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[Zeed]

Thanks again WickedAngel, and everyone else who has posted the same thing and then had to deal with about 40 people who didn't read and called him an asshole, scumbag, etc.

And those 40 people would be completely right. He is an asshole, a scumbag, and many, many other unflattering nouns as well.

You seem to be under the impression that everyone who condemns him believes that he has always acted as a sociopath at all times. I don't think anyone is suggesting that. His final actions alone qualify him as scum - you've said as much yourself.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Will you people stop being so ignorant? Something obviously made this guy lose his mind in a way that wasn't temporary. Something destroyed his mind.

Could have been all the drugs he voluntarily took in exchange for millions of dollars and fame?

If you can find a better example of selling out ones family and soul for cash and drugs, I'd sure like to hear it so I can stop being ignorant.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Take a lesson from him, beermonkey. And get off me already.

Dude, do you even read your own writings? They are loaded.

"If he really was that much of an asshole, he probably would've killed Nancy back in 2003 for even THINKING of a divorce and trying to take his son away."

Taking his son away? Not their son? That says a lot about what you think.

Lets be clear. She was taking their son out of a home that she claimed was abusive and dangerous. Given recent events, if anybody deserves the benefit of the doubt, it is her.

Benoit murdered their son, a day after he murdered his wife and had plenty of time to think about his situation.

The dude may have had major mental issues and have been just plain nuts, but trying to push any of this off on Nancy is a ridiculous stretch and says way more about the posters than about the Benoit family.

And what people who knew him said about him means nothing. Many people hide their dark side from those outside of the family for decades.

 

[WickedAngel]

Could have been all the drugs he voluntarily took in exchange for millions of dollars and fame?

If you can find a better example of selling out ones family and soul for cash and drugs, I'd sure like to hear it so I can stop being ignorant.

Who was he trying to gain fame for? Who was he working so hard for? Nobody knows. I don't know that he was working for his family; you don't know that he was working for himself. The only person that knew what kind of problems Chris had was Chris himself. I don't know why he did what he did. I do know what a person with a fragile mind is like, though, as I've had to experience it with my direct family (Aunt with manic depression who killed herself, grandfather with Alzheimers who passed away after completely losing his identity and not knowing who his family was most of the time). I can personally attest to the fact that the people they died as were not the people that I knew for decades. Chris Benoit wasn't a main card for a very long time before he was pushed back into the shadows. He spent most of his career as a mid-card that a lot of people simply didn't know too well.

By the way, anyone who is foolish enough to believe that Nancy might not have placed a lot of pressure (Or even instigated some of the situations that got him in trouble for domestic abuse) don't know much about the topic itself and should stop commenting on it immediately.

 

[Hellraizah]

Why are you all throwing arguments over an opinion?

Chris Benoit = asshole is a matter of opinions, like anybody else.

 

[FightyF]

i hear ya, and i may be too close to this issue to be unbiased, as i grew up in a home with a very abusive step-father. but i can say from firsthand experience, that 9 out of 10 people were fooled into thinking he [my step-father] was a great guy... they just didn't know him at home, alone, when nobody else was around. my point being, just b/c there are people out there who know him and are shocked, or even people giving testimonials about how great he was, doesn't mean he was. which is kind of where i was going with my previous post. i did not mean to straw man argue, if i did, my apologies.

I think this is one of the strongest points made in this thread. Again, he could have been an angel in private, or he could have been downright nasty. There's no way we can claim one or the other. As you mention, even though all his close friends say he was a great guy, it's possible he wasn't. And vice versa...he could have been genuinely a good person.


Either way, I'm personally more focused on the external factors that were present. Wrestlers and former wrestlers dying the way they are, at the ages they are, boggles my mind.

Alcohol is a factor in many domestic abuse cases, is there a good reason why drugs aren't viewed as a possible factor in the same way?

Compared to other sports, it has an extremely taxing schedule and requires heavy use of painkillers to keep up with that schedule. This, in combination with the fact that so many of them use steroids, has me worried that similar incidents could happen in the future.

 

[Osorio]

Oh man. i'm not trying to put any of this off on Nancy. And I didn't mean anything by saying his son. Its quite obvious it was their son, not just his. How come everybody but you seems to understand what I'm saying?

