Wrestling Roundtable #1 12/1/07 Part 1 - Chris Benoit's Legacy

[gramamge33]

to me I always compare how Benoit got reported vs. Rae Carruth. Sure no drugs involved but a more heinous crime and the NFL got that story buried so deep I doubt 1% of the audience even knows the name.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

@gramamge33 Since I know nothing of football, care to enlighten me, or anyone else unaware? Thanks.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[gramamge33]

@WrestlingRoundtable 1st round very high pick wide reciever in jail for paying to have his 8 month pregnant girlfriend murdered in a drive by in '99

[MrBeastwaa]

@gramamge33 Safe mate, i'm English and av no idea who Rae Carruth is. Thus proving your point. Who is he???????

[antsman88]

god i cant believe i've been a fan for ages and not actually seen this first show yet!

[kanedasrifle]

Benoit was an awesome wrestler.........this cant be denied.

[bkstyle82]

I asked it on twitter:Are you still able to view Benoit matches considering what happened? Pretty much everyone is able to separate the tragedy from his career. I watched the Hard Knocks documentary today and some of the joy was gone. I can still watch his matches and marvel at how great he was but in the back of my mind I think about how he will be erased from history. WWE gets to re-write the past since they own most history. I think about the young cats who won't really know of his talent.

[ladykiller85]

@bkstyle82 I loved Benoit, what an amazing athlete. I don't go out of my way to stay away from Benoit footage, but when I do see it, there's a sense of guilt and emptiness, like I shouldn't be enjoying whatever it is I'm watching. The second I see him, I'm brought right back to what he allegedly did and it ruins it.

[hellohell77]

Ok.... i know its been three years but it still bugs me to this day that people want to blame vince for this shit. Now i want to preface by saying i think hes a crazy mutherfucker. Im not a big fan of him or some of the fucked up shit he does. But im glad eric brought up that he has sent people to rehab. This guy cannot babysit the wrestlers all the time. They have their own minds and lives. They are solely responsible for themselves. Im not completely absolving vince. Its just not all on him.

[TNO73]

Sadly Chris' legacy will be what happened that weekend rather than his considerable career. As a husband & father what he did can NOT be forgotten, but I personally would put Benoit easily in my Top 10 in ring performers of all time.

[mychannelisgone]

wrestling has been empty for 9 years. wake up! Benoit was a amazing wrestler but the guy killed his family, he's a coward that was givin the title out of pity. That's his legacy. hopefully wrestling will have another "real" ratings war and it will get my attention again. otherwise i'll stick with old WCW on youtube. PG wrestling is garbage.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

You obviously haven't watched our videos much if you think we need to wake up. You're right on the rest.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable.

[mychannelisgone]

id say the 3 of you know what your talking about. i agree with you most of the time ponytailman. i just hate todays wrestling fan.

[HavokkG1]

'look how many wrestling dvds i have oh and tna'

you just like summed up 80% of wrestling fans

[MrPerfect2000Z]

I have unfortunately watched videos involving these smarks who think they know everything

Never gonna make that mistake again

[word559]

Benoits legacy is killing his family.. the dude sucked.

[NarutosDemonForm]

I understand your hatred for Benoit and that you don't ccare much for the man anymore, but as a wrestling fan for nearly 6 years, I can still feel the emptiness with his presence gone. It sucks and everytime I watch an old vmatch of his, I start tearing up for what he did to his legacy. His actions are inexcusable, but he still was a great wrestler, even if you don't agree.

[DeathAdder83]

yeah it is all really sad about Benoit, I loved that guy

[Alex703rockstar]

Wow, the WR has grown a shitload since this.

[AlexBarronSkate]

hi and eddie were the best

[Figgalicious]

Chris Benoit's diving headbutt takes such a toll on the wrestler who is executing the manuever. Its amazing because if you took pure physics into consideration, no one would ever perform the move on an opponent because it takes a greater toll on Benoit than it does say on Kevin Sullivan for example. However, this is wrestling, where you can perform an armbar and keep twisting the opponent's arm without snapping the ligaments. Harley Race has been qouted as saying that he regrets inventing the it

[kane45633656the2nd]

oh and paul london one of the  wwe superstars and his tagteam partner brian "spanky" kenderik doesnt use steroeds nether besieds the brien kendrick is only 123lbs so how can he look like he is abusing steroids hmmm

[kane45633656the2nd]

dude thers one wrestler of the wwe called cm-punk who doesnt abuse anydrugs nor alcahol so stop saying every wrestling superstar from wwe that uses steroeds

[CoryByrd2006]

I think his murdering his wife and child, then committing suicide will tarnish his legacy because thats all people are going to remember him by. Its really sad

[RandomMindz]

Tell me about it!

