Chris Benoit’s legacy – Justified or singled out?

Chris Benoit is possibly the one name that evokes strong reactions from fans all over the world. The greatest tragedy in the history of professional wrestling happened many years ago, when one of the most respected and revered individuals turned into a villain in a matter of days. In a grotesque turn of events, Chris Benoit allegedly killed his wife and his son, and proceeded to hang himself, sending the wrestling fraternity and the fans around in the world into frenzy.Since then, many theories were put forward – some, in true Sherlock Holmes esque fashion, determined that it was in fact Kevin Sullivan who masterminded the whole ordeal, while the others, including Hulk Hogan, alleged there were greater forces in play. Unlike anything the wrestling business had endured in the past, the Chris Benoit double murder – suicide casted a dark shadow over the industry, and threatened to erase the business from its existence.Looking back, there were superstars/personalities who were inducted into the Hall of Fame with criminal records – some as far as to committing murders, or at least aiding and abetting in murder, rape and the likes!In this article, we take a look at four such personalities, whose past was forgotten when they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

#1 Jimmy Snuka

“Superfly” Jimmy Snuka is considered to be one of the most underrated performers in the history of the WWE. The image of Jimmy jumping off a cage is still fresh in the minds of the wrestling fans, and the iconic sight of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper breaking a coconut on Snuka’s head during an episode of the Piper’s Pit has in many ways revolutionized the professional wrestling industry.

Jimmy Snuka was also the first ever ECW World Heavyweight champion, and is credited to have introduced the high – flying style of wrestling in the WWE. Snuka, who was one of the fan favorites purely based on his style of wrestling, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 1996. However, WWE chose to ignore an incident which happened in Snuka’s life, which occurred during his tenure with the organization.

Back in 1983, hours after he wrestled on a WWE show, Snuka placed a call for an ambulance, stating that his then girlfriend, Nancy Argentino needed medical attention. The medical personnel who tended to the emergency call found Nancy injured, and she soon passed away due to traumatic brain injuries. The autopsy later revealed that there were bruises and gashes all over her body, which is a sign of domestic abuse. The Deputy County coroner then notified the district attorney of possible homicide, but charges were never pressed against Snuka.

The case however has been reopened, and has been turned to the grand jury. Snuka was alone with his then girlfriend in the hotel room, which implies a possible homicide. Although this happened in 1983, WWE chose to ignore the incident while inducting Snuka into the Hall of Fame.