"I don't give a sh*t" - Chris Benoit's wrestling legacy means nothing to former WWE star

Chris Benoit's wrestling legacy means little to former WWE star Jimmy Wang Yang. In June 2007, it was reported that Benoit k*lled himself after mu*dering his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel. This remains one of the darkest chapters in pro wrestling history.

Over the years, many fans have tried to keep the wrestler separate from the man and his actions, but Jimmy Wang Yang is clear where the former World Heavyweight Champion stands in his eyes.

Speaking on the Cheap Heat, Jimmy recalled how the events unfolded leading to the news of Benoit's death. WWE was doing the storyline of Vince McMahon’s death and announced a memorial service for the show. However, as the talent was called in, the news of the real-life tragedy broke out.

"I turn around, Vince is there, and all of a sudden I hear Vickie Guerrero screech, ‘Oh my god! Noooo!’ ‘What the fu*k?’ Vince announced what happened. They found Chris dead, his wife, and his kid," he said.

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Jimmy said that he wasn't comfortable doing a tribute match to The Rabid Wolverine until all the facts of the incident were out. When the reality of the situation came out, it left everyone shocked, and Jimmy said Chris Benoit's actions disqualify his ability as a wrestler.

"During the day, all the stuff started to leak out. I no-showed SmackDown because I didn’t want to be part of anything associated with what happened. I didn’t feel comfortable, and I had a bad feeling with what happened. I kind of got in trouble, but it got cleared after everything came out. But personally, I don’t give a shit what wrestling match he did or all that other stuff. I don’t care. The last thing he did, that sticks with me," he added.

You can watch the interview below:

Chris Benoit was mentioned by a WWE star earlier this year

In the wake of the events surrounding Chris Benoit's death, WWE distanced itself from him. The company went on to erase all mention of Benoit from their video library.

He hasn't been brought up on WWE either since that fateful day, but earlier this year Tommaso Ciampa mentioned him in an Instagram post.

Ahead of DIY's Tag Team Title match at Royal Rumble against the Motor City Machine Guns, Ciampa noted that it was the 2003 match between Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit at the Royal Rumble that solidified his belief in becoming a pro wrestler.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Cheap Heat Productions podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik