Kevin Sullivan Talks About Being Blamed For Chris Benoit Tragedy

In an interview with The Ross Report, Kevin Sullivan spoke about being blamed for the Chris Benoit tragedy from 2007. Some fans actually said that Sullivan killed Benoit and his family and made it look like Benoit did it. Here are highlights:

On the media scrutiny forcing him not to attend Nancy’s funeral: “And [the speculation] did bother me for a while, Jim, until I talked to [Nancy’s] mother and she said, ‘I can’t believe that people even think that’ and she made me feel better. The sister made me feel better.”

On why some fans blamed him: “This is how people are so sick and so much of an idol-worship. They were looking for, and I don’t mean this in any bad light, but they were looking for an out because he was a great, great, great, fabulous wrestler. We’ll never know what caused it, but for people to believe something like that, means they believe that the earth is hollow or flat or whatever.”

On Benoit’s son wanting to wrestle: “Well, I think you’ve got to do what you want to do, but I’d hate to think somebody would use the child, he’s not a child obviously anymore, but use [the tragedy] and do something really stupid, like Curt Hennig’s son [Curtis] Axel, right? Maybe he changes his name or whatever.”

On still trying to make sense of things: “I mean, it’s horrible to lose somebody, but to lose somebody in that way, a grandson, a daughter, a sister, and a son-in-law. I don’t think we’re every going to know. It’s something that still baffles me. I mean, it’s a horrible tragedy and I don’t think anybody is going to be able to wrap their heads around it and why.”

On putting the WCW title in Benoit: “When I made him the world champion, I was actually taller than Chris. And I had him come to my hotel room to tell him I was putting the belt on him. I said, ‘you deserve this’. Everybody told me not to put it on him. You know the story. I said, ‘no, this is his business. This is going to happen.'” Sullivan continued, “JJ [Dillon] asked me not to do it, [as in] put him over. [WCW Senior Vice President] Bill Busch asked me not to put him over. Mike Graham, who was very, very close to him demanded that I not put him over, but I put him over. When I asked Sid Vicious to give up on the [Crippler] Crossface, to tap out, Sid Vicious, Psycho Sid, Psycho Sid said to me, Sid said to me, ‘I wouldn’t do it for anybody else but you, Kevin.’ He said, ‘I think you’re wrong’ and he said it in front of Chris. He said, ‘I think you’re wrong, but I’ll do it.’ And I said, ‘I appreciate it’ and he went and beat him and the next day he left.”