Professional wrestling is no stranger to controversy and tragedy, but on June 24th, 2007, the industry was shaken to its very core in an unimaginable way, when WWE star Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy Sullivan, and their seven year old son, Daniel Benoit, were found dead inside their Fayetteville, Georgia home. The WWE responded with a three-hour tribute to their fallen comrade that night on their flagship show Monday Night Raw, but, not even 24 hours later, the sickening truth was revealed: Over that weekend, Chris had strangled both Nancy and Daniel to death before finally taking his own life.
This tragedy set off a firestorm against professional wrestling, leading to endless discussions about the effects of concussions and the rampant steroid use in the industry. Even almost five years later, it remains one of the definitive moments in the history of professional wrestling, and the dark cloud still looms over the industry.
But what does that matter when a movie can be made? ComingSoon reports that SRG Films have purchased the rights to Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry, and will adapt it into a biographical thriller for the big screen. The book, written in 2009 by Matthew Randazzo V, chronicled the life of Benoit leading up to the tragedy, and how the abuse he took in the ring (and put on himself) would eventually cause the mental deterioration that led him to committing these terrible acts. SRG is calling the movie Crossface, and they’re looking to start shooting in the fall of next year. Sarah Coulter has already turned in the first draft of the script.
I’m not the most objective when it comes to this news; not only have I been a wrestling fan for the past 20 years, but Benoit also happened to be my favorite for a long time. But, that much being said, I still think this is exploitative beyond all comprehension. There should at least be a ten-year gap between tragedy and exploiting said tragedy for box office dollars. And, on top of that, it’s bound to be another piece of entertainment to paint both professional wrestling as full of carnival sideshow freaks who are nothing but evil, and its fans as inbred, bloodthirsty trash. I understand that isn’t the story being told here, but I fear it’s going to be part of the package anyway. Nothing good can come of this; this won’t be a tribute to his wife and son. This will just drag their families through the mud all over again. Stay classy, Hollywood.
Are you interested in Crossface? Am I being out of line with my harsh take on this?