Don't Let Sid Near The Scissors- Wrestling Thread

[Reply #160 on:]

dude this is one of the sadder things to see. i mean how can you kill your own child or wife this just really messed me up today

[Reply #161 on:]

That is sad and terrible. I have been reading the news about it,

[Reply #162 on:]

Aye. Same here.

[Reply #163 on:]

The Benoit murder/suicide story gets stranger...

The bodies of the wife and son had closed Bibles next to them.

I just heard a report on ESPN that the son was being given injections of Human Growth Hormone.

In an interview with ESPN.com on Tuesday, Ballard indicated that the boy had needle marks in his arms. The district attorney said he believed that the boy had been given growth hormones for some time because the family considered him undersized.

source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2917133


This is just unreal.

Chris killed Nancy late Friday or early Saturday, then the son the next day.  He sat with the two dead people for a day before killing himself.

I did meet Nancy in the very early days of her career in Florida (early 1980's).  She was Kevin Sullivan's rat before Sullivan married her.  It was rumored that he use to 'rent her out' to the boys.  I do know that Sullivan was a legit Devil Worshipper.  That may have been a reason that Chris placed the Bibles next to the bodies.

Still, what goes through somebody's mind to do such horrible things as killing their family?  FoxNews is focusing on the steroids - claiming a 'rhoid rage led to the killings.  Of course Vince and the WWE is on full defence mode - the shakeup could drive WWE stock down and increase Federal scutiny.  The last thing that Vince wants is the Feds putting him under a microscope like they did during the early 90's.  It's even being rumored that Vince may appologize for having a tribute show to Benoit considering the circumstances surrounding the murder/suicide.

Bill O'Reilly stated tonight that 60 wrestlers under the age of 45 have died over the past 10 years.  The real number is probably higher - a lot of the indy guys who haven't gotten national exposure have probably died and not been connected with Pro-Wrestling due to having 'day jobs'.

As far as true evil in wrestling, Fritz von Erich (nee Adkinson) wins that award hands down.  Vince is a close second - he could care less if his workers are injured or hurting from busted relationships.  He doesn't give any type of health benefits to the workers and everybody is scared of losing their spot or being fired if they ask for time off to heal from injuries or to take care of family problems.

I do hope some good comes from this horrible tragedy - like letting the boys have a month off twice a year, giving them health benefits and possibly a 401k to have for retirement.

Vince claims to be a billionaire - a fucking shame that he won't let the people who have made him rich beyond belief have scheduled vacation time or health care insurance.

[Reply #164 on:]

I think the best thing that could come of of this is that the wrestlers unionize.

[Reply #165 on:]

I don't know what to think... Benoit was my favorite wrestler for a long long time, atleast since Bret Hart retired and always thought he was a class act in real life too. However, I guess this goes to show you that you can't make people on TV your heroes because they will turn around and just be like everyone else in this world.

Truly a sad story and furthering my belief that the quality of wrestling on the main stage has seriously dropped within the last 5 or 6 years.

[Reply #166 on:]

Kevin Sullivan's comments...

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286848,00.html

[Reply #167 on:]

I'm with you, Squeaky, I don't know what to think.  Something needs to happen to stop this kind of madness.  Those guys need looking after, as all the best ones are dropping like flies.  None more spectactularly a fall as this.  It's so unbelieveable.

[Reply #168 on:]

 http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/World/2007/06/26/4292416.html


In the Edmonton Sun, Dr. John Bradford, associate chief of the
integrated forensic program for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group,
said murder-suicides that wipe out a family are most often carried out
by the father who believes his family will be "better off in heaven"
than alive.

"The most usual cause is a major depression, normally a severe one
with psychotic features," said Bradford, also a professor of forensic
psychiatry at the University of Ottawa.,

Murder-suicides are often referred to as "extended suicides," when the
killer decides life is not worth living him for himself or his loved
ones. Bradford said steroid usage carries "a lot of baggage" because
they alter both body and brain chemistry. "People that abuse steroids
carry with them an increase risk of rage and rage attacks. There's
also an increased risk of depression, so it's kind of a double
whammy," he said.

