Chris Benoit dead

[JNLister]

Oops:

TMZ has learned that the personal physician who saw Chris Benoit just hours before the wrestler killed his wife and son once had his medical license suspended for "repeatedly prescribing several controlled substances to patients in excessive quantities or for excessive periods of time and prescribing for other than legitimate purposes."According to records from the Georgia State Board of Medical Examiners, Phil Carroll Astin was found guilty of engaging in "unprofessional conduct" in 1992 by overprescribing a plethora of pills including amphetamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers and narcotics to various patients. Chris Benoit was not among those mentioned in the case.As a result, the medical board suspended Astin's license for 30 days, put him on 5 years probation and fined him $2000. Astin was reinstated in 1997, following the completion of his sentence...TMZ has also obtained Medical Board records which show that Dr. Astin was suspended again in 2001 for "reasons related to competence or character."

[Dirty Eddie]

Oops:

TMZ has learned that the personal physician who saw Chris Benoit just hours before the wrestler killed his wife and son once had his medical license suspended for "repeatedly prescribing several controlled substances to patients in excessive quantities or for excessive periods of time and prescribing for other than legitimate purposes."According to records from the Georgia State Board of Medical Examiners, Phil Carroll Astin was found guilty of engaging in "unprofessional conduct" in 1992 by overprescribing a plethora of pills including amphetamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers and narcotics to various patients. Chris Benoit was not among those mentioned in the case.As a result, the medical board suspended Astin's license for 30 days, put him on 5 years probation and fined him $2000. Astin was reinstated in 1997, following the completion of his sentence...TMZ has also obtained Medical Board records which show that Dr. Astin was suspended again in 2001 for "reasons related to competence or character."

So, if Benoit was on say 6 or 7 different drugs (painkillers, anti-depression, steroids for injury re-hab etc...) but they were all prescribed by a Doctor, the WWE Wellness Program considers that a full Pass??Surely being on loads of different drugs - all of the time has got to raise a red flag when being tested for drug levels. It seems as if WWE is solely testing for Illegal drugs, in order to clear themselves of blame, rather than testing for actual health dangers to the individual.This whole thing with the Dr being arrested seems very much like the original Steroid Scandal in the early 90's.

[Guest BenSmith]

The IP is 69.120.111.23 The same IP also cleaned up a Chavo article, and vandalized a Stacy Kiebler article.

[stefan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kG6Ai9UVaI&NR=1

 

I'm sorry if this has been posted before, it's Bret Hart interviewed by Nancy Grace. How can you be this clueless?

[JNLister]

Oh for fuck's sake. Fox News is running the Wikipedia story on TV.EDIT: Associated Press is running the Wikipedia piece unchecked. I officially give up on having any faith in journalism.

Edited June 28, 2007 by JNLister

[Daz06]

Oh for fuck's sake. Fox News is running the Wikipedia story on TV.EDIT: Associated Press is running the Wikipedia piece unchecked. I officially give up on having any faith in journalism.

Disgrace.

[JNLister]

FANTASTIC NEWS EVERYONE: Fox just had a reporter on who explained that because of this Wikipedia thing, somebody must have known she was dead, so someone else could have been in the house, so perhaps it might be a triple murder.

 

BENOIT DIDN'T DO IT!!!!!

 

(Note: Benoit did it.)

[Parkamarka]

I just saw two "experts" on Fox News.One continued peddling the line that steroids cause hallucinations, visions, voices and delusions of "fates worse than death".The other suggested that WWE ought to think about installing some kind of drug-testing policy.Seriously, there's so much legitimate scandal against Vince and his bogus wellness policy that Fox News could be unearthing right now if they weren't so fucking busy making shit up.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Parkamarka

[BurningHammer]

The best article I've read so far from a mainstream source - ESPN Page 2

 

You could say what's happened in pro wrestling recently is very Tupac-esque.

 

 

Tupac foreshadowed his own death in his 1996 video for "I Ain't Mad At Cha," which was released a few days after he was shot and killed in Las Vegas.

 

 

Hopefully the Chris Benoit tragedy will open some eyes in the world of professional wrestling.

The WWE was in the middle of an elaborate, fake-death story line involving chairman Vince McMahon -- going as far as to put out a press release about it and declare a day of mourning -- when life decided it could trump art.