And Zeed, yeah you're right. But I'm talking to those that DID say that he has always been a sociopath or asshole. What people like beermonkey are not understanding is that I'm not condoning ANY PART of his abuse nor am I saying hes not an asshole. I was originally trying to say exactly that: he is an asshole now. But he wasn't always an asshole. But my words keep getting misinterpreted cause of the way I worded it. W/evs, its all good. I stand by my beliefs.

Plus, I really don't think anybody will understand me fully unless I actually speak to them in person lol. Also, I'm looking at everybody's thoughts, opinions, etc without bias, although I do realize my comments sounded very heavily biased. Either way, I'm asking that some of you don't forget to read the parts where I said these were MY thoughts, MY ideas, etc. Trying to make me look bad doesn't change 'em much. I should also warn that this isn't the original Osorio and I'm trying my best not to get banned. So please, if you would like to hate on me [beermonkey], send a PM to fullmetalht. Although I gotta tell ya, I'd much rather have a non-heated discussion, much like I had with Shpankey. I'm only using this til I get a confirmation e-mail for my own account. lol

 

[Kaeru]

What does any of you have to do with this family tragedy? Who are you to point fingers and judge other people you don't know?

Doesn't it sicken your stomachs to be involved in this circus?
This is just so wrong.

 

[Osorio]

I think this is one of the strongest points made in this thread. Again, he could have been an angel in private, or he could have been downright nasty. There's no way we can claim one or the other. As you mention, even though all his close friends say he was a great guy, it's possible he wasn't. And vice versa...he could have been genuinely a good person.


Either way, I'm personally more focused on the external factors that were present. Wrestlers and former wrestlers dying the way they are, at the ages they are, boggles my mind.

Alcohol is a factor in many domestic abuse cases, is there a good reason why drugs aren't viewed as a possible factor in the same way?

Compared to other sports, it has an extremely taxing schedule and requires heavy use of painkillers to keep up with that schedule. This, in combination with the fact that so many of them use steroids, has me worried that similar incidents could happen in the future.

True. The sad part is, there have already been so many cases of deaths due to overdoses of steroids or drugs or w/e of wrestlers. They all die young, too. I heard the Sensational Sherri died the other day, then I heard of this from my sister who's a die hard fan of wrestling, and I was shocked. Its crazy the way these people just go, and I really just wonder if some of these things could have been avoided.

Another sad point is the fact that alot of people don't like to admit they have problems whether its addictions to drugs or problems at home and they don't want help. That Pam Winthrope woman said her husband asked Benoit if he wanted help [with their son]. True, they probably wanted him as a face for their campaign to raise awareness, but he could've denied that part and just asked for the support group part.

 

[BirdBomb]

Do you pay attention to what's going on?

yea. some piece of **** asshole killed his wife and his mentally handicapped son using the strength he got by shooting steroids into his ass. then as if that wasnt cowardly enough, he took his own life rather than face the consequences of his actions. but hey, at least he was awesome enough to lay bibles by their dead, decaying bodies. i guess you are right, he was a pretty cool dude.

really, feel sorry for the wife and kid who had their lives taken. i liked watching benoit wrestle but how can anyone possibly defend him? there is no excuse for what he did.

 

[Raw64life]

I was watching Nancy Grace and she had Bret Hart on and it was laughable. At one point she asked Bret if Benoit "being demoted from the Four Horsemen to Raw" could've had anything to do with Benoit going insane.

 

[bjork]

I was watching Nancy Grace and she had Bret Hart on and it was laughable. At one point she asked Bret if Benoit "being demoted from the Four Horsemen to Raw" could've had anything to do with Benoit going insane.

Well, to be fair, that is quite a pisser.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Who was he trying to gain fame for? Who was he working so hard for? Nobody knows. I don't know that he was working for his family; you don't know that he was working for himself. The only person that knew what kind of problems Chris had was Chris himself. I don't know why he did what he did.

He did what he did because he failed at life and killed his son. As for your 'well my family had problems' thing, well mine too. None of them murdered children though.

As for personal experience, I suffered a reasonably severe beating at the hands of a roid/amphetimine pumped freak and I don't have much time for retrospective 'oh that poor man if only he stayed off the evil drugs, the drugs were evil not him he had a heart of gold maybe'

He chose to roid himself up and the end result was that he murdered a woman and a child. A bigger pussy there isn't.

