Wwe’s Handling of the Chris Benoit Scandle

To What Extent, if Any, Had WWE Di positiond Itself From Chris Benoit? How Had In-Ring Performances Been Affected? Chris Benoit, before his tragic death, was a worldly concern renowned, top card captain person wrestler for mainstream professionalfessional personfessional wrestling fellowship, public Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) formerly World Wrestling Fed durationtion (WWF). As WWE were broadcasting a tribute show in Benoits memory, intelligence information which addressed why the wrestler had passed began circulating. The answer to that question was indeed cooling and has led WWE to disassociating itself with their former icon and Benoits reputation hitting an only time low (Ring Surf, 2009). Reports to this day reveal that, over a termination of days, Benoit had choked his wife and smothered his son both to death, before pickings his own life on June 2007. Previous to these events, WWE had always been under scrutiny. From the virtually respectable organizations, their circumscribe was deemed violent and sexist (Consoli and Torpey-Kemph, 1999).Also, since Chairman, Vince McMahon jr, publicly stated that professional wrestling matches atomic number 18 booked with predetermined outcomes, a butterfly effect-like ambit of other various emerging news stories slowly began to unravel. More of which essay to reveal further secrets behind the wrestling industry namely depicting the neglectful treatment of performers. When journalists found Benoits story they had plenty of alternative on what to blame drugs, roid rage, etc. However, everyone knew that the WWE must be at fault. Lachlan, et al. 2009) states that the popularity deliver the goods by professional wrestling makes its presence impossible to ignore and concerns rough its potential influence difficult to avoid. For these reasons the WWE is always under exalted risk surveillance by press and critics. On February 2006, in rejoinder to another high profile wrestlers untimely death, the comp whatsoever put a health insurance policy in place, which tests for banned substances and performs annual cardiac evaluations. The policy gained a positive reception and WWE looked to slowly part itself from the reports that claimed to expose the wrestling industry.After Benoits death, most were looking to the wellness policy for an explanation the US House Committee on oersight and authorities Reform requested that WWE hand in any material regarding the wellness policy, which had always been dealt with privately. Ashamedly, WWE had shortly after, suspended 11 wrestlers for violation of the policy and from then on beget taken to a greater extent stern measures when dealing with violations. It was ultimately found, by the Sports Legacy Institute, that Benoit had a severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy his brain showed an advanced form of alienation (ABC News, 2007).ABC News (2007) quotes the brain surgeon in question as saying that while he elicitt be certain tha t the brain damage caused Benoits actions, he believes it is the leading cause. Contrastingly and rather unsurprisingly, WWE have state in a later statement Todays attempt to formulate that Chris Benoits murder of his family was possibly caused by some form of dementia as a result of alleged concussions is speculative (USA Today, 2007). Representing his WWE Vince McMahon, in an call into question with CNN (2009), further claims that these findings havent even been critiqued by other members of the scientific community.Regardless of the validity of the Sports Legacy Institutes check sprightly to dismiss the possibility of concussion, mental deterioration and any slight break or misconduct on the part of WWE, McMahons product travel under much more pressure. Continuing his wonder, Vince McMahon defends that Benoits performances takes no function for his actions. As a company constantly in the public eye, the WWE have banned chair shots to the head, but believe they have nothin g more to answer for its what it is in the ring he says.Upon learning of the tragedy, Vince had straightaway recorded a public follow up statement, to air incisively before their next tri-weekly broadcast. Among his sincere concern for those involved, he assures (Mr. Mcmahons speach about Chris Benoit, 2007) the facts of this frightening tragedy are now apparent. Therefore there impart be no mention of Mr Benoits name tonight. Referring to Vince McMahons CNN interview (2009), he explains anyone who snuff its a murderer, I mean, you want to disassociate yourself with that individual Chris Benoit has not, and lead not define the WWE.However, Vince McMahon and the WWE have since been under fire from wrestling fans and observers who unknowingly claim that through disassociation, the tragic incident involving Chris Benoit has defined how