David Benoit is an aspiring professional wrestler and the son of late WWE wrestler Chris Benoit who infamously murdered his wife and son Daniel in 2007 before taking his own life.
David has been around the wrestling scene ever since he was a kid and is friends with many wrestling legends and personalities that worked with his dad. He regularly posts on social media from various wrestling events, mostly AEW, and with famous wrestlers including The Big Show and Chris Jericho.
He was interviewed for a recent episode of the “Pro and Bro Wrestling Podcast with Fred Rosser” where he revealed that he’s been training and may follow in the footsteps of his father very soon.
When asked about working with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Lance Storm, he told host Fred Rosser “I’m just messing around in the ring right now with a couple of guys from AEW.”
“I want to go to AEW one hundred percent,” Benoit said of his future wrestling career. “I love AEW. I love what they do for the boys. Take care of them.”
At a WWE event in Edmonton back in March, David posted a photo backstage with WWE Diva Natalya where he was wearing an AEW jacket.
David Benoit was Chris Benoit’s first son from his marriage to Martina Benoit. The couple also had a daughter, Megan, and divorced in 1997.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He’s Good Friends with Chris Jericho
Benoit is friendly with a number of professional wrestlers but he seems to have the closest relationship with WWE Superstar Chris Jericho. He’s posted multiple selfies and photos posing with Jericho and is a big fan of Fozzy, Chris Jericho’s band.
Jericho and Chris Benoit were good friends and colleagues starting in Japan in the mid 90s, then in WCW in the late 90s and then in WWE in the 2000s where they developed a great rivalry and had a run as tag team champs. They made their debut as tag team partners in a famous match as underdogs against Triple H and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Jericho has spoken several times on his close relationship with the late Chris Benoit and even dedicated an episode of his podcast to The Rabid Wolverine’s legacy as a wrestler. The podcast featured an hour-long discussion of Benoit’s greatest matches, moments, and included personal anecdotes from Jericho.
2. His Initial Wrestling Debut Was Halted by Chris Jericho
In May 2014, Benoit was set to make his wrestling debut at a Hart Legacy Event against Chavo Guerrero Jr. in Alberta, Canada. Smith Hart, the promoter of the event and brother of WWE legend Bret Hart, announced on Twitter that David would be appearing in his first match.
After Chris Jericho saw the news, he contacted Smith and was reportedly furious with him for advertising the match and allowing David to wrestle due to his lack of training. Smith told Jericho that they had a different angle on Benoit and he wouldn’t actually be wrestling but it didn’t matter.
Guerrero Jr. thought Benoit had sufficient experience but it was later determined he had not completed his training with Lance Storm in Calgary and had only had a few training sessions under his belt with David Hart Smith since 2013.
It seems Jericho was looking out for David’s wellbeing due to the close relationship he had with Chris. The match never ended up taking place and David’s wrestling debut was put hold.
3. He Regularly Posts Tributes to His Late Father
Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Chris Benoit’s death, David is still a big fan of his old man. He posts photos of his dad on social media along with tributes and shout outs from other wrestlers praising his late father.
He also included a photo of Vince McMahon wearing a Chris Jericho T-shirt though the WWE has removed any mention of Chris Benoit from their promotion and tried to scrub him from their record books.
Many commenters under his posts encourage him to “follow in his father’s footsteps”. Looking at his post history, he looks to be doing just that.
4. He’s No Longer Allowed Backstage at WWE Events
In the same episode of “Pro and Bro Wrestling Podcast with Fred Rosser” where he announced he might be entering the squared circle, Benoit also claimed he’s no longer allowed backstage at WWE events.
It may have to do with his affiliation with AEW. He was last seen backstage at a WWE event in March wearing an AEW jacket and has publicly praised the promotion on a number of occasions.
5. He Thinks His Father Should Be in the WWE Hall of Fame
David Benoit was asked in 2014 what he thinks his father would be doing if he was still alive. David said that his dad would have probably started his own wrestling school or be working with developmental talents in NXT.
He explained that Chris always wanted to start his own wrestling school. He also believes his father would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame by now and the WWE probably would have continued in a more adult direction instead of switching to be targeted to kids.
He also teased that the WWE was interested in bringing him to the promotion. “For all you fans, it was at a show in Edmonton, two years ago, I sat down in the production office, talking to one of the writers, they said ‘Yup, we’ll use the Benoit name again. We could do a lot with it.’ There’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
This seems highly unlikely as WWE has done everything possible to distance themselves from Chris Benoit following his murder/suicide including removing him from their streaming platforms and avoiding mentioning him on broadcasts.
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