This is easily one of the more interesting things they've done in YEARS... could be great.. as long as they don't pull a "whodunit" finale like the "Who hit steve austin" a few years back.. ugh...
And Cole... just to clarify, the CHARACTER of Vince McMahon is "presumed" dead... the actual man is alive and richer than all of us.
I still remember the electricity of being at WCW Mayhem in Toronto when Bret and Benoit (via upset) wrestled for the belt in the finals of a tournament..
I'll never forget the two amazing matches he had with Kurt Angle, Royal RUmble and 2002 I believe, and wrestlemania XVII
For those that don't know, Chris Benoit, a Canadian-born wrestler for the WWE was found dead this afternoon in his house with his wife and seven year old son (also deceased). The authorities are currently treating this as a homicide.
Also, FWIW, you've gotta give Vince credit for breaking kayfabe on his death angle, as well as stephanie breaking character as well.... they done right to Chris.
I agree Mark. I was impressed that they dropped all pretense and gave up on one of their more involved storylines of late for the show. Aside from Cena and Stone Cold I thought most of the personal commentaries were thoughtful and done well.
I was saddened to find out that the authorities believe that Benoit is responsible for the murder of his wife and son before he committed suicide. http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/chrisbenoit/articles/benoitupdate
This is why I was completely against the hold "VKM is dead" angle. If you go through and do the whole '10 bell salute' and 'tribute shows' and 'heartfelt comments from the wrestlers', it makes doing them for real completely meaningless. It's an insult to all the wrestlers that have died far too early.
Especially, when the first knee jerk reaction to this mess was that Benoit's death was a work.
There would have been an easy solution to the whole thing. Immediately announce that no remains were found, so that you now have two engaging questions; who attempted to kill VKM, and where did VKM go?
This Benoit thing is just getting worse and worse. I'm not sure I want to know the details as I'd like to remember Benoit as the excellent performer he was. My only hope is that they drop all this VKM is dead crap and pretend it never happened. That *might* get me watching the WWE again, but I doubt it.
This is why I was completely against the hold "VKM is dead" angle.
Well I mean, people die in the realworld, why can't they as characters?
Especially, when the first knee jerk reaction to this mess was that Benoit's death was a work.
I think having Vince come out right at the top of the show makes it very obvious it's real..
There would have been an easy solution to the whole thing. Immediately announce that no remains were found, so that you now have two engaging questions; who attempted to kill VKM, and where did VKM go
They did right from the start. There was no vince 'body'.
This Benoit thing is just getting worse and worse.
I completely agree but I'm hoping that it's just the lack of information causing all these rumors to fly. In two weeks, we'll know more.
Chris Benoit is a piece of shit.
What a worldly cowardly act to murder your own wife and child.
I hope his sole rots in hell for all of eternity.
RIP Wife and Sibling of this true coward.
Well I mean, people die in the realworld, why can't they as characters?
I have no issues with characters dying in a scripted show. This article, from pwtorch, conveys perfectly why I am/was so pissed with the VKM death angle..
=====================by Wade Keller, pwtorch.com
A lot of people keep emailing me and posting in the Forum that people shouldn't be outraged, offended, or bothered by the Vince McMahon death storyline because deaths are written into a lot of scripted, fictional entertainment programs.
The problem people have with the storyline isn't that Vince McMahon scripted his own death. Not at all. Again, zero. Zippo. That is not what people are outraged about. Nobody is offended by a death storyline in wrestling. It might be a bad idea because it goes further than typical "suspension of disbelief" allows - and "suspension of disbelief" is a big part of what turns an ordinary wrestling angle or match into a "money match." But it's not in and of itself offensive at all.
What's offensive is that to get the Mr. McMahon Death storyline over, script-breaking, character-breaking shows dedicated to Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero after they died are being reenacted, emulated, exploited. That is what is wrong. It's beyond insensitive. It's shameful.
Those shows dedicated to Owen and Eddie, and all ten-bell salutes for that matter, are sacred. Or should be. Those genuine moments of announcers looking solemnly at the camera, as if to communicate to fans that this is "different," we're not in storyline mode, are sacred, not to be exploited for ratings. Those genuine ten-bell salutes or the gathering of wrestlers - heels and faces - breaking character and hanging their heads in tribute to a fallen commrade are not to be exploited for ratings. It's just wrong.
If there is no way to pull off a murder storyline in a "believable" serious fashion without exploiting those situations, then just don't do the storyline. There's a reason death hasn't been written in wrestling storylines over the years in any major top programs - because it just can't be pulled off effectively, at least not without insulting the viewers or offending those who really have died.
Asking Vickie Guerrero to stand on the stage with the wrestlers in the same manner and posture for a moment of silence as happened after her husband died is sick. It's wrong. It's inhumane. It lacks basic human decency.
Now ten-bell salutes don't mean a thing because it's been cashed out for a storyline. Nor do wrestlers breaking character and standing on a stage together hanging their heads.
They could have camped up the McMahon Murder Mystery and avoided those scenes. Or they could done a totally straight-faced "Missing Persons Investigation" and accomplished the same thing (at least as it's played out so far) with wrestlers cutting promos, as Mr. Kennedy did, saying, "If they never find Mr. McMahon, or if he never returns, I want to say I dedicate my career to him." Steph could have given the same promo, but instead of mourning the death of her father, she could have been concerned for his safety and worried about where he is and whether he ran off confused and disoriented or if he was kidnapped by someone with evil intentions.
The option they chose, though, is obviously and undeniably not just in "bad taste," but offensive and indecent. Exploiting the emotions generated from the tributes to real wrestler deaths is beyond justification. It's sick. It's sad. It's unjustifiable. What makes it even more sad is how unnecessary it is, too.
===================
I think some people forget why they even watch wrestling in the first place, because if they really thought about it, they'd complain about any storyline.
