Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport [Paperback]

Steven Johnson (Author), Heath McCoy (Author), Irv Muchnick (Author), Greg Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

The life and alarming death of acclaimed professional wrestler Chris Benoit are explored in this timely and exhaustive biography. In June 2007 Benoit committed suicide after killing his wife and son, and the media coverage surrounding this event—as well as the facts of the case and its effects on professional wrestling—are all extensively addressed. Benoit’s life prior to and during his pro wrestling career is examined, as is his significant impact on the wrestling world and widespread popularity. This close-up look at one of pro wrestling’s greatest and most lamented figures also presents the place of his tragedy in the darker side of wrestling’s history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best wrestling biographies ever. . . . A direct and honest account of Brody's career."  —Miami Herald

"For a book of essays rushed to print, it's remarkably cohesive...reads as though it were penned by one hand. Good chunks of the book grapple with a subject that wrestling fans are still debating today." —SLAM! Sports

"Highest recommendation."  —Georgia Wrestling History

"This book contains a series of essays written by four of the best wrestling journalists in the world, presenting a very informative version of the life and death of Chris Benoit and his family."  —Wrestling Observer

"Benoit looks at this terrible event in its greater cultural context, and it does so with the integrity and passion that each of its contributors has shown in years of experience in the world of pro wrestling."  —PWInsider

"Benoit is from a team of experts who get it right. . . . It's a quick, intense read— but well worth it. The bonus for me was that I trust the work of these writers. They know what they're talking about."  —Professor Wrestling

"Four wrestling journalists pen essays about . . . Chris Benoit. Irvin Muchnick closes the book with a gem."  —Quill & Quire

"Will give the average person . . . some insight into the world of a professional wrestler."  —Online World of Wrestling

About the Author

Steven Johnson is coauthor of The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series. He lives in Springfield, Virginia. Heath McCoy is a pop-culture reporter for the Calgary Herald. He lives in Calgary, Alberta. Irv Muchnick’s work has been published in The New York Times and the Village Voice and he is the author of Wrestling Babylon. He lives in Berkeley, California. Greg Oliver has been a professional wrestling reporter for 20 years and is coauthor of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press; First Trade edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550228129
• ISBN-13: 978-1550228120
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,073,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Irvin Muchnick is author of CHRIS & NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death (2009) and WRESTLING BABYLON: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (2007). He is a widely published magazine journalist and has appeared on forums as diverse as Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor," National Public Radio's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," and ESPN's "Up Close." Muchnick is lead respondent in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case for freelance writers' rights, Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disecting Wrestling's Darkest Day, October 7, 2007

By 

Brad from OWW "http://www.onlineworldofwrestl... (Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport (Paperback)

Between November 22nd, 1985 and June 20th, 2007, Chris Benoit built a Hall of Fame wrestling career. Throughout his twenty-two years in the business, he was a promising newcomer, a rising star, an international sensation, an admired hero, a consummate ring general, a respected locker-room leader, and champion of the World in every division. But the horrific events that happened on the final weekend of June 2007 would forever tarnish Benoit's legacy and leave him remembered as the monster that killed his wife (Nancy) and 7-year old son (Daniel) before taking his own life.

It took ECW press only three months to produce the first of what I imagine will be many books written about the Benoit tragedy. Established writers Steven Johnson and Greg Oliver (co-authors of "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams" and "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels") were joined by Heath McCoy (author of "Pain & Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling") and Irvin Muchnick (author of "Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death & Scandal") to compile several essays focusing on the frenzy that occurred following what has become known as wrestling's darkest day.

The book fittingly begins as a tribute to Chris Benoit's wrestling career, which was a good move because the great professional life of Chris Benoit, the wrestler, deserves to be acknowledged. However, many would argue that point.

After paying reasonable tribute to the wrestling career of Chris Benoit, the authors turn their attention to the real story of what exactly happened on that dreadful weekend. They also reflect on the media frenzy and the battle for information which resulted in the reporting of many unsubstantiated claims, such as the blockbuster presented by WWE that Benoit's son, Daniel, suffered from Fragile X syndrome - which ended up being proven false by family members and Daniel's school teacher. The internet also played a part in the global distribution of BENOIT developments. The world of professional wrestling had a powerful spotlight placed upon it, as theories of Roid-rage were splattered on every major news publication on the planet. This was another theory eventually proven ghastly inaccurate. By the time the toxicology reports were released, the world was exhausted and had already moved on to the next news story.

This book contains a series of essays written by four of the best wrestling journalists in the world, presenting a very informative version of the life and death of Chris Benoit and his family. It is a short book, about 160 pages; large print, a strong reader could polish it off in one sitting (three sittings for me). At around $17 Canadian ($15 US), the price is certainly worth it to get the entire Benoit story - as straight-forward as it's ever been told. There will be more books about Chris Benoit in the future, including a full-length book by Irvin Muchnick called "Chris and Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro-Wrestling's Cocktail of Death."

"BENOIT: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport" will be released on October 15 and will be available at most book stores and online bookselling sites; for more information on the book and its authors please visit www.ECWpress.com..

Rating: 8 / 10 - Personally, I still struggle to comprehend what Chris Benoit did. I will never be at peace with this.

Reviewed by Brad Dykens of OnlineWorldofWrestling.com

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time reading, November 15, 2007

By 

Christina Sly (Enid, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport (Paperback)

I was disappointed with this book. It would of been ok if it was just one person writing it. It seems that they kept telling the same things over and over. Everyone would of known this part of Chris Benoit's wrestling career if they watched his wrestling dvd Hard Knocks. As for the murder/suicide they basically just stated what was said on tv instead of doing any kind of investigating reporting. I really thought that it was more of a angle into Chris Benoit's history, but it really wasn't.

31 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars skip it, November 24, 2007

By 

Tony H. (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport (Paperback)

know this - Chris Benoit's brain has been analyzed and it showed severe brain damage in all areas of the brain, even into the brain stem itself, due to trauma suffered in the ring over the years. He gave his life to the sport we all love so well, and the brain damage that resulted is what caused him to lose control and commit the terrible acts on that day. The doctor's reported that Benoit's brain resembled that of an 80-year old Alzheimer's patient. But no, they didn't report THAT on all the news programs, now did they? YES, what he did was horrible - but now we truly know WHY he did it, and that he did NOT have full control of his mental faculties. I have been a healthcare worker for over 8 years, and I am experienced in working with mental illness... and that's exactly what this was.

Just buy the "Hard Knocks" DVD and remember Chris for the man he was through out his life.