Chris Benoit is perhaps the most censored name in WWE history. There have been periods of time when the company won’t acknowledge a former performer because of bad blood. For instance, CM Punk has become scorched Earth on WWE programming, but that has the potential to change someday like it has for several other former WWE superstars. However, Chris Benoit’s name will never be mentioned by WWE ever again.
Recently, John Cena was asked why WWE officials continue to avoid acknowledging Chris Benoit at all costs a decade after the tragic end of his life. Few people are claiming WWE should mention the horrid actions of his final days, but some people do argue that he still deserves to be mentioned for his accomplishments and accolades in the ring. John Cena said the following about recognizing Chris Benoit as a WWE performer.
“People will do bad things, but if they are good at what they do, sometimes those things are overlooked. I don’t believe in that. I believe you should take ownership for your actions- all of them (and) not just ones that are performed in front of an audience. I think our company’s stance on the entire situation set a precedent for athletics and a precedent for entertaining of taking ownership for your actions.”
In a nutshell, Chris Benoit may have been a great in-ring technician and accomplished wrestler, but he must be held accountable for his entire life rather than just what he did inside the ring. On paper, WWE officials applying that logic to everyone would mean that anything that happens outside of the arena doesn’t matter.
Unfortunately, any person’s actions outside of their profession can still influence their career. There’s a high standard for athletes, actors, actresses, and for other professions to maintain their image. It is unfortunate that WWE officials need to ignore a WWE Hall of Fame wrestling career, but no one should sweep a double murder and suicide under the rug. The powers that be truly have no choice but to make no mention of him.
No one is denying that Chris Benoit’s wrestling career happened. He’s not being erased from WWE history, but he won’t be mentioned or acknowledged by the company in any way. John Cena’s comments are simply about taking responsibility for all of your actions. He understands that history cannot be rewritten, but it’s extremely important for WWE to set a precedent as a company if history should regrettably repeat itself.
The WWE Universe can acknowledge Chris Benoit’s accomplishments in the ring or do anything else with his history. However, the powers that be for WWE won’t have any part of it. Each fan in the WWE Universe just needs to understand exactly what it is their acknowledging whenever they mention Chris Benoit’s name.
[Featured Image by WWE]
