[News Update] Benoit E-mails Tell of Friendship, Spiritual Guidance

From ajc.com:

Greg Oliver is a freelancer writer from Toronto who knew and wrote about fellow Canadian Chris Benoit, the professional wrestler who allegedly killed his wife, Nancy, 7-year-old son, Daniel, and himself last weekend inside their Fayette County home. Oliver has written three books about professional wrestling, produces the "SLAM! Wrestling" Web site and has published articles in newspapers in Canada. Oliver had an occasional e-mail correspondence with Benoit, and shared some of that with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I first interviewed Chris Benoit in 1997. We'd done a few other interviews here and there, and seen each other at various wrestling events. In November 2005, WWE star Eddie Guerrero died unexpectedly of natural causes related to heart disease. Guerrero was Benoit's best friend, and I sent a note to Chris offering my condolences. Here is his response:

"Hi Greg, thank you for your e-mail. I know that he has left us but I still feel like I'm going to see him on the road next week. I do not know if I will ever have as good a friend as I did in Eddie. I was able to talk to him about anything in my life, and he was always able to make sense of things or change my perspective.

"He was somewhat of a spiritual guide for me. I do not know if you read the Bible at all, or what your beliefs are, and I will respect you for whatever your beliefs are. But if you ever get the opportunity to read about Job, it reminds me so much of Eddie. He at one point after coming out of rehab had nothing but the clothes on his back. He had physically, mentally emotionally and monetarily hit rock bottom. He lost his family, his wife and children had left. But he never lost his faith and through it was able to overcome the odds.

"Instead of Eddie becoming bitter, Eddie became better. In our business it is really difficult to understand why we do what we do and why we think what we think unless you are in it, unless you have a passion for it, it is so demanding physically, mentally and emotionally in every possible way, but when you love it as did Eddie, as do myself, you have a better understanding of why we do what we do.

"I do not believe that I will ever find someone that I will bond with and be able to understand and be understood as I was with Eddie. I'm not looking forward to going back on the road, not that I ever did, I hate the road, but I looked forward to Eddie's company and camaraderie. Both of us hated the road, being away from our families, but both of us lived for that in ring bell to bell time.

"My wife Nancy bought me a diary and I have started to write letters to Eddie, it may sound crazy but that is how I'm coping. I'm sorry if some of this e-mail does not make any sense either but it helps me cope. Thank you, Greg."

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But not all his emails were dreary. In a later e-mail, Benoit also talked about how life on the road was different.

"We were even warned about our conduct when we are out having a few beers. Sometimes we can get a little rowdy especially when we are overseas. Apparently someone video taped a few of the guys acting up on they're cell phone and posted it on the internet. So much for privacy."

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With an offer to contact him anytime, via cell phone or e-mail, he said his goodbyes.

It was the last e-mail I got from him, but not the last I sent. On Saturday, I'd e-mailed him best wishes, as I'd heard someone in his family was ill, and that he wouldn't be appearing at the WWE Vengeance pay-per-view. I also wanted his thoughts on his old tag team partner Shayne Bower, a.k.a. Biff Wellington, who had just died at age 44, down and out in Calgary, after years of painkiller abuse.

Needless to say, I didn't hear back from Chris, and now I never will.