10 Things We Learned From VICE's Dark Side Of The Ring: Chris Benoit

4. Nancy Thought WWE's Wellness Policy Was A "Joke"

Nancy Benoit WWE Wellness Policy VICE
VICE

If you've ever read Matthew Randazzo's 'Ring of Hell: The Story Of Chris Benoit & The Fall Of The Pro Wrestling Industry' book, then you'll know that he's not a WWE cheerleader. The author views the company as "exploitative and crooked" (words taken from the book's blurb) and wasn't going to mince his words to VICE.

Midway through the second part of the film, Randazzo tells how Nancy could see through WWE's Wellness Policy. Several quotes are flashed on screen that show her skepticism, including pleas for Benoit to come off any and all performance-enhancing drugs and a damning, "We both know the Wellness program is a joke" line.

Nancy was worried about Chris, and she didn't think his employer was doing a damn thing to help him despite their new drug-testing policy (instituted after Eddie Guerrero's death). It's fascinating to hear how differently the Wellness idea is viewed by certain people.

Dean Malenko and Chris Jericho think it was good, but Nancy didn't, and Randazzo says there were some serious legal loopholes in it for the first few years.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.