Chris Jericho Dedicates Wrestle Kingdom 12 Match To Chris Benoit And Eddie Guerrero, Internet Loses Its Mind
On Thursday night, New Japan Pro Wrestling is going to present Wrestle Kingdom 12, which will be headlined by Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, but there is much more to everything. Jericho has been a WWE guy for many years and spent a good bit of time in WCW, as well, and he made a lot of friends. On Wednesday afternoon, he dedicated his match to a couple of legends, and it has the Internet Wrestling Community in an uproar.
As pointed out by Pro Wrestling Sheet, Jericho posted a picture on his Instagram account on Wednesday to show that he was heading back to Japan. The image he posted was a piece of fan art that featured him and ghostly images of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit with the words, “Hey, New Japan! ‘We’ are ‘Back’!!”
Jericho said that he really liked the fan art which had been created by a user known as @richard_I_P, and the WWE legend said he was going to “dedicate tomorrow’s match to the fallen brothers.” It was never a secret that Jericho was good friends with both Guerrero and Benoit when they were alive.
While that may seem like a sweet sentiment, many online didn’t feel the same way.
Eddie Guerrero died suddenly in 2005 at the young age of 38, and it was ultimately revealed that he died of acute heart failure due to underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Chris Benoit died in 2007 after murdering his wife and child before taking his own life.
Fans on social media don’t appear to have any issue with Jericho honoring Guerrero and are praising him for it. Some also don’t have a problem with him paying tribute to Benoit, but there are those who think it is in poor taste.
TIL people still defend Chris Benoit, a murderer, because he wrestled good matches.
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) January 3, 2018
Was Chris Benoit one of the greatest wrestlers of all time? Yes.
Did he murder his wife/child and deserve to be erased from wrestling history? Yes.
End of discussion everyone.
Let’s move on.
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) January 3, 2018
He’s honoring his friend Chris. The guy he spent so much time with over the years not “FORMER WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, CHRIS BENOIT, THE RABID WOLVERINE™!!!”
— Jay (@CreatureLives) January 3, 2018
People really make it a habit to remind you of the Chris Benoit situation every time his name is mentioned. It’s been 11 years. Sane individuals never defended his actions. We just appreciate the really good wrestler that he was once upon a time.
— Hideo Meentami ?? (@AmeenKnows) January 3, 2018
Chris Jericho le dedicará a Chris Benoit y a Eddie Guerrero su lucha contra Kenny Omega #njwk12 #AlphaVsOmega pic.twitter.com/miHDmGGaG8
— KEVMANIA (@K3VMA) January 3, 2018
I don’t understand how people can attempt to “respect” Chris Benoit in 2018
— New Years Noah (@NoahPonders) January 3, 2018
Some believe that Chris Jericho isn’t condoning the actions of Chris Benoit but simply remembering him as a wrestler and friend. Others feel as if Benoit shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as Eddie Guerrero or at all.
As for the guy who did the fan art which was posted by Jericho, @richard_I_P’s account on Instagram is no longer available.
Chris Jericho’s match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 is huge for New JapanPro Wrestling and all fans around the world. Thursday’s match will be one for the ages, and it has drawn tons of attention over the last few months. Now, Jericho dedicating the match to Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero has brought even more attention to the bout, but it may not be the exact kind they wanted.
