Wrestler Chris Benoit kills family, hangs himself

FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia — Professional wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to their bodies before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley, authorities said.

Investigators found anabolic steroids in the house and want to know whether the World Wrestling Entertainment muscle man nicknamed "The Canadian Crippler" was unhinged by the bodybuilding drugs, which can cause paranoia, depression and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage."

Authorities offered no motive for the killings, which were spread out over a weekend, and would not discuss Benoit's state of mind. No suicide note was found.

"In a community like this it's bizarre to have a murder-suicide, especially involving the death of a 7-year-old," District Attorney Scott Ballard said Tuesday. "I don't think we'll ever be able to wrap our minds around this."

The Montreal-born Benoit was one of the stars of the WWE wrestling circuit and was known for his wholesome family-man image. His wife, Nancy, was a wrestling stage manager who worked under the name "Woman." They married in 2000.

When he won the world heavyweight championship in 2004, Benoit (pronounced ben-WAH) hoisted the belt over his head and invited his wife and child into the ring to celebrate. Asked by the Calgary Sun that year to name his worst vice: Benoit replied: "Quality time with my family is a big vice. It's something I'll fight for and crave."

Despite those appearances, Nancy Benoit had filed for a divorce in 2003, saying the couple's three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging "cruel treatment." She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that the 5-foot-10 ( 1.78-meter), 220-pound (100-kilogram) Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.

In the divorce filing, she said Benoit made more than $500,000 a year as a professional wrestler and asked for permanent custody of Daniel and child support. In response, Benoit sought joint custody.

The bodies were found Monday afternoon in the house, off a gravel road in this suburb about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Atlanta.

Benoit's 43-year-old wife was killed Friday in an upstairs family room, her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle, Ballard said. Daniel was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, the body found in his bed, the district attorney said.

Benoit, 40, apparently hanged himself several hours up to as long as a day later, Ballard said. His body was found in a downstairs weight room hanging from the pulley of a piece of exercise equipment.

A closed Bible was placed next to the bodies of the wife and son, authorities said.

The prosecutor said he found it "bizarre" that the wrestler spread out the killings over a weekend and appeared to remain in the house for up to a day with the bodies.

Toxicology test results may not be available for weeks or even months, Ballard said. As for whether steroids played a role in the crime, he said: "We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at."

Drugs and wrestlers

Steroids have been linked to the deaths of several professional wrestlers in recent years. Eddie Guerrero, one of Benoit's best friends, died in 2005 from heart failure linked to long-term steroid use.

The father of Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig blamed steroids and painkillers for Hennig's drug overdose death in 2003. Davey Boy Smith, the "British Bulldog," died in 2002 from heart failure that a coroner said was probably caused by steroids.

The WWE, based in Stamford, Connecticut, issued a statement Tuesday evening saying steroids "were not and could not be related to the cause of death."

"The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage," the company said, adding that Benoit tested negative April 10, the last time he was tested for drugs.

Benoit was a quiet, roughhewn figure amid the glitz and bluster of pro wrestling. He performed under his real name, eschewed scripted personas and did not bother to fix a gap where he had lost one of his front teeth. (According to the WWE Web site, he lost the tooth while roughhousing with his pet Rottweiler.)

His signature move was the "Crippler Crossface," in which he would lock his hands around an opponent's face and stretch his neck.

"You always rooted for him, because he was a good guy and he overcame the odds," said Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer, a weekly news letter. "It's like if you watched 'Rocky,' and in the end it comes out that Rocky killed his wife and his son."

Benoit met his wife in the 1990s when she was married to rival wrestler Kevin Sullivan. As part of the scripted rivalry, Benoit and Nancy were supposed to act as if they were having an affair. A real romance blossomed, and she left Sullivan for Benoit.

Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.

"We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm," said Alaina Jones, who lives across the street.

Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at their gate. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people," he said.

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who had received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said fellow Canadian Bret Hart, a five-time champion.

The WWE canceled its live "Monday Night RAW" card in Corpus Christi, Texas, after the bodies were discovered.

Monday's show was supposed to be a memorial service for WWE owner Vince McMahon. In a storyline concocted by the WWE, McMahon was supposedly "assassinated" in a limousine explosion two weeks earlier. McMahon appeared at the beginning of Monday's telecast and acknowledged the bombing was made up.

The McMahon storyline has been dropped.

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WWE di Iraq

Posted on Sunday, June 24 @ 14:19:24 MYT by SongkokPutih
Oleh drfikrah

Perasan atau tidak perasan, satu kejutan besar bagi mereka yang belum menyedari keberlangsungan peristiwa ini. Apabila sebut tentang wrestling, semua orang tahu, terutamanya peringkat awal remaja dan lebih membahayakan lagi kanak-kanak bawah umur. Secara umumnya, wrestling terbahagi kepada banyak cabang, antaranya World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), World Champion Wrestling (WCW) dan sebagainya.

Walaupun artikel ringkas ini akan memuatkan satu isu yang agak kurang disedari oleh kebanyakan manusia, namun tidak dinafikan bahawa di sana mungkin ada yang sudah mengetahuinya. Walaubagaimanapun ia belum disedari oleh kebanyakan orang yang sedang sibuk dengan pelbagai isu hari ini.