He, Regal, and Finlay were REAL wrestlers compared to the rest of the roster. Except the lightweights before they took away the Cruiserweight belt.

[KariteToki]

Why can't I find the other parts to this?

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I know, we haven't even posted videos of us fingering children yet!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[bkstyle82]

I feelfor the family he left behind who has to carry this with them forever

[dejudfi]

And what do u guys think about a person posting on wikipedia hours before nancy benoit died. that she had died and that is why benoit missed the ppv? is there actual evidence that benoit murdered his family? i've always sensed it was not him. triple h said on larry king that he thinks benoit is innocent

[WrestlingRoundtable]

It's a non-story. Since Wikipedia can be edited by anybody to pretty much say anything (at least temporarily), it was just some fan who heard Benoit had uncharacteristically missed a show by flying home, ran to his computer to be a dick, and made that up. Turns out he was right, but it's just a coincidence and nothing more. And if you think Benoit didn't kill his family, then you're just being silly. There's absolutely no reason to think otherwise other.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[dejudfi]

The person's address was located in stamford conneticut. Triple h is obivosuly being a dick then lol. Some people are saying kevin sullivan murdered him and to me that is the biggest bunch of bullshit i have ever heard in my life

[toxicrexdawg]

anything is possible, but the dude was on steroids so it could go either way. u just never know

[GunsoftheArchangels]

Not to mention that the diving headbutt has been proven to cause spinal and brain damage to the user after long term use.

[Malachi1979]

Yes, but you learn how to break your fall, so most of the damage and impact is kept off your body. That is, if you know how to work and take bumps, which of course, Chris did.

[dejudfi]

Where do u guys do these show's?? not trying to be nosey lol just curious to know where u do them

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Jackson, NJ, USA

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[TruStory007]

what do you think this new policy that the wwe has where they are paying for former employees who need to rehab their paying for their rehab and expansive.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

We address this on the new Drugs In Wrestling show, so check that out!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[TruStory007]

Lenny poppof leaping lenny said haha while he was inthe wwe he pissed more cups than urinal funny think really was agenius lol

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Yeah, and how many guys from his tenure are dead from heart failure caused by the steroids they did there? ha. I guess him & Howard Finkel were he ones who provided everyone else's samples!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[montemcmillian]

I like the show its nice to hear from some real wrestling fans, and from guys who were fans pre attitude era and beyond, hope you guys keep this going.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

montemcmilliian, thank you very much! We're glad you enjoy the show, and we plan on doing the show for a while! Spread the word and let everyone you know that if they like wrestling, they should subscribe! The more views and subscriptions we get, the more the show grows and the bigger it'll get. We've got some great ideas in the works ;)

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[TruStory007]

That was beutiful response and probably a true fact.Every one know at that time it waslike the wild wild west no give a fuck about steriods and vince can be called as

the blame if he would pushed good'worker'

and the hulk hogan type maybe there maybe so much deaths who knows.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you for the great compliment! McMahon, as much as he likes to shake off any blame, is the guy who - indirectly or not - pushes the muscle bound monsters and freaks, so what message does he think that's sending to the cruiserweight-level guys who get squashed and made out to be jokes in comparison? It's stupid, and just plain bad business.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[buffbeenstuffed]

i enjoy your videos a great deal as a recent subscriber. just to feedback on one comment at 9.30 mcmahon had been funding for rehab long before the eddie death and Benoit death, it was a well known fact that sean waltman went to rehab in 04 and it was payed for by mcmahon as well as davey boy smith and eddie guerreo the first time in 01

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you very much! Thanks for catching up on the older shows as recent subscriber! :) As for our rehab exchange - yes, as I pointed out, McMahon's been sending people to rehab for a long time. But, the points were why does he have to wait until something like his indictment or someone dying to enforce stricter drug testing, or foster an environment(between the schedule, and for the most part mainly pushing muscle-bound juiceheads) that leads his wrestlers to go down that route? $

-E

[rockdeciple5]

chris benoit won't change wrestling at all. He was for sure hall of fame but he blew because (What people don't Get) HE STRANGLED HIS MENTALLY RETARDED SON AND MURDERED HIS WIFE!!!!

