The Following was Posted One Year Ago today on Let's Talk Wrestling:

Four days away from the next WWE PPV, and it's as if no one really knows, nor cares about it. A shame that a PPV that actually may have a solid match or two is simply being buried right now by one of the most ridiclous angles in years in the "death" of Vince McMahon. Last night's ECW show solved the mystery of who will be in the ECW Title match, and that will be Chris Benoit vs C.M. Punk. I am sold now on the fact that Benoit is going over, and that was/is the selling point for him to make the move to ECW in the first place. Hopefully a Benoit title win will give the belt a little taste of legit, and hopefully he will be allowed to hold it for awhile.

Wrestling Observer reports today that there is a column called "Sportsbiz" at CNBC.com that rips apart the company for the McMahon storyline. It basically goes on to say that the company is being irresponsible to shareholders for the storyline, pretending that McMahon is dead. A shareholder speaks in the column about an email he sent to the company telling them they are being "reckless with investors money." You have to wonder how much of this backlash they are willing to take before they move the storyline ahead and get it over with. Of course if the RAW ratings stay as strong for the three-hour show this week as last, I think as written yesterday that we are in for a long saga that may go for a few months.

Jerry "The King" Lawler had charges filed against him today after an incident at Sam's Town Friday night when reports say that "The King" allegedly punched Sal Corrente a few times. Reports say that Jerry hit Sal after he thought that Sal had hit a fan.

Here is the latest Vengence Card for Sunday in Sold Out Houston:
* WWE Championship Challenge Match - John Cena vs. Booker T vs. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley vs. Bobby Lashley
* World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Batista (Last Chance Match)
* Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella vs. Umaga
* United States Champion MVP vs. Ric Flair
* World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. The Hardys
* Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
* Women's Champion Melina vs. Candice Michelle
* ECW Title Match - Chris Benoit vs. CM Punk

I have to say I have more than a few conversations with wrestling fans over the last two days about the disrespect they gave to Sherri Martel on Monday night with about the weakest tribute to a passing star that they have had in a long time. Other than about a 5 second basic black screen with a pic of Martel and telling us of her passing, they basically ignored the whole thing. So sad, considering if we were not in the midst of the stupid McMahon storyline we for sure would have had a video tribute. Instead, they just went ahead and almost made it like it didn't happen. Sad.

Labels: batista, c.m. punk, chris benoit, edge, jerry lawler

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

From: Wrestlescoop.com

Dateline NBC is looking to do a story in late June on the professional industry revolving around the one-year anniversary of the Chris Benoit double-murder suicide, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. However, the story is only under consideration, and not definite. What would likely make it definite is if the family of Nancy Benoit would cooperate with the piece. The family has largely kept quiet due to the possibility of legal action.

In related news, Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport by Steve Johnson, Heath McCoy, Irvin Muchnick, and Greg Oliver, published in November 2007, is now the number one book in the wrestling category at Amazon.ca.

Speaking of Chris and Nancy Benoit, it would have been their birthdays yesterday. They both shared the same birthday. Chris would have turned 41 and Nancy would have turned 44.

Labels: chris benoit

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was posted one year ago today on Let's Wrestle

By all accounts in watching last night's WWE Backlash, I can say that this PPV was one of the best "B" PPV's the company has put on in about 6-7 years. There seemed to be a different tone last night, where wrestling was the focus, and the usual stupid backstage stuff or silly things that go on in the ring really took a back seat to what the company should be focusing more on, which is wrestling and good storylines. The company has a solid couple of main event stories going on right now, and last night they did a great job in keeping them going and developing them.

The first and biggest story of the night was the ongoing saga of John Cena vs Shawn Michaels. These two were two of the four men in the fatal four way match for the WWE Title along with Edge and Randy Orton. Many felt, including myself, that Cena would win, and that Orton would be the man to get pinned, almost to punish him for the high school trashing of a hotel room on the company's recent tour of Europe. While that happened, how it happened and the action in between made that seem like an afterthought. The action in ring for the main event was top notch, and the final ending with Cena getting superkicked by HBK, only to then have him fall on Orton for the pin was really well done. Whoever was the agent for the match and the ending should get a solid round of applause, as it was very, very good. All four men put forth a great deal of effort, and there really were not many lulls to this solid main event.

The ending and in ring action also leaves a lot of doors open. Shawn of course now should get his WrestleMania title rematch with Cena, and I can see this at Judgement Day, or possibly One Night Stand. You also now have the options of a few other matches that have some push behind them from last night, like Cena vs Orton, Edge vs Orton, and HBK vs either Orton or Edge. I expect to see all these four go back and forth, leading to a pair of PPV matches for either Judgement Day or ONS, with it being Cena vs HBK for the title, and Edge vs Orton. A great showing by all four that really showed what the WWE can do when it puts wrestling at the forefront of a main event.

As for the Last Man Standing Match with Undertaker and Batista, I once again think that while Taker is the focus of SmackDown and the company, longterm my hopes of Batista turning back around and being at the point he was two years ago have returned. I thought he was strong again, and while there was a few points in this match where things got a little slow, I think that overall the match lived up to its hype and they went in the right direction with the double 10-count finish. I kind of saw this coming earlier in the week, and even mentioned it in the preview that I could see that and then a 3rd match possibly at Judgement Day in a Hell in a Cell, or just a regular cage match. After last night, there is no doubt that is where they are headed. The final spear off the stage was a bit over the top, but it was a pretty cool visual that did its job.

The ECW 3-on-1 that concluded with Vince McMahon pinning Bobby Lashley for the belt basically did nothing more than make my worst fears come true. That fear of course is more McMahon on TV, and that is what we are going to get for sometime now. This was by far the weakest of the main events, but that was to be expected. I think I could also suggest that we need to get Lashley off TV for a few weeks to give his character, which has been pushed to the upmost, a bit of a break. That won't happen either, but I guess one could hope. Lashley will get the belt back within a few weeks, so if we can just bear this latest round of McMahon ego, we'll see what happens. The most interesting part of the match that bears watching is the facials that Umaga made when he was getting slapped for tags from McMahon. Its almost as if they are teasing a face turn for him, which would be really wild.

The other pleasant thing about this show was that they did a very good job giving time to the three undercard matches. I can't remember a WWE PPV recently with just six matches, but this one was just that, and it really kept my interest. The opener with the Hardy's vs Cade and Murdoch was a good match and strong open, with a good conclusion with Jeff giving Murdoch the swanton bomb and then Matt getting the pin. I still like the Hardy's with the belts.

Melina vs Mickie James should have been the women's match at Wrestlemania, as these two put on a solid match that we have not seen from the women's division for sometime. While they both have beauty, there is no doubt that these two have worked hard to get better in the ring. The only downer was the ending, which was about as plain as any women's match. Here's hoping they do what they can to keep these two going at it.

The MVP vs Chris Benoit match was also very good, and very much like the strong match they had at Mania. They are really mixing it up with it looking like at each and every turn MVP will get the belt, yet he keeps coming up short. The only thing I can think of is either they are waiting to do the switch on SmackDown, or they have someone else in line for the strap. Sure seems to me like its MVP's time though.

All in all, this was about a good a PPV as you are going to see for following up Mania, and this could have been the best Backlash since the HHH-Rock headlined show back in 2000, that saw a title switch with Steve Austin helping the Rock win the title.

Labels: backlash 2007, chris benoit, john cena, MVP, shawn michaels

Posted by Matt Loede at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

In a small note, various websites, including WWE.com is reporting that the June PPV - which has been known for the past few years as "Vengance," has been renamed as "Night of Champions." This was the PPV last season where every WWE strap was on the line, and will in a sad note be remembered as the PPV where Chris Benoit no-showed the ECW title match, where he was supposed to defeat C.M. Punk, and instead it was John Morrison (at the time Johnny Nitro) winning the belt. The following night Benoit along with his family were found dead. The PPV will take place on 6/29 in Dallas.

Labels: chris benoit, john morrison, Night of Champions, vengence

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

All right, time to have some fun with our new WrestleMania list, as today we are going to take a look at the top 10 most emotional WrestleMania moments. Yes, some have been cheesy, some real, but one thing that can't be denied is that the following moments are some of the most emotional in Mania history for one reason or another.

1. Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth make up - WrestlMania VII: It was a moment that actually made people in the crowd cry. Yes, when Elizabeth and Randy "broke up" the wrestling world wept. On this night, following Randy's retirement loss to the Ultimate Warrior, he and Liz made up and gave us by far the most memorable moment of WrestleMania VII.

2. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit embrace following Chris' title win - WrestleMania XX: So sad to see just four years later both these men are gone. It was a magical night at WM XX when Eddie defeated Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Title, and then later in the night Chris defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the World Heavyweight Title. The two in tears at the end of the night as the confetti fell was a great, yet now tragic, moment.

3. Hulk Hogan Turns back to Hulk-A-Mania - WrestleMania X8: Following his emotional loss to The Rock to determine the "Best Ever," Hogan was attacked by NWO buddies Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, only to make a comeback with Rock and drive them out of the ring. Then after some prodding, Hogan turned back into the spots most beloved babyface, with the only thing missing the "Real American" music.

4. Bret Hart and Roddy Piper Put on a Show - WrestleMania VIII: These two have been long-time friends, from Piper's days in Stu Hart's dungeon. On this day, they did battle for the IC Belt, and in the end, after a fierce match, Piper could have pounded Bret with the ring bell, only to put it down, and moments later get pinned going for a sleeper. They embraced in the post-match, making this one a match to remember.

5. Ricky Steamboat's IC Title Win - WrestleMania III: In the match I had as the Best in Mania history, the pure relief and emotion that the "Dragon" showed upon his title win was one to relive over and over. It was such a great and historic battle between these two foes, and after the 14:35 epic, you could feel the real emotion when Steamboat was finally able to get the pin and grab the belt.

6. Undertaker's First World Title Win - WrestleMania 13: While it is to me the worst Mania ever, the ending was at least one to remember, as the Undertaker took out Sycho Sid in 21:19 to win his first WWE Heavyweight title. The blue light during the post-match as he held the belt up was a lasting memory and one of the few good ones of an otherwise lackluster Mania.

7. Hogan Rocks the Wrestling World by Slamming Andre - WrestleMania III: The defining moment in Mania history for many, both Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura stepped all over each other to call it, showing what a huge moment it was when Hogan picked up the 8th wonder of the world and dumped him on his back, only to legdrop him and pin him seconds later. Hogan has a hole in his back to this day from the slam.

8. Warrior Wins the Gold - WrestleMania VI: In a great back and forth battle titled "The Ultimate Challenge" the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan waged a 22:51 battle and saw Warrior escape with a win following a splash. The post match with Hogan "passing the torch" by giving the Warrior the strap was a moment frozen in time in Mania history.

9. HBK Goes the Distance in Beating Bret Hart - WrestleMania XII: In an ironman match that lasted over an hour, the line that everyone always remembers will be the famous Vince McMahon line - "The boyhood dream has become a reality" when Shawn embraced the belt for the first time following the emotional win.

10. Mike Tyson Lands a Punch on the ShowStopper - WrestleMania XIV: A great 20-minute match that saw Steve Austin win the WWE belt for the fist time was great, but the icing on the cake was Mike Tyson making the three-count, and then landing a punch on Michaels, knocking him out. A great moment in the WWE's Attitude Era that dominated the mid to late 90's.

Labels: chris benoit, eddie guerrero, hulk hogan, randy savage, undertaker, wrestlemania

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Following was Posted one Year Ago today on Let's Wrestle

WWE SmackDown Friday night was highlighted by four matches, including two with the main event guys from WrestleMania going over against decent opponents - Batista beating Kane, and Undertaker beating Finley. Both men won clean with pins, which is exactly the way it should have been booked as now with less than three weeks left to Mania both men have to be protected to the upmost.

The rest of the show was okay, and the wrestling on the show went from pretty good (Booker beating Matt Hardy) to decent (Kennedy beating CM Punk). I think the important thing as we head to Mania, is that the top guys get protected, while at the same time the mid-level guys don't just get shown up week after week. Both Hardy and Punk showed some good offense, and the two of them losing should not stop them from being a big part of the Money in the Bank match at Mania.

Speaking of which, I still think Orton wins that match, but I can see some serious thought being given to Kennedy as well taking home the briefcase. I think that we'll see Kennedy get a huge push this year, and with it at some point could come a world title. As for the other semi-big announcement on the show, they had a lame Miz TV segment with The Miz, and he had Ashley on. Within a minute or so of the interview, Melina came down as well, and finally we had Ashley challenge her for the title at Mania. That should become offical this week.

The other challenge for Mania which will be more of a squash if its done right, is MVP telling Teddy Long that he wants Chris Benoit in a match for the US Title. Sorry MVP, if the bookers make this done the right way, this should be nothing more than a 4-5 minute match with Benoit getting a rather easy win. The show as a whole was pretty good, and once again we should have a solid week of TV heading up as we get closer and closer to Mania.

Labels: chris benoit, matt hardy, mr. kennedy, smackdown

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

Jim Ross' official website has been busy this weekend, posting a new blog entry from JR as well as another slew of Q&A featuring Ross' answers to questions that are submitted to his website.

Some wrestling related highlights from the blog entry:

- Wrestling lost one of its classiest and toughest competitors this week with the passing of Don Curtis. Don was a great collegiate wrestler and football player and is one of the very few men I have never heard his peers say one negative word about. In the wrestling business that is virtually an impossibility, with all the jealousy and insecurities that often times exist in the old locker room. Don and Mark Lewin made a superb tag team and Don eventually became Eddie Graham’s promoter in Jacksonville for many years. Don was a bona fide credit to the business and if wrestling had more men in it like Don Curtis it would be much better off.

- Pet Peeve of the Week…..no time limits for the vast majority of wrestling matches. Time limits make the sports entertainment presentations have a little more "sport" to them and add to the sense of urgency. Point made…soap box stored.

- Wrestlemania will be "Posse Central" with the likes of "Money" Mayweather, 50 Cent, John Legend, Kim Kardashian (Reggie Bush??), and one of our all time favorites, Snoop Dogg. WM24 catering should be an interesting place to hang.

- I received a wonderful signed copy of Bret Hart’s autobiography and it is definitely a "must read," just as most sane people have said. I don’t do book reviews per se, but this is one helluva read and I have much admiration and respect for Bret for his tireless efforts in telling a thorough and honest story. If you are a fan of wrestling to any degree, this is one book I strongly suggest you read. Chris Jericho’s is another. I am looking forward to getting some tights, etc from Bret to frame and hang in our new restaurant. It is great seeing "The Hitman" making appearances at fan conventions on occasion, which is an indicator that he is feeling better. I really miss seeing Bret wrestle I can tell you that.

- It would be nice to see some fireworks between Mayweather, Jr. and the Big Show Monday night at their weigh in on RAW. This concept might be risky, because I don’t think "Money" has totally gotten just how powerful the 400 plus pound Big Show is and the fact that Floyd is going to scoop into WM24, make a HUGE payday and bolt while Show is going to stay in the WWE for the foreseeable future and continue to earn a living. I have known wrestlers in the past who would "go into business for themselves" in matters such as this to protect their individual persona’s. The problem is if Show manhandles "Money" prior to WM24 would Floyd want any more on March 30? Floyd has not endeared himself to the WWE locker room or so it seems. I could be wrong on that assessment, but that’s one man’s opinion.

Here are a few Q&A answers from Ross:

On WWE taking away signs at shows: "I am not big on removing signs in general but I have on occasion looked in the confiscated sign pile and there are some ballsy signs made that are doomed from the start. Some people are just starved for attention and think that by authoring a "controversial sign" that they will get on TV and be cool to their buddies. Some signs are simply too profane to put on TV while others simply knocking a wrestler should probably be left alone. Can you explain why someone held a sign up in Phoenix recently that said "J.R.’s BBQ Sux" when most likely they had never tried it? Is that exercising one’s freedom of speech or simply trying to draw attention to one’s self and being a wise ass? Where is the line drawn?"

On whether WWE will stop editing out Chris Benoit from programs on WWE 24/7: "I don’t know that we will never see another Benoit match on any WWE platform. I have not heard that declaration. Getting past this entire tragedy will take some time and the day that the Benoit material begins airing again there will be tons of people complaining that the WWE is exploiting the murdered family….guaranteed."

On why Jerry Lawler not yelling "Puppies" during Diva segments anymore: "King has been asked to refrain from using that term and we are encouraged to stay on the "high road" at all times."

On why Vince McMahon doesn't bring back Chyna: "I don’t know why Chyna would want to come back to a place she seemingly so desperately wanted out of just a few years ago. I don’t think she would be happy considering her past history in the WWE. This is not a "why won’t Vince McMahon" deal. As someone who has spent ample time with Chyna during her WWE days, I would advise her to not return."

Labels: chris benoit, chyna, floyd mayweather, jim ross

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: ProWrestling.NET

- Batista continues to get heat backstage after rubbing a lot of people the wrong way and being perceived as having an arrogant attitude. Despite this, the main-event star still has his share of powerful allies within the company.

In the past Chris Benoit was known to play the role of mentor for Batista, regularly giving him advice to try and keep his ego in check when he got out of line.

Labels: batista, chris benoit

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

ATLANTA (AP) --A verbal agreement has been reached in the fight over the estate of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife, 7-year-old son and then himself in June, Benoit's father said Wednesday.

"In principle, it's there. It just needs to be documented," Michael Benoit said in a telephone interview from Alberta, Canada.

Benoit said the agreement calls for the proceeds from the estate to "pretty much" be evenly split between his son's two children from a previous marriage - a 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl - and the family of his slain wife Nancy. Michael Benoit, who has been acting on the children's behalf, declined to provide the exact terms.

Benoit said attorneys fees and expenses of roughly $500,000 to $600,000 will reduce the ultimate value of the estate, which consists of two homes, several bank and investment accounts and other assets. One estimate of the estate has put its value at $1.5 million to $3 million.

"There's lots of things that need to take place, properties that have to be disposed of, tax returns that have to be filed, a whole number of things over the next three to five months," Benoit said.

Cary Ichter, Michael Benoit's attorney, and Richard Decker, an attorney for Nancy Benoit's mother, did not return several phone calls Wednesday seeking comment.

Lawyers for Nancy Benoit's mother, Maureen Toffoloni, filed a petition in August asking a court to determine the order of the deaths, which they argued could affect whether she was entitled to any of the estate.

Investigators have repeatedly said that Chris Benoit killed his wife, then their son and himself during the weekend of June 22, 2007, at their suburban Atlanta home.

District Attorney Scott Ballard has said the wrestler used a cord to strangle his wife, then killed his son with a choke hold, then placed Bibles next to the bodies and hanged himself on a piece of exercise equipment.

Under that scenario, the estate would pass to Benoit's surviving two children, according to Ichter.

But if the boy was killed first and then the wife, under Georgia law at least some of the estate would pass to Toffoloni, lawyers in the case have said.

That's because of a forfeiture statute that takes into account the fact that Benoit was the killer. As such, the law for purposes of estate distribution would consider Benoit to have died before his wife and son.

Ichter has said that if the boy was killed first, the estate would pass to the wife and, since she was killed, it would then pass to her family.

An attorney for Toffoloni, of Daytona Beach, Fla., has said he doesn't believe the order of deaths is clear, and that is why he asked the Fayette County court to make a determination based on the law.

Michael Benoit said Wednesday he always believed the Toffoloni family should get some of the estate.

"It's beyond me why we needed to spend $600,000 to get here," he said.

Investigators have not given a motive for the killings, but the question of whether steroids played a role has lingered. Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, and tests showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died.

Some experts believe that use of testosterone can contribute to paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

Benoit's father believes years of head trauma his son suffered while in the ring contributed to the killings.

"It goes far beyond the steroid issue," Michael Benoit said Wednesday.

Labels: chris benoit

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

- With 2007 coming to a close and this being the last report of the year, I thought it would be good to do a little "Stories of the Year" top 10 list - so here we go:

1. Chris Benoit Double Murder/Suicide - Could be the biggest story in the history of the sport. Shook the foundation of how things in wrestling are looked at, and still today hard to fathom.

2. Main Eventers Injured - The list is alarming: Triple H, Undertaker, Edge, Shawn Michaels, John Cena. No star was bigger than Cena, as the company was able to overcome each of the other injuries without much of a hitch, but Cena's injury really changed things. It was good to see him on the Tribute to the Troops show this last week, and in the end maybe the injury in the long run will be a refresher for his character.

3 . WrestleMania 23 Sells out Ford Field - While the event lacked the man who helped sell out the Silverdome 20 years ago, Hulk Hogan, the event was still memorable for all the right reasons. Two great main events with Cena vs Michales and Batista vs Undertaker, and the Money in the Bank was memorable as well. A great card overall and a great venue.

4. ECW all but Dead - Like it or not, ECW of today is not even close to that of last year, when you at least at RVD, Sabu, Sandman and a few others that were originals. Now you have top guys like C.M. Punk, John Morrison, Big Daddy V, and Mark Henry. Change is not always good.

5. The Vince McMahon Death Angle - It was a shock angle that was scrapped when the Benoit murders/suicide took place. It was a distasteful angle anyway, and some thought it was fate that a real life wrestling death took place while a fake one was going on.

6. The Rise of Jeff Hardy - For years many thought that Hardy had what it took, but his out of the ring issues always seemed to hold him back. Plus many questioned his true dedication to the sport long term. Now he seems as focused as ever, and it's paying off.

7. The New Substance Suspension System - Back in August the company made waves when they suspended 10 guys, including big names like Jeff Hardy, Booker T., Umaga and others. It made an impact that hopefully these guys will finally get it.

8. Mr.McMahon's "son" - Yes, a pretty interesting storyline till the end, when the kid ended up being Hornswoggle, the pal under the ring of Finely. Since then, he has had a big role on TV, playing a big part in making McMahon's as well as Coach's life tough. The storyline should have belonged to Mr.Kennedy, but he blew it by not stepping up.

9. RVD and Booker T. Say Good-Bye - Two great long-time WWE guys decided that they had enough, and took the high road out. RVD did come back for the RAW 15th Anniversary show, but don't expect a full-time return. As for Booker, he's now in TNA.

10. RAW 15th Anniversary - A mega show that turned out to be better than the Armageddon PPV that took place six days later. It was great to see some of the old stars, and while the show went three hours, it seemed like with all the great highlights and what went into the show, it could easily have went longer.

Labels: 15th anniversary of RAW, booker t, chris benoit, hulk hogan, rvd

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

From The Associated Press

ATLANTA — A fight over the estate of pro wrestler Chris Benoit -- who killed his wife, son and then himself in June -- could soon be resolved, a lawyer for Benoit's father said Sunday.

Separately, lawyer Cary Ichter said, the league Benoit performed in, Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment , has balked at the idea of making a financial contribution to Benoit's two surviving children from a previous marriage.

WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt did not immediately return a call to his cell phone Sunday seeking comment.

The dispute over the estate, estimated to be worth $1.5 million to $3 million, involves a fight between the family of Benoit's slain wife, Nancy, and Benoit's father, Michael, who is acting on behalf of Benoit's other two children, who live in Canada.

Ichter told The Associated Press that he hopes to know in about a week whether the two sides will be able to resolve the dispute or if further litigation will be necessary. He declined to detail what terms are being discussed.

A central issue in the dispute is the order in which the killings occurred.

Lawyers for Benoit's mother-in-law, Maureen Toffoloni, filed a petition in August asking a court to determine the order of the deaths, which could affect whether she gets any of the estate, which includes two homes, several bank and investment accounts and other assets.

Investigators have repeatedly said that Benoit killed his wife, then their son and himself during the weekend of June 22 at their suburban Atlanta home.

District Attorney Scott Ballard has said the wrestler used a cord to strangle his wife, then killed his son with a choke hold, then placed Bibles next to the bodies and hanged himself on a piece of exercise equipment.

Under that scenario, the estate would pass to Benoit's surviving two children, according to Ichter.

But if the boy was killed first and then the wife, under Georgia law at least some of the estate would pass to Toffoloni, lawyers in the case have said.

That's because of a forfeiture statute that takes into account the fact that Benoit was the killer. As such, the law for purposes of estate distribution would consider Benoit to have died before his wife and son.

Ichter has said that if the boy was killed first, the estate would pass to the wife and, since she was killed, it would then pass to her family.

An attorney for Toffoloni, of Daytona Beach, Fla., has said he doesn't believe the order of deaths is clear, and that is why he has asked the Fayette County court to make a determination based on the law.

As for the issue of a payment from the WWE to Chris Benoit's two other children, Ichter said he and a local attorney for the league had been discussing the idea of compensation for the children. Ichter said he told the lawyer that Benoit's father might accept $2 million for the children. About a week ago, the attorney told Ichter the WWE wasn't interested in talking about it further, according to Ichter.

Ichter said his client has not decided yet whether to sue the WWE.

Investigators have not given a motive for the killings, but the question of whether steroids played a role has lingered. Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, and tests showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died.

Some experts believe that use of testosterone can contribute to paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

Benoit's father believes years of head trauma his son suffered while in the ring contributed to the killings

Labels: chris benoit

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments