10 Wrestler Deaths WWE Completely No-Sells
For when only Dark Side Of The Ring will shed any light.
Chris Benoit will never go into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
"Never say never", the old saying goes, but there's only one rule-proving exception as relates to WWE and it's that one. For as little as the market leader's historical wing means in 2023, it's still at very least a nice night for the inductees and their family and friends to luxuriate in the lives they lead in and out of the squared circle.
Benoit's final actions were, bluntly, too unconscionable for such - or any - fanfare.
On the first television broadcast following the general public becoming aware of the full extent of the Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide, Vince McMahon commented that there would be no further mention of the man's name and this has been adhered to in the decade-and-a-half since. This is, as with the Hall Of Fame, the only logical outcome from a situation with no happy endings.
What generates less consternation is the knock-on effect it had on the legacies of those directly and indirectly impacted by the terrible crimes. Those, along with others included here, may never get in death the spotlights they basked under in life...
10. Nancy Benoit
Lost to the crimes of her husband, Nancy "Woman" Benoit's legacy doesn't get discussed enough lest it bring to the fore the double murder-suicide case and conversations WWE hope will one day go away forever.
A gifted valet from an era when such a role was one of the important ones in the industry, Nancy was an instantly alluring presence alongside a vast array of performers from real life ex-husband Kevin Sullivan, to Doom, The Sandman, Ric Flair and eventually Chris Benoit himself.
That resumé speaks to her diversity - she slotted effortlessly into the careers of her clients and was a constant threat from ringside. An effortless on-screen manipulator, her character found new and dynamic ways to mesh with the ones she lined up with and those she feuded against, and often without significant promo time. A subtle performer in an era where such skills weren't always reward, screaming promos and physical interjections weren't often required for Woman to do the necessary damage.