Nowinski sheds a lot of information about Benoit in his final years

[nation]

Busted Open radio interviewed concussion expert Christopher Nowinski who
discussed conversations he had with Chris Benoit. He said regarding
Benoit: “We incorporated Sports Legacies ten days before the Benoit
tragedy.

A year prior to that I sat down with Benoit when I was still
working for the company for the Smackdown Your Vote in the locker room
in Manchester, New Hampshire and he just started asking me questions
about the book. ‘So what are you finding that is happening long term?’
Things like that. He was more interested than any other wrestler which
helps me realize that he actually knew there was something wrong with
him. He asked me about how many concussions I had and I asked him and he
said, ‘Well I had more concussions than I can count.’ If you knew Chris,
you knew he wouldn’t take a day off for anything.

So because he told me that and then he told me to give him a call. I remember months later, I
was intimidated by him because he was champion and I was young and then I called him and he acted like he didn’t know why I was calling after he gave me his number. So I thought maybe there was a memory thing or maybe a mood thing going on. So when it happened , I was sure that is why it happened.

Knowing how other guys died from this disease had similar
falls from grace and knowing what a great guy he was when he was in his
prime or when I met him at 35. So I knew I had to contact Michael
Benoit, his father. So I tracked down Michael Benoit and I said, ‘listen
I’m not telling you an answer, but this may have played a role and we
need to find out what the answer is.’ Mike thank God agreed and helped
put this whole thing in perspective.â€

Nowinski on Benoit’s last year of his life: “Chris was a different guy emotionally. You talked to the guys who were on the road with him over the last year and he would break down
crying for no reason, paranoia about someone kidnapping his son so he
moved homes, different routes to the airports just in case someone was
following him. He was really losing it because his brain had this
pattern of cell death that left a lot of cognition, but destroyed
emotions and impulse control… We are trying to understand why it
happened so it could be prevented in the future. People can see the
warning signs in these people and there are plenty of warning signs. We
can change what we do so the disease doesn’t form in the first place.
We can raise awareness so we can develop a treatment for it. People have
to be accountable for their actions. But the other side is when people
get a brain disease, they are not accountable.

Verne Gagne killed a man in an Alzheimer’s home. He is not being prosecuted for murder because he didn’t know what happened. CTE is different because it’s a slow
progressing disease and in your forties no one is going to ask, did he
know what he was doing? Was he in control?’ It’s much much more
difficult but certainly Verne is not considered a murderer for that.
It’s a tough situation, I rather work on prevention.†You can listen to
Busted Open with Dave LaGreca on Sirius XM Radio every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4 ET on Sirius 94, XM 208.


Really sad, by now everyone knows or has heard about the brain problems Benoit had. His brain was destroyed sacrificing himself and it cost him his family. I still don't think anything can excuse what he did but he obviously wasn't and hadn't been in the right state of mind. I'm really glad Nowinski is researching all of this information and doing something about it, shame he gets so much shit for it and nobody else has the balls to speak out.

 

[monkeystyle]

I donated I think it was $100 to the SLI a few years ago, posted a thread here too trying to get others on here to do the same. Dunno if anyone else did.

I do have a small problem though with people thinking (not directed at anyone in particular) that this exonerates him because he had sustained so much damage to his brain. The problem is that Benoit knew exactly what happened to people who did the things he did. Not only did he have the Dynamite Kid sitting in front of him as a crippled, bitter man but in the book Ring of Hell it tells of how early on in Benoit's career Harley Race told him flat out of the dangers of doing that asinine flying headbutt every night.

That's why Benoit gets no sympathy from me whatsoever. He was told of the risks, he saw what could happen to him and he chose to ignore it, so fuck him.

I also hope his co-workers feel like shit too because they all played a part in letting this happen. It would have been damned near impossible not to notice his condition towards the end and the fact that those motherless cocksuckers did nothing because of some bullshit backstage pro wrestling code is disgusting. The blood is on all of their hands too.

Ugh. This entire topic just infuriates me and makes me hate wrestling.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

I'm with Monk on this one. But Swan Dive aside, this could happen to anyone in many fields, and while people may have known something was wrong, it's not like Benoit would have been put in a straight-jacket and padded walls. Chris said he called Benoit months later... there may be a reason he was unsure about it. Was Chris eventually right in his belief? Sure. Does that mean there never could have been another reason? No. And for all the reasons Chris didn't red flag that event, or others he mentioned, sooner (not even knowing it was a result of this shit, perhaps?) just goes to show hindsight is the only way for some of these guys to differentiate shit like this.

But like Monk said, Benoit was told years and years in advance that he was putting himself at serious risk for multiple problems... and he didn't listen.

 

[monkeystyle]

Maybe not a straitjacket but at the very least one of his friends should have said something to Vince and a CAT scan should have been done. Severe emotional swings are key elements of growing mental disorders.

I think I'm just really bothered by the fact that his friends did nothing (at least nothing useful) for him when they saw that he was breaking down. With friends like that who needs enemies?

 

[Luke Flywalker]

How many guys really noticed anything? Of all that I've heard, Benoit was pretty private, especially in his last few months.

