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Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sportx$8.30
  (11 reviews)
Best Price: $8.30
The life and alarming death of acclaimed professional wrestler Chris Benoit are explored in this timely and exhaustive biography. In June 2007 Benoit committed suicide after killing his wife and son, and the media coverage surrounding this event—as well as the facts of the case and its effects on professional wrestling—are all extensively addressed. Benoit’s life prior to and during his pro wrestling career is examined, as is his significant impact on the wrestling world and widespread popularity. This close-up look at one of pro wrestling’s greatest and most lamented figures also presents the place of his tragedy in the darker side of wrestling’s history.
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Customer Reviews
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Disecting Wrestling's Darkest Day
By A3GU9O31FLOFYA on 2007-10-07
Between November 22nd, 1985 and June 20th, 2007, Chris Benoit built a Hall of Fame wrestling career. Throughout his twenty-two years in the business, he was a promising newcomer, a rising star, an international sensation, an admired hero, a consummate ring general, a respected locker-room leader, and champion of the World in every division. But the horrific events that happened on the final weekend of June 2007 would forever tarnish Benoit's legacy and leave him remembered as the monster that killed his wife (Nancy) and 7-year old son (Daniel) before taking his own life.
It took ECW press only three months to produce the first of what I imagine will be many books written about the Benoit tragedy. Established writers Steven Johnson and Greg Oliver (co-authors of "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams" and "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels") were joined by Heath McCoy (author of "Pain & Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling") and Irvin Muchnick (author of "Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death & Scandal") to compile several essays focusing on the frenzy that occurred following what has become known as wrestling's darkest day.
The book fittingly begins as a tribute to Chris Benoit's wrestling career, which was a good move because the great professional life of Chris Benoit, the wrestler, deserves to be acknowledged. However, many would argue that point.
After paying reasonable tribute to the wrestling career of Chris Benoit, the authors turn their attention to the real story of what exactly happened on that dreadful weekend. They also reflect on the media frenzy and the battle for information which resulted in the reporting of many unsubstantiated claims, such as the blockbuster presented by WWE that Benoit's son, Daniel, suffered from Fragile X syndrome - which ended up being proven false by family members and Daniel's school teacher. The internet also played a part in the global distribution of BENOIT developments. The world of professional wrestling had a powerful spotlight placed upon it, as theories of Roid-rage were splattered on every major news publication on the planet. This was another theory eventually proven ghastly inaccurate. By the time the toxicology reports were released, the world was exhausted and had already moved on to the next news story.
This book contains a series of essays written by four of the best wrestling journalists in the world, presenting a very informative version of the life and death of Chris Benoit and his family. It is a short book, about 160 pages; large print, a strong reader could polish it off in one sitting (three sittings for me). At around $17 Canadian ($15 US), the price is certainly worth it to get the entire Benoit story - as straight-forward as it's ever been told. There will be more books about Chris Benoit in the future, including a full-length book by Irvin Muchnick called "Chris and Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro-Wrestling's Cocktail of Death."
"BENOIT: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport" will be released on October 15 and will be available at most book stores and online bookselling sites; for more information on the book and its authors please visit www.ECWpress.com..
Rating: 8 / 10 - Personally, I still struggle to comprehend what Chris Benoit did. I will never be at peace with this.
Reviewed by Brad Dykens of OnlineWorldofWrestling.com
skip it
By AMCV6JU6PLTJA on 2007-11-24
know this - Chris Benoit's brain has been analyzed and it showed severe brain damage in all areas of the brain, even into the brain stem itself, due to trauma suffered in the ring over the years. He gave his life to the sport we all love so well, and the brain damage that resulted is what caused him to lose control and commit the terrible acts on that day. The doctor's reported that Benoit's brain resembled that of an 80-year old Alzheimer's patient. But no, they didn't report THAT on all the news programs, now did they? YES, what he did was horrible - but now we truly know WHY he did it, and that he did NOT have full control of his mental faculties. I have been a healthcare worker for over 8 years, and I am experienced in working with mental illness... and that's exactly what this was.
Just buy the "Hard Knocks" DVD and remember Chris for the man he was through out his life.
