hardly a secret (even to those unaware of just how prominent the problem is).

    It troubles me how society seemingly accepts and legitimizes the simplest possible answers to tragic situations. A high school student goes on a shooting spree after watching an action movie? Must have been the film - let's ban it. A depressed teenager kills themself after listening to a band whose lyrics preach suicide and pain? Outlaw the music - that'll solve the problem.

    The truth is that neither of those things will accomplish anything. As a matter of fact, by failing to address the real issue (that the people involved in these types of situations are seriously troubled to begin with), we as a society are living in denial and actually thwarting our own attempts to understand and prevent such tragedies from occurring.

    Similar logic can be applied to the Chris Benoit case (although I feel there is a great difference between evil and mental illness). By placing the blame for the murders on drugs or head injuries, we are attempting to simplify a complicated situation rather than trying to understand what could possess a man to commit such heinous crimes.

    Is it possible that some of type of brain damage caused by head injuries or prolonged use of steroids and prescription drugs could have "triggered" Chris Benoit and led to the murders? Certainly it is. But I do not believe a person is capable of the horrendous acts Benoit perpetrated unless there is evil inside of them to begin with. Besides, as we all know, the abuse of these substances is a major problem for performers in the business. If they were to blame for the deaths, such trage dies would be commonplace within the world of professional wrestling. But are they? Of course not.

    Regarding the question of Chris Benoit's sanity, there is no doubt in my mind that Benoit was indeed insane at the time of the killings. However, millions of people worldwide suffer from psychological disorders and many of them are in no way a threat to the safety of others (at least not consciously). Even when a person briefly loses control of themselves and "snaps," they generally possess enough mental awareness not to act out in a murderous fashion - again, unless there is already e vil present within the individual.

    Benoit's actions do not suggest to me that he was a man who went on a violent rampage that resulted in the deaths of his wife and son. Evidence in the case points to each death having taken place at least one day apart, which says that Benoit not only had plenty of time to consider his options, but that he also remained in the house containing the bodies of his murdered family for a considerable period of time. Add this to the fact that Benoit placed a bible near both Nancy and Daniel, and I have trouble believing that this was someone who momentarily lost his mind and ended the lives of his wife and child. To me, the crimes appear to be cold, deliberate, and (in the case of Daniel at least) premeditated.

    I have high hopes that the Benoit family tragedy will at the very least produce some positive changes within professional wrestling, such as industry unionization or federal regulation of the business. Although I may disagree with many of the theories being offered in regard to what drove Chris Benoit to do what he did, if dissecting and analyzing these issues leads to a safer and healthier work environment for the men and women who sacrifice so much for our entertainment, then I feel a greater good has been accomplished.

    Please understand that it is not my intention to offend anyone with the viewpoints contained in this article, and I apologize if I have done so. Chris Benoit has long been one of my favorite wrestlers and I consider him to be one of the top ten workers of all-time. As someone who has loved professional wrestling for almost twenty years, the events of Monday, June 25, 2007 had - and always will have - a tremendous effect on me. It is a date I will never forget.

    Perhaps we need to take a closer look at not only the Chris Benoit incident, but at all the pain and tragedy taking place in society. Unfortunately, you won't have to look far. But it's important that we try to understand the real reasons as to why these things happen. And although this is a wrestling website, this issue transcends professional wrestling.

    Head trauma ... "'roid rage" ... drug abuse ... psychosis ... I wish it were that easy to explain. But if it was, I think our world would be in much better shape, don't you?

    Perhaps there is something deeper and darker at work here, something inside certain souls that nobody on this Earth can completely understand.

    The real issue - evil.