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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

-ATLANTA — Channel 2 has obtained phone messages from pro wrestler Chris Benoit to his wife and son in the days leading up to their murder-suicide. The phone messages from Benoit, relatives and friends give new insight into what happened before and after the wrestling star killed his wife and young son before killing himself in their Fayette County home in June 2007. Chris Benoit Phone Calls Released To Channel 2

Police in Atlanta have released the contents on video…

-ON April 13, Samoa Joe captured the TNA world title from Kurt Angle in an MMA-style cage match. Their Lockdown main event, heralded by some as the “style of the future,” was a stiffly-worked textbook example of the sacrifice top-tier personalities are willing to make to present a contemporary, compelling match as the feature presentation of a pay per view event. TNA’s biggest problem

-Pro wrestler Chris Benoit asphyxiated his son and wife, leaving copies of the Bible next to each of their bodies, before he hanged himself in a basement weight room using a cord from one of the weight machines, law enforcement officials said Tuesday afternoon. Police Paint Grisly Picture of Benoit Home

-For most of 2007, the reputation of World Wrestling Entertainment seemed to be in tatters, its ratings and share price staggering after a suicide-murder involving one of its biggest stars. This week, W.W.E. managed something that Katie Couric and CBS couldn’t: host all three presidential candidates on its prime-time broadcast. Better Days, and Even the Candidates, Are Coming to W.W.E.

The National Sports Review has got an interesting article on Wrestling Babylon, a book published last year. This book not really a book, but a collection of magazine articles. The book talks the deaths of the legendary wrestling family, The Von Erich’s. The most controversal death was with David Von Erich. the most common theory is that David died during a tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling on February 10, 1984. The most popular theory suggests that David died of a drug overdose, as Ric Flair had mentioned this theory in his autobiography, claiming that Bruiser Brody (the Von Erich’s long-time friend) removed the evidence. The Von Erichs however claimed that David’s death was a heart attack, caused by ruptured intestines resulting from acute enteritis.

In the last of the review it states: Muchnick appeared on various media outlets throughout the aftermath and is currently working on a book to be published later on in 2008 entitled CHRIS AND NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death. To read the entirely of the review…..

The Sun in the UK has got the newest information on Benoits messages sent to him via the telephone.

Benoit’s phone records - released in The Wrestling Observer - also show that he was close to wrestlers Chris Jericho, Gregory Helms, Chavo Guerrero, Bill DeMott, Bob Hiolly, CM Punk, Shawn Daivari, Rey Mysterio and referee Scott Armstrong.
Click the link below to read messages sento him by vairous people including people above and his wife, Nancy Benoit:

Nancy pleaded: Get off the stuff

-Professor Wrestling: ‘WrestleMania 24′ Thoughts

-The Sun from the Uk as exclusive interview with Paul heyman. As of right now Heyman was thinking about all of last summer of the horrible tragic event that happened last June.

…and our children.

“Unconditional love,” he’d tell me. Over and over again. It still resonates in my head as I write this blog. For more on the story, click here.

TAMMY SYTCH aka Sunny has her red corset that she worn on Raw’s 15th Anniverdary Special up on Ebay, click here.

The The Atlanta Journal-Constitution just put up an article on released details that is sheding light to the fact of why Chris Benoit murdered his family.

This week documents were released from Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, that Nancy Benoit suspects Chris of having an affair with a WWE diva.

The Chris and Nancy Benoit estates are considering wrongful death suits against the WWE that could be filed as early as this spring, attorneys for the two sides have said. More on the story, click here.

Press Release:

Benoit has concluded that the professional wrestler killed his wife and 7-year-old son, and that he acted alone.

Tuesday morning’s announcement came after “a careful examination of all evidence” collected by authorities since the bodies of Benoit, his wife Nancy and Daniel, their 7-year-old son, were found inside their Fayetteville home in late June.

Authorities had cited evidence that had originally pointed to Benoit as his family’s killer before he decided to take his own life.

The sheriff’s department said further investigation supported those initial indications. The department said it “found no evidence that indicates the presence of any other individual or individuals who contributed to the deaths of the three members of the Benoit family.”

Benoit, a former World Wrestling Entertainment star, was found to have abnormally high levels of testosterone in his body at the time of his death, said Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia’s top medical examiner.

Sperry, however, added there was no direct link between Benoit’s steroid use and the violence that claimed his life and that of his family.

The estates of both Chris Benoit and Nancy Benoit are considering wrongful death lawsuits against the WWE.