Chris Benoit = asshole is a matter of opinion

no the opinion above is fact. Opinions can be wrong and opinions to the contrary are just wrong opinions.

 

[Wrestlemania]

Chris Benoit = asshole

Being an asshole doesn't make someone murder his family.

 

[Hollywood_mIRC]

I wonder why Stone Cold Steve Austin hasn't been asked for an interview or made any comments. Oh thats right - I bet he was offered and declined because he beat the shit out of his wives. I'dd personally like to see his comments at some point, because I'm sure he's going to get interviewed by SOMEONE and lets see what he says.

BTW, I think the case is 99% over - unless that 1% pops out and something major breaks. If it wasn't Benoit by some shot, they would have found something by now. If there was a note explaining the reason - it would have been found. Autopsy will probably show Benoit has prescription testosterone and maybe some other medications, but nothing that shows WHY he did it. I guess we're all just going to be wondering WHY after all this and what set it off, and not know a thing.

Also, I wonder what the arrangements for a funeral are. No way Benoit is being buried with his family, even if they had a plot. I feel bad for Benoit's family - I don't know if he has living parents or anything, but that must be about the worst feeling ever to know your son did something like this.

 

[G-Fex]

You guys know how Stone Cold is and how he acts, do you really believe he does anything less than that? :lol

 

[bjork]

You guys know how Stone Cold is and how he acts, do you really believe he does anything less than that? :lol

I'm trying to imagine the scenario.

"Honey, do you want dinner?"
... what.
"Do you want dinner?"
... what?
"I said do you--"
Do I want dinner?
Do I want to sit at a table and eat?
Do I wanna eat some steak?
Do I wanna wash it down with a steveweiser?
Is that what you're asking me?

:stunner:
:beerguzzle:
:goes back to sportscenter:

 

[G-Fex]

I'm trying to imagine the scenario.

"Honey, do you want dinner?"
... what.
"Do you want dinner?"
... what?
"I said do you--"
Do I want dinner?
Do I want to sit at a table and eat?
Do I wanna eat some steak?
Do I wanna wash it down with a steveweiser?
Is that what you're asking me?

:stunner:
:beerguzzle:
:goes back to sportscenter:

So you really doubt that a guy who acts like a drunken hick who kicks ass would hit his wife?

 

[GaimeGuy]

I'm trying to imagine the scenario.

"Honey, do you want dinner?"
... what.
"Do you want dinner?"
... what?
"I said do you--"
Do I want dinner?
Do I want to sit at a table and eat?
Do I wanna eat some steak?
Do I wanna wash it down with a steveweiser?
Is that what you're asking me?

:stunner:
:beerguzzle:
:goes back to sportscenter:

X_X

 

[thetrin]

People really need to stop defending Benoit. I understand that you all looked up to him, or some such thing I don`t fully understand, but the man killed his wife and mentally disabled kid. Asshole or not, he`s a terrible human being.

End of story.

(and no, there is NEVER a circumstance where killing your wife and child is okay. I can guarantee that)

 

[Wrestlemania]

Nobody is defending him, let alone sayinh that what he was was "okay". People just want a better reason for someone murdering his wife and child then committing suicide than because he was an "asshole" or "a terrible human being", which is just frankly absurd. You might as well say he did it because he was evil.

 

[BlueTsunami]

You cannot defend Benoit. I don't know why people are doing it. Hes had a history of violence appearently when it came to spousal abuse. If anything (when it comes to the wife) she was an idiot for not leaving Benoit and taking their son with her.

That in no way excuses Benoit of ****en MURDER

(and no, there is NEVER a circumstance where killing your wife and child is okay. I can guarantee that)

The fact that some people are doing this (notably farnham), blows my mind.

 

[Lyte Edge]

I'm trying to imagine the scenario.

"Honey, do you want dinner?"
... what.
"Do you want dinner?"
... what?
"I said do you--"
Do I want dinner?
Do I want to sit at a table and eat?
Do I wanna eat some steak?
Do I wanna wash it down with a steveweiser?
Is that what you're asking me?

:stunner:
:beerguzzle:
:goes back to sportscenter:

:lol :lol :lol That's such an awful image, yet so funny.

 

[borghe]

I don't think anyone is defending what happened. Wait, I mean OF COURSE THEY'RE NOT! (well, I'm not).

