Prove Me Wrong

Chris Benoit once said, ~ Making your opponent submit is the biggest thrill in wrestling. If it brings a championship that's great but when I'm in that ring and lock that crossface in....and I hear my opponent scream in pain and begin to tap out, that makes wrestling worthwhile.~ As a pro wrestling fan, you're privileged to witness many up and coming stars rise to the ranks of one day possibly becoming a future hall of famer. Chris Benoit was one of the wrestlers you knew would make it into the wrestling hall of fame as he stood for what the sport of professional wrestling was all about. For he gave his own blood, sweat, tears, and even his own body for a business that can shorten careers in an instant, but he loved it with a passion exuding the following three qualities: heart, desire, and intensity.

Without a doubt, Chris Benoit showed a lot of heart in every match that he wrestled in as he gave all that he had and whether he won or lost we, as wrestling fans, applauded him for it. You knew, whenever you heard his music, stepped through those ropes and the instant the bell rang we all were in for a treat because he gave not just his heart, but also his body to the point where he seriously damaged his neck to give the fans a memorable match to look back on. Yet, it wasn't just how much heart he gave in the ring that portrayed him as a consummate athlete who earned the respect from many of his peers, it was also how much heart he gave out of the ring, when it came to being there as a friend to superstars who need some much needed him showing that he truly had the heart of a champion.

For its a true statement indeed that every pro wrestler desires to someday become world champion and Chris Benoit was one of those wrestlers. During his long illustrious career, he came to be ultimately known as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, which showed his desire to perfect his craft so he could be able to go toe to toe with his fellow wrestlers/friends such as Dean Malenko and the late great Eddie Guerroro. He worked his butt off for 18+ years to climb the proverbial ladder of success to reach the top of the plateau that many before him achieved, but to him it was something that eluded him for so many years whereby winning it at Wrestlemania 20 meant something very special to him both personally, as well as, professionally.

Essentially, when you talk about Chris Benoit he becomes synonymous with one word...intensity. From the time the bell rang, he would go after opponents showing that he was the no-nonsense type of wrestler who didn't talk a big game like The Rock or used mind games to mess with opponents like Triple H. He was the type of wrestler that would beat you down as soon as the bell rang and would do so relentlessly that it was impossible to take a breather deeming him with the appropriate nickname The Rabid Wolverine. It was his intensity that brought out the best in every wrestler inevitably teaching, as well as, putting over wrestlers that were considered green and because of that he was considered one of the many wrestlers who were influential figureheads in the sport of professional wrestling.

For many wrestling fans such as myself, I was saddened to hear the news of the death of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and his son Danial came as a shock, but the details of what happened were equally shocking. It's such a surreal moment that you can hardly believe, but it did happen and the one question you begin to ask is why? Speculation has been running rampant on the reason(s) why he did it, but at the end of the day it's Chris Benoit who knows the real reason(s) why. From his early days in canada, to the Pegasus Kid in Japan, to ECW, to WCW where he flourished as a member of The Four Horsemen, to WWF/WWE, and back to ECW Chris Benoit will always be remembered for bringing credibility to a sport that is all about larger than life characters and if you don't agree, then in the immortal words of Chris Benoit himself...prove me wrong.