Saturday, June 30, 2007

Its been quite a week. Quite a week.

Chris "The Rabid Wolverine" Benoit, as you all know now, is dead. Suicide. Well, that after he killed his wife and son. How bitter the irony, when you consider that Benoit, Royal Rumble champion in 2004, was once featured in WWE video as being a devout family man, torn apart by having to spend so much time on tour, away from his family. And its funny too, now that you think about it, that I should even give a damn. I've known for a helluva long time that wrestling, or the one we see on WWE, is all a phoney business. That for all the blood, guts, and tears, its all choreographed, with unbelievably cheesy scripts anchoring the whole thing. Man, sometimes I myself don't get why I should care.

If only it were that simple. Since the day my Dad plonked me in front of the telly to watch one of them episodes of the then-WWF, wrestling's held this strange fascination for me. For what reason, I cannot fathom. But the why isn't important anymore. Its taken root, and no matter how disillusioned I've become with it, its still in my blood to care what happens to those blokes. Especially a guy like Benoit, with his likable in-ring persona, and his fantastic technical skills, both on the mat and in the air.

I'll never forget his exploits. Entering Royal Rumble 2004 as the first man in the ring, and going on to outlast all 29 other guys to emerge as winner; or taking on Triple H (I think) on that title-shot two months later at Wrestlemania, and winning in a most bloody encounter; or his massive rivalry with Kurt Angle. Unforgettable moments all. But of course, the one I'll always remember, would be of then-WWE Heavyweight Champion Eddie Guerrero celebrating with Benoit, the then-newly-crowned World Heavyweight Champion, at the end of Wrestlemania, in March 2004. The euphoria that erupted that night still gives me the tingles when I think about it, but sadly, we'll never see either of them compete again in the ring.

How bitter then the irony. Both champions on the night, and now both dead.

Rest in peace, ya' Canadian Crippler.

i heard the crickets at 12:08 am

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