I’d normally wouldn’t touch this with a ten-yard pole… I’d prefer a pitchfork of equal length. But I felt… “compelled” might not be the right word, but… nah, I just felt like it.
So resident humanitarian and sportsman of the year HULK HOGAN recently went on some podcast and made the ridiculous claim that people forgave Chris Benoit for the “crap he did,” so why not extend the same courtesy to ol’ Terry, who said some racist things here and there? People still love Chris Benoit, says Hogan. People still think highly of him, says the Orange Goblin. So if people forgave him and still love him, then maybe wrestling fans can forgive Hogan for the less than heinous in comparison things that he’s done, brother. That would work for him, DUDE!
Terry, you dumb fuck.
First off, for those who don’t know, Chris Benoit was once considered one of the greatest technical wrestlers that ever graced the squared circle. Despite his small stature and apparently weak promo skills, he more than made up for it with an intense work ethic and a skilled practioner of his craft; a product of the Hart Family Dungeon back when that was a thing.
And then one day in 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and young son before hanging himself. The incident was a black mark on the wrestling industry that is still felt to this very day and the legacy of this great wrestler worthy of a Hall Of Fame ballot was erased in an instant due to his actions over the course of one dreadful weekend. WWE would remove any and all mention of Chris Benoit. You’ll see his name in title histories. You’ll find his matches in the WWE Network, but at no point is he ever mentioned by name. Whenever WWE does their Wrestlemania rewind and look back at past Wrestlemanias, when it comes to Wrestlemania XX, they omit the main event, which featured Chris Benoit defeating Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the World title and would end the show celebrating his victory with his friend and fellow WWE Champion, the late Eddie Guerrero.
Nowadays, people view Benoit in a drastically different light and it really depends on the person. Some who have known him for years will still remember the fond memories of their friend while being unable to reconcile his actions in the end. Others view Benoit as an object of scorn who deserves no mention, much less accolade. Some fans can watch old Benoit matches and appreciate them for what they are, being able to separate the performer on screen from the man behind the scenes. Others can’t even stomach the mere mention of his name on air and won’t watch any show that features his presence in any way, shape, or form. Each person reacts to Chris Benoit in different ways, but by no means does anyone forgive him or absolve him of his actions. What he did at the end of his life was heinous and horrific and no matter how much people try to justify it – brain damage and such – it doesn’t change what he did. And it isn’t going to bring back those lost lives.
And so for someone like Terry Bollea to go on air and say something so monumentally fucking stupid… well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit. The sad truth is that Hogan has had a habit of saying stupid things and to hell with the aftermath. And while he might crying about people not forgiving him for the stupid shit that he’s done and said, he also fails to realize that forgiveness is something that is earned. Someone apologizes for something stupid and tries to do better… they’ll stumble, but at least they’re trying and you can’t help but notice that. But then you have people who apologize for something stupid, but their tone of voice or choice of words seem to indicate that they’re only really sorry that they got caught. Hogan falls into the latter category.
I don’t watch as much classic WWE content as I used, but I still have a bunch of WWE home videos and DVD-R recordings of WWE programming from decades past. A good chunk of that feature Chris Benoit. I can sit down and enjoy a Chris Benoit match because I can separate the performer on screen from the man behind the scenes. There are plenty of works featuring people who have done heinous things, but I can enjoy their works for what they are because I can separate the artist from the real person behind the scene. Given that I’ve been watching wrestling for almost three decades now and given how many shady characters have been in the business and have done their share of heinous actions, I pretty much have to. And sadly, the same goes for anything out of Hollywood, which is just as much of a moral shithole, if not MORE SO, than professional wrestling.
So yes, I can watch Benoit matches. I can watch Benoit promos. I can (with some exceptions) enjoy a Chris Benoit performance… but by no means does that mean that I condone or even forgive what Chris Benoit did. I can see how someone can find the concept of enjoying the work of someone who would kill his wife and child before offing himself a somewhat morbid thought. I understand if that doesn’t compute. I also understand if you can’t separate the man from the artist and would rather keep your distance. I’m not going to say whether you should do one or the other because I honestly don’t care. Your feelings on the matter are your own and you can feel or act however you wish… so long as you’re not being a c*nt to others.
So, no, Hogan. No one forgave Chris Benoit for his actions in the end, especially those who were the closest affected by this tragedy. If you want people to forgive you, then you’re going to have to do something that you haven’t done in most of your lifetime… EARN IT.
Back to happy stuff later.
dtm666 