Benoit Included in WWE Network

[kblo247]

F4Wonline.com reports that WWE has sent out a memo stating that Chris Benoit footage will be allowed on its new Network broadcasts. There will be an advisory played before every show he appears on.

WWE is expected to announce the Network in Las Vegas next week.

They can't promote him. They will never say come watch Benoit. They caught a **** for the tribute show and resulting signature scandal, they had to change things. They have a family to respect that lost loved ones because of him. They can treat him like in the mitb DVD and ignore him but they never should go out their way and celebrate him. Putting him in is more about continuity for everyone else because he's so damn featured in the history of Raw, SD, and Nitro

Despite what you think of the guy good or bad, the most important thing is that continuity is being upheld. Orton can call himself the youngest champion in history again, we can watch Triple H get his quads tore up again, we can watch some of Eddie's early days in WWE. This is what we should all be celebrating as wrestling fans, I still believe his solo promos and the like will still be edited out, but in cases where The Horsemen or the Radicalz are part of a larger story we are not going to miss out on everyone elses history

[Starkiller]

F4Wonline.com reports that WWE has sent out a memo stating that Chris Benoit footage will be allowed on its new Network broadcasts. There will be an advisory played before every show he appears on.

WWE is expected to announce the Network in Las Vegas next week.

They can't promote him. They will never say come watch Benoit. They caught a **** for the tribute show and resulting signature scandal, they had to change things. They have a family to respect that lost loved ones because of him. They can treat him like in the mitb DVD and ignore him but they never should go out their way and celebrate him. Putting him in is more about continuity for everyone else because he's so damn featured in the history of Raw, SD, and Nitro

Despite what you think of the guy good or bad, the most important thing is that continuity is being upheld. Orton can call himself the youngest champion in history again, we can watch Triple H get his quads tore up again, we can watch some of Eddie's early days in WWE. This is what we should all be celebrating as wrestling fans, I still believe his solo promos and the like will still be edited out, but in cases where The Horsemen or the Radicalz are part of a larger story we are not going to miss out on everyone elses history

I don't think just because it was Benoit whom he beat, anyone took that away from Orton.

Thad said, this is kind of cool because I always thought the Radicalz were one of the most underused stables ever, and ahead of their time. If they came out nowadays, they'd probably be huge and run things.

[kblo247]

I think it does and doesn't take away from Randy. They showed the video with him winning in the undisputed title build, but there was a point they just outright ignored it and cleared off the reference to the rumble Benoit won as well. It has always been sticky. Even the mitb DVD with all the gaps in volume where he suddenly popped in the ring is weird, as is wm20 missing from Shawn's collection

I doubt we ever see any promos including him, and I'm fine with that outright. He doesn't need any big promos or things like that, but this helps the other guys. It helps Orton, it helps Jericho as he challenged for the title in a triple threat, helps HHH by showing when he tore his first quad and continued, and it helps a lot of other guys since Benoit in the ring is such a part of the history of Raw, SD, and Nitro. It really helps Eddie too for the new fan to understand his legend

[jr lucosa]

Small Benoit note

Someone got me the Raw 20th anniversary DVD set for x-mas which is "The 20 Greatest Episodes Uncut & Unedited", it's a pretty cool DVD overall, 20 greatest is of course subjective but I don't have any problems with it, anyways, Benoit has at least 2 matches in this set, and even though the item was advertised as uncut & unedited the Benoit matches, as you can imagine, were heavily edited and did not mention his name.

[Thunder Muscle]

Those following days are the Benoit thing were really bizarre. There was the initial shock of him dying, then the huge tribute, and then the awful details started coming out... And WWE back tracked, pulled everything of his (rightfully so) and the whole perception of him changed forever. It was crazy.

[Rhettmatic]

I watched Backlash 2004 recently, which -- for those who don't remember -- was held in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton.

The main event, a triple-threat match between HBK, HHH and Benoit, was fantastic, with an extremely hot crowd screaming "You screwed Bret" at Michaels. (There was also an insane hardcore match for the IC title between Orton and Cactus Jack, for those who don't remember).

Anyway, the broadcast spent an uncomfortable amount of time on Benoit's wife and kids, who were in the first row. And there were some cringe-worthy references from Lawler as well.

Just made me wonder whether they're still bothering to edit his matches, or if they're being presented more or less intact now?

[studcrackers]

Well I can't imagine there being a more uncomfortable match then what you've just described

[Dunthreevy]

I watched Backlash 2004 recently, which -- for those who don't remember -- was held in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton.

The main event, a triple-threat match between HBK, HHH and Benoit, was fantastic, with an extremely hot crowd screaming "You screwed Bret" at Michaels. (There was also an insane hardcore match for the IC title between Orton and Cactus Jack, for those who don't remember).

Anyway, the broadcast spent an uncomfortable amount of time on Benoit's wife and kids, who were in the first row. And there were some cringe-worthy references from Lawler as well.

Just made me wonder whether they're still bothering to edit his matches, or if they're being presented more or less intact now?

I could be wrong but I thought that all of his matches on the Network are presented as they were originally aired. They just don't make any reference to the matches, like they aren't tagged so you can't do a search for Chris Benoit or anything. I don't think they edited any of the matches for the Network though.