WWE Daily

-At least six professional wrestlers — including Chris Benoit, former champion Lex Luger and popular current star Rey Mysterio — have been implicated in the federal government’s probe of a Georgia doctor who already has been indicted for improperly prescribing pain killers and other drugs and who may face additional charges. A search warrant document dated June 27 and obtained by the Fox News affiliate in Atlanta identifies several wrestlers by name whose medical records were seized as part of a Drug Enforcement Agency raid of Dr. Phil Astin’s Carrolton, Ga., office. Warrant Document Reportedly Names at Least Six Wrestlers Tied to Probe of Benoit’s Doctor. Beyond Benoit: More Wrestlers Tied to Doc

Matt Randazzo Interview

“Ring of Hell breaks numerous stories thanks to the unprecedented access I was given by wrestling insiders across the world.”

Matthew Randazzo V is the author of Ring of Hell, a searing expose of the 2007 Chris Benoit murder/suicide that also serves as a damning indictment of the wrestling industry as a whole. Containing never-told stories of sleaze, racism, sexual and physical abuse, the book is a must-read for any wrestling fan. Below we present an exclusive interview with the author conducted for UGO.com.

Do you think Vince’s monopoly is responsible for wrestlers working harder than they need to?

MR: Absolutely. As I show in Ring of Hell, Vince McMahon demands more and gives less than any major promoter in recent pro wrestling history. Vince McMahon is a pathological workaholic who devotes his entire life to World Wrestling Entertainment, and he expects the same from his employees, who are required to work the heaviest schedule in wrestling without any regular time off to recuperate from the inevitable injuries they sustain. Despite being international TV celebrities, WWE wrestlers are denied even the most basic benefits, insurance, job security, legal standing, or vacation time, and McMahon himself, as I reveal in Ring of Hell, treats them with so little respect that, in one instance, he mocked and fired a wrestler who sought medical attention for an injury for being “a pussy.” McMahon is also infamous for punishing or even firing any employee who misses WWE events to attend to family emergencies or terminally ill relatives.

The wrestling business is often ugly and exploitative, but it is safe to say that McMahon is the most demanding, coldblooded, heartless, and ultimately destructive promoter in the industry. Unfortunately, in today’s depressed wrestling market, he is also the only man in the world with the power to grant an aspiring wrestler’s dream of becoming a global superstar.

Matthew Randazzo gives his opinion that Little Daniel was even on steroids.

Why do you think Daniel Benoit was on steroids?

MR: I reveal in Ring of Hell that Chris Benoit had a pathological insecurity about his average height and frame dating all the way back to childhood; according to some Calgary locals, Benoit was using steroids when he was barely out of junior high school. It not hard to understand why such an insecure man, after his psyche was further warped by severe brain damage and drug addiction, felt compelled to inject steroids into the beloved son he feared may turn out as physically inadequate (by wrestling’s insane standards) as his father. In every facet of his life, Chris Benoit treated professional wrestling’s bizarre values system as his religion, and he completely internalized the industry’s prejudice against normal body types to the point that he could not respect himself or his physically average son.

To read more on what Randazzo said in his book, Ring of Hell……go here…..

SEQUIM — Matthew Randazzo V probably thought he was still dreaming when he woke up this morning.

The 24-year-old author’s first book — on professional wrestling and one wrestler’s demise to drugs and brain damage — is officially available to the public today, even though it already has been showing up in bookstores and available at Amazon.com for about a week.

“My agent called me a few days ago and said he walked into a bookstore and saw my book,” Randazzo said with a wide smile in an interview. Sequim author’s first book looks inside professional wrestling

-From ratings to the actual product, the reincarnation of ECW has been a considerable flop for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Unlike many others, I’m not ready to give up on ECW yet, not by a long shot.

With a little innovation and a favorable draw in the Draft, WWE can turn ECW into a viable commodity. Mat Matters: How to save ECW

I am a dad of two wonderful kids. Dad to me is so very special There is a saying I keep remebering that ‘Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad’. This are my words embeded in my heart forever.

I have recently found an website dedicated to Nancy and Daniel Benoit. These two wonderful mother and son will forever remain together in my heart.

There is a Myspace for Nancy and Daniel Benoit……

The Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation is a non-profit organization. Founded in July of 2007 by Nancy and Daniel’s surviving family members we are dedicated to researching the effects of steroid abuse on the brain and the body. The foundation was started by Nancy Benoit’s sister… We also fund several programs which educate children at the High School level about the adverse effects of steroid and prescription drug abuse.

My Heart goes out to the family on Nancy and Daniel Benoit…I can not erase the tears for which that are stained in my heart forever…..god bless……

-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution-Benoit and others pleaded not guilty Monday morning at a brief arraignment hearing in U.S. District Court.

Dr. Phil Astin III, who waived his right to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Clayton Scofield, is facing 175 federal counts of illegal prescription abuse, including 168 handed down in a superseding indictment May 29. Benoit’s doctor pleads not guilty in drug case

-June 9, 2008 - Former WWE Diva Stacey Keibler will play the rival to the title character in the upcoming Samurai Girl, says the Hollywood Reporter.

