#3 Blind with nostalgia
Outside of judging his talent and wanting to support the underdog, there are a few reasons why Chris Benoit is beloved, that are more on the negative spectrum. The least problematic of these is the rose-coloured glasses effect where fans grew up watching Benoit and associate him with their childhood.
This is something we’re all guilty of at some point, whether it explains our love of certain foods or entertainment or smells or virtually any aspects of our lives that we associate with a happier time in the past we’d like to go back to.
All too often, people will complain that wrestling isn’t as good as it used to be, but if they actually sat down and watched the television episodes from that time frame without the context of having gone through it live, they probably wouldn’t adhere to the same opinion anymore.
For example, the Attitude Era is always sharply complimented, but fans are selectively remembering the best parts and editing the bad stuff out of their memories. The same applies to some Chris Benoit fans, who fondly remember his greatest matches and moments, but ignore anything that is largely forgettable.
If you were super excited to see him win the Royal Rumble and the World Heavyweight Championship, then 2004 was an amazing year for you to look back on and have great memories of Benoit that counteract the bad thoughts from 2007 and onward.
When hearing his name, a more optimistic person coming from a point of nostalgia will immediately think of something positive from his past, rather than jumping straight to a mental image of the tragedy that sullied his name.