He said smothering children is a common way death is caused by parents
who believe there is less suffering.

[Reply #169 on:]

Add to that, the fact that Benoit's son was ill, which may have contributed to the decision to murder him.
 http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20656.shtml

[Reply #170 on:]

thats sad he put bibles next to them after he killed them...

[Reply #171 on:]

Well, I haven't watched wrestling in years... probably since I was 14 or so... but back then, like a few others of you, Chris Benoit was one of my favorites, if not my favorite. I'd just heard about this online from the New York Times, and it's a real shame. As unique as this incident was, it's still another pro wrestler dying young... I can't imagine what the average life expectancy is.

Oh - did anyone else hear that post-concussive depression may be a factor?

 

But Christopher Nowinski, a former professional wrestler who worked with Mr. Benoit, and who was forced to quit because of head injuries, said he believed that repeated, untreated concussions might have caused his friend to snap.

“He was one of the only guys who would take a chair shot to the back of the head,” Mr. Nowinski said, “which is stupid.”

[/small]

[Reply #172 on:]

I'm burned out over all the Benoit talk.  Here's a nice article on the life and times of Sherri Martel.

 http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/06/15/4263993.html

[Reply #173 on:]

I think it'd be nice to talk about something other than wrestlers who have passed away period... I wouldn't know where to begin other than I haven't really followed it that much in the last couple of years because the WWE started to seriously lack the superstars that got me watching in the first place; in the last three years The Rock, Stone Cold, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Goldberg, and other select few big names have either retired, seen limited time, or were kicked out of the industry all together. Plus, I've lost interest in it because I'm older now and don't really see the point in watching something that is just a scripted event with storylines attached to it.

However, I've had the urge to plug in my VCR and watch my old WCW and WWF tapes from the early 90's and relive the glory days of the Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Brett Hart, Roddy Piper, and so many others.

[Reply #174 on:]

As much as I would like to put my head in the sand and ignore all the hype my favorite sport is getting, I can't ignore what is going on.

Damned, the Benoit story keeps getting stranger:

* Nancy Benoit's death was posted from a Stamford, Conn IP address on Wikipedia 12 hours before the bodies were discovered.  (for the people who don't know, Stamford is the home of Titan Sports, aka the WWE.)

* A link to Kevin Sullivan is being made to Sherri Martel's death.

* Chris Benoit's doctor's office was raided by the DEA earlier today.

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287194,00.html

[Reply #175 on:]

Could wrestling get any weirder?

Anyhoo, continuing the move away from death-related stories.  I was listening to the fantastic 90's alternative rock album "Copper Blue" by Sugar, and was interested to hear that Bob Mould (of Sugar, and previously Hüsker Dü) spent a little time writing storylines for WCW.  That's amazing, shame that he left it behind, really.  His wikipedia says that creative differences with other writers on the staff forced him out, and back to music.

[Reply #176 on:]

And something a little lighter.  A war of words between Jim Cornette and JJ Dillon back when the Midnight Express were feuding with the Four Horsemen.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SA4fwBFoKg

What were they thinking?  Godzilla and King Kong tap Michael hayes and Jim Cornette to be their managers.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAaD4kHHCfo&mode=related&search=

A little break from the Benoit tragedy.

[Reply #177 on:]

Pretty funny footage.

One last thing about Benoit, he could've been ECW champ if he wrestled this past Sunday.  He would've held a world title in WCW, WWE and ECW.  The Big Show is the only guy to have done that at this point.

Giving the belt to Nitro is understandable, but I wish they gave it to Elijah Burke or CM Punk, instead.  I know Vince make never give the title to an ECW original like Dreamer or Sandman, since Vince hates the originals.  I wish he would push Burke.  He really seems to have progressed well since splitting with Sylvester Terkay.  He reminds me of a younger Booker T.   ECW's really need big stars, and pushing Burk and CM Punk to go after the ECW title would be a smart thing.

[Reply #178 on:]

Okay, I was wondering when somebody would have the balls to accuse Kevin Sullivan of the Benoit family tragedy and place it in print...

::shakes head::

 http://www.declarationofindependents.net:80/doi/pages/clearyband629.html

[Reply #179 on:]

Okay, after reading that article, I don't fully believe it but it does point out the coincidence that Benoit and Nancy died almost 10 years after Nancy divorced Sullivan.  If Sullivan really is what the article is mentioning, then maybe the police should look into it.  Though, I refuse to believe this possibility until the police actually have look into Kevin Sullivan's past and what he was doing during the time of the murder.

They also say that Sullivan could be connected to Sherri Martel's death, since she had a previous association with Sullivan and it's a big coincidence that she died less than a week before Benoit and his family died.

Another coincidence:  Another wrestler passed away this week.  wrestler Biff Wellington (Shane Bower) dies at 42.  He used tag team with Benoit.
 http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/9b535fe95cc254a1/fcba0727ce65f1e0


I don't know what to think about this anymore.

[Reply #180 on:]

dude this is really really weird

[Reply #181 on:]

Damned, it's getting weirder by the day.

Daniel didn't have "Fragile X Syndrone".  There was no medical reason for the kid to have been getting injections of Human Growth Hormone.

Benoit was getting 10 months supplies of steroid, narcotics, anti-anxiety meds every 3 weeks, and getting multiple scripts at a time on top of that.  There's no way in Robot Hell that he could take all of those.  The only logical thing to think is that he was the WWE's supplier.

Nancy had asked the family doctor about her raising Daniel by herself recently.

His own suicide was particuarly gruesome - he tied his legs to the bench, set the weights to 250 lbs, made a noose with the cable and released the weights.  His neck wasn't broken - he strangled himself.

He had some sort of psychotic episode, but with all this information and evidence coming out he definitely wasn't an angel.

No wonder Vince wants to distance himself as far as possible from Benoit.  Benoit was probably the main supplier of steroids for the organization.  Vince is smart enough to keep his hands clean, so the way Benoit got repaid for being a supplier was his top spot in the organization.

Be prepared to see a lot of workers lose a lot of muscle mass over the next few weeks.

[Reply #182 on:]

Ralph- I'm sorry to say this, but that sounds stranger than the Kevin Sullivan theory.  I thought the police said they only found prescribed drugs, but no illegal drugs were found.  Has there been recently development that 10 months of narcotics and such were found?

RAW was okay.  I loved the HHH promo.  HHH must have a new entrance music.  It combines his two previous entrance themes.

I can't believe Dusty Rhodes would allow Randy Orton slap him as part of a storyline.  If I were The American Dream, I must be fuming that some punk ass disrespectful jerk slapped me.  Hope Cody Rhodes just has a wrestling career.  I also hope WWE brings back Dustin Rhodes aka Goldust.  I think he's one of the most underrated wrestlers.

After watching RAW the following these should happen. Santino Marella and Val Venus should both be sent to ECW.  It appears now that their only purpose on RAW is to job.  Seeing Marella lose the IC belt to Umaga in a squash match shows, I assume Marella won't be pushed as much anymore.  RAW has to many superstars and they push a certain amount of them. They are wasting the talents of certain guys.  He should move to ECW since they need to build up its roster.  Like I've said before, Val Venus should be in ECW.  He'd be perfect and go back to his old self.  I could see him feuding with Kevin Thorn.

I had this crazy dream of old WWE superstars getting a second chance and push in ECW.

"Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman
A-Train
Perry Saturn
Test
Scotty Too Hotty

Seeing those names make me think that if the ECW brand existed years ago, you might have seen some of these guys pushed better in ECW.

[Reply #183 on:]

 

Originally posted by fryfanSpyOrama:

Ralph- I'm sorry to say this, but that sounds stranger than the Kevin Sullivan theory.  I thought the police said they only found prescribed drugs, but no illegal drugs were found.  Has there been recently development that 10 months of narcotics and such were found?

Here's the meat of an AP article yesterday about Dr. Astin's siezed written prescriptions.