[laidbackbazmac]

Enjoy talking amoungst yourselves. I won't say anything bad about you because I guess you are having fun, just nothing new here and none of you know anything more than could be found in five minutes on google. But, good luck to you guess you aren't doing anything wrong and some kids on YouTube clearly like you

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Can anyone else figure out the point of this post? Yeah, if we weren't doing anything new, then what's the point? You think you're so smart, stick to those Google searches you think take 5 minutes and you might want to reconsider your priorities if you're wasting your time, and ours, posting on videos you don't even like. Enjoy YouTubing amongst yourself & take your condescension elsewhere, Mr. High & Mighty.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[reh629]

i am glad that they are slowly mentioning and showing benoit again. you cant deny his existence. to do so, would be disservice to all those he worked with. benoit did not wrestle with or by himself. you cant do an edge or jericho dvd w/o mentioning benoit and so many others.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I'm not happy about it. I'm still uncomfortable with seeing him. It hasn't even been a year! Not showing him isn't a disservice to all the people he worked with - it's a favor! The real disservice to those people is embarrassing their sport by doing drugs & killing his family! And you can't do an Edge DVD anyway because you need good matches first ;) OOOOOOH! Rimshot! heh, anyway, you can't deny his existence of course, but you can keep him out of mind, which I think they should do.

-E

[reh629]

for example for the nfl to ignore oj simpson's existence is a disservice to all the hard work his o-line and coaches have done. or micheal jackson, to ignore his work is to ignore the efforts of qunicy jones and countless writers and producers.

so to act as if benoit didnt exist is to act as if the smackdown six, canadian chris's, the triple threat and other teams and factions didnt exist as well.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I'm a Michael Jackson fan, so I cry fowl in your comparing *allegations* he was found not guilty of to a psycho drug addict who killed his family :P Anyway, I still think keeping their distance from him, for the time being anyway, is the best thing to do, which, of course, they're not doing. TOO SOON!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[chriskoob]

its worth mentioning that the only people who have mentioned him at a public wwe setting were ric flair during his hof speech and HHH for his king of kings dvd, 1 guy who was bout to retire and another who is the boss's son in law, benoit was even edited out of stone cold's dvd and im sure austin could have had some say in it if he wanted benoit shown so that shows that theres still alot of resentment from "the boys" and its not like austin has a great history wit wife abuse himself

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Well, I haven't seen the Triple H DVD, but he's the bosses son, who loves Flair, so Flair's safe, heh. They SHOULD resent him! Because of Benoit they had to get off the juice ;)

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[Quajaboy]

To continue my earlier comment, here is an example of crimes that go on around the world.Benoit did something that paints a black mark on a sport/entertainment that we all love.However what is the difference between that and the below?

A South Side teenage mother who authorities said no longer wanted a baby because she couldn't go to parties was held on $600,000 bond Wednesday on charges that she drowned her 5-month-old daughter in a bathtub earlier this month.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

There is no difference. Both are subhuman, completely out of their mind lunatics. Sorry, but if you get to the point where you do something like that(regardless of drug-related influence), you're lost. Well, I guess the difference might be that, oh, Benoit was a CELEBRITY and all, but fundamentally I don't see a difference. Both scum. What do you think?

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[Quajaboy]

The simple fact of the matter is that he was flying off the top rope and headbutting his opponent night in and night out.Does it suck?.yes Are we so upset because it is a famous face? Yes Was he a talented wrestler? Yes

Is it a crime worthy of forming our entire opinion about the individuals life around? Thats what everyone is doing.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I don't understand your point here. So we shouldn't condemn him because he was a great wrestler for so long? That somehow makes up for the fact he killed his own wife and innocent 8 year old son in cold blood? Sorry, but 20+ years of work was flushed down the toilet over the course of 3 days, forever stained a legacy & given a bad name to the sport he supposedly loved so much, by killing the people he supposedly loved so much. I wish there was a hell for him to burn in.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[GODCONVOYPRIME]

I disagree. I think Pro wrestling is pretty much safe from all the hoopla that comes with being a celebrity. Don't get me wrong they are celebrities but you don't see theses guys getting the same coverage like Brittney Spears or Angelina Jolie.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Sure, they're not the 'superstars' they're perpetuated to be, but yes, they ARE celebrities. They have to be! They've got millions of fans just domestically, let alone around the world. Wait...what exactly are you disagreeing with? heh

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[GODCONVOYPRIME]

Well what I mean by what I said was you don't see the paparazzi chasing them around and reporting whatever they do. I'll use the way the media treats Brittany Spears as an example. You don't see Austin getting chased around by the media?

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Actually, the helicopter chasing him in the ar after he beat Debra up would seem to disqualify him right there, ha. But anyway, yes, you're right, the media doesn't treat wrestlers like they would Britney or Paris. I still don't know your point, heh

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[y2jbrock]

u guys should do a vid about dynamite kids legacy

[WrestlingRoundtable]

In a way, we kind of did with Benoit didn't we? heh, What I mean is, he was so influential in Benoit modeling himself the way he did - the style, the look, even the drugs, that being the LIFE style as well. And we see the results - one ended up in a wheelchair, paralyzed and an asshole when he could walk, the other killed his family & himself. Sure, great wrestlers, but at what cost? That was even examine issues like this, and the results, is Dynamite's legacy beyond classic matches to me

-E

[GODCONVOYPRIME]

To be honest I still don't believe Chris Benoit killed his family. It just doesn't make sense.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

What exactly doesn't make sense about a delusional, concussion-ridden guy on drugs who beat his wife strangling her & his kid? You think they suffocated themselves and someone hung Benoit from his own gym equipment? He also let himself him then because no sign of breaking & entering. Come on, you're not that naive and clingy to actually bullshit yourself in that for a YEAR, are you? Stop denying already. He was my favorite wrestler. Turned out he's a psycho. End of story.

-E

[RammsteinerKid]

great video

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you very much!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[ICEGOD2]

I find it hard to even mention Chris Benoit now, especially as a father to be. The fact is, pro wrestling is allowed to have active wrestlers abuse drugs cause they hide under the guise of entertainment and not a real sport. Something needs to be done damn it.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Don't hold your breathe ; If anything's ever done, it's going to be an outside force(the government) pushing it on them, because wrestling is it's own worst enemy most of the time. Problem is, the government doesn't care either(obviously, or something would have been done a LONG time ago), so don't be surprised by more deaths. The proverbial vicious cycle.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[Bl4z3r82]

Benoit like a lot of people was one of my favorite in ring performers and id often buy a ticket if he was on the card. When this tragedy happened I was so upset, shocked, and disapointed that I cant watch his matches anymore. Nancy was one of my favorite valet's as well and I always wanted to see her come back one day and that wont happen now. Lastly im tired of hearing the conspiracy theories about Kevin Sullivan getting revenge. Like OJ Simpson it destroyed a hero of mine in my mind and heart.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Right on all accounts. Anyone who actually believes or thinks up those Kevin Sullivan stories are just bullshitting themselves and in denial.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[BrianLG100]

Lol I agree, thought I still Respect Benoit but them Kevin Sullivan stories are just way out of hand and indeed in denial, but I still want the full truth behind all of this(400 pages of a report).

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I don't respect that child killing psycho fuck. He used to be my favorite wrestler, now he's just a dead piece of shit. The full truth? Benoit was a lunatic on a lethal mix of drugs & concussions brought on by his wrestling style in the ring, & wrestling life style out of it, so everyone who still likes to say he was a great wrestler or keeps watching RAW every week & buying PPVs, shirts & tickets to show is perpetuating the situations that COULD create another monster out of 1 of our heroes

-E

[BrianLG100]

That's alright with me, I hear he wasn't he normal self, but people can believe what they what, I don't give a fuck what the media says, but with me it's all good.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Apparently his 'normal self' wasn't so normal, heh. I dunno, maybe I'm still angry but I just hate his (rotting) guts now and it makes me sick when people say anything good about him. I think there should be a WWE bus trip for fans for them to line up & piss on his grave, ha. From what I've been told about how he was before, he seemed like kind of an obsessive weirdo anyway. Just sad. Thanks for writing!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[GODCONVOYPRIME]

I agree with you partially, he was a psycho bitch monkey, but, regarding my comment above, I just think that he could not have killed his family. That's just my opinion though. I do, however, respect your opinion as well.

