I've been waiting to comment on this. Waiting for the right words.
And, unshockingly, they don't come. So, instead, I'm just going to re-post what I wrote on my blog. It covers the ground as best as I can...
"When our heroes become killers...
This is going to be a strange one to write. And in many ways, a very difficult one as well.
By the time you read this, many of you will be well aware that the professional wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife, and seven year old son, and then killed himself. To many of you, this is just a strange little news story that you'll catch a few facts about. You may even mention to a friend or co-worker in passing, but at the end of the day, it's not much more than a little tidbit to you.
It means more to me. A lot more.
I'm a wrestling fan. I've never made any attempts to hide this, nor am I in any way, shape, or form embrassed by it. I'm quite proud of it, frankly. I have watched wrestling since before I was even old enough to remember. My older brother watched it, and I watched it with him growing up. It was an interest I had as a child that only grew as I got older. Some time in the mid-nineties I became aware of a wrestler who became one of my favorites. That wrestler was Chris Benoit.
As I grew older, I became even more and more a fan of Chris Benoit. I followed his career step by step, acquiring tapes and DVD's to fill in the blanks and see things that he did from before I became a fan of his. And the more I watched, the more I learned about him both in the ring, and out, the more I began to respect the man. A deep respect, not only for his immense abilities within the ring, but for him as a person. A person dedicated to the beautiful art of professional wrestling which had come to mean so much to me. A person who was known for his strong work ethic. A person who worked and worked to achieve his dream within the business. And more than all of that, a person who was known to be a consumate family man. A loving husband, and by all accounts, a wonderful and loving father. Almost every week, a wrestling program featuring Benoit found it's way to my TV, and I watched in awe and admiration. You become familiar. You form a relationship.
And then, in the course of a very confusing and distressing 48 hour period, all of this is torn down. All of his technical prowress, the wonderful "Rocky"-esque story of his journey through the business, all of this is gone. All that's left is a sickening feeling. A man that so many have looked up to has seemingly become a monster. An innocent woman, and a precious young child are dead. And with every new detail you get, things make less and less sense.
It's strange to be so personally affected by something that doesn't effect me personally.
And in the midst of this terrible tragedy, when nothing seems real, it happens. The wrestling community knew it would happen, and sure enough, like clockwork, it does: The media backlash.
The media blames it on the steroids, weeks before toxicology reports let us know if steroids were involved. They blame the wrestling industry, an industry they know nothing about. The wrestling industry is evil. It kills people. It causes children to kill other children. It's pure evil. At least, that's the portrait they paint.
It's never been easy to be a wrestling fan. And the older a fan gets, the harder it becomes. Perhaps this is why wrestling fans are such a tight-knit community. It has much less to do with them knowing how the business works, knowing what such words such as "marks" "smarks" "spots" and "kayfabe" mean.
No, it has more to do with sharing a deep love for the business, and knowing the ridicule that comes along with such a thing.
There's something about wrestling, some spirit within it, that transcends alot of things. But if it doesn't touch you, it seems foolish. It's never easy being a wrestling fan. When people find out you're a fan, they assume you're some kind of yokel who can't decipher fantasy from reality. They don't realize the ammount of love, respect, and KNOWLEDGE we have about it.
I've never hid it, never been truly embarassed, but I hate that moment right before I tell someone that I'm a fan. That moment when I know the look that's coming, that stupid laugh, and that smurfing question. "Don't you know it's all fake?"
Fake. That's a funny word, especially with wrestling. Are the outcomes predetermined? Of course. Are the storylines created by writers? Naturally. Do the performers know how to protect themselves? Without a doubt.
Does that make it fake? No. Are many of the injuries in the ring fake? No. Most wrestlers work through more injuries than other professional will ever have. What can be a career ending injury in football is just another day at the office. What would be enough blood loss to end any UFC or boxing match is common place in a big match. The ring hurts. The wrestlers do, too. It's not something everyone can do. It takes a genuine athlete to be able to do the physical part, and someone with a great mind for how it works to put on an even passable match. There is such a thing as "ring psychology," and it's a beautiful thing to behold.
We've watched these men put their bodies on the line for us. They've bled for us. They've spent long hours on the road away from their families (much longer time on the road than any "real" athlete), they've worked through pain most of us cannot imagine, all for their love of the game, and to entertain us, the fans.
When someone says "I like baseball" I don't say "You know, all those guys use steroids, right?."
When someone says "I like action movies" I don't say "You know those guys aren't really getting blown up, right?"
So when I say "I like wrestling" why does everyone have to say "You know that's all fake, right?" Especially when I know a helluva lot more about how much of it is "fake" and how much of it isn't than they ever will.
But it's not like this everywhere. Mainly in the U.S. In Canada, wrestling is a tradition. Wrestlers are looked up to. In Mexico, it's a way of life, where wrestlers often outshine movie stars and sports heroes. And Japan? Japan holds it in such high esteem that many wrestlers are viewed in much higher regard than "real" athletes. But not here
And this is why wrestling fans band together. Because we love this thing. And because we're constantly ridiculed because of it. But right now, the wrestling community is in shock. One of the men that was absolutely among the most respected is now the perpetrator of an unforgivable crime. Every fan I've spoken to about it is at a loss for words. What can words say when something like this happens? Even with all the tragedy wrestling has seen, nothing of this scope has ever been seen.
So once again, the fans band together. This time, to get each other through what if, for us, a very difficult time. We hold each other up, while the rest of the world tries to tear us down. We try to make sense of the senseless, and hope to understand.
So while others will laugh, snicker, or make ignorant comments, we stand together. Our banner is held high. Even when it's unfashionable, we're fans of this great thing, and we are not ashamed."