Just that what happened is so contrary to what we knew about him, or at least thought we knew about him, that it is still, two days later, difficult to accept. I don't think anyone is looking for a gunman in the grassy knoll, or even a definitive "he snapped". Just anything! Was he really an asshole? Did he snap? Did someone else kill them? Was he depressed? Roid rage? It's impossible to paint a clear picture of the events that led up to this and it just prevets the whole thing from settling.

Though three days later I fully believe we never will know the answer. It is what it is. Time to move on. I don't think it's right for people to cast aspirations of his character, good or bad. One act does not necessarily define your entire life up to that point despite what absolutists would say. It's certainly the most significant thing people will remember him for and it certainly casts a shadow over everything in his past.. but without knowing exactly what happened this past weekend it is just silly to say he was an awful person. Troubled? Disconnected? Needed help? Those are statements that are probably more appropriate. But who knows, maybe he really was just a piece of shit and nobody knew, and that's the point. We will never know.

 

[Giganticus]

Nobody is defending him, let alone sayinh that what he was was "okay". People just want a better reason for someone murdering his wife and child then committing suicide than because he was an "asshole" or "a terrible human being", which is just frankly absurd. You might as well say he did it because he was evil.

Yeah pretty much. Nothing justifies his actions in any way, shape or form. But there could easily be something that explains them such as say... chronic depression. That would explain the incident and would allow the WWE to maybe start including Psych screening in their wrestler's check-ups to prevent this happening again. People don't kill their families and commit suicide because they just aren't a very nice person. It screams mental illness.

 

[borghe]

People don't kill their families and commit suicide because they just aren't a very nice person. It screams mental illness.

this pretty much sums up the thread in a nutshell. Assholes beat their wives, maybe their kids. They don't bind their hands and feet, suffocate them, put wrestling moves on them, then do an elaborate suicide on the weight machine holding themselves down with weights and stuff. If this isn't a clue that something was ****ed up here, I don't know what is.

 

[X26]

I'm curious, do those of you defending Benoit or atleast making excuses/explanations do the same for school shooters? Same scenario really, and is the fact they often kill themselves after their rampage make them pay for their crime like you've suggested Benoit hanging himself did?

I think beings fans of him and the WWE are really clouded some people's judgement here.

 

[Wrestlemania]

I'm curious, do those of you defending Benoit or atleast making excuses/explanations do the same for school shooters? Same scenario really, and is the fact they often kill themselves after their rampage make them pay for their crime like you've suggested Benoit hanging himself did?

I think beings fans of him and the WWE are really clouded some people's judgement here.

Making explanations! Hey guys, no explanation needed - Benoit was just an asshole! A wife strangling, child murdering, suicidal asshole. That's it. No mental illness, nothing. Just a guy who was such a dick he decided that it would be fine to murder his family.
Incredible post, good job.

 

[ccbfan]

I think too many people here are trying to justisfy why just a few days ago they idolized a murderer.

They want to believe Benoit did it because of some mental instability, they try to push the blame off of Benoit and make his action outside of his regular character. This way they can feel that the Benoit, who they idolized, wasn't a murderer but some outside force made him a murderer. So in turn they didn't idolize someone who was naturally a bad guy.

The problem here is that none of you know Benoit. You guys knew the character he played in the WWE show. These characters are fictional, they are nothing like what they are in real life. Just like Jessica Alba doesn't really have the power to turn invisible, Anthony Hopkins doesn't really eat humans and Morgan Freeman is not really God.

It doesn't really matter though if you idolized Benoit the WWE wrestler. Cause in turn you did not idolize a murderer. You idolized the fictional character Benoit who was played by actor Chris Benoit. The actor Chris Benoit is the murderer. Just like if Jack Sparrow is your favorite hero and some day Johnny Depp murdered someone in this gruesome manner. You liked Jake Sparrow the crazy pirate not Johnny Depp the crazy murderer.

 

[Wrestlemania]

Holy shit. What an incredible, incredible lack of understanding. People would be saying exactly the same thing if this story was about police officer who one day came home from work and did exactly the same thing. Maybe that's just because I idolise the police!

