By Michael Lewis
 Marc Mero, 47, another former WWE wrestler, describes McMahon as a man with a “huge ego” whose operation rewards “dedicated company men” regardless of whether or not they’re the best performers.
Benoit was unswervingly loyal, known for never missing matches. Eventually, all the traveling affected his marriage. On May 12, 2003, Nancy filed for divorce and for a protective order, stating in court records that “Chris had lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner [Nancy] and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties.” The judge issued a restraining order against Benoit. But three months later Nancy withdrew the petition, and Benoit resumed his life as wrestling star by day, family man by night.
In March 2004, McMahon rewarded Benoit’s dedication by granting him the title of world heavyweight champion. After his match Benoit stood in the ring at Madison Square Garden, triumphantly holding hands with Eddie Guerrero, his best friend, who held the title of WWE champion. Like Benoit, Guerrero was an undersized, middle-of-the-pack competitor who rose to become extraordinarily popular. He talked openly about beating his addiction to painkillers and how he embraced religion, and he was hailed as a guy who overcame his inner demons.
Guerrero’s nephew Chavo—another WWE superstar—found Eddie unconscious in a Minneapolis hotel room less than two years later, in November 2005. Doctors later pronounced him dead from acute heart failure—the result of years of steroid and painkiller abuse. He was 38, five months younger than Benoit.
64 wrestlers under the age of 50 have died since 1987, including eight that made the world take notice.
Guerrero’s death rocked the WWE, which instituted the “Talent Wellness Program”—a regimen of health exams encompassing random drug testing, physicals, and stress tests. But it included a major loophole: If a wrestler could find a doctor who was willing to say he needed a particular drug, he wouldn’t be penalized.
Benoit was devastated by the loss of his friend. Seeing how distraught he was, Nancy bought him a diary, and for a few weeks in late 2005 he would sit down, grab a pen, and open a vein. He wrote letters to Eddie, railing against the lifestyle they had both led, and quoted scripture.
“I’ll be with you soon,” he wrote to his dead friend.
Whether or not Benoit was having suicidal thoughts is unknown, but by last June Nancy Benoit was growing increasingly concerned about her husband’s erratic behavior. Chris had become paranoid over the past few months. At times he wouldn’t let his family out of the house. He began taking different routes to the airport, sure he was being followed.
He seemed always on edge and feared being fired. On June 11 he’d been transferred to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the least watched of the WWE’s three shows. He worried the WWE was about to let him go, but in truth he was in no danger of being fired; the organization reportedly saw Benoit as a mentor and believed he had a long-term future as a trainer. Just before his transfer, Benoit had a discussion with fellow superstar Rob Van Dam, who had recently decided to leave the WWE.
“He kept saying how much he loved watching me wrestle, and he said, ‘I have so much respect for you for leaving,’” Van Dam says. “Then he says, ‘A lot of us don’t know when to walk away from this business.’ It seemed like he was saying, ‘Damn, I wish I could walk away right now.’”
Only Nancy seemed to sense the danger. On Thursday, June 21, she called a close friend, who has chosen to remain anonymous. “I’m scared to death,” Nancy said. “If anything happens to me, look at Chris.”
It’s about 40 miles from the Benoit home in Fayetteville to the offices of Dr. Phil Astin III, in Carrollton, Georgia. On Friday morning, June 22, Chris Benoit got in the car and headed east on a route he knew way too well.
|