September 24, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Chris Benoit, CTE, and concussions in pro wrestling
The revelations a few weeks ago that Chris Benoit had significant brain damage, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from multiple concussions suffered as a pro wrestler was no more of a surprise than his name coming up in steroid investigations.
A normal person doesn’t do the crimes Benoit apparently did. In fact, a brain damaged person who drinks heavily, does massive quantities or drugs, both of the painkilling, anti-anxiety, anti-depression and anabolic nature also doesn’t do what he does.
All of those things likely are part of an explanation, but in the end, none of those things are an explanation. The guy brutally murdered his wife and son. And while he had damage to his brain in some ways similar to an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, that categorization of him is also ridiculous.
Benoit was a functioning person through all his depression over the last 19 months of his life. Yeah, he was paranoid, which could have come from any of the aforementioned issues and probably had something to do with a combination of all of them.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.