Guide Note

Chris Benoit was a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Christopher Michael Benoit
2. Born: May 21, 1967
3. Died: June 24, 2007
4. Age: 40
5. Killed his wife and son before hanging himself
6. Billed height: 5'11"
7. Billed weight: 230 lbs
8. Finisher: Crippler Crossface

Reminiscent of the Dynamite Kid, Benoit was considered by many fans and peers as one of the best technical wrestlers of his time. Trained in the Hart family "Dungeon," Benoit wrestled for several years in Canada and Japan before his WCW debut in 1992.

Benoit earned his "Crippler" nickname when he broke wrestler Sabu's neck with a botched backdrop in ECW. Although Benoit was very sorry about the accident, the "Crippler" gimmick stuck with him for the rest of his career.

After remaining at mid-card level for years in WCW, Benoit signed with the WWE in 2000 with Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. He feuded with Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Title, and later The Rock for the WWE Championship.

Benoit won the Royal Rumble in 2004, earning him the main event spot at WrestleMania XX, where he won the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match with Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

After dropping the belt, Benoit won the United States Championship and was reportedly scheduled to win the ECW World Championship at the time of his death.

Benoit and his family were found dead in their Fayetteville, GA home on June 25, 2007. Investigations concluded that Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and 7-year old son before taking his own life.

Though it is uncertain why Benoit committed the murders, the press initially speculated that Roid Rage could have been a cause. Toxicology reports later indicated Benoit had no toxic levels of drugs in his system, thereby disproving the roid rage theories.

Benoit's father, Michael, suggested that brain trauma may have led to the killings.

The WWE, meanwhile, distanced themselves from Benoit, erasing him from subsequent video releases and related pages on WWE.com.