Chris Benoit was once one of the top stars in WWE, and it’s been 10 years since the Benoit family tragedy took place. Even though Benoit was arguably one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step foot in the ring, WWE does not acknowledge him due to the circumstances surrounding his death.
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WWE’s reasons for not acknowledging Chris Benoit are understandable, but that hasn’t stopped fans from talking about a possible Hall of Fame induction for the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Benoit’s name is still a name that comes up quite a bit in conversation among wrestling fans, and during a recent Q&A session in Australia a fan asked John Cena why WWE doesn’t acknowledge Benoit, and he offered the following answer:
“Very difficult question, and I’ll answer it like this. Often times, we get caught up in a person’s ability and their performance, and this transcends WWE, this is a problem in sport. It is also a problem in entertainment. People will do bad things. But if they are good at what they do, sometimes those things are overlooked. I don’t believe in that. I believe you should take ownership for your actions. All of them. Not just ones that are performed in front of an audience. I think our company’s stance on the entire situation set a precedent for athletics, and a precedent for entertaining of taking ownership for your actions.”
Do you agree with what he had to say? Sound off in the comments below.
I have to agree with Cena on this one you don’t see Major League Baseball putting certain people in their hall of fame and the same goes for other sports hall of fame for various reasons weather they be because of cheating or betting on a game to commiting violent criminal acts such as what Benoit did. For example you’ll never see Pete Rose, Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa in the baseball hall of fame because of their actions.
I would agree with Cena if it was not proven for a fact Chris was Diagnosed with CTE. Test more than proved that Chris was not in his right mind like so many NFL players who took there lives and others due to the damage Chris took in the ring for decades not to mention the steriod use Vince himself approved of before he was charged in the early 90’s. Other than that terrible tragic if Chris was proven to be a dangerous crazy person though out his life ok i get your statment, but seeing how Chris never hurt anyone or anything right before this trama.
It’s sad because I feel Benoit genuinely was one of the best of all time and a guaranteed hall of famer but he destroyed that legacy on his last day here. I get that he wasn’t in full control that day but it still happened and nothing can ever take that back, so I’ve got to agree with Cena here.
Cena is not the person who should be answering this question. Vince McMahon, Stephanie, and Triple H are the only people who hold the real answer to the Benoit Debate. The fact of the matter is actions speak louder than words and as long as WWE boycotts Benoit, I think we have the answer. Honestly there’s no reason for them to allow Benoit any recognition. There’s no place in this world where we honor murderers and serial killers, so WWE will not want to become one of the first organizations in the world who honor such a horrible person. Benoit is a murderer who not only murdered his wife but also his child. Sometimes when a spouse murders their significant other, it is wrote-off as a Crime Of Passion, but when a child is murdered there’s nothing to say that can justify it. Benoit is a disgusting and disgraceful human being who only deserves the honor of rotting in hell for the rest of eternity.
I was one of the biggest Chris Benoit fans that there is. Two of my favorite matches of all time both involved him. The tribute to Owen match he did with Bret Hart, and the house show match I watched with Kurt Angle. Had he not done the unthinkable, he would no doubt be in The Hall of Fame, but actions have consequences. I agree with some of these other posts, one of the McMahon’s should have addressed this in public, however, John Cena is as much a face of the company as any of them, I hate that Chris will not be given the honor he deserves for his talent, but he brought this on himself.