Professional wrestler Chris Benoit was found dead Monday afternoon in his Georgia home, along with his wife and young son. On Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officials revealed that it was ruled a murder-suicide, with the 40-year-old Benoit killing his family before hanging himself.
The tragedy unfolded after
WWE officials became suspicious that Chris Benoit missed two scheduled appearances over the weekend, including the pay-per-view event “Vengeance” where he was set to compete for the WWE Championship. Officials notified the police and asked them to check up, at which time they discovered the three dead bodies.
According to authorities, Benoit strangled his wife Nancy, who he met when she managed several other wrestlers, and suffocated his 7-year-old son Daniel. They then ruled that he went to his weight room and hung himself.
The tragedy comes in the middle of an ongoing wrestling plotline surrounding the mysterious “death” of WWE president Vince MacMahon. That story was obviously cut short, as MacMahon introduced a special three-hour remembrance of Benoit airing Monday night on USA in place of the usual episode of Monday Night Raw.
This is the third death of an active WWE wrestler in the last eight years. In 1999, Owen Hart fell to his death during an aerial stunt at a pay-per-view event. Hart and Benoit, both Canadians, trained together in the Hart Dungeon, an iconic location in the world of professional wrestling, under the tutelage of Owen’s father, Stu Hart.
In 2005, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room from heart failure. In another tie to Benoit, the two were good friends frequent tag team partners, and Benoit was one of the first notified of Guerrero’s death.
In a statement released on its website, the WWE said it “extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy.” As of this time, there is no word on how this will affect the show’s storylines for the immediate future.
Monday’s show featured comments from colleagues as well as highlights from Chris Benoit’s professional career. The WWE also airs
Friday Night Smackdown on the CW, Fridays at 8 p.m.
A toxicology report is pending and it may take several weeks to determine if steroids or other drugs were involved. Officials are not disclosing details surrounding the contents of the house at this time.
John Kubicek, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: CNN.com and WWE.com
Photo courtesy of CNN.com