Krismas tahun lepas (2006) menyaksikan adengan jijik oleh Tentera Amerika yang sedang melakukan pemupusan terhadap rakyat Iraq , di mana mereka telah menyambut perayaan tersebut dengan menjemput WWE untuk membuat pertunjukan di Iraq . Di tengah-tengah kemelut pembunuhan rakyat Iraq , mereka mampu untuk berhibur dan bersuka ria dengan idola-idola mereka.

Hari ini, kita melihat gusti (wrestling) sebagai alah satu aktiviti sukan ataupun pergaduhan ganas, namun remaja dan anak-anak kita sangat menggilai rancangan ini sehinggakan sanggup berkorban waktu tidur untuk menyaksikannya di kaca-kaca TV. Mungkin di sana , terdapat segelintir ibu bapa yang cubna menghalang anak-anak mereka daripada berbuat demikian, tetapi saya pasti masih ada lagi yang membiarkannya, apatah lagi bersama-sama anak-anak untuk menyaksikannya ketika lewat malam.

Lihatlah hari ini, berlaku beberapa kes di seluruh dunia yang terjadi kerana terpengaruh dengan aksi-aksi yang tidak sepatutnya ditonjol di dalam rancangan tersebut. Tak perlulah saya hurai tentang keburukan rancangan ini dan ia sepatutnya sudah lama dilupuskan daripada dunia.

WWE di Iraq

Sepertimana yang telah saya sebutkan tadi, Akademi Tentera Amerika yang sedang “bermastautin” di bumi Iraq sambil merobohkan kediaman, memukul dan menyiat kulit-kulit saudara kita, telah mengadakan satu rancangan WWE di Iraq. Peristiwa ini seolah-olah menunjukkan keangkuhan mereka menjajah bumi Iraq . Bukankah WWE yang menjadi rancangan kesukaan remaja, menjadi sebuah senjata MEMPERBODOHKAN Iraq ?

Tentera Amerika yang sudah awal-awal lagi menyambut ketibaan mereka cuba menggambarkan bahawa, “inilah bumi Iraq yang sedang kami tawan!!”. Tiada seorang pun dari penggemar-penggemar rancangan ini yang bangkit membantah kelakuan biadap mereka. Sudahlah menjajah Negara Islam, dibangga-bangga lagi dengan rancangan dan hiburan yang dijalankan ketika Perayaan Krismas.

Adakah umat Islam yang melihatnya hanya tahu menyokong idola-idola kafir mereka, tanpa sekelumit rasa benci? Lihatlah wrestling yang cuba memburuk-burukkan Iraq di mata dunia menjadi kegemaran umat Islam sendiri. Masalah ini belum dikaitkan lagi dengan kesan-kesannya terhadap minda generasi-generasi Muslimin akan datang.

Adakah kita mengharapkan generasi-generasi kita menjadi penyokong dan pendukung Amerika secara tidak sedar? Adakah kita mengharap anak-anak kita ter“bodoh” dengan suntika-suntikan mereka? Lihatlah sendiri rancangan-rancangan yang dimuatkan di kaca-kaca televisyen. Bukan sahaja wrestling, malah banyak lagi rancangan yang memaparkan kebencian mereka terhadap Islam.

Adakah umat Islam hanya berdiam diri dengan rancangan-rancangan jahat mereka? Bertambah malang lagi, hari ini rancangan-rancangan televisyen yang dahulunya dijadikan alat oleh Yahudi untuk menghancurkan Islam, hari ini ia diisi dan dikendalikan sendiri oleh mereka yang menggelarkan diri mereka “Islam”, walhal merekalah boneka-boneka Yahudi.

Realiti TV

Tidakkah kita lihat pada rancangan Realiti TV yang “mengorbankan” Islam di mata dunia Islam sendiri. Siapakah penganjur, penerbit dan pengendali rancangan tersebut kalau bukan orang yang mengatakan bahawa mereka adalah “Islam”. Kita sepatutnya sudah awal-awal lagi menolak dan membuat bantahan terhadap tayangan rancangan-rancangan seperti ini.

Malangnya, masyarakat Islam, terutamanya di Malaysia terus tenggelam di dalam keseronokan masing-masing. WWE yang diadakan di Iraq , sempena Krismas, tiada lagi kedengaran suara-suara yang membantahnya. Apakah sebabnya? Lihatlah sendiri, inilah kesan-kesannya yang sudah lama dinanti-nantikan oleh mereka. Mereka sudah lama mengharap penghinaan Islam oleh orang “Islam” sendiri secara terbuka di dalam televisyen sepertimana yang dilakukan oleh Rosnah Mat Aris.

Penjuru Dunia Islam

Tidakkah kita melihat, di dalam keseronokan mereka meraikan krismas di bumi Iraq , mereka masih mampu untuk melakukan penyeksaan demi penyeksaan terhadap tahanan-tahanan Iraq di penjara Abu Gharib. Tetapi , setelah maklumat tersebut didedahkan kepada umum, berapa “kerat”kah orang Islam yang bangkit?

Sekiranya anda hanya melihat dengan “sebelah mata” peristiwa WWE yang diadakan di bumi Iraq di tengah kemelut peperangan, TIDAK MUSTAHIL SATU HARI NANTI MEREKA BANGGA DENGAN MEMBUAT PESTA SEKS BESAR-BESARAN DI MASJIDIL AQSA!!! Adakah anda hanya membisu dengan WWE tersebut? Adakah hanya menunggu “perangai” mereka selanjutnya yang tidak henti-henti menjatuhkan Islam!!!


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