Chris Benoit. Just saying the name is enough to make feelings boil up in even the most hardened wrestling fan. The tragic and violent end of Chris Benoit and his family left the wrestling community confused, saddened, and angry. A seemingly "normal" wrestler had gone crazy and murdered his entire family. Only those who knew him the best realized something wasn't quite right but no one ever thought it would end like it did. Are we able, seven years later, to separate Chris Benoit the wrestler from Chris Benoit the murderer? For a long time, it seemed as though the two would be forever linked. It would be impossible to remember Chris Benoit the performer without thinking of his heinous crime, so it would be best if we never mentioned him again. He was wiped from WWE programming overnight. His DVD became a collector's item because it was immediately out of print, never to be produced again. His name was censored from earlier broadcasts and, in the WWE's mind, Chris Benoit never existed. However, like it or not, Chris Benoit the performer was a fantastic wrestler. Someone who worked classic matches with almost every major name and provided fantastic moments for wrestling fans. Before the events of June 2007, Benoit was well on his way to the Hall of Fame and a legendary career. While looking back on these Benoit moments, please know that I am in no way trying to glorify the man or his actions. These moments do not excuse Benoit's crime and they do not forgive him. There is no effort here to make people remember him fondly or think of his death as anything but a senseless tragedy for which no explanation will be good enough. It is simply an effort to count down Benoit's wrestling moments in a neutral and ordered manner.
