The following is from the MySpace page of Gregory Helms:I was sitting here at my computer when I got a call informing me of the death of Chris Benoit and his family. Other than saying that my thoughts go out to to his remaining family, I don't know what to say.
Chris had just called me on Thursday to check on me as he has every week since my surgery and now days later I find out that he's gone. He was my friend. This hurts! This f**ing sucks!!!! Rest in peace my friend! Love you!
Comments have also been flooding in from international stars, including two of Japan's finest.
Keiji Mutoh conducted an interview today where he talked about training with Benoit a lot in the New Japan dojo and that he was a stoic character who had a rigorous training regiment.
Mutoh said that Benoit never complained about anything (including injuries) and that the news of his death really surprised him.
The legendary Shinjiro Ohtani was very emotional when speaking about Benoit, stating that he learned a lot from him about wrestling and that Benoit had told him privately that he loved working in Japan.
Ohtani reflected on their WCW Cruiserweight title match in 1996. Ohtani was surprised at the sudden news of Benoit's death and did not want to believe the news.
At this time, WWE plans to go ahead with the scheduled ECW and "SmackDown!" tapings tonight. They are not planning to base the show around Benoit or this horrific story. More comments from WWE stars will likely be played.
9 comments: on "More Reactions To Benoit From His Friends"
This is from Meltzer:
Vince made the decision to run Smackdown and ECW tapings tonight without any angles or backstage storylines. The show will consist of straight wrestling matches and like last night, the original shows were scrapped. The attempt to put together a show was difficult because the crew and creative staff were said to be both emotionally and physically wrecked after yesterday.
The belief is they will brief viewers on what happened early in the show, and then product two low key shows of nothing but matches.
The Fed is clearly getting closer to hearing the full story...
they have removed ALL of the tributes and comments that had been posted on the site re: Benoit...
The highlight portion of their site now features a version of the AP story - while the side bar thumbnails have returned to "business as usual" talking about the PPV and other assorted item.
Benoit's superstar page has been removed. Remember, the WWE left Eddie's page up on the Smackdown site for over a month.
They obviously have decided to no longer host the tributes for a reason.
It has to be bad Donnie. They took all his stuff off of WWEshop, and went so far as to take his name out of the description of the Wrestlemania 23 winners plaque, despite the fact that he is clearly pictured.
Also, this is a direct quote from the description of the Wrestlemania XX DVD, from which Benoit won the title:
"The entire event is here. Seven championships are on the line, featuring Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship & Triple H defends his World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels."
If WWE.com was your source for all things wrestling, it is almost as if Benoit never existed.
hey tim and big daddy donnie the reason i think the wwe are doing this is cause they dont want to get any backlash from the media just in case chris benoit is a cold blooded killer untill all info is in which doesnt look good for chris benoit
I've already read details, which may be the same as what Donnie was alluding to when he said that ThaOshow had information that they could not yet divulge. I sent that information to Donnie, as I believe it is his discretion as to whether or not he posts it.
I also noticed that the WWE removed the last paragraph from the article that said "WWE.com has futher information relating to both the investigation and the cause of death, but the Fayette County Sheriff Department has requested that WWE.com not release any additional details at this time." I not sure but I think this means that the web site woun't be covering the story anymore.
Ric Flair and Booker and Sharmell Huffman statements
Ric Flair issues a short statement on the tragic deaths of the Benoit Family:
"They let the crowd go. There's nobody here," said 16-time world champ Ric Flair. "It was the right thing to do. The McMahons are devastated as a family."
Chris was one of the nicest, hardest-working, most legitimate, honest people I've ever met in my life," a distraught Flair added Monday night. "Everybody liked Chris."
"He was a great Horseman. He embodied what it meant to be a Horseman," said Flair.
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The following was posted on King Booker's myspace page, and will be posted on www.bookertonline.com soon
Feel free to leave your thoughts on our forum. Thanks for the well wishes, and voices of support, as we have lost a dear family....
There are no easy words at a time like this. We have already endured a difficult week, with the death of our beloved "Sensational Sherri", and now with the unfortunate news of the untimely passing of Chris Benoit and his family. My husband and I would first like to extend our thoughts and prayers to entire Benoit family, during this difficult period.
Chris Benoit was a tenacious rival, a gracious gentleman, and most of all, a wonderful friend. Booker and I had the honor of knowing Chris and his family for more than a decade, and our lives have been enriched ever since. While our hearts are saddened, we choose to celebrate Chris' life, his achievements, and his undying dedication to both this business, and to you the fans.
The "Rabid Wolverine" may be gone, but his legacy will not be forgetten. Chris' tenacity will live on, as he will be emulated for years to come (just as he sought to emulate his idol, The Dynamite Kid). In conclusion, we hope that this tragedy serves to help people focus on what is truly important, as we certainly will. Please be grateful for everything that you have, and always keep your family ties as strong as possible.
Queen Sharmel
April Hunter put this quite well...
"Roid Rage" and Benoit
Like everyone else, I am shocked to hear about the Benoit family. There have already been many moving commentaries written.
However, I would rather comment on another part of the story. I've always felt that "roid rage" label was a media cop out to sensationalize a story or blame it on something.
A roid rage is a flash of heat, like a child's temper tantrum. It a quick outburst of violence or aggression and usually leaves as fast as it arrived. It certainly does not last an entire weekend.
--When Phil Hartman's wife killed him and then herself not long ago it was never called roid rage.
--There are a lot of athletes (and people) who take steroids. Most of them manage to not kill family members.
--Is anyone investigating Bobby Cutts Jr for roid rage? He's accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend. But he's not a wrestler (he's a cop) - so no...they're not.
--PITTSBURGH PA. March 2007, George Terry, A retired custodian fatally shot his wife and two sons in their sleep, then turned the gun on himself, police said Thursday. As far as I know, he was not investigated for steroids.
"Wrestling" = "Steroids" to the general public. And "Steroids" = "Bad". That's the light it's been painted in.
A few facts: Anabolic Steroids have used for numerous medical purposes including stimulation of bone growth, appetite, puberty, and muscle growth. They have been used for prisoners of war to help them grow. For bone marrow stimulation, for children with growth failure (dwarfs), stimulate appetite, stimulate libido, testosterone therapy, fight many age related problems and bring on stalled puberty. The most widespread medical uses of anabolic steroids are used to help people with chronic wasting conditions, such as cancer and AIDS.
Despite rumors and heresy, no scientific evidence has shown any long-term serious health defects from proper use of anabolic steroids.
If someone's a violent, controlling person, using or not using steroids isn't going to change that --- or make them murder another. (That's like assuming that everyone who has ever used cocaine is an ATM robber or prostitute.)
I believe it's much deeper than that.
As someone who escaped a bad relationship that was very much headed in this direction, I know now that many entertainers have two personalities: the public/TV persona everyone knows and the private version few will ever.
I am not defending legal or illegal drugs. What I am questioning is why we can't look at things deeper and for what they really are, instead of giving them a sensational LABEL or placing blame elsewhere.
RIP Nancy & Daniel Benoit.
April Hunter
myspace.com/therealaprilhunter
www.AprilHunter.com
I don't know how to put this exactly, so i'll just type it out as it is in my head as it regards to all of the numerous mentionings of Benoit at WWE.com...
Vince likes to re-write history as if certain things never happened.
I'll leave it at that.
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