"He destroyed the respect for our industry" - Wrestling veteran talks Chris Benoit and reaction to WrestleMania 20 moment (Exclusive)

Chris Benoit's name is rarely mentioned in the professional wrestling business these days, and it's no surprise. The Chris Benoit double murder-suicide is one of most unfortunate tragedies in pro wrestling history, and the incident had a drastic impact on the industry.

Chris Benoit was one of the top talents in the WWE and his most significant moment in the company inarguably happened at WrestleMania 20 when he won the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the PPV. Benoit and Eddie Guerrero's hug at the end of the PPV is still one of WrestleMania's most iconic images of all time.

Wrestling veteran Hugo Savinovich, who was in the WWE at that time, was asked about the energy following Chris Benoit's world title win during the latest edition of SK Wrestling's UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone.

Savinovich explained that he followed a rule of not talking about Chris Benoit as the former WWE Champion had negatively affected the business with his actions. Savinovich was a close friend of Chris Benoit for almost twenty years, and he even knew Benoit's wife Nancy from when she was married to Kevin Sullivan.

"I will talk about it because I'm your guest and I always respect. I made a rule of not talking about Benoit. He was a friend of mine for over twenty years. I knew his wife when she was with the original prince of darkness, Kevin Sullivan. So, I go back. Way back. He was a gentleman, but the moment that thing happened, I erased him from my life because I believe that in one weekend, he destroyed not just lives, but he destroyed respect for our industry."

The moment was beautiful: Hugo Savinovich on Chris Benoit's world title win at WrestleMania 20

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX.

When it came to the WrestleMania 20 win, Savinovich said it was a beautiful moment, accentuated by the real emotions at play. Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero's embrace was as real as it could get, and Hugo felt that even the fans realized that they were witnessing something special.

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit were from that category of wrestlers who don't have the prototypical WWE look and were told that they would never be big draws. Benoit and Guererro proved everyone wrong that night.

Savinovich explained:

"So, the moment was beautiful. Do you know why it was beautiful? Because at the moment, it was real. It was two guys that somebody like Eric Bischoff would have said, 'You will never make me money, and they proved a lot of people wrong, and they also proved the fact that wrestling is so precious. When Vince made him smile, that's all the Crippler needed. Just a smile. Because he wasn't good at talking, but he could wrestle, and just when he gave that smile, and there was like that teeth, that gap there, that smile, that killing smile, my hair would just stand when I felt that smile. It was so real, and fans know that it was real. That was not like, 'Oh, it's a scripted moment.' That embrace was the reality of two guys that many people with power in the industry said that they were not main event talent, and boy did they prove them wrong."

Chris Benoit's name may have been erased from pro wrestling history, but WrestleMania 20's finish will forever be cherished and remembered fondly by the fans.

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If any quotes are used from this article, please credit UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.