Chris Benoit, also known as The Rabid Wolverine, was a respected figure in the wrestling world, particularly within WWE. He achieved the status of world champion, headlined Wrestlemania, and emerged victorious at the Royal Rumble.
Tragically, in June 2007, on the night he was poised to secure his third world championship, Benoit committed a heinous act by taking the lives of his wife and their seven-year-old son before ending his own life at their family home.
Following this appalling incident, WWE took drastic measures to erase Benoit from their history. His name was scrubbed from the website, video games, press releases, and DVDs, and references to him were seldom made on broadcasts.
In 2024, Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE embroiled in various scandals, finally addressed the double murder-suicide in a six-part documentary series on Netflix called “Mr McMahon.”
Chris Benoit, who passed away at the age of 40 after a wrestling career that began at 18 and spanned across different promotions worldwide, including in the US, Canada, and Japan, was a decorated athlete with 30 championships under his belt. Regarded as one of the finest technical wrestlers in history, his legacy was tarnished by the tragic events surrounding his death.
After his passing, speculations arose that Benoit may have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated head traumas, known for causing severe mood swings and behavioral changes, commonly found in American football players.
Post-mortem examinations on Benoit’s brain revealed severe damage comparable to that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, raising questions about the potential role of CTE in his actions. Additionally, the discovery of steroids in Benoit’s residence post-tragedy fueled discussions about the possible influence of “roid rage.”
Despite controversies and speculations, Vince McMahon dismissed the notion that steroids played a role in Benoit’s actions, attributing the tragedy to human fallibility. McMahon, who had faced accusations in the past related to steroid scandals involving WWE performers, emphasized that there was no direct link between steroids and Benoit’s actions.
The Netflix documentary also featured wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin expressing skepticism about CTE implications, and McMahon recalling Benoit as an exceptional athlete and a seemingly good person. WWE maintains stringent concussion and drug-testing protocols, denying any responsibility for Chris Benoit’s tragic end.