And yes, real life does sound stranger than the Kevin Sullivan theory.

Last Wednesday and Friday, DEA and local law enforcement officers searched Dr. Astin's medical office, located at 702 Dixie Street, Carrollton, Georgia. Agents also searched Astin's mother's residence, located at 532 Cedar Street, Carrollton, Georgia. Dr. Phil Astin III is registered with the DEA under the provisions of the Controlled Substance Act, to handle and prescribe schedule II through V controlled substances. Dr. Astin is registered at his office address.

On June 25, 2007, local authorities discovered the deceased body of one of Astin's patients, Chris Benoit, at Benoit's home located in Fayetteville, Georgia. The deceased bodies of Benoit's wife and child were also found at the home. DEA Diversion indices, as well as evidence found at the crime scene by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, identified Dr. Astin as the supplier of various pharmaceutical controlled substances, including injectable anabolic steroids, found in Mr. Benoit's residence. Through prescription records for Mr. Benoit maintained at a pharmacy in Fayetteville, Georgia, Dr. Astin was identified as prescribing, on average, a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Mr. Benoit every three to four weeks from May 4, 2006 through May 9, 2007.

While executing a state search warrant at Dr. Astin's medical office on June 27, 2007, agents and officers seized copies of prescriptions written by Dr. Astin for Testosterone, Xanax, Adderall, Concerta, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Soma, which were consistent, in terms of quantities, dosages, and frequencies of the prescriptions, with illegal prescription drug abuse. Multiple undated copies of prescriptions for controlled substances were also found in various medical records.

A preliminary review of Dr. Astin's prescription writing activity showed that he authorized approximately one million dosage units of various pharmaceutical controlled substances in the last two years. The prescriptions also included significant quantities of injectable Testosterone cypionate, an anabolic steroid.
 

[Reply #184 on:]

I'm sorry to make a semi joke here, but all this has gotten so bizzare, that I could swear that it was written by Russo. I think I'll stop following it until the dust settles and we know what really happened.

[Reply #185 on:]

Ric Flair will be retiring at Westlemania 24.  That will be interesting to see.

I understand that Ron Killings and Konnan have both quit TNA.  LAX is not as interesting anymore without Konnan.  Hope both members can do a good shoot.

[Reply #186 on:]

Here's the recap of Larry King Live last night.

   

Here are some highlights from tonight's edition of Larry King Live that talked about the Chris Benoit tragedy and included WWE champion John Cena. Special thanks to Steve Gerweck for typing this up!

- During tonight's Larry King Live on CNN, John Cena said that WWE has provided a grievance counselor at live shows and television tapings since the Benoit tragedy.

- Jerry McDevitt, attorney for WWE, was asked about how many times a wrestler is drug tested under the wellness policy by Larry King, and McDevitt said drug testing is random. He said wrestlers are tested at least four times per year under the wellness program. John Cena said he has been drug tested six times since February 2006.

- When asked if wrestlers should form a union, Bret Hart said definitely. Hart said the janitor sweeping up at WWE's offices probably has more benefits than most of the wrestlers. Hart said a lot of wrestlers are finishing up the career broke and depressed. "There are far too many wrestlers killing themselves," Hart said. Hart said he doesn't know why the wrestlers don't have a union, and they are just like a circus animals without benefits.

- Jerry McDevitt was asked if Vince McMahon would be upset with a union forming, and he said he couldn't speak for Vince, but said sports unions haven't helped in dealing with performance enhancement drugs, but Larry King piped up and said, no, but they do far better in baseball as they have the best union in sports. You could also hear Bret Hart ask what about dental benefits for the wrestlers?

- Chris Jericho interjected that WWE will do whatever it has to make sure this doesn't happen again whether it be mental evaluations or unions. Jericho has been hinting more towards a return to the WWE during these interviews.

- A caller asked how the panel thought of WWE acting like Chris Benoit never existed, but Larry King cut off the discussion before anyone could answer. The old man needs a better watch, cutting off a valid question.

Funny that King didn't bother to ask that question earlier, if he claims to be the type to ask the right questions.

