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I know it's not a real sport ...

... but pro wrestling is beloved by many sports fans (including me, though mostly back in the old NWA days), so I think this is relevant blog material.

By now, I'm assuming you've heard the original story about wrestler Chris Benoit's horrific murder-suicide. Here's the latest story from the AJC, which has been all over this story like white on rice. Apparently, Benoit's son was mentally disabled and that created a great deal of tension in his marriage.

The story also downplays the steroids angle, which was getting a lot of run early on, when there was speculation that Benoit might have killed his wife and son while in the midst of a "roid rage." The fact that Benoit took a day or so between killing his wife and killing his son would seem to quell that notion.

Still, I think it's worth noting that Benoit joins an alarmingly large list of pro wrestlers who have died at an early age. This site compiles a list of wrestlers that died before reaching the age of 65. As the site mentions, this is an issue that hasn't gotten much attention in the "mainstream" media, perhaps because wrestling is seen as merely "entertainment" and not a sport. Perhaps Benoit's death - although it may only be loosely connected to his profession - may change that.


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