WRESTLING: WWE plays a villain in Benoit bio 'Ring'

By Alex Marvez, Scripps Howard News Service

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Pro-wrestling fans who start reading Matthew Randazzo's new book won't be as enamored with the industry by the time they finish.

Ring of Hell ($25.95, Phoenix Books) chronicles the life of former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide last June. While dissecting what made Benoit tick, Randazzo takes a scathing look at the sleazy manner in which the pro-wrestling business operates.

He examines the factors that caused Benoit to disintegrate from one of grappling's most beloved and talented performers into what's been described as "a brain-damaged, ogre-faced drug addict." An obsessive drive to follow in the footsteps of his childhood hero resulted in Benoit's making many of the same damaging choices as Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington, a 1980s WWE star who's destitute and wheelchair-bound at age 49.

To overcome the same size limitations that Billington initially faced, the 5-foot-8 Benoit also used copious amounts of anabolic steroids along with human growth hormone. Benoit's risky maneuvers drew high praise from fans but also left him with multiple concussions and injuries that led to abuse of alcohol, pain pills and psychiatric medication.

Domestic problems and the premature deaths of numerous wrestling friends, including former WWE champion Eddy Guerrero, also contributed to Benoit's snapping, according to the book. Randazzo writes that Benoit was so unbalanced that he considered making his scheduled WWE appearances after killing his wife, Nancy (a former wrestling personality), and using his trademark "Crippler cross-face" hold to kill the son who worshipped him.

"He was a unique individual," Randazzo said in an interview. "This was a man who combined a great deal of discipline, strength and willpower and, on the face of it, courtesy and dignity with a real sadomasochistic obsession with pro wrestling and how he was perceived in the brotherhood. Despite however kind he was to friends - he was loyal and completely selfless, according to most people I talked to - and his children, (he) was willing to commit suicidal recklessness in pursuit of success.

"In 2001, he wrestled for three weeks with partial paralysis and a broken neck. Every time he stepped in the ring, he was risking death. But to him, that was better than missing any dates."

Randazzo also describes the callous and oblivious culture that allowed Benoit to continue performing in such an addled state. WWE isn't directly blamed for Benoit's actions, but a promotion previously wracked by premature wrestler deaths clearly had done little to stem the steroid and drug abuse that probably contributed to Benoit's psychosis.

In interviews with former WWE employees and scriptwriters, Randazzo exposes a "dysfunctional and exploitative" environment that treats wrestlers like a "meat grinder," with no medical or long-term financial benefits. So much sordid behavior is described from Benoit's time in WWE and the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling - let alone Mexico and Japan - that hard-partying rock stars seem like choirboys in comparison.

"There's nothing wrong with the art of pro wrestling, and I have no problems with pro wrestlers," said Randazzo, an established author who had some prior knowledge of grappling's inner workings. "But on a certain level, you have to be aware of the business practices and model this industry is based upon."

Yet as the one-year anniversary of Benoit's rampage passed, there was scant evidence that his actions triggered fan backlash or wholesale WWE changes. The outrage once expressed by mainstream media and some members of Congress pushing for stricter regulation has faded. After an initial dip in television ratings, WWE rebounded to post a $50 million profit for the 2007 fiscal year.

To its credit, WWE is offering to pay for any current or former talents who want to attend drug rehabilitation. More performers also are being suspended in light of failed tests. But the continuing push of overly muscled behemoths in prominent roles casts serious doubts on the legitimacy of WWE's "wellness" policy.

Autographed copies of Ring of Hell can be purchased at matthewrandazzo.com.