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Chris Benoit was considered one of the greatest wrestlers to walk this planet until he took the lives of his wife, Nancy, and their seven-year-old son Daniel before committing suicide on June 24, 2007. Since then, his name has been blacklisted from the world of pro wrestling, including WWE.
Chris Benoit’s WWE mention completely eroded after the circumstances surrounding his death and that of his wife and child became clear. Prior to the police report, the promotion had put on a three-hour tribute for Benoit on the June 25, 2007, episode of RAW.
On June 26, 2007, Vince McMahon delivered a special announcement about the police investigation. The boss said WWE would no longer mention Benoit because of the double-murder and suicide. That was the last time WWE acknowledged the former World Heavyweight Champion on television.
“On a recent edition of RAW, the WWE presented a special tribute show recognizing the career of Chris Benoit,” Vince said. "However, the facts of this horrific tragedy involving Chris Benoit were not known at the time. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit’s name in this program. On the contrary, this show is dedicated to everyone who has been affected this terrible incident. This marks the first step of the healing process whereby WWE performers will now do what they do better than anyone else in the world. Entertain you.”
Chris Benoit was booked to win a WWE title before he died
Benoit was supposed to win the ECW World Championship against CM Punk at Vengeance: Night of Champions on June 24, 2007.
However, WWE decided to replace the Rabid Wolverine with Johnny Nitro after Benoit no-showed the event without notice.
Nitro defeated Punk for the title at the pay-per-view event. He held the championship for 69 days before dropping it to the Second City Saint on the September 4, 2007, episode of ECW. As part of his title reign, Nitro was repackaged as John Morrison, a name he retained till his first exit from the company in 2011.
What’s your take on this story of Benoit? Let us know in the comments!
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sportskeeda for the transcription.
