Alex Marvez's weekly look at professional wrestling

He is the 2007 Wrestler of the Year - albeit for all the wrong reasons.No pro grappler has ever received more mainstream media attention than Chris Benoit following his murderous rampage in June. Benoit killed his wife, retired valet Nancy "Woman" Benoit, and seven-year-old son Daniel before hanging himself inside his Atlanta-area home.WWE has tried to erase Benoit's grappling legacy by removing all mentions of "The Crippler" on telecasts, DVDs and its Internet site. Benoit was one of the greatest performers in wrestling history. But memories of Benoit's standout matches will always be tainted by his horrific actions outside the ring.The Benoit saga also cast the entire industry in a negative light. Benoit's extensive use of steroids and prescription medication was revealed, exposing WWE's drug-testing policy as a farce and inviting media criticism.More embarrassment followed when a slew of WWE performers were suspended in September after being revealed as receiving steroids from mail-order clinics.But if there is any good to come from the Benoit situation, it would be WWE becoming more proactive in policing its talent. While some headliners still remain suspiciously overly muscled, many WWE wrestlers are noticeably smaller than earlier in the year. WWE appears to have created a healthier working environment by suspending wrestlers who test positive for recreational and banned physique-altering drugs that could cause long-term medical problems.While WWE did a terrible job in handling post-Benoit media scrutiny, promotion owner Vince McMahon deserves credit for weathering the storm. WWE didn't lose any significant advertisers or television outlets and remains a thriving entertainment enterprise. Television ratings for WWE's flagship shows -- Monday Night Raw (9 p.m. Eastern, USA Network) and Smackdown (8 p.m. Eastern, Fridays, CW) -- and pay-per-view buy rates have rebounded from the Benoit fallout. That reflects the devotion of WWE fans -- as well as a saddening apathy toward the steroid issue.WWE's successes are especially impressive considering the injuries that sidelined such marquee names as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mystero, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Adam "Edge" Copeland and John Cena. WWE's scriptwriting also has greatly improved in late 2007 with less offensive material and more compelling storylines.WWE isn't the only promotion that enters 2008 with some momentum. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor both had their share of good news this past year.Spike TV expanded TNA's Impact telecasts from one hour to two, giving the promotion its greatest chance for success since debuting in 2002. Impact ratings continue to slowly grow and TNA was able to land another former WWE headliner in Booker T (real name Robert Huffman).TNA's biggest challenge in 2008 will be convincing fans to purchase pay-per-view shows. The promotion's buy rates have dropped largely because the often-comedic storylines presented on Impact aren't enticing fans to spend money.Just securing a national pay-per-view outlet was considered a major breakthrough for ROH, a Philadelphia-based promotion that showcases outstanding technical wrestling. ROH has signed most of its top young workers like Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuiness and The Briscoes (Mark and Jay) to contracts. That should prevent the kind of talent raids that helped kill Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s.ROH will remain a niche promotion until securing a weekly television outlet. But that seems alright with ROH management, which generates most of its income through DVD sales.(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service.)