Chris Benoit is a piece of shit.
What a worldly cowardly act to murder your own wife and child.
I hope his sole rots in hell for all of eternity.
RIP Wife and Sibling of this true coward.
Considering the accusations are no longer just rumours I agree with this statement. Also, considering it was done over 2 different days means even more. I used to have respect for this man......I can't imagine how someone could do this.
Comments
This is easily one of the more interesting things they've done in YEARS... could be great.. as long as they don't pull a "whodunit" finale like the "Who hit steve austin" a few years back.. ugh...
And Cole... just to clarify, the CHARACTER of Vince McMahon is "presumed" dead... the actual man is alive and richer than all of us.
Mark
I still remember the electricity of being at WCW Mayhem in Toronto when Bret and Benoit (via upset) wrestled for the belt in the finals of a tournament..
For those that don't know, Chris Benoit, a Canadian-born wrestler for the WWE was found dead this afternoon in his house with his wife and seven year old son (also deceased). The authorities are currently treating this as a homicide.
Also, FWIW, you've gotta give Vince credit for breaking kayfabe on his death angle, as well as stephanie breaking character as well.... they done right to Chris.
Mark
I was saddened to find out that the authorities believe that Benoit is responsible for the murder of his wife and son before he committed suicide. http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/superstars/chrisbenoit/articles/benoitupdate
Truly puzzling indeed.
Especially, when the first knee jerk reaction to this mess was that Benoit's death was a work.
There would have been an easy solution to the whole thing. Immediately announce that no remains were found, so that you now have two engaging questions; who attempted to kill VKM, and where did VKM go?
This Benoit thing is just getting worse and worse. I'm not sure I want to know the details as I'd like to remember Benoit as the excellent performer he was. My only hope is that they drop all this VKM is dead crap and pretend it never happened. That *might* get me watching the WWE again, but I doubt it.
Well I mean, people die in the realworld, why can't they as characters?
I think having Vince come out right at the top of the show makes it very obvious it's real..
They did right from the start. There was no vince 'body'.
I completely agree but I'm hoping that it's just the lack of information causing all these rumors to fly. In two weeks, we'll know more.
What a worldly cowardly act to murder your own wife and child.
I hope his sole rots in hell for all of eternity.
RIP Wife and Sibling of this true coward.
Please show some tact and respect... nothing's been confirmed yet.
Mark
The ECW Tv show mainpage stated the show was going to be Benoit-centric.. and now it just talks about Nitro's win..
It looks like WWE is distancing themselves from Benoit... saving the company image... considering the theories coming out, I can't say I blame them.
Mark
I have no issues with characters dying in a scripted show. This article, from pwtorch, conveys perfectly why I am/was so pissed with the VKM death angle..
=====================by Wade Keller, pwtorch.com
A lot of people keep emailing me and posting in the Forum that people shouldn't be outraged, offended, or bothered by the Vince McMahon death storyline because deaths are written into a lot of scripted, fictional entertainment programs.
The problem people have with the storyline isn't that Vince McMahon scripted his own death. Not at all. Again, zero. Zippo. That is not what people are outraged about. Nobody is offended by a death storyline in wrestling. It might be a bad idea because it goes further than typical "suspension of disbelief" allows - and "suspension of disbelief" is a big part of what turns an ordinary wrestling angle or match into a "money match." But it's not in and of itself offensive at all.
What's offensive is that to get the Mr. McMahon Death storyline over, script-breaking, character-breaking shows dedicated to Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero after they died are being reenacted, emulated, exploited. That is what is wrong. It's beyond insensitive. It's shameful.
Those shows dedicated to Owen and Eddie, and all ten-bell salutes for that matter, are sacred. Or should be. Those genuine moments of announcers looking solemnly at the camera, as if to communicate to fans that this is "different," we're not in storyline mode, are sacred, not to be exploited for ratings. Those genuine ten-bell salutes or the gathering of wrestlers - heels and faces - breaking character and hanging their heads in tribute to a fallen commrade are not to be exploited for ratings. It's just wrong.
If there is no way to pull off a murder storyline in a "believable" serious fashion without exploiting those situations, then just don't do the storyline. There's a reason death hasn't been written in wrestling storylines over the years in any major top programs - because it just can't be pulled off effectively, at least not without insulting the viewers or offending those who really have died.
Asking Vickie Guerrero to stand on the stage with the wrestlers in the same manner and posture for a moment of silence as happened after her husband died is sick. It's wrong. It's inhumane. It lacks basic human decency.
Now ten-bell salutes don't mean a thing because it's been cashed out for a storyline. Nor do wrestlers breaking character and standing on a stage together hanging their heads.
They could have camped up the McMahon Murder Mystery and avoided those scenes. Or they could done a totally straight-faced "Missing Persons Investigation" and accomplished the same thing (at least as it's played out so far) with wrestlers cutting promos, as Mr. Kennedy did, saying, "If they never find Mr. McMahon, or if he never returns, I want to say I dedicate my career to him." Steph could have given the same promo, but instead of mourning the death of her father, she could have been concerned for his safety and worried about where he is and whether he ran off confused and disoriented or if he was kidnapped by someone with evil intentions.
The option they chose, though, is obviously and undeniably not just in "bad taste," but offensive and indecent. Exploiting the emotions generated from the tributes to real wrestler deaths is beyond justification. It's sick. It's sad. It's unjustifiable. What makes it even more sad is how unnecessary it is, too.
===================
Considering the accusations are no longer just rumours I agree with this statement. Also, considering it was done over 2 different days means even more. I used to have respect for this man......I can't imagine how someone could do this.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/06/26/wrestler-slayings.html
http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/benoitupdate
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6960688
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6965048
Perhaps some back-peddling is in order?
Mark