 

The WWE got its wish, all right. The pro wrestling world was indeed leveled by a major death, creating the nationwide buzz it so desperately sought. Only this death wasn't staged, it wasn't McMahon's and it pointed to a much more significant problem in the "sport."

 

 

The bodies of legendary wrestler Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and 7-year-old son Daniel were discovered Monday after a gruesome murder-suicide. Initially, all three were thought to be victims -- the WWE and USA Network even aired a three-hour tribute to the 22-year wrestling vet -- but it soon became apparent the deaths were executed by Benoit, who strangled his wife and suffocated his child before hanging himself on the portable weight machine in the family's home.

 

 

I realize we're supposed to look at pro wrestling as a high-flying version of "The Young and the Restless." But it is inconceivable that, given the appalling number of real wrestling deaths, there would ever be any plot lines involving fake deaths.

 

 

The real lives of pro wrestlers, as the Benoit tragedy illustrates, are far more disturbing than anything they could act out in the ring.

 

 

Two years ago, Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his Minneapolis hotel room -- medical examiners ruled Guerrero had an enlarged heart, a result of the anabolic steroids he had abused. In 2003, Miss Elizabeth -- the girlfriend of former WCW champion Lex Luger and a one-time fixture in the sport -- overdosed on a combination of pain pills and alcohol. That same year, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Henning died of a cocaine overdose. And in 1999, Owen Hart died while trying to perform a stunt during a pay-per-view event -- the show went on, and because pro wrestling is always full of theatrics, the viewing audience had no idea the mishap it had just witnessed resulted in a real death.

 

 

"Personally, I thought the [McMahon] story line was in extremely poor taste from the start," said Phil Lowe, editor of WrestleMag.com, the largest wrestling Web site in the United Kingdom. "I'd like to think a story line such as this should never even be considered again and that the company now focuses on wrestling over far-fetched story lines, as well as paying more attention to the well-being of those who play a massive role in ensuring that the company is such a massive success."

 

 

Although pro wrestling makes no illusions about its purpose, the countless deaths suggest it's time to scrutinize what goes on there with the same seriousness as in the NBA or NFL. Pro wrestling is still sports entertainment, which doesn't make it all that different from the sports leagues that don't have predetermined outcomes.

 

 

It took Jose Canseco's book, "Juiced," and the BALCO scandal to get Congress to question officials from the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball. How many more pro wrestlers have to die before Congress gives McMahon, who was charged with conspiring to distribute steroids to his wrestlers, a phone call?

 

 

"Depending on what comes out from [benoit's] toxicology reports, we could see changes implemented or at least changes called for," Lowe said.

 

 

Although steroids are poised to be the banner issue that emerges from the Benoit tragedy, the changes that need to be implemented should go further than just drug testing, which WWE already has.

 

 

As we've seen with the retired NFL players who have taken their plight to the government, the mental strain that comes from competing in brutal sports -- and despite its being programmed, you could argue pro wrestling is as physically taxing as professional football -- can be debilitating, whether steroids are involved or not.

 

 

Many pro wrestlers, as shown in the stunning 1999 documentary "Beyond the Mat," lead lives that are demoralizing, not glamorous. In that documentary, we learn that Jake "The Snake" Roberts -- whose signature "DDT" move I tried many times as a kid -- is just a lonely cocaine addict estranged from his family. Based on the things in "Beyond the Mat," we should almost be surprised when a pro wrestler doesn't die tragically.

 

 

"Ultimately, every guy is responsible for his or her own actions," Lowe said. "That said, some of these guys -- especially those at the top of the tree -- are under huge pressure to keep in shape and maintain their physical condition while burning themselves out on the road 200-plus days a year."

 

 

It seems the drama in pro wrestling isn't as fake as we'd like to believe.

[Guest Mr Show Time 4.20]

I was just about to watch Monday night Raw hoping it would be the Chris Benoit special as I never saw the live showing. I was let down like a lot of fans who would had liked to view this special.I know what he did was wrong but for me it was all about what he did inside that ring not at home. Inside that ring he will forever be one of the best and wrestlers like him you do not find everyday. I loved his work with Kurt Angle. They did some great things together in that ring.I will miss Benoit.

