Former wrestler opens up on what might have happened to Chris Benoit (Exclusive)
Jeff Farmer, aka The nWo Sting, spoke about his backstage relationship with Chris Benoit during this week's episode of UnSKripted.
Farmer stated that he got along really well with Chris Benoit when they worked together in WCW. The retired wrestler also shared his thoughts on what might have led to his former colleague's passing several years ago.
Chris Benoit's tragic death rocked the pro wrestling world to its core in 2007. Later, medical tests revealed that Benoit suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Jeff Farmer also believes that Benoit sustained severe brain damage due to the bumps he took in the ring.
"I had a very good relationship with Chris, and he was always nice to me. I was always nice to him," said Farmer. "In my opinion, what I think happened to Chris Benoit, and nobody's really asked me about this that much, but I think he had some CTE from all the bumps he took. He used to do the diving headbutt all the time, and I think there was some possible brain damage from the business." [16:48 - 17:17]
Jeff Farmer says athletes from other sports have also suffered from CTE like Chris Benoit
Benoit's unfortunate death brought about massive changes in how pro wrestling was presented on TV. Jeff Farmer, however, said that wrestlers weren't the only people who experienced traumatic brain injuries.
He noted that competitors in football and other sports also encountered similar issues.
"You see it in football, you see it in all these places, and these guys, they become different," added the ex-WCW star. "They change. Their personality changes. They try to kill themselves. We've seen it in sports. That's my only real explanation for that. Maybe that's me trying to rationalize, but I think it was some type of brain damage from his career in wrestling. I always got along very well with Chris. He was a good guy to me." [17:18 - 18:00]
During the most recent edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Q&A session, Jeff Farmer also revealed the origins of his WCW gimmick, whether he tried to go to WWE, and a lot more. Don't miss out on the full episode above.
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