Samurai Girl is being billed as a six-hour “special event” by ABC Family - what we at IGN like to call a miniseries. The project focuses on 19-year-old Japanese girl Heaven (Jamie Chung), who the Reporter says, “sets out to take down her adopted father’s evil empire.”

Keibler’s character is the ex-fiancé of Heaven’s love interest, Jake (Roswell’s Brendan Fehr).

The project is the latest in an ongoing relationship between Keibler and ABC, where she first got attention outside wrestling fandom via Dancing with the Stars. Since then Keibler has had roles on ABC’s What About Brian and The George Lopez Show.
Samurai Girl airs in September on ABC Family.

Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry (Hardcover)
Ring of Hell, the second book about Chris Benoit released since he killed his wife, their 7 year-old son Daniel, and himself, is not perfect. That said, it’s a comprehensive and engaging read that is unlike any previous wrestling books and a must-read for all wrestling fans.

The book opens with a Bobby Heenan quote that paints the “everyone in this business must be a little bit crazy” picture and quickly dives into Benoit’s childhood. It starts with the basic idea that you’re all familiar with: A shy, introverted, and small boy who was a causal wrestling fan in Montreal, he had trouble identifying with the larger wrestlers of his local territory. Upon his family moving to Edmonton, he became obsessed with the Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington) after seeing Stampede Wrestling on TV. “Obsessed” is not an exaggeration, as Benoit, identifying with the short and (at the time) wiry Dynamite, decided that he had to be just like him. BOOK REVIEW: Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry

The Ottawa Citizen has got an article on Benoit’s Doctor, Phil Astin and the charges that he has been charged for. Here Bret Hart, long time friend of Benoit tels his side of the story siding witht he WWE and having pity on Benoit’s docotr. Here are the excerpts from the article on Hart’s statements:

“In defence of the WWE, I don’t know how you can stop guys from taking (drugs) that their doctors prescribe to them,” said Bret Hart.

“I feel sympathy for this doctor, because in his mind, he probably thought he was helping.”

But Hart predicts the charges laid against Astin could lead to more lawsuits.

“Doctors could be found liable for lawsuits related to the deaths of many wrestlers,” he says. “So many wrestlers have died, and they’ve always had an insurmountable amount of pills and stuff. It’s an epidemic in wrestling.”

“Benoit was a really hard, physical wrestler, and dropping that head off the top turnbuckle every night for some 20 years, there’s a lot of potential concussions in that alone,” said Hart.

Hart says he can understand how repeated injuries of that nature might alter one’s sense of reality.

“Chris was a really good guy and anybody who (knew him) knows that something had to have gone really wrong that day. I think what happened was more tied in to the concussion, and brain damage from that.”

Last photo of Chris Benoit

-The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 05/29/08- The doctor who allegedly prescribed steroids and other drugs to wrestler Chris Benoit was indicted today on 175 federal counts of illegal prescription abuse.

Dr. Phil Astin III was indicted in July 2007 on seven federal counts of overprescribing to two people other than Benoit. Today’s indictment includes the charges from the first indictment and adds 150 counts relating to 17 additional patients. Benoit’s doctor indicted on 175 counts

-ATLANTA – Dr. Phil Astin, the doctor previously charged with supplying drugs to professional wrestlers, is facing dozens of new charges in federal court.

According to an indictment handed down Thursday afternoon in federal court in Atlanta, Astin faces at least 175 charges related to consipracy and the illegal distribution of drugs including Percocet, Ritalin, Oxycontin, Demerol, Xanax and others. Benoit’s Doctor Facing Dozens More Charges

-ATLANTA (myfoxatlanta.com) — Fox 5 News has learned new details about the estate of wrestler Chris Benoit. For almost a year family members have been battling over the dead wrestler’s belongings. FOX 5 learned that the mansion where the wrestler killed his wife and son and where he committed suicide is now up for sale. Real Estate says that seeling the estate make shin “quezzy” , but for others seems fascinating. The estate is for sale for $399,000.

Michael Benoit filing lawsuit towards the WWE for his son, Chris Benoit which leading into the cause of his head injuries resulting in the Benoit Tragedy.

Doug Evans reports. Click video for more information.

Even today I still remember what happened that day. I was scouring the web for information for the website. Jumped on WWE.com and read that Chris Benoit and his family were found dead at their GEORGIA HOME. I still can not understand or even know why such a tragedy happens to a man that knowingly loves his family. To me in life that is the ONLY thing in life that matters , at least to me. Here is the official tribute WWE aired that night on Raw. This will forever burn a place in my memory forever…..God Bless your Family …everyone.

