Jun
26
Professional wrestler Chris Benoit was found dead yesterday in his Georgia home with his wife and seven-year-old son, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. said in a statement. Benoit was 40.Authorities are investigating the deaths as a murder- suicide, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution said on its Web site. The Fayetteville County, Georgia, police department said no information would be released until later today.
Benoit, a Canadian native, had been a professional wrestler since 1985, including the past eight years with the WWE. He was scheduled to compete in a pay-per-view title match on June 24, though he didn’t appear due to what the WWE said during the broadcast was a “family emergency.'’
The WWE, which features choreographed matches in which the winner is determined beforehand, canceled last night’s live show in Corpus Christi, Texas, and instead aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit’s career on the USA Network.
“Chris was beloved among his fellow superstars, and was a favorite among fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability,'’ the WWE said in a statement. “He always took great pride in his performance, and always showed respect for the business he loved, for his peers and towards his fans. This is a terrible tragedy and an unbearable loss.'’
Benoit’s 43-year-old wife, Nancy, was a manager for several wrestlers and the two met when they were with now-defunct World Championship Wrestling, the Journal-Constitution said. In addition to seven-year-old Daniel, Benoit had two children from a previous relationship, the paper said.
The two highest-rated basic cable programs for the week of June 11 were WWE events on the USA Network, according to Nielsen Media Research, Inc.
