In memory of a murderer: Mr. Mal says good-bye to Benoit
By Mr. Mal Occhio
Wrestlers Ramblings.com wrestling news
How do you say good-bye to an athlete you have literally watched his entire career, starting with his days in Stampede Wrestling in the mid-to-late 80s, on through ECW and WCW and finally through to the WWE: By writing a glowing remembrance of how he thrilled you with in-ring precision? No.
How do you say good-bye to a fellow Canadian, one who – despite living most of his adult life in Atlanta – was never shy to admit his roots, making you proud to be born under the red maple leaf: By writing about how much he will be missed by fans from Vancouver to Halifax, and all points in between? No.
How do you say good-bye to yet another professional wrestler gone far too soon, as the swirling air of death leaves its foul stench yet again on the sport we all know and love so dearly: By shouting louder for stricter steroid control, perhaps better working conditions, even a pro wrestling union in order to allow these performers time to heal their wounds – without having to resort to performance enhancers to compensate for their lingering injuries, for fear of losing their spot on the roster? No. Not this time. All these usual angles are not the appropriate ones to take today.
Pointless. Baseless. Meaningless.
Bigger questions are needed here, questions Mr. Mal has never had to ask before in situations where another of my wrestling heroes has passed on, way too young, without a chance to age gracefully – not that our bigger-than-life ring warriors ever seem to do. Hard questions. Unfathomably tragic questions. Horrific questions.
How do you say good-bye to Chris Benoit, an apparent double-murderer, thrice if you count his own life among the body count? A man who – before leaving this world — would even stoop as low as to take the life of his seven-year-old son? By refusing to even acknowledge his passing, ignoring the biggest story to hit the world of professional wrestling in years? No. That would be easy. Close our eyes. Make it go away. Perhaps it was all a bad dream.
But it isn’t. It is far, far too real. Pick up any newspaper, turn to virtually any news channel. It is there for all to see. It is real. It happened. And Chris Benoit was responsible.
At least the grieving process was quick this time around. Amid the glowing WWE tribute (one for which Mr. Mal doesn’t blame Vince McMahon and the WWE for at all - they reacted appropriately by canceling RAW and, once details rolled in, halted any further showings or sale of Benoit merchandise) news reports began surfacing shortly after midnight, mere minutes after Mr. Mal caught the last few minutes of RAW, just settling down to watch the replay. Could this be true? Could Benoit really have done something so heinous? Could anyone? How? Why?
Why?
No one will ever know, and – morbid curiosity aside – does it matter? No. What possible explanation would even begin to explain away the horror he has created? None.
Bibles beside the victims . . . strange text messages . . . needle marks on his young son’s arms . . . It all reads like a scene from a David Lynch film – only this is far, far too real. And far, far too tragic to discuss any further, at least for Mr. Mal.
Ironically, to a man who so craved respect – for himself, for the business, for being a family man – he goes out with absolutely none. Zero. People will look back at the life and times of the former Pegasus Kid and remember nothing but the finale, and deservedly so.
How do you say good-bye Chris Benoit, wrestling fans? To a man such as this, one doesn’t say good-bye. One says good riddance.
Rest in peace Nancy and Daniel. Your killer will one day be judged accordingly.
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June 28th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Well said Mr. Mal. You get the usual send off…. Okay,bye!
June 28th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Thanks, Steve. Mr. Mal needs that send-off - now - more than ever. It’s been a crazy week in the world of pro wrestling . . .
June 30th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Hey there, Mr. Mal,
I just want to say thanks for writing such a stirring piece. I literally was fighting the goosebumps off my arms the entire read. You poetically wrote the way many of us have been feeling, but not being able to put the words together.
After almost a week now and the what seems like daily disturbing new developments, I just want it to go away. I want to watch Smackdown and Raw and hope that some lighthearted and fun storytelling and matches start to resurface in the world of wrestling. I am tired of the dark and controversial storylines. I want to have fun watching wrestling again. I hope in light of this tragedy the WWE will tone it down a bit and focus more on in-ring storytelling and less of the dramatic backstage drama.
Thanks for your words and your time.
- Reverend of Rastling
June 30th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Wow - thanks so much for the kind words, Reverend. Couldn’t agree more with you, incidentally. Preach, Rev, preach.
Welcome to the site! Looking forward to hearing more from you in the weeks to come.
- Mr. Mal