Chris Benoit and Sherri Martel

Thanks for the hundreds of notes I received last week.  I know it's been awhile since my last blog but here are a few thoughts to share with you.  You can go to www.DiamondDallasPage.com to see pictures and read more. 

I have to start with what everyone is talking about... Chris Benoit. Like all of you, when I first heard the news about Chris , I was shocked, more than shocked I thought there must be some other explanation. I had just run into Chris in the Atlanta airport about a month ago. When we saw each other we both dropped our bags and hugged each other. It was old friends just bumping into each other as they ran through life. I was laying over in Atlanta on my way to Jersey for WrestleReunion and I believe he was heading overseas for a tour which were always long and hard on your body and your mind. He looked tired, very tired but that's a part of the business asI know only to well. Being the warrior that Chris was... he was on his way to do what he loved most... Wrestle... The Chris Benoit that I knew has always been a man of character. He was the most respected man in and out of the locker room, bar none. Chris had the strongest work ethic I've ever seen. He was polite to everyone and I never saw him lose his temper... not even once. He was man that lead by example and he was a mentor to many. Which is what makes this whole situation so bizarre.

Over the last few weeks I have been asked to do many TV programs to give my opinion about what happened... but I have chosen not to because I wasn't there. I also did not want to feed the crazy frenzy that has taken over our media in the last few years. When was the last time you saw something positive come out of the media? Do you ever hear about anyone who has done anything that's good anymore? We are constantly bombarded with the negative... and I refuse to feed that animal. On the other hand, I thought Chris Jericho did a phenomenal job speaking on behalf of Chris while at the same time he explained that nobody understood how this tragedy was possible. I thought Chris Jericho was very articulate and was the best representation we could have had from a pro-wrestler who was also a very close friend for of Chris Benoit.

The story, as we all know, is centered around steroids and roid rage. It's my personal belief that if steroids are part of this story, and I'm sure they are in some way, it is only a small part. There so are many things that could contribute to what happened over that weekend and it is simple to blame a drug and not the circumstance. In my opinion there had to be some sort of mental illness that stepped into Chris's life to be able to commit such a horrible act. He loved Nancy and his son. I can't believe Chris went home that day to kill them. There must have been some sort of domestic dispute that escalated and got out of control and before Chris knew it Nancy was dead. It is so tragic on so many levels. My deepest sympathy goes out to Nancy and Chris's families.

I also want to send out my deepest sympathies to the family of Sherri Martel's as well. I met Sherri in the late 80s when I was working in the AWA. She'd come by the night club I was running called Norma Jean's Dance Club in Ft. Myer, Florida. She was on her way from Miami to Tampa for her next WWF shot. She didn't even know I ran the club but she knew who I was and, of course, I knew who she was... when we met we immediately became fast friends. Sherri had a phenomenal career in our business. One of my favorite gimmicks that she had, I'm sure not many people even new it was her was Peggy Sue, the valet for the Honky Tonk Man. I always loved that gimmick, I guess it was because I always found the Honky Tonk Man very entertaining and they were a great pair. Sherri was great manager and knew how to get her heat... but she was also a great worker as well... trained by the Great Moolah. Sherri Martel paid her dues in this crazy business of ours and she had an unbelievable run. No matter what character she was playing, babyface or heel, she played it with passion. She was a good friend and she will be missed...

I will share more updates on me, Wrestle Reunion, Dee Snyder and YRG later this week.  Stay Stong, Be Unstoppable.  BANG! - DDP

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