10 Things We Learned From Chris Jericho's Podcast On Chris Benoit's Death
1. "The Worst Thing To Ever Happen To Wrestling." - Meltzer
The Benoit tragedy shook professional wrestling like nothing else before it. Its impact can't be understated, and it completely changed the way WWE do business, particularly in relation to their employees' wellbeing, and its reverberations are still felt today, so when Meltzer called it "the worst thing to ever happen to wrestling" on the podcast, it was hard to disagree with him.
The episode's closing stages focused primarily on the way Benoit's life ended, and how it has affected his legacy. Benoit will always be remembered primarily for those monstrous acts, and rightly so, with Jericho noting that Vince McMahon will forever see him as the man who almost destroyed his business, and will never reverse his decision to erase Benoit from WWE history.
Meltzer recalled the weeks and months after the incident, calling it one of the darkest periods in the sport's history. He never thought that the business was going to collapse, but understood it would have a huge, far-reaching impact on the sport's fortunes, and he was right.
As Meltzer said, "the one man who loved wrestling more than anyone else was almost responsible for its demise," and the damage done may never be repaired.