10 Toxic Real-Life Wrestling Relationships

1. Chris & Nancy Benoit

Shawn Sunny
VICE

Over a decade has passed sine the heinous final actions of Chris Benoit, but the changed landscape in the wake of his acts still bares the scars of lives senselessly lost.

Their relationship was cursed from its challenging origin. The two were forced by booker and Nancy's husband Kevin Sullivan to spend time together on the road to sell their on-screen romance, with the constant time together manifesting in the form of a real-life affair that mirrored the televised tale.

Remarkably emerging from that wreckage, the pair were married in 2000 just months after the birth of their son Daniel, but they were on rocky ground just three years later when Nancy filed for divorce, referring to their union as 'irrevocably broken' following alleged 'cruel treatment'.

The oft-reported murders of Nancy and Daniel on the devastating June 2007 weekend were rooted in many things, but Nancy's sister Sandra's confirmation that her sibling was 'brutalised' implied that the first death may have been from an argument that spun wildly out of control.

It was a sad indictment of the 'Crippler's inability to juggle his personal life with his self-confessed obsession with professional wrestling. It was perhaps that unnecessary, irrational bond that was the most gruesome of all.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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