After a night of waiting out the storm with cards, music, and various other activities we all crashed some around midnight others later. Me… I was one who passed out at midnight. I awoke to cell phones ringing. I awoke and checked, mine wasn't one of them. "Phil….dude your phone" I said kicking him who was in the sleeping bag next to me, as Mark, and Rey checked theirs to. Phil sat up and picked up his phone. "That's weird" he said concerned. I looked at him with a puzzled look. "What's going on?" I asked. "Benoit, hasn't gotten in touch with anybody…He spent the past few days at home." He said, as others got up and I stood up as we prepared to go to the arena. Matt, Ashley, Barb and I, all got into the van. The sky was still gray and the wind was blowing at a steady pace. "It looks like the storm isn't over yet." I said as we pulled out of the parking lot. Once we got to the arena an odd since of silence hovered over the building. Clearly something was on everybody's mind. "Guys Vince wants everybody to get to the ring now….GO" Pat, Vince's right hand man yelled to us and the others entering the arena. We carried our bags as we walked down the ramp and sat in seats near John Morrison who looked worried, much like the others in the room, even me. Vince walked to the front with his arms folded with tears in his eyes.
"Everyone…Together we are a family, and like a family we fight, but in the long like every family, we join together when it matters…and this is one of those times. One of our own, Chris Benoit was found dead today…along with his wife Nancy and his Son Daniel, and as of right now foul play is expected."
The room erupted in screams of horror, sobbing, and just people gasping in shock. I looked over at Ashley and Barbie who were in tears in each others arms. I looked at Phil who was just staring ahead with his eyes welling up. I put my arm on his shoulder not saying a word. He looked at me and put his arms around me. "I knew something was wrong, I just knew it" he said crying hard. I knew there wasn't anything I could say, to help the situation.
That night, they cancelled the Live Raw, and aired a tribute to the career of Chris Benoit, a very moving tribute. They asked if I would like to say a few words in front of the camera, but I didn't think it would be appropriate considering so many others knew him so much better than me, and the air time should go to them. That night I was in the hotel room lying on the bed while Phil and Matt were with the other wrestlers down in the lobby sharing memories of Chris. I heard a knock at the door and I sat up, and in walked Barbara in a pink sweatshirt, and denim shorts. "Hey" she said in a whisper I stood up and hugged her as she sniffled and cried for a moment on my shoulder. She calmed down and cleared her throat, as she sat on my bed. "Uhm, they found out more about what happened." I swallowed hard preparing myself for what she was going to say. "They are saying that he did it…they are calling it a murder suicide." She said again bursting into tears I reached over and held her close, my eyes welling up with tears. "Why" she asked in a shriek. I just shook my head, not being able to answer her. After she and I both cried for a few minutes. After she calmed down a bit I stood up and walked to the dresser and carried over a box of tissues, and sat them near her. We were both silent for a moment. I put my hand on her hand, and looked into her eyes. "Barb, there had to be something not right with him. The short time I spent with him, I could tell that he wasn't a bad guy. You can't focus on the horrible thing that ended the lives of him and his family, because clearly he wasn't in the right mind. You have to focus on the good times with him, and know that what happened was horrible and sick, but it wasn't the Chris that we knew." She hugged me again and took a deep breath. "Thank you" she said in a whisper. She and I sat up for awhile and talked about Chris, about death and about living life. She sighed "I better get some sleep" she looked down, and a bit bashful looked up. "uhm, do you mind if I stay here" she asked not looking me in the eyes. I nodded "Sure, no problem at all." We both got on different sides of the bed and dozed off. When I woke up the next morning we were cuddling, how it happened I'm not sure.
The morning of the next day was a blur, full of sadness and tears. Vince declared on ECW "it was time to get back to business." I knew he was right, but I felt that the others, those who were like family to Chris, should have had more time to cope, but like Vince sometimes coldly said "Business is business" To keep going with the obsessed fan angle, I sat in the front row with a Hardy #1 sign. Matt had a match with Matt Striker. The end saw Matt Hardy go for the twist of fate and execute it, as he went for the pin, Kevin Thorn and Elijah Burke rushed the ring mauling Matt. On queue, I leaped the barricade and rushed to the ring and hit Kevin Thorn with a spear, and rushed at Burke but he ran from the ring. Security grabbed my feet and once again escorted me from the ring.
For days to come, even a week after thins were rough. A very solemn cloud hovered over the WWE, and the name Chris Benoit was erased from WWE History. .
