| Ring of Hell:
The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Wrestling Industry
In June of 2007,
the professional wrestling community was rocked by the suicide
of wrestler Chris Benoit, after murdering his wife and
seven-year-old son. In this wide-ranging expose, crime reporter
Randazzo demonstrates that, among professionals driven to
incredible levels of steroid, drug and alcohol abuse, Benoit was
not unique. Benoit spent years in Canada and Japan enduring
training that bordered on the medieval, eagerly employing
steroids to achieve the industry's standard physique. As his
star rose, so did the injuries and the chemicals; Benoit's
signature move, a flying headbutt, was responsible for countless
concussions. Culminating in a 2001 spinal injury that left him
at risk of permanent paralysis, Benoit, like many other
wrestlers, treated himself with copious doses of painkillers
before returning to work for more punishment. Combined with a
crumbling marriage, Benoit's life became a perfect storm of
mental and physical anguish; unfortunately, Randazzo's broad
biographical strokes (he saves details for pivotal matches) and
wide focus on the industry's evolution make Benoit little more
than a minor character in his own story. Wrestling fans will
savor the industry gossip, but those interested in the how and
why of Benoit's tragic murder-suicide will be disappointed.
Copyright ©
Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
Author: Matthew Randazzo V
Published: June 17, 2008
Publisher: Phoenix Books
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