 

[Stop It]

You know what, why are you lot arguing whether Benoit was a good man before this happened? its irrelevent, his legacy was destroyed the moment he killed his son, sorry, but he could have lead the life akin to the pope for all I care, the fact that he MURDERED HIS SON IN COLD BLOOD, possible with his ****ing signiture wrestling move of all things, makes him among the lowest of the low, no debate, no question, whether he lived a "good" life before that doesn't ****ing matter.

If this was a case where Benoit just killed his wife (Then himself), then this would be a matter open for such a debate, as you never know what could have kicked off such an event, but there is only one type of person who commits such evil acts as child murder, one who has no humanity left, insanity covers most things when it comes to human actions outside of usual moral boundaries, child murder is not one, that is a choice only taken by the sickest of the sick, which it turns out Benoit obviously was.

Sorry if the above seems strong, but some of the talk here is such apologist bullshit, seriously.

N.B: Also, if you think this is coming from a person who never liked wrestling or Benoit, think again (And check my previous post on this thread), I am a huge wrestling fan, and ranked Benoit in my top 5 wrestlers, due to various things (His tenacity for one, never once did I see a match that involved him where he didn't give 110%), but that doesn't matter now, his legacy is shot in my eyes.

 

[GoutPatrol]

The problem here is that none of you know Benoit. You guys knew the character he played in the WWE show. These characters are fictional, they are nothing like what they are in real life. Just like Jessica Alba doesn't really have the power to turn invisible, Anthony Hopkins doesn't really eat humans and Morgan Freeman is not really God.

Come on, you know he really is.

 

[Wrestlemania]

If this was a case where Benoit just killed his wife (Then himself), then this would be a matter open for such a debate

Oh man. No, no it wouldn't. See, if he had just killed his wife then it would be entirely plausible that he was just a violent bastard and he just went too far, then killed himself through guilt for his actions.
That isn't what happened. He tied up his wife, killed her, waited a day, murdered his son, put bibles next to them then killed himself.
There's no debate here - he was ****ed up beyond belief to do something like that and it cannot simply be written off as the actions of "an asshole".

 

[Stop It]

Oh man. No, no it wouldn't. See, if he had just killed his wife then it would be entirely plausible that he was just a violent bastard and he just went too far, then killed himself through guilt for his actions.
That isn't what happened. He tied up his wife, killed her, waited a day, murdered his son, put bibles next to them then killed himself.
There's no debate here - he was ****ed up beyond belief to do something like that and it cannot simply be written off as the actions of "an asshole".

Hang on, what?

Did you even read my post? I didn't call him an asshole, I called him a cold blooded evil murdered, big difference, I don't care how ****ed up he was, my point is you can't just blame mental illness for child murder, that requires evil, a pure and simple evaporation of humanity, not just a brain-****.

 

[Wrestlemania]

that is a choice only taken by the sickest of the sick, which it turns out Benoit obviously was.

Oh, wait, it's okay - you acknowledged that he must have been seriously ill to do it. Sweet, then we agree.

 

[borghe]

but there is only one type of person who commits such evil acts as child murder, one who has no humanity left, insanity covers most things when it comes to human actions outside of usual moral boundaries, child murder is not one, that is a choice only taken by the sickest of the sick, which it turns out Benoit obviously was.

Sorry if the above seems strong, but some of the talk here is such apologist bullshit, seriously.

umm... you just contradicted yourself twice in the same paragraph. First of all, you have this almost completely ass backwards. There are plenty of non-crazy people who have killed women, wives, gang members, etc. You don't need to be crazy to kill your wife. HOWEVER, you are right. Only the sickest person could purposely kill a child. However unlike you I don't mean "sickest" to be some unqualified derogatory term. I mean sick, with problems, not all there, not playing with a full deck.

I agree that killing his kid elevates this to an entirely different act of violence, but again for an entirely different reason. If he had just killed his wife and then were arrested I don't think a single person here would be saying "I wonder what happened". We would ALL be saying "Well, here's another Austin. Who knew?" or some such. But killing his kid shows that obviously this wasn't a typical domestic violence. Obviously this wasn't some pattern of abuse manifesting itself. The killing of his child by default implies there was a lot more to it here than just some abusive asshole showing his woman who's in charge. If you can't see or understand that, then you really have very little understanding of what domestic abuse is about and what obvious clinical signs of mental illness are. They are all readily apparent here.

