Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit

Christopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler. During his 22-year career, he worked for numerous promotions including WWFWWE, WCW, NJPW, and ECW. He was a two-time world champion, having been a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and aOne-time World Heavyweights Champion in WWE. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in 2007.

About Chris Benoit in brief

Summary Chris BenoitChristopher Michael Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler. During his 22-year career, he worked for numerous promotions including WWFWWE, WCW, NJPW, and ECW. He was a two-time world champion, having been a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and aOne-time World Heavyweights Champion in WWE. Benoit idolized Tom \”Dynamite Kid\” Billington and Bret Hart. In a suspected double-murder and suicide, local law enforcement officials concluded based on “evidence found within the home”, that Benoit had murdered his wife in the residence on June 22, 2007, had killed his 7-year-old son on June 23, and on June 24 had committed suicide, reportedly hanging himself using equipment in a weight-training area located in the residency basement. Later research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition of brain damage, from numerous concussions Benoit sustained during his professional wrestling career were both likely contributing factors leading to the suspected crimes. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on June 25, 2007. He is survived by his wife, two children, and two step-grandchildren. He leaves behind a wife and a son. He also leaves a brother and a step-daughter. He had a sister living near Edmonton, Alberta, where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career. He began his career in 1985, in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion.

In 1989, he started wearing a mask and assumed the name The Pegasus Kid. In August 1990, he won his first major championship, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Lushin Thunderin Liger. He came into his own as a performer in critically acclaimed matches with luminaries like JushinThunderin Thunder, Liger, Shin Shin, and El Samurai. He said numerous times that he originally hated the mask, but it eventually became a part of him. He made his debut in 1986, under his real name. In 1988, he teamed with Rick Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer, which Benoit’s team won the match after Benoit pinned Moffat with a sunset flip. His debut match was a tag team match on November 22, 1985 in Calgary, Alberta. He won four International Tag Team and three more British Commonwealth titles, and had a lengthy feud with Johnny Smith that lasted for over a year, which both men traded back-and-forth the British Commonwealth title. In 1990, Benoit departed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He spent about a year training in their Dojo with the younger wrestlers before stepping into the ring under hisreal name in August 1989. He eventually won his major championship in August 1990 in the junior heavyweight division. He later went on to win his first title in the heavyweight division in August 1991 in the NJPWA. He became the only two men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant.