Wrestler Chris Benoit, wife and child dead

[Gold Trumpet]

I may be the only professional wrestling fan here. When I talked about it before, it felt that way. All I know is that this is a sad day because one of the best ever, Chris Benoit, is now dead. The police are investigating the death of him and his entire family. Their suspicision is that he killed them and then himself.


FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, and son were found dead Monday and police said they were investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
 
Detective Bo Turner told television station WAGA that the case was being treated as a murder-suicide, but said that couldn't be confirmed until evidence was examined by a crime lab.

The station said that investigators believe the 40-year-old Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and 7-year-old son, Daniel, over the weekend, then himself on Monday. A neighbor called police, and the bodies were found in three rooms.

Lead investigator Lt. Tommy Pope, of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, told The Associated Press the deaths were being investigated as homicide, and that the causes of death awaited autopsy results on Tuesday. Pope said the bodies were discovered about 2:30 p.m., but refused to release details.

The house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and a double-iron gate. On Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, along with two uniformed officers.

Benoit was a former world heavyweight and Intercontinental champion. He also held several tag-team titles during his career.

"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the federation said in a statement on its Web site.

Benoit was scheduled to perform at the "Vengeance" pay-per-view event Sunday night in Houston, but was replaced at the last minute because of what announcer Jim Ross called "personal reasons."

The native of Canada maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling.

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."

I don't know what to say. Reports say no evidence of gun play was found and other reports are implying carbon monoxide could have been at work, but the authorities are sticking to their story that the wife and son died on Sunday and he killed himself on Monday.

I'll be honest, he was one of my wrestling heroes. I've had little reason to follow all the storylines in wrestling these days but I've kept up with what he has been doing. He was finally moving to the ECW brand so they'd use him more effectively. He has been wrestling piss poor competitors for years and he finally was going to get better quality matches to work with.

I know a lot of people think wrestling is silly. I do too, but there is an art to the wrestling. The storytelling the wrestlers are able to do in the ring can be great. Most wrestlers are bad, but Benoit and a few others were masters. he was perfect with his moves and perfect in selling opponent's moves. In Japan, where wrestling is more serious and not inundated with bad storylines, Chris Benoit was a legend. When he performed there they always gave him the title belt and refused to allow anyone to beat him. No Western wrestler ever got such respect.

And from all reports, he was a gentleman. Everyone said he was honest and gracious. Always friendly to fans. He was also a big proponent of respect. Years ago, a new wrestler disrespected Shawn Michaels and Christ Benoit made him do a 1,000 crunches. Not forcing the kid to do it alone, Benoit did it with him to show toughness and endurance. Benoit came out fine but the next day the new guy could barely walk so Benoit made him do 500 more.

I think the sad fact about wrestling is that it is a grueling business. Drug abuse has lead to physical and emotional scarring. Too many good wrestlers are dying too young. It reminds me about the current issue in professional football about how retired players are trying to get health benefits to help them deal with bouts of depression and other things. The abuse isn't just physical.

Many wrestlers always talk about the pressure of the business. Gone almost all of the year, you are asked to be everything to both the business and your family when it's impossible. Some retired wrestlers are already saying Benoit gave into the pressure and cracked. I hope further evidence shows more in the Carbon Monoxide ideas, but if it doesnt, such a shame a man like this ended up going out this way.

I've been a fan of him for years and still will be a fan. His DVD is the only wrestling dvd besides the Undertakers' I really do care to own. I'll miss him. 

[The Red Vine]

Sorry for your loss, GT. 

[Pubrick]

never heard of him. at first i thought something had happened to pas! 

seriously though, this is worse than phil hartman cos the dude himself is apparently the perpetrator and he took out a kid. damn.

[squints]

i remember the ol' days with the WCW i used to love this guy. now he kills his family. wow.

[The Sheriff]

maybe they were evil, and had to be stopped

[Christian]

maybe they were evil, and had to be stopped

that made my day.

[Pas]

hahahahaha Pubrick !!! So funny because my close friends actually call me Chris Benoit as an old inside joke (I had written a letter to the WCW show (the french dubbed version) and the guys read it LIVE haha and it was like : ''Chris Benoit needs more ring time. Thank you, Pierre-Benoit'')

Yeah that is fuckin sad. He is a legend here in Canada, he even has his day in Alberta, April 25 I think haha

[MacGuffin]

Steroids found in pro wrestler's body

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had a steroid and other drugs in his system when he killed his wife and young son last month and hanged himself in the family's home, investigators said Tuesday.

Benoit's body contained 10 times the normal level of testosterone, as well as amounts of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone, authorities said.

The testosterone, a synthetic version of the primary male sex hormone, is considered an anabolic steroid. The state's top medical examiner said it appeared to have been injected shortly before Benoit died.

Dr. Kris Sperry said there was no evidence of any other steroids in the wrestler's body, and nothing to show that steroids played a role in the death of Nancy and Daniel Benoit. He also said the boy appeared to have been sedated when he was asphyxiated, and Benoit's wife had a "therapeutic" level of sedatives in her body.