Assholes beat their wives and sometimes kill them. Crazy people kill their families, kids and all, and then commit suicide afterwards. Not too hard to understand really.

 

[Stop It]

umm... you just contradicted yourself twice in the same paragraph. First of all, you have this almost completely ass backwards. There are plenty of non-crazy people who have killed women, wives, gang members, etc. You don't need to be crazy to kill your wife. HOWEVER, you are right. Only the sickest person could kill a child. However unlike you I don't mean "sickest" to be some unqualified derogatory term. I mean sick, with problems, not all there, not playing with a full deck.

I agree that killing his kid elevates this to an entirely different act of violence, but again for an entirely different reason. If he had just killed his wife and then were arrested I don't think a single person here would be saying "I wonder what happened". We would ALL be saying "Well, here's another Austin. Who knew?" or some such. But killing his kid shows that obviously this wasn't a typical domestic violence. Obviously this wasn't some pattern of abuse manifesting itself. The killing of his child by default implies there was a lot more to it here than just some abusive asshole showing his woman who's in charge. If you can't see or understand that, then you really have very little understanding of what domestic abuse is about and what obvious clinical signs of mental illness are. They are all readily apparent here.

Assholes beat their wives and sometimes kill them. Crazy people kill their families, kids and all, and then commit suicide afterwards. Not too hard to understand really.

No, I disagree, as above, I think mental illness can only cover this up to a point, I do not believe that someone, anyone, can totally absolve child murder by playing the mental illness card, but thats just my opinion.

 

[Wrestlemania]

I'm glad that there's at least one other sensible person on this forum.

 

[Wrestlemania]

No, my words have been mis-interpreted, by sick, I mean evil, twisted, ****ing wrong, not ill, sorry if thats thrown you.

Evil! How old are you?

 

[borghe]

No, I disagree

so every wife beater in prison is mntally ill, and every child murderer and rapist is just a mean person?

umm.. you have a very disjointed outlook on life man.

No, I disagree, as above, I think mental illness can only cover this up to a point, I do not believe that someone, anyone, can totally absolve child murder by playing the mental illness card, but thats just my opinion.

who the **** is trying to absolve anyone? What happened happened, and there is a reason for it. Evil is not a reason man.. sorry. It's a label with no thought or meaning behind it. What was the reason? That's what we're talking about.

 

[Giganticus]

I'm curious, do those of you defending Benoit or atleast making excuses/explanations do the same for school shooters? Same scenario really, and is the fact they often kill themselves after their rampage make them pay for their crime like you've suggested Benoit hanging himself did?

I think beings fans of him and the WWE are really clouded some people's judgement here.

We don't need to, the FBI does that for us.

V-Tech? Turns out the shooter was suicidally depressive.

Columbine? Harris was a Grade-A Psychopath and Klebold was in a state of serious depression.

 

[Stop It]

Evil! How old are you?

23, yourself? How is that in any way relevent? seriously, if you're saying that people cannot have evil thoughts, ever, that all things bad in this world, like murders like this, can be explained away by mental illness and things where personal reponsibility is absolved then more fool you.

 

[DarienA]

So now it's now Benoit's fault cause he was mentally ill? I know, I know, I'm over-exaggerating some stances here... stilll


Anyway borghe I disagree... one act damn sure can color your entire life... and murdering your family qualifies in my book as one of those acts.

 

[Wrestlemania]

23, yourself? How is that in any way relevent? seriously, if you're saying that people cannot have evil thoughts, ever, that all things bad in this world, like murders like this, can be explained away by mental illness and things where personal reponsibility is absolved then more fool you.

23? Seriously?
Having "evil thoughts" is one thing. Acting on them is entirely different, and unfortunately the catch all explanation of "he was an evil person" just doesn't cut it in this day and age.
Murders like this can, absolutely, be "explained away" by mental illess. It doesn't justify them, it doesn't absolve the perpetrator of any responsibility, but it's a hell of a lot more constructive and intelligent than saying "Hey, that guy was a ****ing evil asshole, man!".

 

[borghe]

23, yourself? How is that in any way relevent? seriously, if you're saying that people cannot have evil thoughts, ever, that all things bad in this world, like murders like this, can be explained away by mental illness and things where personal reponsibility is absolved then more fool you.

nooo... nobody is saying every bad thing in the world is explained through mental illness. But again you come with the term evil. By saying that, you imply he looked at his wife and said "Bitch your gonna die!" and then went to his kid and said "Sonny, you're next. SQUARE OFF!". Afterwards he looked in the mirror and said "You did good Chris. Assholes had it coming to them. Well, the cops are on their way. Better wrap this up."

