10 Wrestling Matches That Inadvertently Became Infamous
1. Chris Benoit Vs Elijah Burke (ECW On Sci-Fi)
On commentary, Joey Styles noted how 'Mr McMahon would have wanted the show to go on' as the strains of Chris Benoit's entrance music rang through the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Having apparently passed away as a result of a mysterious limousine explosion weeks earlier, his supposed death dominated proceedings on all three brands, even warranting inclusion in discussion midway the fairly uneventful tournament to determine a new ECW World Champion.
Six days later, the distasteful angle was immediately dropped. Vince himself opened Monday Night Raw in an empty arena to formally announce the deaths of Benoit, his wife Nancy, and son Daniel to his television audience.
The tournament semi final match against Elijah Burke would prove to be 'The Rabid Wolverine's last ever encounter. Uncharacteristically missing a weekend house show in Beaumont, Texas having murdered Nancy on the Friday and Daniel the next day, Benoit was dead himself by the time he was due to be facing CM Punk in the finale he advanced to by virtue of this pedestrian semi-final victory.
As usual, fans erupted for a diving headbutt that turned the tide for 'The Crippler' in the match, but Benoit's pained expression as he grasped at his aching cranium made for uneasy foreshadowing on rewatch.