Late WWE Superstar Chris Benoit's legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time is unfortunately not what he is remembered for today. His murder of his wife and child cast a dark cloud over what was one of the most illustrious careers in sports entertainment history.
Benoit was also involved in other controversies, with his poor treatment and bullying of The Miz trending on Twitter as of writing. The well-publicized incident saw him kick the then-young A-Lister out of the locker room for eating chicken and allegedly dropping crumbs all over his bag.
The Canadian told Miz that he couldn't use the locker room to change, which the nervous A-Lister agreed to. He spent six months dressing up in the washroom meant for fans. In the WWE 24 documentary covering his wrestling career, the two-time world champion talked about the dark phase of his early days in WWE.
“It was almost like I was taking the chicken and just throwing it in the locker room and just smearing it all over the place and all over the stuff. That’s what I felt like, and I’m appalled. I am like, ‘I am so sorry, I did not mean to do it. I’m just trying to do the right thing here.’ And he goes, ‘You are not allowed to dress in our locker room. I think you should just stay out of the locker room.'” [H/T The Sports Rush]
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While Chris Benoit went on to achieve great success inside the ring, this was not a welcome treatment of a newcomer.
Chris Benoit's decision was reversed by The Undertaker
Chris Benoit kicked The Miz out of the WWE locker room, forcing him to change in the janitor's closet and the fans' washroom. He put up with his punishment and never complained, and it would be six months before he was finally allowed back inside the locker room.
Six months after the incident with Benoit, Miz wrestled The Undertaker in the ring. After their match, The Deadman, who was the locker room leader during his stint in WWE, permitted the A-Lister to join the rest of his colleagues in their locker room. From that day, it was business as usual.
However, the initial setback did not deter The Miz, as he has now gone on to become a two-time Grand Slam Champion, the first ever in the company's history.
What do you make of Chris Benoit's treatment of The Miz? Let us know in the comments section below.