There are moments in history where we all stop and wonder if we really saw or heard that, and as far as a This Day in Wrestling History moment, this one nearly killed professional wrestling.
There’s been tons of articles, specials, and opinions on what happened to Chris Benoit to push him over the edge to murder his family and then take his own life.
Many blame CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), steroids, and drugs while being mindful that he’s still responsible for what he did whether he was in his right mind or not.
The same goes for his wrestling career. Many still love him for what he accomplished in the ring, yet hate him for what he did on those final days.
It’s a huge story that has helped to bring light to CTE and helped many deal with the problems they’re having, but the treatment still has a ways to go to truly helping.
An important point of view
We’ll never know exactly why he did what he did, but we can all agree he was having huge problems on various levels, and Nancy Benoit’s sister explained her thoughts on it.
Special thanks to @wrestlinghistorian for the transcript.
“My sister’s death was a direct consequence of ‘Roid Rage’. He was completely lost. The Chris Benoit I had known for a decade loved my sister so much that never, even in the worst highlight episode, did such harm to my sister. I think she was totally in the dark.
“I also think that when he came out of it and realized what he had done and measured himself even more and drank, wondered how he was going to explain this to Daniel. The pain probably made him feel so sick, he didn’t want to live anymore. I can understand killing himself, especially knowing that he would be sentenced to death if he were tried and found guilty of the murder of my sister.
“However, I can’t give a reason why Chris killed Daniel.
“I cannot have children and my sister and Chris always made me feel better about this fact, sharing much of my nephew’s life with me. I was very, very close to Daniel. Chris knew that I had cared for and loved that child with everything I had. He had been with Megan and David in his life, so he knew about all of this.
“Yes, my brother-in-law had a concussion, he hit his head for a living and I understand that. But beyond that, he had a very serious problem with drugs and steroids. Unfortunately, many of the athletes continue to do so today. It is a spiral out of control.
“The doctor told us after the autopsy, that Chris was on his way to death within about 10 months. His heart was huge, about 3 times the normal size, and he was ready to explode at any moment. Chris could never have done what he did if it had not been for steroids and prescription drugs.” – Sandra Toffoloni, The 2 Count interview June 27, 2013.
In the end, we all take from this what we see or feel and make peace with it the best we can. When it come to This Day in Wrestling History, is there really anything to say that hasn’t been?
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