The only thing that truly bothered me about Benoit was the multiple sources who said that Benoit thought he and his family were being stalked, which I'm sure is common for big-company guys. But why the company wouldn't find a way to intervene on his behalf, or request that he use police security/investigation, really baffles me. Of course, again, it was Benoit right to decline any of that, which he may have done... again, everyone always said he was fairly private.

 

[wrestlingotter]

This is a terrible tragedy. I am glad that Nowinski Is putting forth the effort as well. Malenko, Guerrero, and Benoit were the sole reason I would switch over to WCW during the Monday Night Wars. When I heard this happened I was surprised. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of this so he can get the respect he deserves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18CIt92oyUc<----Dean Malenko showing tribute to Beniot

 

[monkeystyle]

How many guys really noticed anything? Of all that I've heard, Benoit was pretty private, especially in his last few months.

The only thing that truly bothered me about Benoit was the multiple sources who said that Benoit thought he and his family were being stalked, which I'm sure is common for big-company guys. But why the company wouldn't find a way to intervene on his behalf, or request that he use police security/investigation, really baffles me. Of course, again, it was Benoit right to decline any of that, which he may have done... again, everyone always said he was fairly private.

I really don't know for certain. The one thing that I can say that I do know for certain is that no matter how private a person you are mental degeneration is almost impossible to hide though it can be misinterpreted I guess. Example; the paranoid fantasies that he experienced that you mentioned.

 

[This Guy]

I've always had mixed emotions over the Benoit situation. Many wrestlers have died over the years that I've watched wrestling. Going back and watching even events from less then 10 years ago seeing people in the ring and realizing that 50% or more of them are dead is sad, but never makes it hard to watch. To this day watching any match with Benoit in it, for some reason is still difficult for me. Leading up to the Royal Rumble, I decided to watch all the old Royal Rumbles. I was able to sit though all of them except for the one with Benoit vs. Jericho in a Ladder match for the IC Title. 3 minutes in I had to fast forward through the rest of the match. I especially had no desire to see that massive chair shot to the head Jericho gave him as Benoit was diving to the floor at him.

The deaths of wrestlers before their time and while they are still young is tragic but at the same time hopefully has lead to saving more people's lives in the long run. Because of Benoit's death chair shots to the head and other dangerous moves that require someone to be dropped on their head are no more. Because of Eddie's death the WWE has implimented a drug testing policy in an attempt to keep those drugs that have long term harmful effects out of there preformers bodies.

As much as I hate to say it, Benoit's death although tragic, was nessisarry. Or who knows what condition some other wrestlers would be in today.

 

[monkeystyle]

As much as I hate to say it, Benoit's death although tragic, was nessisarry. Or who knows what condition some other wrestlers would be in today.

I wish I believed this to be true.

I think we're in for a lot more within the next 10-20 years as we see all the Attitude Era guys get older. I'm not trying to Chicken Little and claim they're all going to go on killing sprees but all you have to do is look at guys like Matt & Jeff Hardy, Shane Helms, Kurt Angle, etc who are already showing signs of mental distress. I hope I'm wrong but I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. If it ever does.

 

[This Guy]

I wish I believed this to be true.

I think we're in for a lot more within the next 10-20 years as we see all the Attitude Era guys get older. I'm not trying to Chicken Little and claim they're all going to go on killing sprees but all you have to do is look at guys like Matt & Jeff Hardy, Shane Helms, Kurt Angle, etc who are already showing signs of mental distress. I hope I'm wrong but I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. If it ever does.

Oh no I agree that there are still many from that time frame where it was too little too late, like many of the people you mentioned (Jeff Hardy & Kurt Angle for sure), but I'm talking about the newer talents that have started on the last 5 years or so. They actual guys that the WWE is now building up as their future stars. Guys that now thanks to these policies, will most likely be able to be around long enough to pass on the "torch" so to speak the next generation after that.

 

[...god...]

I also hope his co-workers feel like shit too because they all played a part in letting this happen. It would have been damned near impossible not to notice his condition towards the end and the fact that those motherless cocksuckers did nothing because of some bullshit backstage pro wrestling code is disgusting.

This for me, seriously. You're telling me he would randomly break down and start crying and go in these paranoia fits and NO ONE thought something was seriously wrong and reported it or some shit. Even told his family?

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Ya know, this is a bigger problem in pro football. There was a former lineman that snapped like in 06 and shot and killed some one and then pulled the gun on himself. And just like pro wrestlers, these guys can't even get any help because they lack the money. There was a fantastic article in SI back a few years ago about brain trauma.

 

[nation]

Not to mention, Benoit was violent to Nancy more than a few times I've heard so how the fuck that isn't a red flag, I don't know.

 

[monkeystyle]

Domestic abuse isn't necessarily indicative of mental disorder. Not unless you consider being a bully and an asshole a disorder.

 

[nation]

I didn't say domestic abuse translates to a mental disorder, I said it was a red flag that should warn people Benoit knew. It doesn't matter about that anyway because everything else clearly shows Benoit was mental. Fuck you can look at Benoit during his early days in WCW/ECW and look at him during his final years and you can tell he wasn't all there.