WWE’s Official Chris Benoit Tribute Video

Bonus Tribute:
Saddest Chris Benoit Tribute Ever

-Pro wrestling journalist Irvin Muchnick has done some really good work investigating the Chris Benoit case over the past year, and I just read this very interesting piece over at Slam Wrestling. An interesting piece on the Chris Benoit case

-LOS ANGELES, CA — 05/05/08 — Today, Jessica Biel and her father, Jon Biel, have launched Make The Difference Network (MTDN) at www.MTDN.com. Social entrepreneur Jon Biel, in collaboration with cause marketing evangelist Kent McBride, co-founded MTDN to create a cause-oriented social network that connects nonprofit organizations with caring individuals and businesses. MTDN increases the visibility of nonprofit organizations by empowering potential donors to search, select and fund these organizations’ specific “Wishes” and then see the results of their giving. Nonprofits can join MTDN for free and they get to keep 100 percent of all donations collected through MTDN. Jessica Biel and Social Entrepreneur Jon Biel Launch Make The Difference Network — a Cause-Oriented Social Network to Connect Individuals to Nonprofits

-When wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son and hanged himself last summer, some wondered if his former employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, would face congressional scrutiny or even financial peril. Claiming to clean up its steroids act, the industry rebounds strongly after Benoit’s grisly murder-suicide, The great escape

Here ia Lt. Pope comments the day after the Benoit Tragedy..
Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Georgia sheriff’s department comments on the death of pro-wrestler Chris Benoit.

WWE.com has released this press release:

-WWE® Asks Presidential Candidates To Address The Issues
May 2, 2008
STAMFORD, Conn., May 2, 2008 – WWE’s Smackdown Your Vote! today released the 2008 18-30 Voter Issues Paper (VIP), a guide to help young adults articulate the issues important to them in this national election, and a platform through which the candidates can provide their responses to issues important to this voting demographic. The 18-30 VIP addresses the economy, Iraq war, education, health care, and the environment as the most important issues on the minds of young voters.

To date, the 18-30 VIP has been provided to candidates Sen. John McCain, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama to obtain their responses. In 2004, when the 18-30 VIP was first issued by Smackdown Your Vote!, presidential candidates President George W. Bush, Sen. John Kerry, Ralph Nader and Michael Badnarik all responded to the questions posed in the 18-30 VIP. Their answers were provided to college groups, voting organizations, online sources, educators and the general public to encourage young adults to vote in the 2004 election. Turnout of 18-to 24-year-old voters increased by 11 percent to approximately 11.6 million in the 2004 election.

“WWE greatly appreciates Senators McCain, Clinton and Obama for taking the time to speak directly to our audience of young voters on a recent ‘Monday Night RAW®,’ which received a tremendous response,” said Gary Davis, WWE Vice President, Corporate Communications and Executive Director of Smackdown Your Vote! “We now ask these candidates to lay out their positions on issues critical to 18 to 30 year olds in this election by addressing the questions posed by our national 18-30 Voter Issues Paper.”

Through its Smackdown Your Vote! program established in 2000, WWE continues to encourage civic engagement. In addition to WWE, partners in the creation of the 2008 18-30 VIP include: CIRCLE, Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, the League of Women Voters, Mobilize.org, mun2, New Voters Project, PIRG, Rock the Vote, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Virginia’s Youth Leadership Initiative.

The 18-30 VIP is downloadable in English and Spanish language versions through www.smackdownyourvote.com and printed copies are available upon request.

To view the VIP pamphlet in English please click here, http://vote.wwe.com/documents/27270_VIP_pamphlet.pdf.

To view the VIP pamphlet in Spanish, please click here, http://vote.wwe.com/documents/28719_VIP_SpanishBklt_SCREEN.pdf.

Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry (Hardcover)

Book Description:
In the notoriously crooked and exploitative world of professional wrestling, WWE legend Chris Benoit was supposed to be the exception. Chris was universally recognized as the best pro wrestling had to offer: a decent, humble, and devoted family man loved and admired by all who knew him. Nobody could have predicted the horrific events of June 22-24, 2007 when Chris strangled his wife and seven-year old son before committing suicide. RING OF HELL is the true story of Benoit’s journey through the destructive, dysfunctional, and bizarre pro wrestling industry and the catastrophic physical and mental breakdown that led to his grisly end.

Availability: This title has not yet been released. You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives. Go on over and check it out at Amazon.com.

Adventures in Larryland!: Life in Professional Wrestling (Paperback)

Product Description
Wrestling’s self-proclaimed “Living Legend” may never wear a championship belt again, but he’s definitely not down for the count, as this memoir shows in its entertaining, often hilarious story of a remarkable ascent to wrestling notoriety. Voted Rookie of the Year in 1974, Larry Zbyszko enjoyed 30 glorious years as a top draw in the wild and wacky world of professional wrestling. Attendance records were shattered when he wrestled the original “Living Legend,” Bruno Sammartino, in 1980 and won by hitting his former mentor with a chair—a rarity at the time. Chronicling Zbysko’s transformation from baby-faced hero to one of the most hated wrestlers of his time, this uninhibited narrative reveals an insider’s view of some of the most successful and controversial stories and scandals in pro-wrestling history.

Availability: This title has not yet been released. You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives. Check it out at Amazon.com