So, why did Vince cancel the show...

[VonErichLives]

I know why he did... my question is, do you think he learned anything from the "show must go on" when Owen died?

in the case of owen, a preformer dies in ring, during an event and they not just finish the event but have an event the next night, given it was a "tribute" show w/o story lines if I remember correctly but they didn't refund a single ticket.

this time, "show's canceled" everyone go home.

I'm not disagreing with what he did... I think he did the right thing, I'm asking do you think the flack he took from how he handeled Owen played into the decicion?

[Jeritron]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">I think a lot of the circumstances at hand played into it. Foul play was involved, confusion was rampant, questions were likely being asked. Its a huge rift in the company and the roster. It's a different situation than Eddie or Owen's deaths, which weren't as complicated. Of course they were just as shocking and tragic, but the situation is different.
In that case, the wrestlers are paying tribute.
In this case, the wrestlers and officials are trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

It's hard for me to actually explain why it's a different situation, it just is. You can't have a wrestling show tonight. It was also imperative in light of recent storylines to stress that this is indeed a legitimate occurence.
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[HeartBreakMan2k]

Who knows honestly. I think it probably had a lot to do with the angle they were running, fans were piling in for a Vince McMahon memorial show and probably would have been less likely to actually accept the reality of the Benoit situation. In fact, Vince probably would have been booed out of the ring at the beginning of the whole thing.

[Dave Youell]

With this case they wouldn’t of had a lot of time to prepare

With Owen they had 24 hours

With Eddie they had at least 12 hours

With this, they would have been told at 4pm when the doors were due at 5/6pm

I think that Vince made the right decision, it was under mysterious circumstance, and because of the death storyline at the time, if he came out, he would of gotten loads of heat and would of taken everything away from the more serious issue at hand. Fans would have been booing him and querying if the Benoit thing was just part of the storyline.

Having Vince go out there alone, saying the death thing was an angle, it’s over. But one of our performers is really dead, was the best way to go about it.
IF this all happened at a different time with difference angles, they would probably of had the crowd in, but it was the biggest angle they’ve done in ages and they needed to show the gravity of the situation.

Vince would of lost money by taking this decision and I feel he made the right choice, business reasons aside.

On a separate note, I’d like to say that Vince has/does get a lot of shit, but he seemed genuinely upset by this, it’s a side of him we rarely see, but it just reminds me that he’s a human being behind the character he portrays on TV and the news storys we here online, sometimes I forget that.

[CYCLOPTERSAURUS]

I'm inclined to agree with HBK2K, if there was a crowd, I would imagine they would boo Vince, and they might even boo Benoit's death, thinking it was another work. With the angle they were running, I think they needed a show like this without a crowd to establish the gravity of the situation.

[KingofOldSchool]

Who knows honestly. I think it probably had a lot to do with the angle they were running, fans were piling in for a Vince McMahon memorial show and probably would have been less likely to actually accept the reality of the Benoit situation. In fact, Vince probably would have been booed out of the ring at the beginning of the whole thing.

[Rob]

who knows really

[Afterlife]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">I think a lot of the circumstances at hand played into it. Foul play was involved, confusion was rampant, questions were likely being asked. Its a huge rift in the company and the roster. It's a different situation than Eddie or Owen's deaths, which weren't as complicated. Of course they were just as shocking and tragic, but the situation is different.
In that case, the wrestlers are paying tribute.
In this case, the wrestlers and officials are trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

It's hard for me to actually explain why it's a different situation, it just is. You can't have a wrestling show tonight. It was also imperative in light of recent storylines to stress that this is indeed a legitimate occurence.
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You're absolutely right. I know nothing of Owen's incident, but I was definitely around for Eddie's passing. Everyone was heartbroken -- I even cried myself, watching Benoit breakdown. But the performers were able to put on their matches as an honor -- and, in some ways, a privelage -- to send off their friend. The idea that the situation was understood may not have made it more bearable, but it made it a little easier to take.

In this case, not only is everyone laden with grief and sorrow, but nobody knows what happened or why -- a child is dead, here. And when you start throwing around the words "murder" and "suicide", things of this nature get really hard for individuals to deal with.

[Jeritron]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">It's also because this is a more tormenting and question raising circumstance. It would be difficult for those emotions to be around while trying to put on a tv show.

In the case of Owen and Eddie, you are paying tribute to single deaths that happened for reasons understood and with no foul play or malice. You are wrestling for them and in manys belief in their presence. It's a tribute, and makes a lot of sense. It's a good way to express love and homage, and come to terms. There isn't as much doubt and confusion involved, more just sudden loss.

In the case of Benoit, who knows what to say or do. Plus with the stories of the curious text messages and the Sunday Night event and such, there are a lot of serious things to be dealt with. The company has to deal with a lot more than a press release about an untimely passing.

To put it quite simply, and with no intention of sounding insensitive... You don't see horror movies made about harness malfunctions or heart failure. The events of this past weekend and the revelations are the things of nightmares.
Benoit's situation is a whole lot heavier.

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[Kane Knight]

They wouldn't have believed it, otherwise. Vince had to step up the tribute, because they had just treated Vince's McMahon's onscreen death like they had Eddie and Owen's. Hell, they were about to do a three hour tribute to him.

[lort]

Vince did the right thing. He couldn't have asked all the wrestlers to continue on for a fake tribute show for himself when they had all just literally heard about Benoit and his family.

[Jeritron]

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[gatoconbotas]

It was the right thing to do.
Sometimes, your gut tells you that "the show must go on"
sometimes, your gut tells you that you have to just stop.

Vince decided this was the time to just stop.

And like everybody else said, Eddie and Owen, hey had time to get over the initial questions and do a heartfelt tribute show. With this...they only had a few hours. That's not enough to prepare the wrestlers, the road agents, the crew, anybody, to deal with this live, on TV.

Kudos, Vince.

So, my question is (because I had to be working last night ::grr::) Did Vince come out on TV and announce it? How did Benoit's show go last night?

[BigDaddyCool]

Vince did the right thing this time. Don't question why. This is probably the hardest thing they have ever had to do given the story line at the time, but they did the right thing. They did the classiest thing they could. Just leave it at that.

[Theo Dious]

Did anybody else notice how red Vince's eyes were when he was in the ring?

[Jeritron]

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All of our fan complains about shrewd business, professional or creative decisions, or any other small things in life and entertainment mean little right now.

I felt he did the right thing in 1999 when Owen died, and I feel he did the right thing with his appearance/storyline retraction/leveling with fans/decision making this Monday.
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[Kane Knight]

Vince did the right thing. He couldn't have asked all the wrestlers to continue on for a fake tribute show for himself when they had all just literally heard about Benoit and his family.

Vince did something beyond the right thing. He did the human thing.

We'll probably not see it again in our lifetimes.

[James Steele]

RAW last night was as classy as it could be.

[BigDaddyCool]

It was the right thing to do.
Sometimes, your gut tells you that "the show must go on"
sometimes, your gut tells you that you have to just stop.

Vince decided this was the time to just stop.

And like everybody else said, Eddie and Owen, hey had time to get over the initial questions and do a heartfelt tribute show. With this...they only had a few hours. That's not enough to prepare the wrestlers, the road agents, the crew, anybody, to deal with this live, on TV.

Kudos, Vince.

So, my question is (because I had to be working last night ::grr::) Did Vince come out on TV and announce it? How did Benoit's show go last night?

Yes...yes he did.

[Joe Kerr]

being that everyone had literally just found out that a man who has been in the locker room for years and seemed to be good friends with everyone had just died, i dont think they would have been able to perform. especially edge.

[Corkscrewed]

I think they handled it as well as it could have. Vince made the perfect call given the circumstances last night, and I do have respect for that.

I do find it ironic that the first time Vince cancels a show and does a really classy tribute, it turns out the guy is a murder.

There's almost some perverse sort of karma going on here in some way. But shit, talk about horrible luck for the WWE.

[Stickman]

Vince has a lot of loose skin danglying from his face. Anybody else notice this?

[Mooияakeя™]

Vince did something beyond the right thing. He did the human thing.

We'll probably not see it again in our lifetimes.

I am so grief stricken right now for what WE knew as Benoit. His wrestling legacy and how the wrestlers spoke of him. That can never be taken away.

What Kane Knight says, says it all. I really don't think I could say nothing else about Vince.

If the crowd boos at the next RAW / SD whatever, they suck completely. It should be held as an unofficial tribute show. Those wrestlers... thsoe performers, and more importantly Benoit's friends are still hurting. As I said earlier, no matter what has happened now, they still had x amount of years knowing the Chris Benoit, we never knew.

If it's true about what he has done to his family, then I have no other words to say, but for the wrestling legacy he has left behind. How gifted he was, then I applaud the career of one of the greatest of all time.

[Stickman]

Hey what did they show on Raw after Edge's comments. There was about half an hour left when I fell asleep

[Zen v.W.o.]

What's amusing here is that people will now clamour about this Vince death angle being inappropriate, when before those same people said you have to let go of what happened to others like Owen and the rest.

But now they'll change their tune. Basically, the way Vince went about handling the angle for himself always was in poor taste and disrepspectful, and now if they continue with it, everyone that stated it wasnt is going to think otherwise.

[Gray]

Hey what did they show on Raw after Edge's comments. There was about half an hour left when I fell asleep

They showed the match at Wrestlemania in its entirity if i remember correctly, with a small break for a bit of commentary from Lawler and JR

[Stickman]

I was surprised at how few wrestlers talked into the camera if Edge was the last one.

[Shaggy]

I applaud Vince for the decision that he made....and now have more respect for him than ever.

[XL]

I think the major factor as to why this was different to Owen's/Eddie's Tribute show is touched on above. it's to do with time frame.

Everyone knew about Owen, it happened on live TV. People knew the deal when they turned up at the event.

Most knew about Eddie before they arrived at the arena and so knew the deal.

With this one they would have had to tell eveyone as they arrived. I totally understand why there was no crowd. Especially considering the Vince angle.

[Mercury Bullet]

I do find it ironic that the first time Vince cancels a show and does a really classy tribute, it turns out the guy is a murder.


Geez I hadn't thought of it that way but you are totally right. Vince at his best to pay tribute to a guy that was at his worst.

[Shaggy]

I just read that Vince will be live on ECW tonight.....to apologize for the 3 Hour tribute shot in honor of Benoit on Monday...

Apparently many people have phones and emailed in how disapointed they were that Vince dedicated a whole show in honor of a killer.

[KingofOldSchool]

Your damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Christ, say what you want about Vince but it seems whenever he does show compassion, it comes back and bites him on the ass.

[Crimson]

If people were complaining then they are fuckin idiots. Why don't they do a research on the timeline of what happened and realize that what he did was absolutley the right thing to do.

[mrslackalack]

Yeah it was the best thing to do since homicide was the investigation and you never knew at the time if he murdered them or not. WWE still got criticized for it though but it was the right thing to do.

[Kane Knight]

People blamed POD for dropping a song called "Boom" on 9-11. And Dream Theater for a picture of NYC on fire the week before on their live album. And 50Foot Wave for releasing their Sophomore album right as the Tsunami hit Asia.

People are stupid fucks who don't realise that you don't get that things can change. What seems innocuous one day could be harmful the next. And what's more, FFW didn't call themselves that for shock value, and POD didn't know planes were going to crash into a building, and so on.

I maintain Vince should have had the foresight to understand that a death angle was a poor idea, but there's no way he could have iggnored Benoit's death until "all the facts were in."

[Vastardikai]

^

You want crazy, what about the Slayer album that dropped on 9/11: "God Hates Us All"?

[Skippord]

People blamed POD for dropping a song called "Boom" on 9-11. And Dream Theater for a picture of NYC on fire the week before on their live album. And 50Foot Wave for releasing their Sophomore album right as the Tsunami hit Asia.

People are stupid fucks who don't realise that you don't get that things can change. What seems innocuous one day could be harmful the next. And what's more, FFW didn't call themselves that for shock value, and POD didn't know planes were going to crash into a building, and so on.

I maintain Vince should have had the foresight to understand that a death angle was a poor idea, but there's no way he could have iggnored Benoit's death until "all the facts were in."
I blame POD for sucking

[Kane Knight]

I blame POD for sucking

Until you renounce Hinder, you have no right to condemn any music.

[Kane Knight]

I read that and I was wondering why I told Skippord to renounce Hitler.

[Skippord]

Me too

[Skippord]

Also I hereby renounce Hinder(and Hitler)

I only sort of liked one song

[Kane Knight]

You may proceed to bash POD.

...And the Jews.

[Skippord]

Mein Kampf is the greatest book of all time

and POD is gay

[Theo Dious]

I read that and I was wondering why I told Skippord to renounce Hitler.

YOU THANKED HITLER!!!

[Theo Dious]

Wish I could find the Kids in the Hall sketch that that comes from.

[Kane Knight]

Me too. I wish I had that ep on DVD.

[Theo Dious]

"Why would I thank Hitler?!"
"Hmmm... why would you thank HitlerIDON'TKNOW!!!"
"I can't believe I thanked Hitler..."

[Bret Hart]

maybe he learned something from not cancelling when owed died maybe not. If your name is not hart and your not being punished for turning down a storyline cause of your kids then the show will get cancelled. Now he is bashing benoit after paying tribute to him just monday and calling him a monster. No one really knows what went on or what was going through his head or his wifes. Just leave them in peace. Vince as usual putting business first. ASSHOLE!!!!!

[WrestlingClassic]

well said Bret Hart. Vince is a Grade A Asswhipe. As above ^^ said. No one knows wht happend. Benoit will always be remembered as a true wrestling Great, Nothing else.