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On Chris Benoit
By: Brady Lewis

What to do with Chris Benoit.

I have never met the man.  I am not related to him.  He is a guy that I saw on TV and video. 

Yet his death and the circumstances around it are incredibly hard to really fathom.

I had an emotional investment in Benoit, as much as anyone has an emotional investment in a sports team or athlete.  So for those who are having a hard time understanding how someone can be in shock over a wrestler’s actions, just imagine your favorite football player doing the same thing. 

We as wrestling fans are now conflicted.  On one hand, we have performer "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, the Wild Pegasus.  This is the man we remember as having some of the greatest matches ever.  He has matches that stack up against anything Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, and Shawn Michaels ever did.  Here is the man who is respected the world over for what he could do in the ring. 

Then, on the other hand, we have the Chris Benoit as he really is.  We have the man who may have used illegal prescriptions.  We have the man who may have beaten his wife.  We have the man that committed the acts of just a few days ago.  We have a man who no one should respect.  No one can condone what he has done. 

Where do we stand?  We want to pay tribute to the man who amazed us with his ability, but not to a murderer.  We want to remember the good, but how can you with so much bad still coming to light? 

The question you have to ask yourself is this.

Can you condemn a man, yet still respect his accomplishments?

I think you can.

Should Chris Benoit’s legacy continue despite what he did?  Can you watch his matches without seeing this dark day in wrestling history? 

I think it should, and I think I can.

For the last few days of his life, Chris Benoit was a monster.  He committed the unforgivable.  I do not begrudge anyone who wants to erase Benoit from the history books.  For his actions, his legacy deserves to be forgotten. 

I thought I might go down that path, but I choose to remember his legacy.  I will remember the entertainer, not the man. 

That is just how it is.  And I’ll even give you a brutally honest answer as to why I choose this path. 

I am a fucking selfish wrestling fan.  I did not know Chris personally, only what I saw on TV.  I did not know his wife and kid.  I only briefly saw his wife manage Kevin Sullivan back in the day.  I am not as emotionally invested in them as I am in Benoit.  So I, as a selfish wrestling fan, will continue to enjoy what he gave to us.  I will watch his matches with awe and wonder.  I will remember his legacy as perhaps the best ever. 

Chris Benoit, I will remember your career with fondness and amazement.  I toast your body of work.  Now go rot in hell you piece of shit.  There is no torment you shouldn’t experience.