Posted in: Mr. Tito
Mr. Tito from the Retirement Home - 5 Years Later, the WWE Still Hasn't Recovered from Chris Benoit
By Mr. Tito
Jun 24, 2012 - 11:54:42 AM

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Welcome back to the "Excellence in Column Writing", as I continue to wake up from a coma here at the LordsofPain.net Retirement Home for Internet Columnists to relive the golden years of Mr. Tito. It's that time of year and as I've written on this subject matter previously, I feel that it's again necessary to do so.

5 years ago to this day on June 24th, 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself.

^^^ In my opinion, this will prove to be the biggest transitional move in pro wrestling history. Since 2007, the WWE has been in a significant decline. The facts are in the numbers. Ratings, Pay Per View buys, and Live Attendance numbers are DOWN in the last 5 years. The WWE Stock, possibly correlated with the above factual numerical declines, used to be able to push $20 per share. However, since 2007, the WWE Stock struggles to get near $15 a share and right now, $10 a share. In addition to financials, stocks are driven by public relations and during June 2007, the WWE took a HUGE public relations hit when Benoit's horrific actions caught the attention of the mainstream media for weeks.

Viewership was greatly affected by the Chris Benoit murders, in my opinion, due to the erosion of younger viewers caused to the news of the killings and the aftermath as it relates to the WWE's Wellness Policy and concussions. After Chris Benoit's death, examiners found elevated testosterone caused by a synthetic form of the hormone and his brain was determined to resemble that of an 85 year old's Alzheimer's patient with an advanced form of dementia already in place. Chris Benoit certainly performed the horrific deeds, but would Chris Benoit the Accountant, not in need of performance enhancers or suffering concussions, kill his family or himself one fateful June weekend?

The weeks upon weeks of Mainstream media coverage of Benoit's killings and death is what damaged the WWE long-term. Younger fans, I believe, were able to understand what happened with Chris Benoit and were able to decipher that pro wrestling now had a stigma for letting wrestlers do the actions that Benoit did. After June 2007, it was hard for a younger wrestling fan to admit at school, among his peers, that he/she was a pro wrestling fan. Their friends were probably like "ewwww, you like that fake sport that kills its wrestlers?" The peer pressure of not liking pro wrestling has neutered the "feeder system" of incoming young fans.

That's why I respect John Cena probably more than others. In my opinion, without John Cena to be that role model for younger fans to actually want to follow, WWE would be in WORSE shape since 2007. Cena has possibly allowed for parents of younger wrestling fans to overlook what happened with Chris Benoit's killings and respect Cena as a role model. Proof positive is how John Cena is about to complete his 300th Make-a-Wish Foundation request.

5 years ago, think of what was on the rise... Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was gaining popularity. I would argue that during the 2000's, UFC was chipping away at Boxing more than it was pro wrestling. If you'll recall during hte 1990's, Boxing was still a huge Pay Per View draw. However, its corruption, split title belts, and just a lack of good Heavyweight boxing has damaged the sport. Oh, and head injuries has been hurting its participation among athletes. UFC was proving to be a more exciting alternative to real actual fighting that was allowed to be a sport. But in my opinion, UFC wasn't competing for pro wrestling's fanbase... Yet.

Then, Chris Benoit killed his family. It was no longer "cool" among younger kids at school to like pro wrestling. In fact, I bet it was considered "disgusting" to be a wrestling fan and many kids were mocked for still following it. With Pro Wrestling now having a damaging stigma caused by Chris Benoit, an alternative was sought. With open arms, UFC was there... UFC's popularity BOOMED since 2007 and has seen their numbers grow while the WWE's has dropped. Particularly with Pay Per View buys, as UFC provides a valid substitute to watch instead of the WWE. Bad publicity caused by Chris Benoit and the WWE's responsibility over its wrestlers is a good cause of this.

Sure, the WWE has learned from their experience. The Wellness Policy, which started in early 2006 after Eddie Guerrero's death in late 2005, has more teeth. For example, you're seeing no tolerance on Randy Orton right now despite him being the top star. Online pharmacy busts occurred shortly after Benoit's death for HGH purchases and many wrestlers were named. Punishments have been dealt. The WWE, to their great credit, is spending "6-figures per year" (according to Stephanie McMahon on ESPN's 360 show) on rehab for former WWE wrestlers. Since June 2007 and seeing a decline in numbers afterward, the WWE finally understands their responsibility over protecting their wrestlers (though the "independent contractors" status still remains).

But you cannot deny the damage done. By not having a stricter Drug Policy, especially after Vince McMahon was almost indicted in 1994 for the alleged distribution of steroids to his wrestlers, and by not taking care of head injuries, the WWE owns part of the monster created in Chris Benoit. Their pressure to look like a Professional Body Builder and to keep working, despite injuries, has harmed many wrestlers. Vince not only oversaw all of it, but President/CEO Linda McMahon also did. Your Board Chairman and CEO of a publicly traded company did NOT implement the proper policies among its employees to protect them from significant harm.

That's why Linda McMahon won't have a snowball's chance to become a U.S. Senator. She failed in 2010, despite a Republican rebound across the country, even when she reportedly spent over $50 Million of her own fortune. She still lost by 12%! Now, for 2012, she's going to lose again. She was acting President or CEO between 1993 and 2009. Think of how many wrestler deaths could have been avoided during that time. Yes, I know she has probably been the "figurehead" CEO/President with Vince McMahon running things with an ironfist, but the title is hers. The Ghost of Chris Benoit, among many other dead wrestlers, will always haunt the McMahons.

The WWE could recover from this... In time, they could learn from their mistakes and the further distance they get from these horrific events, the better. But the WWE's numbers are still down from 5 years ago and the probable competitor that stole their viewers, UFC, is a hard monster to tame now. For example, the WWE can reacquire UFC's big heavyweight back in Brock Lesnar, but UFC is still strong and the WWE's ratings are still flat at 3.0. UFC is a monster as a brand and more and more younger fans are choosing UFC to follow instead of the WWE.

Of course, a better Creative direction of the WWE could easily bring fans back, both young and old. STOP treating your Title Belts like accessories. Why not care for your Midcard, as every great era in pro wrestling had a STRONG Tag Team division and a STRONG Midcard Title. Better yet, make the WWE look like an actual Sporting Event instead of a horribly produced Soap Opera. Pro wrestling made lots of money on the illusion that it was a real, actual sporting event. Honestly, these are very easy changes that the WWE could do today and it would build towards improvement for the future.

Chris Benoit's actions can never be forgotten. It's what can go wrong when you do not care for your employees, especially when head injuries and illegal drugs are mixed up. You're beginning to see this problem in other sports, too, not just wrestling. The NFL might have a handful of Chris Benoit like timebombs out there, ready to explode.

That's why you have to pray for the likes of Randy Orton. Sure, he has his problems, but the WWE has recognized these problems and are trying to help. For all we know, had Benoit not given the WWE a major wake up call, Randy Orton's problems wouldn't command attention. Amazing what change can be implemented from something gone terribly wrong.

Until I report from the Retirement Home again, just chill till the next episode!

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