There has been some mixed reactions to the production of Crossface, most saying that the film would be better suited as a documentary, rather than a biopic. Personally, I think the story of Benoit's life and death is so important that it needs to get out to the public in any way possible. The NFL is doing a much better job to treat head injuries these days, causing a great rift among old and young players and the public regarding the level of violence in football being toned down to better protect the players from suffering severe head trauma (I happen to believe that only good can from protecting the players).
Chris Benoit was a semi-famous wrestler in the WCW, being treated as a bit player while Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Sting, and the NwO were able to dominate the stable. Knowing him and 3 other wrestlers to be extremely talented and having their talents wasted in WCW, WWF chairman Vince McMahon lured Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn to his stable, provoking more fuel to the flames of the Monday Night Wars. Although Malenko and Saturn never received much pop/heat, or approval/disapproval from the audience, Benoit and Guerrero achieved true super stardom, becoming the faces of the WWF (and later WWE), possessing actual talent in the ring, great mic skills, unbelievable charisma, and undying support from the fans.
Sadly, Benoit and Guerrero both passed away and have left behind very different legacies in pro wrestling. After Guerrero passed away from heart failure due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease caused by his past abuse of painkillers and severe alcoholism, he was revered for being a great wrestler who sadly could not escape from his past drug and alcohol abuse even though he had been drug free and sober for years. When Benoit died, his legacy was immediately tarnished and to this day, the WWE will go out of its way to make as little mention as possible to the existence of Chris Benoit.
The reasons for Benoit being blackballed are not totally unfounded. Over the weekend of June 27, 2007, Chris Benoit missed a taping for an ECW event due to a "family emergency." In reality, Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son before eventually killing himself during a 3 day period. Police visited the Benoit home on a "welfare check" after several missed appointments on the 27th, discovering the bodies. Toxicology reports showed that Nancy Benoit had Xanax, hydrocodone (Vicodin), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid) in her system, but at the therapeutic level, rather than a toxic level, suggesting that they were not forced into her system. Daniel Benoit had enough Xanax in his system to cause him to pass out. Chris Benoit had Xanax, Hydrocodone, and an elevated level of testosterone caused by a synthetic form of the hormone in his system. The chief medical examiner ruled that Benoit's testosterone was due to being treated for testicular insufficiency and/or prior steroid abuse and ruled that "roid rage" was not at fault for the incident.
After the toxicology reports came in, ex-wrestler Christopher Nowinski contacted Benoit's father and suggested that repeated head trauma may have been the reason for his son's erratic behavior. Tests were then conducted on Benoit's brain at West Virginia University, finding that his brain was in such terrible shape, it could be easily compared to an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient. Prior to his death, Benoit was reported to have had an advanced form of dementia, something that was not surprising to head of neurosurgery at WVU, Julian Bailes. Bailes had done research on 4 retired NFL players and had ruled at this point that repeated concussions leads to dementia.
It's a sad story that ended in the deaths of 3 people, but it desperately needs to be told because of the multiple concussions Benoit suffered that lead to his dementia. After his death, many in the media, as well as some former members of the wrestling industry, immediately started pointing fingers at "roid rage," or the abuse of anabolic steroids causing increased aggression. After Benoit's brain was scanned, however, the media coverage of repeated concussions leading to dementia was not covered, because the American media generally doesn't like reporting on things that make legitimate sports look bad.
Last season, NHL star Sidney Crosby suffered 2 severe hits to the head in games within the same week, causing him to miss the rest of the season while he dealt with recovering from a concussion. Even now in the NFL, players are generally expected to return to the field within a week or two, so many sports writers unfamiliar with hockey were shocked and disappointed to see Crosby out of action for months, only just this past week seeing him return to action. The amount of time Crosby was out to recover from his concussion was appropriate and the Pittsburgh Penguins did the right thing by keeping Crosby out of action until he was clear to play many months later.
UFC has an extremely similar policy, banning fighters from competing for months on end if they suffer concussions. UFC commissioner Dana White has appeared many times on ESPN's Outside the Lines to discuss concussions in sports, usually criticizing the NFL for not taking the issue seriously and has mentioned the Benoit case before.
Crossface is currently being shopped around for directors and actors, with hopes of the movie beginning production in late 2012, probably in time for a mid-to-late 2013 release.
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