Chris benoit tribute to eddie guerrero biography

Nobody in WWE was affected more by the death of Eddie Guerrero than his best friend and fellow wrestler, Chris Benoit. People close to him, and even those who didn't know "The Rabid Wolverine," have said they were completely taken back by how emotional he was following Guerrero's passing in Benoit wound up taking his own life less than two years later after murdering his wife and son.

In the premiere episode for Season 2 of VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring, Benoit's friends and loved ones delve into how he was pushed over the edge by the loss of his "brother."

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Benoit had been living in Georgia at the time with his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, and was having loads of success in WWE after being transformed from a mid-carder in WCW to main-event player on Monday Night Raw. Guerrero's transition into WWE was very similar but happened on SmackDown.

The two men came up in the business together and were extremely close in both WCW and WWE—wrestling countless matches against one another on a nightly basis.

They each won big at WrestleMania 20 in , with Benoit nabbing Raw's World Heavyweight Title and Guerrero capturing SmackDown's WWE Championship. Their embrace to close out the show is one of the most iconic shots in wrestling history.

These two, they were something else in the wrestling world, you know? First off, I started by watching some old matches. I saw this one match where Benoit won but Eddie got all mad and tackled him outside the ring. That was intense. So, I started reading more about them.

When Guerrero died in November of an enlarged heart, Benoit's world came tumbling down.

Chris Jericho, close friend of both Guerrero and Benoit, said Eddie's death broke Benoit to his core. When they saw each other at the funeral, Jericho recalled getting a hug from Benoit that was "the most desperate, saddest ‘I’m hanging on for dear life’ hugs that you could ever get." The three men had earned their wrestling chops in ECW, WCW and NJPW during the s.

Jericho noted how Benoit was letting out “deep, hitching sobs" during Guerrero's funeral and had to be consoled.

In the past, Benoit's pals and relatives said he had never really shown emotion before. It wasn't until Guerrero's death that he really began letting his feelings out.

Chavo Guerrero said it was as if Benoit lost "a spouse or something."

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As with most wrestlers, the fact that Benoit and Guerrero were such good friends made them great opponents inside the squared circle. Some of their best bouts came when they were pitted against one another.

Their first match was on the October 10, , episode of WCW Nitro and the pair would go on to have countless others. One of their most memorable matchups came at Vengeance for the US Championship.

Chris benoit tribute to eddie guerrero biography People close to him, and even those who didn't know "The Rabid Wolverine," have said they were completely taken back by how emotional he was following Guerrero's passing in Benoit wound up taking his own life less than two years later after murdering his wife and son. Benoit had been living in Georgia at the time with his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, and was having loads of success in WWE after being transformed from a mid-carder in WCW to main-event player on Monday Night Raw. The two men came up in the business together and were extremely close in both WCW and WWE—wrestling countless matches against one another on a nightly basis. Their embrace to close out the show is one of the most iconic shots in wrestling history.

It was a near minute spectacle that many felt was their best showing together, at least in WWE.

When watching Benoit and Guerrero together in the ring, it was clear that the two men didn't just respect each other but understood one another. Their moves meshed together flawlessly, with each trading their signature blows and chops to the chest.

They'd often be described as "brothers" by WWE's commentary team on account of their close relationship, which even back then—during a time when Internet rumors and "dirt sheets" weren't as prevalent—was well-known.

Jericho and others said Benoit became more and more of "hermit" after Guerrero's death. He refused to see his loved ones and only made things worse by not taking any time off from WWE.

Every arena, every city—it all reminded him of Guerrero.

He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his year career, but is notorious for murdering his wife and youngest son. He was also the Royal Rumble winner, joining Shawn Michaels and preceding Edge as one of the three men to win a Royal Rumble as the number one entrant. In a three-day double-murder and suicide , Benoit murdered his wife in their residence on June 22, , and his 7-year-old son the next day, before killing himself on June Subsequent research undertaken by the Sports Legacy Institute now the Concussion Legacy Foundation suggested that depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy CTE , a condition of brain damage , from multiple concussions that Benoit had sustained throughout his pro-wrestling career were likely contributing factors of the crimes. Due to his murders, Benoit's legacy in the professional wrestling industry is heavily debated.

Those who knew Benoit could tell that there were some serious things going on with him.

Benoit's sister-in-law, Sandra Toffoloni, said she had never seen him as upset as he was following Guerrero's passing. She described him as being "so grief-stricken—on a monumental level." Nancy Benoit kept worrying that something would happen to Chris. Toffoloni said that Nancy felt if he continued to wrestle he was going to deteriorate both mentally and physically, and it would lead to his tragic downfall.

Sadly, that's exactly what happened.

Sometime between June 22 and 24, , Benoit allegedly murdered Nancy and their son, Daniel, before taking his own life. There has been widespread speculation about his motives. Some believe it was steroid abuse and severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Wwe tribute to eddie guerrero He was 38 years and still in his prime, as well as being one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time. His character of Latino Heat that lied, cheated and stole his way to the top of the WWE resonated with the fanbase who took the Texan native under their arms and helped propelled him into being one of the top stars in the word. It has been 18 years since his passing, yet the memory of the late great Eddie Guerrero lives on. He is persistently listed among the greatest wrestlers of all time, with his in-ring ability and innate charisma setting him apart from his peers. Even though he has been dead for close to two decades, nobody will ever, ever forget Latino Heat.

Others have blamed alcohol abuse and depression.

Tests run on Benoit's brain later showed it was "severely damaged," according to doctors, and resembled that of “an year-old with Alzheimer's.” Could his relationship with Guerrero and his death have played a role as well? It's very possible, judging from what his family and friends told Vice.

But sadly, no one will ever know.

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