As youve seen from this list, there have been some pretty tough years for us wrestling fans. From an abundance of characters that failed to connect, horrible booking and uninspired creativity to more of the same old retread ideas and too-familiar faces at the top. Those things are no fun and lead to some bland periods of little enjoyment, but we can get through them. In 2007 however, the wrestling world was the center of a tragedy the likes of which the industry had never seen. When beloved fan favorite Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before committing suicide, the entire business and its fans were sent reeling. Shock set in as those who knew Benoit best were in disbelief that their friend could be capable of such a heinous act. Fans who viewed The Crippler as everything pure about pro wrestling, someone who succeeded due to pure in-ring talent alone, a rare case where the steak was more important than the sizzle, were devastated. It was a hard pill to swallow. The media firestorm that surrounded the case all pointed the accusatory finger at the seedy world of wrestling, where the performers abuse drugs rampantly and torture their own bodies for our entertainment. In the wake of these accusations, washed up ex-wrestlers like Marc Mero crawled out of the woodwork to condemn the sport which made him a good living, while current stars like John Cena and Chris Jericho articulately defended the business on the talking head shows. For many of us, it was an extremely hard year to be a fan, and the toll the double-murder/suicide took on wrestling is still being felt. Many of the changes, such as (allegedly) more stringent drug testing and a focus on eliminating concussions and head trauma are big positives. But the public perception of the industry that has provided us fans with so many hours of entertainment was forever tainted, tarnished by one sick mans act of rage. And no amount of classic 5-star matches can ever erase the damage that was done.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