[SlimmArmstrong]

I never said I respect Benoit, I was saying that I respect your decision not to watch his matches anymore. I don't now what happened in the past few days, but u seem kinda angry about it. maybe people have been kissing Chris's ass, I don't know. I think Benoit was an isolated incident, people have been wrestling for many years before Chris's sick situation came about. sure, it COULD happen again, but I don't see it as a potential epidemic, because they are looking for those warning signs now.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

You're right - I was angry when I wrote the last few comments, heh. Rough week. & I see alot of Benoit stuff the internet, & I can't believe people still love to say good things about him. I can't separate the 'man' from his 'work' in THIS case because he WAS his work, & his work contributed to his actions whether people like it/realize it or not. & like you said, it COULD happen again, & really, they should've been on the ball about drugs/concussions sooner, if they're even REALLY on it

-E

[pedicabdr1ver]

it's nice to hear professional wrestling fans with some intelligence for once.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you very much! We hope you continue to enjoy the show, come up with some interesting questions or comments, and spread the word! :)

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[evansawatsky20]

The only thing for me is no one is going to remember Chris as a wrestler. Which is depressing for me because he was my favourite wrestler. I didn't care if he faced Hulk Hogan, I would still boo his old ass out of the arena. But now, there is a black cloud hanging over his career.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Can you blame them, though? Benoit was one of our all time favorites, and I know the murders don't change the fact he was an amazing performer, but how can you possibly separate the wrestler from the man when he was defined by the very style that contributed to his snapping? There's absolutely no excuse for...ripping Hogan needlessly like you did, ha. But seriously, I can't even watch him anymore. Not yet anyway.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[SlimmArmstrong]

I can relate to not being able to watch him, although it didn't take me long, and I'll tell you why. as a parent and a human being, what Christopher Michael Benoit did was disgusting and heartbreaking. could never imagine harming my son like that! but I didn't know the man personally, and my brother reminded me of that. I "know" the wrestler, Chris Benoit. and I can't forget the fond memories I have of the wrestler. I may be viewed as wrong for feeling that way, but that's just me.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

heh, I'm repressing those memories. It's going to be a long time before I can separate the artist/performer from the murdering scumbag in this case, and I think it's because I was so emotionally invested in him throughout his career beforehand that this turn of events was such a personal blow/insult/disappointment to me in addition to just plain disgusting in and of itself.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable.

[SlimmArmstrong]

I can respect that.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you very much!

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[rochmeone]

thing that pissed me off that in the american news they listed all these dead wrestlers and somehow linked them with drugs owen hart didnt die due to drugs he died in a stupid freak accident that never should of happened jyd junk yard dog car crash i believe dino bravo shot cris adams shot these people need to get their facts straight

[WrestlingRoundtable]

It didn't piss me off;maybe I'm used to it. Let's face it,half the time the media can barely get facts straight on the things they ACTUALLY care or know about.BUT,they're not off on the death part.I mean come on,even if you take out suicides,murders & accidents (WHAT?!Sounds insane just saying that), wrestling STILL has a ridiculous amount of drug-related deaths.Hell,the amount of non drug-related death is high in & of itself!In other words,something is FUCKED UP!

-E,Wrestling Roundtable

[rochmeone]

its because of the touring schedule in my opinion i mean is that what most wrestlers use pain killers and muscle relaxers i guess what thats used for

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Well, the schedule is part of it(for the WWE, anyway), but the drug problem extends to the indies as well. It's probable that the riskier and higher-impact style of the modern-era plays as big a part too. It's easy to say no one forces pills in their throat or says you have to do steroids, but let's keep in mind the conditions that cause most people to turn to those things.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[nashnwo0]

Great video!!! Vince has sent many wrestlers to rehab even before the Benoit murders.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you. He's also caused plenty of them needing that rehab to be fair.

-E, Wrestling Roundtable

[MrRasslin]

The guy in the middle has NO RIGHT to talk about nerds...lol.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

I know you are but what am I?

[MrRasslin]

lol Touche.

[rss683]

i say yoooo. love the roundtable conversation. although i am not sold on the fact there is actually liquid in the mugs hah.

[WrestlingRoundtable]

Thank you. & rest assured there's actual liquid in the mugs. Or, as the carnies & nerds say, "the water's not a work"