Vince McMahon dismisses the idea that Chris Benoit suffered from “roid rage” or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he killed his wife, 7-year-old son and himself in 2007.
In a new Netflix documentary, the shell-shocked 79-year-old wrestling promoter was questioned about Benoit, who authorities say strangled his wife Nancy and son Daniel in their Georgia home before hanging himself.
While a precise explanation is still elusive, two compelling theories emerged in 2009: Benoit suffered from drug and alcohol problems or he had CTE, a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head injuries.
McMahon, who promoted Benoit to the WWE, dismissed both theories in the new Netflix documentary Mr. McMahon.
“There is no correlation between taking steroids and what happened to Chris Benoit,” the former WWE CEO told Netflix. “People are flawed. Chris went crazy. It happens in every life form and everything, so that’s the only thing I can learn from it.”
McMahon (right) dismisses the idea that Benoit (left) was battling CTE or roid rage in 2007
Steroids were found in Benoit’s home after the tragedy, but authorities rejected claims that “steroid rage” played a role in the murder-suicide.
McMahon found the CTE argument even less convincing.
“This doctor came up with this ridiculous explanation of, ‘Okay, this is why Chris Benoit did this,'” McMahon said. “There was some kind of trauma to his head and there were things shown where Chris dove off the rope and hit someone in the head.”
As McMahon claims in wrestling jargon, Benoit did not sustain a head injury from jumping off the top rope.
“That’s a complete job,” McMahon said. “It looks like there’s damage, but there’s not. We know what we’re doing, we’re not hurting each other.”
A makeshift shrine adorns the fence of professional wrestler Chris Benoit’s home July 1, 2007
And McMahon wasn’t the only insider to dismiss CTE as a possible culprit.
WWE legend Steve Austin does not believe the disease will affect wrestling.
“I’ve worked a long time,” Austin said in the Netflix documentary. “I hit my head once, and I got a concussion. But other than that, I don’t remember having a lot of concussions in pro wrestling. And my opinion on that has always been, if you’re just wrestling and you’re getting a bunch of concussions, you’re probably doing something wrong.
“I’m not a CTE guy,” he said. “I just don’t believe in it.”
However, in 2009, examinations by Benoit’s family revealed that his brain was so severely damaged that it resembled that of an 85-year-old.
Also in 2009, Benoit’s doctor, Phil Astin, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally providing prescription drugs to patients.
Janel Grant (pictured) filed a sex trafficking lawsuit against McMahon earlier this year
McMahon is currently facing a lawsuit over allegations of sex trafficking by a former employee.
The attorney for the former WWE employee who is suing Vince McMahon for human trafficking has called him “delusional” after he condemned the upcoming Netflix docuseries about his career and scandals.
Janel Grant, who filed the lawsuit against McMahon earlier this year, accuses the 79-year-old billionaire of sexual abuse, emotional abuse and human trafficking during her time working for his wrestling promotion.
Ahead of the premiere, the wrestling magnate slammed the producers who worked on the documentary, accusing them of misleading viewers with “editing tricks” that did not accurately portray his career.
In addition to Grant’s sex trafficking lawsuit, which was dropped in May at the request of the Justice Department, McMahon was also accused of sexual misconduct and hush-money payments totaling nearly $15 million, leading to his departure from WWE in 2022.
Netflix to release its explosive docuseries ‘Mr. McMahon’ later this week
A year later, McMahon returned to the newsroom when the UFC partnered with WWE to form TKO, a combat sports and entertainment giant. He took on the role of Executive Chairman of the WWE.
However, in January 2024, McMahon resigned after reports of an alleged sex trafficking scheme first surfaced.
In late August, Netflix announced the docuseries with an official poster. The series would “chronicle the rise and fall of WWE’s controversial founder.”
The show would feature interviews with “McMahon before his firing, his family, and some of the most iconic names in wrestling history. As well as the journalists who broke McMahon’s allegations.”
“I have no regrets about participating in this Netflix documentary,” McMahon began his statement.
Grant’s sex trafficking allegations against former WWE boss will be addressed
“The producers were given the opportunity to tell an objective story about my life and the incredible business I’ve built. The stories were exciting, dramatic and fun in equal measure, but also contained a fair amount of controversy and life lessons.
‘Unfortunately, based on a previous cut I saw, this doc falls short and takes the predictable path of confusing the ‘Mr. McMahon’ character with my true self, Vince. The title and promos alone make that clear.
‘Much has been misinterpreted or omitted altogether in an attempt to deliberately confuse viewers. The producers use typical editing tricks with out of context footage and dated sound bites etc. to distort the viewers’ perception and support a misleading narrative.’
He concluded his statement by saying, “I hope the viewer remains open-minded and realizes that there are two sides to every story.”