Sperry said there is no consensus that the use of testosterone can contribute to paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

"This a question that basically no one knows the answer to," Sperry said. "There is conflicting scientific data as to whether or not testosterone creates mental disorders or leads to outbursts of rage," he said. "There's data that suggests it and other data that refute it."

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Chris Benoit tested negative for alcohol. Investigators had been eager to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the killings after 10 empty beer cans were found in the home, as well as an empty wine bottle a few feet from where Benoit hanged himself.

Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine. After the slayings, prescription anabolic steroids were found in the family's home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings.

Benoit's wife, Nancy, tested positive for Xanax, hydrocodone and the painkiller hydromorphone. Daniel Benoit had Xanax in his system, authorities said. The GBI said it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on the boy because of a lack of urine.

Nancy Benoit's body had a blood-alcohol level of 0.184 percent, more than twice the level at which Georgia law considers a driver intoxicated. But, Sperry said, that level may have been affected by decomposition.

Federal authorities have charged Chris Benoit's personal physician, Dr. Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators have also raided Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other documents.

Before he was charged, Astin told the AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his wife.

World Wrestling Entertainment last screened Benoit for steroids in April. It said the results released Tuesday were proof Benoit did not test positive for illegal substances.

"All it means is that scientifically, it's now known that sometime between April 10 and when he died, he had treatment with testosterone," said Jerry McDevitt, a WWE attorney. "That's all it establishes."

[MacGuffin]

WWE's Crush Found Dead

Professional wrestling has been dealt another unexpected blow.

Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Brian "Crush" Adams was found dead Monday in his Florida home, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Adams' wife called 911 after discovering her husband in bed unconscious and not breathing, but paramedics were unable to revive the 43-year-old World Tag Team champ, who retired from competitive wrestling in 2003 after suffering a spinal injury.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the cause of death and authorities and an investigation is underway. The police's incident report states that there were no visible injuries on Adams' body.

"I'm still in a state of shock right now," Ron Simmons, a retired pro and current WWE Raw personality, said in a posting on WWE.com. "He and I go way back and have worked together for years. He was a very good friend of mine. I still don't want to believe it. I'm just saddened by it and I just want to wish his family well."

Adams, who rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the famed Demolition trio, left the WWE in 2001 to try his fists at boxing, but returned to wrestling after a shoulder injury forced him out of the ring before his first professional fight.

The WrestleMania vet's death comes barely a month and a half after WWE superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife and child in their Georgia home and then hanged himself.

A subsequent autopsy showed an elevated level of testosterone in Benoit's body, which indicated he had been injecting steroids before his death, but there was no sign that he had been abusing them to the extent that would have caused so-called 'roid rage.

Meanwhile, Benoit's personal doctor has asked a judge to throw out evidence taken from his office after the wrestler died, saying that investigators overstepped their boundaries by seizing a handful of patients' medical records, three years of bank records and two computers.

Dr. Phil Astin, who said that he prescribed testosterone for Benoit in the past, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit, and his attorney said that he expects more charges to be filed soon.

[Gold Trumpet]

He's not too much of a surprise. He was a large guy who depended on strength over athleticism. Of course he never was any good, but I saw Nancy Grace devoted a segment to his death so wrestling deaths are becoming mainstream news. It's a sign that something might be done about the wrestling culture.

[Reinhold]

He's not too much of a surprise. He was a large guy who depended on strength over athleticism. Of course he never was any good, but I saw Nancy Grace devoted a segment to his death so wrestling deaths are becoming mainstream news. It's a sign that something might be done about the wrestling culture.

something like what?

[Gold Trumpet]

He's not too much of a surprise. He was a large guy who depended on strength over athleticism. Of course he never was any good, but I saw Nancy Grace devoted a segment to his death so wrestling deaths are becoming mainstream news. It's a sign that something might be done about the wrestling culture.

something like what?

Congressional involvement that places regulations on drug testing that would be stricter and outside the control of the WWE. They maintain they have no control over current policies, but they have loopholes that allow athletes to get past drug testing. Benoit likely tested positive for steroids back in April but because he had a doctor note excusing it he was allowed to wrestle on. Any wrestler can find a crackpot doctor.

Also wrestling federations need unions. Wrestlers work just about everyday of the year and work through severe cases of pain and injury. Recently a wrestler tore his bicep but had to do one final match so he could lose his title without forfeit. WWE didn't want the World Championship to just be given to someone else so they had the champion wrestle one last match with his entire arm wrapped in large amounts of tape. It looked ridiculous and was obvious to everyone why the match was being done. A few years ago, a wrestler worked a match when he had a legitimate broken neck. People talk about it for bragging rights but it's insane he did that match.

Wrestlers have few rights and the business is driving wrestlers to take severe actions like depend on steroids and painkillers to just make it through each week. Regulations need to be around to allow wrestlers basic rights. So many people want to work for WWE that none of them are willing to jeopardize their job by fighting for this. Congressional involvement could do this.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Are we still talking about this?

[Gold Trumpet]

Are we still talking about this?

Another wrestler died. It's a big subject. Maybe on this board it's not worth the value of Brett Ratner saying something stupid. But the topic has some meaning and is making news.