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Ex-WWE writer Vince Russo once told Vince McMahon's right-hand man, Pat Patterson, to hire Chris Benoit and his proposal was rejected. Russo explained the reason why Benoit wasn't initially hired by the global juggernaut.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws, host Dr. Chris Featherstone asked Vince Russo about his time working with Chris Benoit. Russo explained that they only worked together for a few months and that Benoit didn't create issues, as he had a quiet and reserved personality.
Before he officially signed with WWE, Chris Benoit wrestled in Stampede Wrestling in Canada, NJPW, WCW, and even ECW. In 1995, wrestled a few dark matches for WWE, presumably a tryout opportunity. Russo, who worked as an editor for the WWE magazine at the time, was blown away by the match that Benoit and the late Owen Hart had.
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Russo went up to Vince McMahon's right-hand man, Pat Patterson, and told him that he needed to sign Benoit. Patterson later explained why he wasn't going to do that.
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"I was the editor of the WWF [WWE] magazine at the time and they brought in [Chris] Benoit to work a dark match with Owen Hart. This was before Benoit was hired by WCW. Bro, him and Owen tore the freaking house down. I went to Pat [Patterson], and nobody knew who Chris Benoit was at that point. He had a name on the indie scene, but he was not (...) yeah. So I went to Pat and I said, 'Bro, you guys got to hire that guy', and Pat freaking laughed at me saying, 'What are you talking about hiring him? The guy can't cut a promo.' And that's why they did not hire him and he went to WCW. Him and Owen tore the freaking house down, bro." (3:40 - 4:33)
You can watch the full video below.
McMahon and Patterson worked together backstage in WWE for years. While the 78-year-old was the company's president, the Hall of Famer was the creative consultant and producer. Together, the duo took the global juggernaut to great heights.
CM Punk drew comparisons between the Vince McMahon allegations and the Chris Benoit tragedy
CM Punk seems to believe that WWE is better off without Vince McMahon. He went all out with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour earlier this year. During the chat, he called the Vince McMahon allegations "indefensible" and said his relationship with McMahon took a backseat because he was more concerned with how the victims of such situations recover from them.
Punk even compared the misconduct allegations against Vince McMahon and the Benoit situation in 2007.
"The biggest thing I can draw comparison to is when Chris Benoit did a murder-suicide, right? I was friends with Chris Benoit. I don't know if it's just how I process things but, I'm famously on camera weeping, saying goodbye to Chris, because at the time we didn't know he had murdered his wife and his son. The week prior, we're in Dothan, Alabama, and I'm traveling with him. We're on the road, he grabs me, he runs me into the trainer's room, points to his little son in the corner, and he's taped up his hands, and he's drawing Xs on his hands."
For Punk, the Benoit tragedy saw him come to terms with the fact that someone he considered a friend could commit such an act. Ultimately, he said it was an isolated incident.
If you use any quotes from the article's first half, please embed the video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.