It was also great to see Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase and The Lethal Weapon Steven Blackman.  Blackman said he knew Benoit for 20 years.

Ted Hart has signed with WWE.  I hope the WWE introduces Hart Foundation 2.0 soon.  They need to build up their rosters.

Teddy Hart- nephew of Bret Hart
Harry Smith- Son of the British Bulldog
T.J. Wilson- Not related but wrestled in Stampede Wrestling
Nattie Neidhart- Daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

The best time for this stable to debut is at Survivor Series.  10 years later the Hart Foundation rises from the ashes.  Also, this year's Survivor is in Florida and these superstars did sign with WWE's new development territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).  Possible hint?

Did anyone see Viscera's new look on ECW?  He's now called Big Daddy V.  He needs to wear a shirt, I don't want to see his bare chest, and he's got tatoos.

[Reply #187 on:]

 http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=25429&p=1

Barry Bruno just sent word that WAGA, Fox 5 in Atlanta, is reporting that federal investigators have seized all of the medical records of Dr. Phil Astin and people listed as patients are:

Lex Luger
Marcus Bagwell
Mark Jindrak (The MJ referenced in the original indictment)
Rey "Oscar Gutierrez" Mysterio (Also referenced in the original indictment
as OG)
Bob Holly
Chris Benoit
Nancy Benoit
Johnny Grunge

[Reply #188 on:]

Ralphie, did you read Wade Keller's take about creating weight divisions for TNA?  Sounds a decent idea to me.
 http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20769.shtml

[Reply #189 on:]

I would love to see 2-3 different weight classes - the quick and agile smaller guys with their title and a heavyweight division.  WCW did that, but lightweights just don't sell in pro-wrestling.  Heavyweights rule, but I love watching the Lucadores and Japanese wrestling (both usually have smaller yet more agile wrestlers).  I did a 6 week gig in Japan in 1980 and actually had a rough match against the original Sheik.  I was amazed at the high impact yet agile style the Japanese had but their superstars like Tenrue, Tiger Mask and Baba just didn't put asses in chairs in America.  Likewise with the Luchadores.  I watch the Spanish TV channel just to see them in action.  Even at my best, I could never been able to do moves like them.

Now I can tell you that in real life, nobody wanted to mess with Buzz Sawyer.  He was 6'1" and 230 pounds but even the superheavyweights like Stan Hansen and Bill Watts wouldn't fuck with him.  He was tough and had the worst temper I've ever seen.

Vince has too much control - failed soap opera writers are doing the angles today.  Look at youtube and watch some of the 80's stuff from Georgia, Midsouth, World Class and Mid-Atlantic.  The Freebirds didn't need to be scripted, Eddie Gilbert was an amazing heat machine, The Von Erichs were teen idols and the NWA world title meant something - it went from the legit tough Harley Race to the legit superstar Ric Flair.  Vince will never be able to have that kind of magic as long as he demands to micromanage every little detail.

A lot of matches were between opponents of mis-matched sizes - Bill Watts against Eddie Gilbert, Kevin Sullivan against BlackJack Mulligan, Abdullah the Butcher against Tommy Rich, etc.  The things was, these guys knew how to work the crowd.  Kevin Sullivan was so vicious that you could believe that he was capable of beating Mulligan, Eddie Gilbert was so dirty you knew that Bill Watts didn't have a chance.

The old days won't be back - ever.  Greg Gagne's daughter plays basketball for the University of Northern Colorado.  Last winter he, Leon White and I got together for a few beers in Boulder.  We lamented the fact where wrestling has gone.  He was working as a road agent for WWE at that time and he told us just how bad the moral is in the locker room.  Of course Leon hates Vince with a passion.  I never worked for the man, but I'm sure that I wouldn't last a few days.

I'm boycotting all WWE products until they start treating the workers better.  I made my decision watching RAW when they couldn't give Sherri Martel the 10 bell salute but continued with the 'Who Killed Vince' angle. 

