Jim Ross Talks WCW Using Chris Benoit - Kevin Sullivan Heat Over Nancy Into An Angle
Nancy Benoit was first married to Kevin Sullivan from 1992 to 1997. Nancy and Chris Benoit started an on-screen relationship in WCW in 1997 which turned into an actual real-life affair. The relationship caused problems between Kevin and Chris, which was turned into a wrestling storyline by WCW.
Jim Ross discussed WCW turning this real life story into a storyline and how it made him feel uncomfortable on a recent edition of his Grillin' JR podcast.
"I thought their private life got way too public," Ross said. "It became an angle, it became a storyline. As if we're obligated to share our personal life and that should be voluntary, it should not be made a storyline out of. I felt like making that, the marriage, the adultery, all this other stuff was simply unnecessary, we have to be more creative.
"Did we have to go there? I wasn't really sure what was true in that whole deal and what wasn't. In any event it made me uncomfortable."
Benoit was also a member of The Radicalz, a WCW group of wrestlers including Chris, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn that joined the WWE in 2000. They all had lackluster debuts which included multiple losses to D-Generation X members and constant issues backstage due to the wrestlers coming from WCW.
Ross talked about the booking decisions surrounding The Radicalz and talked about the stand outs in the group.
"That might have played a factor into it, to see where their heads were," Ross said. "Egos more specifically. The Radicalz were not booked overwhelmingly well when they first came in. The old expression the cream always rises to the top, and you just couldn't ignore they had charisma, they had amazing skills bell to bell. The talents in the locker room were lining up to work with them cause they knew they'd have great matches."
"If you're a talent and you get the chance to have a match with Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit for example, not discounting the other two guys but if you had to prioritize The Radicalz, I think you'd have Eddie and Chris at the top of that list. But all four had skills. I didn't think they were booked really well, it may have been as a test, and then Eddie gets hurt on a freak deal on a Frog Splash and that's when the eyes go back on the person who initiated bringing them in."
Dark Side of The Ring Season 2 premieres tonight at 9:00pm ET/PT on VICE TV with a two-hour special episode on the tragic story of Benoit.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.