Edited June 28, 2007 by Mr Show Time 4.20

[JNLister]

Aha, Fox has a new theory. Maybe one of the people who got the text messages checked out the scene before alerting WWE management and that's how it was known so early.Yes, that could work. It's obvious really. Either Chavo Guerrero or William Regal got a strange text, travelled from Texas to Georgia, found Nancy Sullivan and, rather than search the house, left and phoned the WWE office in Stamford before returning to Texas. Somebody in the office then immediately went on-line to changed Benoit's Wikipedia page, then dicked about on the internet for fourteen hours before phoning the police. There's something wrong when a national television network is coming up with more outlandish ludicrous shit than the biggest idiots on this forum.

[CoreyVandal]

Latest updates from WO, mostly regarding media coverage...

--The Benoit story got major play in the U.K., Japan and Australia and likely other places. In Japan, it was front page of most of the sports newspapers with huge photos and headlines.--The office of Dr. Phil Astin, who was the personal physician for both Chris and Nancy Benoit, was raided last night by the authorities. They were looking for all medical records relating to Chris.--Regarding the media coverage, there is a tendency to be frustrated, and in MANY cases it has been horrible. I haven't seen any of the TV stuff other than Nancy Grace last night and just her tone sickened me, such as saying he was demoted from being one of the Four Horsemen to Raw, and then all the steroid stuff. As a generalization, I believe the Canadian media that I've done has been very interested in the real story. The U.S. print media has varied but I think the majority wanted to do a fair job. The Los Angeles Times piece was excellent and I'm sure many others were as well. Others were sensationalized. The TV news channel stuff has been good for breaking news, but as far as getting perspective, they don't have the time for such a complex issue so choose to take the easy way. I've also dealt with people who could have cared a rats ass about the story, the truth, and I think more has been good than bad, but the bad has been horrible and embarrassing.--There is a story at www.fmvla.com on how the death of Benoit affects the value of WWE intellectual property. Reporter David Davis theorized this would hurt advertising revenue in the short-term.--Raw did a 3.8 rating on Monday.--Greg Sansone said more people saw Raw last night in Canada than have in a long time. He said he didn't feel it was right to show the replays and that they got upset wrestling fans e-mailing them for not showing the replay. Sansone and Gabriel Morency debated whether the Canadian government would target pro wrestling because of this. Sansone didn't think so, but Morency thought it would happen because someone would get famous off doing it, and because a young child was involved. (thanks to Steve Khan)--Linda McMahon was on Good Morning America, attempting to shift the focus on everything to Daniel Benoit's illness, which the company knew nothing about at www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3325390--In a really bizarre story regarding the story going around everywhere about Wikipedia at 4:01 a.m. on Monday posting that Nancy Benoit had passed away, long before authorities knew, and it was removed 20 minutes later due to a lack of confirmation, my belief is that it was nobody who knew anything. The edit came from Connecticut, but not from WWE headquarters. My feeling is that this is just a bizarre coincidence. The WWE later found that on its chat line at 8:41 p.m., during the PPV, after Benoit missed the show, someone on a WWE chat said that he missed the show due to his wife dying. Later, when the person was asked where he heard the story, he said, "Meltzer reported it." An hour later after the Wikipedia entry was taken down, someone from Australia edited it and again put that Nancy Benoit had passed away, attributing it to "several pro wrestling web sites." I didn't know of this until today when questioned by WWE who asked if Benoit had called me, which he hadn't, nor did I report it or know anything until Monday afternoon, after the WWE wrestlers were told. It appears it was a hoax started by someone and given credibility by usage of my name, no more than the daily fake stories people make up on MMA and pro wrestling chat boards, the appear to have led to the Wikipedia edit, this become a big story, and it may be nothing more to the story other than an eerie irony.--WWE Raw didn't air in Australia as WWE told Foxtel not to air the show that was sent for yesterday's airing (thanks to Stephen Ackroyd)--WWE pulled three shows for this month from 24/7, a History of ECW show that prominently featured Nancy Benoit, Wrestlemania 23 and a Nitro episode that both Benoits were on. (thanks to David Fournier)--There is an interesting take on the WWE & baseball steroid policies at www.nysun.com/article/57511--The Palm Beach Post at www.palmbeachpost.com has a story on steroids in wrestling with lots of quotes from Barry Norman, the former WCW publicist. This article is a good one.--There is a Baltimore Sun story at www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/--Matt Hardy gives his take on the situation, defending how Vince McMahon handled the situation at www.myspace.com/theonlymatthardy--Forbes has a story at www.forbes.com/2007/06/27 talking about the WWE garnering a negative reaction for putting on Monday's Raw show and kind of making fun of the WWE release on Tuesday--At the WWE shop in Niagara Falls, all the Benoit merchandise was taken out of stock. There are cement block autographs of wrestlers on display there, one of which was Benoit, but the plan was to remove it today.--Chris Benoit was the No. 1 thing searched on Yahoo yesterday. Nancy Benoit was No. 4. Vince McMahon was No. 6. There were also heavy searches for Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Ross, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Wrestling Deaths and Kevin Sullivan (thanks to Brian Henke)--Superstar Graham will be doing Hannity & Colmes tonight with Debra Williams, Steve's ex-wife--Steve Simmons has a good column at www.torontosun.com on Benoit, dating back to Stampede Wrestling, Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and more--The New York Daily News had a story about Daniel Benoit suffering from Fragile X at www.nydailynews.com