the WWE has grown and in many ways hidden over the eld. There is a lettuce wide view from smarks (smart fans), that in an attempt to disassociat e Benoit from the company, WWE have allowed springy and simple aspects of pro wrestlings performance art to go with him. An on groove fan posts Benoit German suplex banned from WWE? (Yahoo Answers, 2010) No chops? (Balderson, 2010) WWE is NOT wrestling, states another.Certain professional wrestling moves, created a long time ago and already interlocking into the fabric of the industry, as with many other wrestlers, had over time become synonymous with Chris Benoit. I have conducted a content digest study using deuce try ons of WWE PPV events to explore to what extent, if any, WWEs disassociation from Chris Benoit has had an effect on the content of their wrestling matches and the performance of their contracted wrestlers. WWE has always walked a thin, evoke line concerning the content of professional wrestling among their programming.Former professional wrestler, Laurence De Garis remarks the following, regarding the (then) WWFs 1999 course catalog Interestingly, professional wrestling is nowhere to be found in the description. The WWFs definition of itself represents a shift in business models away from a sports-based, live-events business and more toward a television show (Sammond, 2005). Such motives knock over the impression that the WWE may have assumed they had nothing to lose by disassociating itself from Chris Benoit in such a manner. In the past few years he explains, there has been emphasis on mic work and acting ability, as a professional wrestler I am primarily enkindle in having matches, hopefully good ones. Sampling in content analysis is subject to the same concerns it would be in any quantitative study. It should be both representative and significant ( pink wine, 2007). Within my study, I was comparing two different time periods within (arguably) a sports show each sample I had taken had to be representative of a full year.As Rose (2007) states which sampling method you choose or which combination of methods will depend on the impl ications of your research question. My research question as make up is representative of the highest quality sample, so as to investigate what kind, if any burster is put into influencing the show. The sports show I am researching has designated Pay-Per-View events near monthly throughout the year. I have therefore chosen to analyse four PPVs per sample I have. This equates to 26 hours of analysis. Coding means attaching a dress up of descriptive labels (or categories) to the images (Rose, 2007).The purpose of my study is to analyse how the relationship between Benoit and WWE has changed. As people have suggested that WWE has made an un unavoidable effort to erase connotations of Benoit from any further matches, I have focused specifically on wrestling moves used regularly by Benoit. My analysis is categorised into three moves well used by Benoit and additionally three categories which document the use of any similar variation of those moves. These additional categories however a re not as objective, as I have taken a subjective stance in determining whether they are to be counted or not.As Hansen, Cottle, Negrine &038 Newbold (1998) iterate content analysis, of course, could never be objective in a value-free sense of the playscript it does not analyse everything there is to analyse in a school text (no method could, nor would there be any purpose in trying). many a(prenominal) wrestlers in the WWE have similar move sets and no two matches are ever the same. What is evident from personal experience with the WWE is that the moves I have coded arent necessarily only used by Chris Benoit. A more civilise analysis can be developed by exploring the relations between different coding categories (Rose, 2007).And as such, I had coded a further factorisation category which would specify by which wrestler the move had been used allowing me to canvass patterns in my results and explain further, any changes to how wrestlers are performing. Here are the indite re sults, in chronological order of events, to accompany my graphs emerging from the analysis I have conducted Vengeance 2005 -Knife march on pearly 13. Michaels 10, Jericho 3 -Chop summercater 3. gum benzoin 2, Christian 1 -German Suplex 3. shift 3 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 0 -Crossface Variations 2. Carlito 1, Benjamin 1 Survivor Series 2005 Knife environ Chop 26. Benoit 4, zeal 15, Michaels 5, Masters 2 -Chop Variation 3. JBL 2, Show 1 -German Suplex 4. Benoit 4 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 0 -Crossface Variations 3. Booker 1, Angle 2 Royal Rumble 2006 -Knife Edge Chop 61. Noble 8, Flair 8, Benoit 23, Carlito 1, Tatanka 12, Murdock 1, Michaels 8 -Chop Variation 4. Show 3, Viscera 1 -German Suplex 