10 Ways The Chris Benoit Double-Murder/Suicide Case Changed WWE Forever

The Meaning of Death.

Vince Mcmahon Chris Benoit Raw June
WWE.com

10 years have now passed since the devastating actions of Chris Benoit rocked the wrestling community and completely reframed how the damaging excesses of an industry were handled.

During a three day period between June 22nd and June 25th 2007, 'The Rabid Wolverine' killed his wife Nancy and seven-year-old son Daniel, before committing suicide himself. It was a grizzly scene that portrayed the heartbreaking final acts of a deeply damaged and troubled individual, and shone a harsh light on how a profession could aid a complete mental and physical denigration of an ostensibly rational and balanced individual.

The severity of the crimes briefly brought the case into the mainstream, with numerous commentators (informed and otherwise) opining on the how's and why's of such brutal crimes, but like most niche stories, the press attention was only fleeting.

Naturally, this was not the case in professional wrestling. The spectre of the murders still lingers today, and though company insiders would presumably like to distance themselves from Benoit's last actions wholesale, the family's tragic end brought about a sea of short and long-term changes that irreversibly altered the way WWE does business.

A decade on, and fans and wrestlers alike still remain in a perpetual recovery from the case, whilst WWE is an organisation transformed from the cataclysmic event.

10. Drugs Are Bad

Vince Mcmahon Chris Benoit Raw June
WWE.com

WWE implemented the Wellness Policy in early 2006 after the untimely death of Eddie Guerrero, but it was roundly chastised until an aggressive tightening in 2007 following the Benoit murders that saw countless performers suspended thanks to a litany of recreational and performance enhancing busts.

Despite Guerrero's devastating death due to a heart attack allegedly aided by years of steroid abuse, the policy was openly mocked on air. The nadir came in October 2006, when Triple H infamously suggested that Chris Masters write a book entitled 'how to lose 50lbs in two weeks' during a backstage vignette after he'd returned from a suspension with a comically reduced muscle mass.

Initial (and ultimately inaccurate) reports of the Benoit murders occurring because of a 'roid rage' brought new focus on performance enhancers that the company hadn't experienced since quietly parking their in-house testing in 1997. The Orlando-based Signature Pharmacy were busted on illegal drug charges, and boasted a client list with several main roster members as regular customers.

Names disappeared on television on an almost weekly basis, and physiques across the company shrunk and normalised as crackdowns intensified under the ever-changing policy.

It made for chaotic television and a complete readjustment of how the company conducted business (and drug-related punishments) for several months until a slew of stars had served their time.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett