The Chris Benoit murder-suicide tragedy is the most grim chapter of WWE, and even after 18 years, it keeps haunting us in the worst manner. One such instance was in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, where The Undertaker had a promo face-off with Chris Benoit in the game’s story mode. What made the interaction eerie was how The Phenom called out Benoit’s family. Here’s what he said (via YouTube),
If you insist on making this mistake, then your grieving family will have no one to blame but you when the inevitable occurs.
What made this exchange so eerie was that the game was released back in 2006, almost a year before the horrifying event took place. This interaction was just the tip of the iceberg, because in the game’s story mode, The Deadman was in a rivalry against Eddie Guerrero. At the climax of their saga, The Papi was choke-slammed into a casket, and the lid was closed.
In the same year, following the game’s release, The Latino Heat had sadly passed away. Thus, making the game age like milk and making it look cursed.
The Undertaker Struggled to Hold Back Tears Upon Chris Benoit’s Death
The death of Chris Benoit and his family is the most divisive event, which left WWE shaken to its core, especially with how the events unfolded following the death of the wrestler and his family. The wrestling promotion brand had held a meeting with its roster to break the news that their colleague was no longer among them.
The Undertaker, who was the locker room leader during that time, was heavy-hearted, and his expressions left Matt Hardy certain that Benoit had passed away. During an episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, he recalled how he was certain that Taker was informed of the news before the roster. He said,
They had this talent meeting, they call everyone together. I’ll never forget I saw ‘Taker coming out slowly, walking out to where all the crowd was gathered around.’ I saw Michelle McCool, like, crying. I remember turning to Ken Kennedy and going, ‘Chris is dead.’ I saw Undertaker and Michelle coming, and Undertaker would’ve been given the heads up, and Michelle’s just so upset, I thought, ‘he’s gotta be dead.’
Sadly, the deceased wrestler will never be mentioned in the history of WWE, as Vince McMahon believed it was right for the company to forget about the star’s wrestling legacy and ordered his roster and executives to never mention his name. Since then, not once has the name ‘Chris Benoit’ been uttered in any of the live shows.
The Undertaker Shows Unfiltered Respect for Chris Benoit’s Wrestling Style
It can’t be denied that Chris Benoit’s actions are unforgivable as a human being, and some may claim that Mr. McMahon made the right call by parting ways with the wrestler. However, it does not understate the fact that he was an outstanding performer who could entertain the fans with his moves and how he brought respect and honor to the championships that he won in his WWE career.
During an episode of the Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway podcast, The American Badass put Benoit on the Mount Rushmore of small wrestlers, alongside the likes of AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero. He explained that he was a “wrestling machine,” and once he got in the zone, he was unstoppable. The host said,
I’m going to go with The Crippler, Chris Benoit. Again, a wrestling machine, just could go, he was that guy. he was not a big guy at all, but when he got going, man, you forgot that he was such a small guy in stature. Yeah, he was jacked, but man, he was not that big a dude, but he was like a Wolverine in the ring from Bell to Bell, you had to have wheels to keep up with him.
Despite expressing his regret of not working enough with him, he was impressed with the intensity he brought to each match, leading to some extraordinary matches of his career. A similar belief was shared by The Olympic Gold Medalist, who refused to forget about Benoit, as the two of them had some great matches back in the day.
Do you think WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 was only trash-talking during that face-off? Or did they really see the harrowing event coming before the world? Let us know in the comments below!
