World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit undoubtedly killed his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide in June 2007.
Whether the police and WWE properly handled the aftermath isn't so clear-cut.
That's the claim of author Irv Muchnick in his new book, "Chris and Nancy" ($19.95, ECW Press). After scrutinizing police reports from the investigation, Muchnick unearths the questionable police protocol that followed the incident. He also presents a compelling case that WWE owner Vince McMahon was well aware of Benoit's heinous actions before deciding to air a two-hour "Monday Night Raw" tribute show celebrating the life of someone who had just massacred his family.
"They went forward despite knowledge this was not a random act of crime or home break-in," Muchnick said this week in a telephone interview. "That tells us about this industry and the culture of death that has taken a human cost for our uninterrupted junk entertainment."
Muchnick writes about the stonewalling he received from police and WWE officials when trying to dig deeper into information released to the media. He also addresses the subsequent arrest of Dr. Phil Astin, who was guilty of illegally distributing drugs to Benoit and other wrestlers, and the congressional investigation into pro wrestling's steroid problem.
Muchnick is well aware that the Benoit situation didn't make as large an impact on pro wrestling as initially expected. Despite a decade-long rash of premature wrestler deaths -- many of which stemmed from overdoses or effects from long-term substance and/or steroid abuse -- there is still no government-monitored drug testing in the industry or proof that Benoit's actions adversely affected WWE finances.
"Almost nothing has changed," Muchnick said. "Ultimately, fans with wallets didn't care. WWE had record revenue in 2007 and is still going strong and expanding internationally. I bring out how all this played out in the media, how the story got dropped because it's 'just wrestling,' and how certain congressional figures thought they could make hay out of this before it got buried."
Contacted via e-mail, a WWE spokesman said the company isn't responding to Muchnick's claims in "Chris and Nancy."
Muchnick is no stranger to pro wrestling or previous scandal. His late uncle, Sam Muchnick, was a longtime St. Louis promoter and National Wrestling Alliance president before WWE began its nationwide expansion in the mid-1980s. He also co-authored an earlier book on Benoit and covered other behind-the-scenes indignities in a third title ("Wrestling Babylon").
Muchnick believes "Chris and Nancy" tells a tale that transcends pro wrestling.
"I'm a cultural populist, so I don't look down my nose at pro wrestling," said Muchnick, a freelance journalist based in Northern California. "I've been following this stuff since I was knee-high to a turnbuckle. We have schlock entertainment in our culture. Hey, I like Sandra Bullock movies, too.
"I'm more concerned about how this fringe form of junk entertainment got so big and so out of control. Paradoxically, we're having real deaths in a fake sport."
To order "Chris and Nancy," visit www.ecwpress.com.
Ring of Honor star Nigel McGuinness has debuted in TNA Wrestling under the name Desmond Wolf and already is feuding with company kingpin Kurt Angle. According to Internet reports from several wrestling Web sites, McGuinness failed WWE's medical pre-screening exam given to incoming talent.
WWE has never announced results of these tests. But one possible reason McGuinness was disqualified is an extensive history of concussions, which was a problem that afflicted Benoit before his death. WWE announced baseline testing for its wrestlers in April 2008. TNA doesn't do concussion testing or have an active drug-testing policy (steroid or recreational) for its performers like WWE.
During a January telephone interview, McGuinness said he had suffered at least "two or three" concussions, but couldn't remember the exact number.
"I'm not making fun of it, but I do forget a lot of times," McGuinness said. "I remember sometimes earlier in my career where I would get into a car at night and see bright lights in the sky. After one match with (Austin) Aries, I had to take the next night off and for a good week or so I couldn't walk without stumbling.
"I don't think I've had anywhere near the head shots like Mick Foley or those (Extreme Championship Wrestling) guys in the past had taken. But the weird thing is you don't know how many you can take before you suffer serious, permanent damage."
McGuinness said he was trying to do a better job protecting his head after reading the autobiography of Chris Nowinski, who was forced to retire from WWE because of post-concussion syndrome. Nowinski is now president and CEO of the Sports Legacy Institute, which is doing extensive medical studies on concussion damage and prevention. Several notable pro wrestlers -- including Foley, Al Snow and Spike Dudley -- have agreed to posthumously donate their brains to science for concussion research.
"It put the fear of death into me when they talk about all the ex-NFL guys in their 40s and 50s showing sign of Alzheimer's and dementia," said the 31-year-old McGuinness, who moved to the United States from the United Kingdom in the 1990s for wrestling training. "It's something I need to worry about. Unfortunately in this business, there's only so much you can do."
McGuinness didn't immediately respond Thursday to a text message or e-mail seeking comment on his WWE medical exam.
Best wishes to WWE announcer Jim Ross, who has experienced a recurrence of Bell's Palsy causing partial facial paralysis. Ross is unable to call the action on Sunday night's "Bragging Rights" pay-per-view show, but hopes for an imminent return to the announcing table. For updates on his condition, visit Ross' blog at www.jrsbarbq.com ... Another compelling new book is the autobiography of late manager Gary Hart. "My Life in Wrestling ... With a Little Help From My Friends" (Gean Publishing; $30) was released Monday. To order, visit www.playboygaryhart.com.
(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com or follow him via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez.)
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