I missed TNA tonight - I just can't get into it.  They have great workers - Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Christian, A.J Styles, Raven and great guys on the stick like Larry Z. and Jim Cornette.  I hope that they can get their act together because now will be the time to grow.  Vince and the WWE will be under federal investigation within a year, so a lot of talent will be looking elsewhere for work.  Unless they want to go to Japan or Mexico, TNA is the only other resort.

Now for the link of the day:  Despite all the evidence given so far, here in America somebody is innocent until proven guilty.  Don't get me wrong - from the info I have (from the media and websites), Benoit snapped and did the murder/suicide.  Somebody finds the jumping to conclusions wrong, so she has placed the site:
 http://www.justiceforbenoit.com/

[Reply #190 on:]

THE GREAT KHALI is the new World's champion.  http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/articles/5053332/khalivictory

The best thing to happen for Smackdown.  Khali is going to be better than Big Show or Andre The Giant as a champion.  I hope Batista goes up against Khali.  That will be a good match.

[Reply #191 on:]

 

Originally posted by fryfanSpyOrama:

THE GREAT KHALI is the new World's champion. 

The best thing to happen for Smackdown.  Khali is going to be better than Big Show or Andre The Giant as a champion.  I hope Batista goes up against Khali.  That will be a good match.

???????????????????

Pul-lease! 

Khali is the 21st century version of the Giant Gonzoles.  He can't work, he can't move - the only thing going for him is that he's huge.

Batista is just a 'rhoided up musclehead.  No moves, no psychology - nothing.

Their match will stink on ice.

Now if they had wanted to take Smackdown in a different direction...

MATT F'Ning HARDY!

He can work, he has a fan base and he would be the underdog in most matches.  Most importantly, I doubt if he would go off and kill his family.  After the f*cking over that his best friend Edge did with his girlfriend and still be able to work with the sorry bastard, it shows that Matt can separate business from personal life.

[Reply #192 on:]

So it's official, Benoit had elevated testosterone levels, his wife had an elevated blood alcohol level, and his son was sedated before he was killed. I'm not trying to jump to conclusions here, but it REALLY sounds like he got in a fight with his wife when she was drunk friday, snapped due to the effect that elevated testosterone can have on one's mental health, killed his wife by accident, drugged his son so he wouldn't feel any pain, then killed him because he thought Daniel would be better off, then killed himself. 

[Reply #193 on:]

Another wrestler has passed away.

 

Dave Meltzer is reporting that former ECW World Tag Team champion John Kronus was found dead earlier today at his girlfriend's apartment in New Hampshire. Kronus held the ECW Tag Team titles with Perry Saturn as the Eliminators, and also won the tag team belts with New Jack.

[Reply #194 on:]

 

Originally posted by newhook_1:
So it's official, Benoit had elevated testosterone levels, his wife had an elevated blood alcohol level, and his son was sedated before he was killed. I'm not trying to jump to conclusions here, but it REALLY sounds like he got in a fight with his wife when she was drunk friday, snapped due to the effect that elevated testosterone can have on one's mental health, killed his wife by accident, drugged his son so he wouldn't feel any pain, then killed him because he thought Daniel would be better off, then killed himself. 

Who are you, Matlock?

[Reply #195 on:]

Yes I know it's in poor taste, but somehow it seemed fitting here...

[Reply #196 on:]

 

Originally posted by BirthdayClown:
 Who are you, Matlock?

Fuck off, Matlock mark.

[Reply #197 on:]

Something from the archives.

Great matches in history:

Superstar Graham vs. Harley Race
Nick Bockwinkle vs. Verne Gagne
Vader vs. Stan Hansen
Steamboat vs. Flair
Savage vs. Steamboat
Bret Hart vs. Anybody

Then we have this steaming pile of shit.

Mongo McMichael vs. Bill Goldberg

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOKCPNwqNBY&mode=related&search=

[Reply #198 on:]

Why was this man a horseman?

[Reply #199 on:]

i know it was stated a few posts back but i really like the idea of matt hardy becoming world champ. its so shocking hes a great talent and the ratings would go thtought the roof. and frankly it would be the most exciting thing in a while