I mean do you really think there was a sane coherent thought in his head at any point during which he was binding her hands and feet and laying a bible next to her body? Do you think a single rational thought we present in his head as he has choking his seven year old son to death? Do you honestly think he was all there as he sat in the house for two days with their dead bodies? Really?

So now it's now Benoit's fault cause he was mentally ill? I know, I know, I'm over-exaggerating some stances here... stilll


Anyway borghe I disagree... one act damn sure can color your entire life... and murdering your family qualifies in my book as one of those acts.

I agree that it colors your entire life. I even said so either on this page or the last. Everything he accomplished up to this point will be tainted by what he did, and it is pretty much all he will ever be remembered for. My point in what I was saying was simply that all of the heartwarming stories the wrestlers were giving on Monday night's show still happened. Him hugging Daniel and giving him a kiss at WMXX still happened. If he was truly a horrible person this entire time, I have a hard time believing people would have had all this great stuff to say about him. That's all I'm saying. It doesn't change what happened, but it doesn't erase FROM THEIR MINDS (not ours) the memories of his friendship. that's a pretty ****ed up fact they'll have to deal with.

As for Benoit's "fault". It will always be his fault, but there's a reason why there is such a thing as an insanity plea (and yes I know it's drastically overused). If you are truly insane there will always be a question over how responsible one is over their own actions when there mind isn't working like it should be. Really no need to get into on if or how that applies here, but it is a point nonetheless, and a possibility.

 

[X26]

We don't need to, the FBI does that for us.

V-Tech? Turns out the shooter was suicidally depressive.

Columbine? Harris was a Grade-A Psychopath and Klebold was in a state of serious depression.

And do people then take that information and make excuses for the killer and somehow try and state it wasn't their fault? Nope, never. I'm not saying Benoit didn't have severe issues, he probably did, but it doesn't excuse a thing.

 

[Wrestlemania]

And do people then take that information and make excuses for the killer and somehow try and state it wasn't their fault? Nope, never. I'm not saying Benoit didn't have severe issues, he probably did, but it doesn't excuse a thing.

Nobody is saying it excuses it!
Nobody is saying "Yeah, he's mentally ill. Oh well, shit happens, not his fault. RIP CHRIS", we're simply saying that incidents like this run deeper than someone simply being "evil" or an asshole, and maybe if more people recognised this then it can somehow be prevented in the future.

 

[Giganticus]

And do people then take that information and make excuses for the killer and somehow try and state it wasn't their fault? Nope, never. I'm not saying Benoit didn't have severe issues, he probably did, but it doesn't excuse a thing.

None of us are saying it's not his fault either. None of us are saying it excuses anything. Get it through your thick head.

We're looking for a reason - not because we want to say "Oh Chris Benoit was great after all because he just had a wonky brain when he killed his family!" - but because we want to say "X had a massive hand in causing this tragedy, let's try and work to find a way of preventing/lowering X". We're not justifying anything, we're explaining it.

 

[BirdBomb]

Holy shit. What an incredible, incredible lack of understanding. People would be saying exactly the same thing if this story was about police officer who one day came home from work and did exactly the same thing. Maybe that's just because I idolise the police!

uh.. no they wouldn't. the only reason people are trying to find excuses for this is because like someone else said, not even a week ago a lot of those people idolized this asshole. if it was some random douche on the news people wouldnt think twice before shrugging him off as some hellbound murdering bastard and be done with it.

people can just snap and lose it without there needing to be some deep explanation or underlying problem. people have always described benoit as tightly wound and high tempered. you are talking about a guy who had a restraining order placed against him by his wife because she feared for her life after filing for divorce. he was hardly a boy scout with no signs of anger issues before this.

 

[3kuSaS]

Its been said time and time again...everyone has their breaking point. Benoit was a man who lost all hope and couldn't deal with it anymore - This could happen to any of us. It's best not to criticize, but to try and understand the situation. It's just very sad when a good man who loved his family has enough sadness in his heart that he could do what Benoit did...