5. Benoit 4, Angle 1 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 1. Benoit 1 -Crippler Crossface 1. Benoit 1 -Crossface Variations 3. Murdock 1, Michaels 1, Cena 1 Wrestlemania (22) 2006 -Knife Edge Chop 24.Flair 8, Benoit 3, Stratus 4, Michaels 9 - Chop Variation 2. Flair 1, Finlay 1 -German Suplex 8. Benoit 3, Angle 5 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 2. Benoit 2 -Crossface Variations 2. Cena 2 24/06/07 Benoits death Summerslam 2008 -Knife Edge Chop 0 -Chop Variation 1. capital of Jamaica 1 -German Suplex0 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 0 -Crossface Variations 4. MVP 1, Marella 2, Cena 1 Survivor Series 2008 -Knife Edge Chop 5. Michaels 5 -Chop Variation 1. Kingston 1 -German Suplex 0 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 0 -Crossface Variations 1.Cena 1 Royal Rumble 2009 -Knife Edge Chop 0 -Chop Variation 9. genus Phoenix 1, Finlay 1, Kingston 2, Show 5 -German Suplex 0 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 0 -Crossface Variations 2. JBL 1, Cena 1 Wrestlemania (25) 2009 -Knife Edge Chop 21. Snuka 1, Steamboat 2, Jericho 1, Flair 5, Michaels 12 -Chop Variation 9. Snuka 2, Steamboat 3, Show 4 -German Suplex 0 -Similar Belly to Back Suplex 0 -Crippler Crossface 1. Michaels 1 -Crossface Variations 2. M Hardy 1, Cena 1 These findings draw a clear line in the sand from the date of Benoits death as to how he is to be treated in WWE.Findings blatantly point to the Knife Edge Chop. Chris Benoit was relatively famous for this, and throughout my 2005-2006, pre death sample analysis, it was used 124 times. Whereas in my 2008-2009, post death sample analysis, or so no one on the roster was using it. Lack of this move however, did seem to be a business decision. At Wrestlemania 09 the WWEs most prominent PPV of the year, veteran wrestler, Shawn Michaels had his solitude match. As such, out of respect for Michaels, it seems that Vince and the WWE had given(p) him an exception to the otherwise apply rule as it is excessively prominent in Michaels repertoire.It comes to mention that Wrestlemania also played host to several guest veterans for whose match had also given exception to the rule, despite that one regular wrestler was involved in their ma tch, also using the move. However I cant abridge that which proves, overall, Knife Edge Chops and German Suplexes are being bow outd from WWE wrestling. Over the history of professional wrestling, these specific moves have been a must-have in almost every technical (particularly British) wrestlers arsenal.Nowadays WWE remains the powerhouse of the pro wrestling world therefore many new and inexperienced companies will follow them by example and other rising wrestlers may manage these moves from their repertoire to present themselves as a more viable WWE acquisition. thereby WWE are affecting, not just themselves but the entire industry. As said above, the WWE, and following that, many subsequent companies, are caring more about out of ring performance, marketability and self promotion. Sammond (2005) specifies Inside the world of professional wrestling, many veterans and old timers lament that the art of wrestling has disappeared.Whereas modern wrestling companies may in fact see this as progress. Eras and changes are frequent in wrestling, and most famously, the WWE. Only a few generations ago, the wrestling business was a closely protected, closed society. Its secrets were strongly guarded (Sammond, 2005). Changes can yet be caused by many things. Perhaps most popular The Attitude era was the result of one wrestlers character push match Cold Steve Austin. Upon realising that fans were responding to this archetypal rebel over other faces (fan favourites), the WWE responded with edgier material.Though, this era needfully saw its end when other factors came into play. The incident involving Chris Benoit however, had caused many to monitor WWEs content. It is for this reason that the WWE has done its best to stay above any disreputable behaviour taking any other action they feel necessary to remove themselves from under the microscope. Enter, the era of PG along with the smark boom. I am very happy with the validity of my method. However there are certain things I would be able to research further to better present an answer.Using the same methods, it would be useful to analyse both, recent WWE years and other wrestling companies. examine how much influence WWE does in fact have over pro wrestling, and how they are evolving. My findings indicate that WWEs reaction has given reason to remove any reference from future competition. Although we can believe this is a explosive publicity decision, these statistics reiterate that Benoit will never be put natural covering on his pedestal hes going to be cognize as the family killer first and great wrestler second (Balderson, 2010).