The horrific double murder-suicide of the Benoit family is one of the darkest moments of WWE’s history. One of its best-known superstars – Chris Benoit – murdered his wife and son, before taking his own life.
In the aftermath of his death, when the circumstances of said death wasn’t known, the WWE held a tribute show. In this show, several WWE superstars gave moving tributes to Benoit.
However, the interview of William Regal was rather striking, and different in tone and demeanour to others. It was as if Regal already knew what had happened. Now, Regal has elaborated on this tribute, and clarified his position.
To begin with, you can see his tribute below, courtesy of BenoitInvestigators on YouTube. Remember that at this point, no one knew what the cause of death was for the trio.
The initial interview
As seen above, Regal’s demeanour is rather odd. He seems very serious, although instead of praising Chris as a person, he is purely focused on his wrestling ability.
The difference is stark when we contrast this to other wrestlers – many of whom were bawling their eyes out. Of all the wrestlers that gave tributes, his was the most unique.
Regal said that all he is willing to say is that “Chris Benoit was undoubtedly the hardest working man in professional wrestling”, before going on to praise his dedication. Regal finishes by saying that is all he has to say on the topic, before leaving.
The background story
Regal has, wherever possible, tried to avoid the topic of Benoit since the tragedy. However, he did speak out once about his tribute to Benoit on the show.
Regal said that just as he was about to go into the booth to give his tribute, John Bradshaw Layfield – better known as JBL – came out, and in Regal’s words “with a very strange look on his face.”
Regal says that JBL said to him “you don’t think he’s had anything to do with it do you?” JBL may well have been piecing things together in his mind at the time.
This put a seed of doubt into Regal’s mind about what did happen there. He says that JBL’s comment was “the first notion” that he had entertained this possibility.
Regal said that his head was spinning, and was questioning himself. So when giving his tribute, he was in a state of shock. Regal says he has never watched the tribute back.
What happened next?
Regal’s tribute aired on Monday Night RAW, which as discussed was a tribute show to Chris Benoit. However, as the hours went by, horrible news started to filter through about what had actually happened.
It transpired that Benoit had murdered his wife Nancy Benoit and son Daniel Benoit, and then himself. The world of wrestling reacted in shock at the news, and it would usher in the PG era of WWE.
Since then, many have suggested Regal new what had happened from the outset. But as Regal points out, he was in a state of shock at the time following JBL’s comment.
The Takeaway
The entire Benoit situation is rarely spoken of among wrestlers. It was a truly dark moment that is best left in the shadows. But intrigue remains, and this is an example of someone speaking out.
As with any story talking about this horrifying story, it is important to focus on the innocent victims – Nancy and Daniel Benoit.
