Its a year since the Chris Benoit tragedy.

I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to write anything about it, but felt it right to at least acknowledge it. After all, two innocent people in the Benoit household were murdered as a result of the Benoit’s actions.

We still don’t know what happened inside the Benoit’s home on that day, and likely never will. Do you even want to know? I know I don’t.

Its hard to believe it was only a year ago to be honest. It feels like a lifetime ago. This time last year was a crazy experience with the mainstream media suddenly interested in wrestling.

Or to be specific about it, the media were interested in looking into the reasons Benoit had gone crazy and gone on a killing spree, and were keen on portraying wrestling in a bad light.

Of course, portraying wrestling in a bad light is easy to do. As I write this, its only a few hours since WWE played out an angle on the anniversary of the tragedy by having WWE boss Vince McMahon do his best to give the impression he was seriously hurt, or worse killed, as a result of an accident that saw him apparently hit by falling scaffolding.

While the angle has no direct significance to the events of June 24, 2007, its worth remembering that at the time of the double murder-suicide, Vince had just started an angle that was meant to have fans believe he had been blown up in a limo.

Oh – and last night’s angle comes just two weeks after an employee was killed as a result of a tragic accident after a TNA PPV when scaffolding fell on him.

But back to the events of a year ago.

When this website opened last month, I wrote that following the tragedy that I pretty much stopped enjoying wrestling and writing about it. To be honest, in the past year, I don’t think I’ve sat through a Chris Benoit match. Some may call this an over-reaction, but I don’t think I ever will again.

I still feel sick when I think of the image of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero closing WrestleMania XX – which at the time was one of the fondest memories I had from following wrestling over the past twenty-odd years.

But perhaps the most sickening thing about the tragedy – other than the fact that a sweet and innocent seven-year old boy was murdered by his own father – is the fact that nothing has changed in the world of pro wrestling.

Sure, WWE will tell you they’ve made changes to their wellness policy. But whenever there’s a suspension handed out, its always a mid-card guy. A few weeks ago I wrote that I find it hard to believe that John Cena, Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton would all pass a drug test. I stand by that. Now, I’m not suggesting any of these guys are going to ever do something as sick and vile as the things Benoit did, but the simple fact is that WWE – as the industry leader – could still be doing more.

Drug talk aside, we’re still seeing guys take unprotected chair shots to the head. With the theories and belief by some that Benoit’s style and years of abuse to the head had played a part in causing him to do what he did, why is this still allowed to happen?

I could write much more about this, but I honestly don’t want to.

Whatever your viewpoint is on the entire tragedy, I think its worth remembering this week that two innocent people lost their lives, and that a number of others were affected by the actions of a much loved professional wrestler.

Phil Lowe
phil@wwepreview.com