Not worth the time reading
By ABVF7L7WDN2TE on 2007-11-15
I was disappointed with this book. It would of been ok if it was just one person writing it. It seems that they kept telling the same things over and over. Everyone would of known this part of Chris Benoit's wrestling career if they watched his wrestling dvd Hard Knocks. As for the murder/suicide they basically just stated what was said on tv instead of doing any kind of investigating reporting. I really thought that it was more of a angle into Chris Benoit's history, but it really wasn't.
Cashing in
By AY4ZZ0YKT9ZUL on 2007-10-13
Not to sound like a jerk bout how can a investigative reporter who dosen't have all the facts because no one dose get off writing a book. Thats the way society works I guess you gotta be the first one to cash in on a story. Yes I am a benoit fan and always will be ( for what he did during his career) and it pisses me off that someone who isn't even family nor friend wrote a book "ALREADY" let alone at all I bet no where in there dose it even talk about the great thing he did and the fact that he had brain damage it probably a book about roid rage. THIS MAKES ME SICK!
Analysis of a tragedy
By A1PWLTY7ZMW6WO on 2007-10-21
If you want a blow-by-blow description of what happened in the Benoit case, you won't find it here. Instead, this is a short, tightly written and very readable analysis of Benoit, his career, and the consequences of the tragedy. The authors are very fair in putting his career in perspective and explaining his position in wrestling.
The section on the media explains not just how the media became consumed by the steroid issue, but more importantly, why that happened. It shows how superficial the media in covering many stories of this type and why that is the case. This book is recommended for both wrestling fans and general readers who want some perspective on this troubling story.
- I Haven't Read This, But...
By A3MS920GE7YVTI on 2008-05-29
I think it speaks volumes that this book was released less than six months after the tragic events that occurred in June of 2007. First of all, this book was hastily written which always results in facts not being thuroughly confirmed. Secondly (and most importantly), it was written so quickly for nothing more than financial gain. It's sad that a murder/suicide that left a family confused and hurting has now been turned into a pay day for opportunistic journalists who no doubt are NOT a credit to their profession.
Don't waste your time reading this. Anyone who has read it has assuredly spent more time on the task than the writers did on checking their facts and treating these events with the care and consideration that they should have.
- Sure why not
By A3B0SAKI0VFOD9 on 2007-10-20
Chris Benoit is dead. His family has passed. Go ahead and release the book, I'm sure it'll be insightful. It doesn't look to be all that expensive and these guys do have the credentials to speak with some sort of knowledge. At the end of the day the man had a brain injury that made him crazed. It could have happened to anyone in any contact sport or profession similar. I will always be a huge fan of the man's ability inside the ring and while my heart goes out to his loved ones left behind, a $10.17 paperback is not the greatest of anyone's worries.
- I don't buy a Damn about this book
By A39XUI5XZMWG2V on 2007-10-21
I not promote this book this book for people I don't care if people what think Benoit I been a wrestling fan at 18 years and Benoit don't no body it maybe was Kevin Sullivan he married to 10 year Old back when Chris Benoit was in WCW so screw you who over reads and Belive this stuff
in let the Benoit RIP just don't buy the bye something like Eric Brichoff book at lease he knows what talking aboutEric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash (WWE)
- blah blah
By AV8DOKKA8JD7R on 2007-11-24
I bought this and Chris Jeicho's book the same week. A lions tale blows this away,, im not even sure i learned one new thing in this "breaking new" book that the observer or the torch didnt report a long time ago.
Save your money....on this one
- Benoit-Three days that tarnished a legacy
By A3JD06G0GSUCUA on 2007-11-05
I have never been a Chris Benoit fan but over the years I grew to gain respect for him for his great wrestling abillity.
It is a shame that his 10+ year legacy was tarnished by his last three days alive.
This book puts Benoits life into perspective and takes us from his early wrestling days in Japan, to the night that changed the Wrestling industry as we know it.
The book also features several chapters on Daniel,and Nancy Benoit (Woman).
This book is a Un-Bias look at the tarnished career of arguably the greatest Wrestler of this generation.
It is a Intresting read that shows you the life of the Chris benoit who loved his family and was on a soul searching journey after the death of his best friend Eddie Guerrero.
I highly recommend this book.
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