[Guest Mr Show Time 4.20]

I have always been a big fan of Chris Benoit but I can not agree with the way he left the world of wrestling. He could have been the ECW champion and one day been in the hall of fame. Fans will now remember him as a killer which is not right.He will forever been remembered in a good way by true hardcore loyal fans but also by doing this he has given a bad name to the world of wrestling and for himself.I hope in a good few years he still does make the hall of fame.

[L_E_T_H_A_L]

If this has been posted, I apologise.

WSB-TV Channel 2 has obtained a photograph of a a smiling Chris Benoit at his doctor's office Friday afternoon just hours before he went home and killed his wife and son and then committed suicide.The picture was snapped by a wrestling fan at Dr. Phil Astin's office in Carrollton.Federal drug agents and sheriff's officials raided that office Wednesday night in search of records and other items in a warrant.The fan who took the picture described Benoit as soft-spoken and "nice." He signed an autograph for the woman.Agent Chuvalo Truesdell, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta, said Thursday that the raid at Astin's office in Carrollton began Wednesday night and concluded early Thursday morning.Truesdell said a search warrant obtained by the Fayette County Sheriff's Department in connection with the Benoit investigation was executed there.He said records and other items were being sought, but he said he could not immediately be more specific. Truesdell also was unable to say what was seized. No arrests were made.Benoit had been under the care of Astin, a longtime friend, for treatment of low testosterone levels. Astin said yesterday the condition likely originated from previous steroid use.Astin prescribed testosterone for Benoit in the past but would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office on Friday.Over the weekend, Benoit killed his wife and son and then killed himself at their home in Fayetteville.Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, leading officials to wonder whether the drugs played a role in the slayings. Some experts believe steroids cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

Edited June 28, 2007 by L_E_T_H_A_L

[CurtainTwitcher]

Hmm, doubt he'll ever make the HoF unless something dramatic happens, basically relieving Benoit of all blame.

 

I'm on the fence a bit to be honest; Benoit has never been one of my favourite wrestlers but I've always enjoyed, appreciated and respected what he's done.

But you simply can't just disregard the cold-blooded murder of his own wife and son over 2 days, by thinking back to how good of a wrestler he is.

 

It's the age old thing of life and family being several shades more important than career/sports, irrespective of achievements or standings.

 

I'm not a hardcore enough fan to be upset when a wrestler dies, in all honesty. Hennig, yes a bit and I will be gutted when Hogan and Taker pop their clogs but as far as your Eddie G's and Benoit's go, it certainly doesn't affect me.

 

I'll be able to watch his matches in retrospect, without constantly thinking about how he murdered his wife or suffocated his son, but obviously whenever his name is mentioned now you will instantly think of the final few days of his life as opposed to the 20-odd years of wrestling.

 

So overall, for me, I'll still be able to respect what he did and was in WCW and WWE, but he'll always be Chris Benoit the murderer, not legend.