This documentary has done more to bring attention to sports-related brain injuries, and to humanize Chris Benoit, than any other created since the story first broke. It is a credit to Bob McKeown's experience as a former athlete and as a journalist to treat such a misunderstood "thing" like pro wrestling with tremendous dignity and fairness, as well as its players.

At first,I want to tell sympathy to the Benoit Family.I saw Chris Benoit on TV in Japan when he was young every week. I was a fan of him. Depression is caused by many injury,illness , disturbance of higher cerebral function by hitting head, drug ,drunk and so on. Human is not a monstar but human. I hope hard athlete worker like him work with at least health and mental care. Hard work that is not recoginzing worker's health and mental care ,finally make organization and company decrease. Sometimes we want to see violence like WWE show program . But I think that business which cause worker's damage that make their life unhappy and sad will be not develop. WWE and so on must change,I think.

Extremely informative episode. Like bringing what I went through and still am to a point of realism. After a severe head injury in soccer and then sergury, my personality changed from one side of a coin to the next. All the symptoms as in your program showed were and are still there. This head injury symptems do not just lie in one sporting event but in every one that heads get knocked about. The cost? marriage ,failure,memory and depression. Just a great show and i needed to see it. Thank you

I just recently saw the story you did on Chris Beniot - A fight to the death. I have watched wrestling since high school and my parents watched it before me. I have seen what they call entertainment. And that is just to see who can hurt who now. With sledgehammers and people hitting one another with steel chairs.

First I would like to thank Chris Benoit's father for his courage and incredile insight. Also the CBC for this insightful video/article that provided credible insight into a tragedy no-one could believe had happened by chris benoit's hand.

The night the horrible news was aired my son and his young friend asked "Do I believe it? Could Chris Benoit have done such a thing?" I answered "Yes i believe it but ...... there has to be more to the story."

There was much speculation some of it far fetched but in my heart I knew the tragedy that befell the family was to be shared by many who knew something was not right. Nothing will ever excuse anyone for allowing such a tragedy but .... and it's a big but .... for once something was learned from it. It was so horrific that I am hard pressed to say "maybe some good can come from this." I know many will say it's just another man killing innocents but for those who are willing "Ask what drove him to it? If all men are so bad that we are to be lumped into child killer status shouldn't we all ask WHY?"

The article did just that. It didn't ask why all men do bad things just why certain men do bad things. Not just bad things but things so out of character that they boggle the average man's mind.

It is lucky for those of us who care that someone with a Harvard education took the time to ask. Even when some days he had a hard time remembering the question.

I want to thank Canada and the CBC for keeping an open mind and at least asking the questions that needed to be asked not just turning what i know to be a good man into just another sensational story that paints people with one big brush.

Just my two cents worth one cent after tax.

Chris Benoit and Owen Hart will remain my heroes despite all the tragedy. I know in my heart they kept their Canadian Values intact for one by accident another through remorse.

My final word (LOL or two)
Work hard, stay safe and have fun
Jim

I'm 50. My brother took me to wresling when I was 12. Like young Chris Benoit I had my heroes but was not the right size to make it my living.

I always admired these monsters men even knowing it was fixed.Bret Hart was among my favourite wreslers and I read his book.It's a unique world.

Vince McMahon transformed wresling for ever. A very smart business man, he killed all the competition. He will never admit that series of concussions is the real reason for all these wreslers' premature's death.They all are his raw material for making money and he is making tons of it.He fired right away not only the wreslers trying to bring some kind of union in the business but also all those men who didn't fit their role anymore, those who disagreed with him about the developping direction their character should take or because he found a younger, better, costing less money wresler to fill the character he needed.

You don't wresle, you don't get paid. You get back from injuries way to fast, you take steroids, pain killers because you want to come back get the good money and fans affection. You are then ending into a not stop deadly pattern.Unfortunately, too many of them didn't know when to stop.It's about time the health specialists and sport commissions get involved by law in this so called ``ENTERTAINMENT`` business.

Thank you for providing some much needed insight on this case. While Nancy and Daniel Benoit remain the tragic and completely innocent victims in this sad event, I hope that the doctors findings are of some comfort to Chris Benoit's parents, surviving children, and numerous friends.

I don't know if I can say that Chris Benoit was not responsible for their deaths, however it is clearly a fact that the man was brain damaged, and that there was a time before the damage reached tragic proportions, that he was indeed the good and honourable man that everyone knew him to be. To his family and friends I say, it's okay to remember that man.

I was disappointed in the lack of consideration given to the victims of the violence of Benoit. His wife and child are not here because of his violence. I don't really care what caused it. We have tolerated systemic violence against women for far too long.

The program gave little attention to the dead and suffering family members. Perhaps there is another angle to this story...was the violence reported in the past, did she try to get help, was there a restraining order? Whether it was steriods or brain damage, it doesn't matter, we are still putting someone who was violent and murdered his family on a hero pedestal.

It shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone that if you engage in physical sports whereby you suffer head trauma, there will be consequences. He wasn't out beating up on the general public but instead kept it inside the home where few people would even notice his dangerous behaviour. It is too easy to beat up women and kids.

Lets educate on how to stop or at least prevent this from happening in the future. I am so sad that his wife is not here to tell her side of the story. Unfortunately, she is dead and we will never hear her voice again thanks to a murderous man.

I knew from the beginning that there was more to this story then "roid rage". I was really getting bothered by all the news networks all claiming that it was steroids that was the cause of this horrible tragedy, especially in the U.S.. It just goes to show that if you truly look deeper into something you will find a bigger and possibly a more sensible reason for what happened.

Excellent program.

nugai in Vancouver - the answer is an obvious "yes" Randy Starkman wrote an excellent piece in the Toronto Star in December about former NHL tough guy Kevin Kaminski & how the brain damage he suffered in years of fighting caused severe personality change, mood swings and rages that made him a threat to his wife & small children.

Lloyd Green in Ontario - I also thought the inclusion of Andre the Giant in this piece was unworthy of good basic journalism.

Fifth Estate
I would like to commend the exceptional documentary that you presented on wrestler Chris Benoit. This is one of the Best Documentaries I have ever watched on Television--Congratulations on providing a truthfull documentary on the realities of head injuries and drug use incurred playing football and professional(?) wrestling. The devistation caused to families as a result of drugs and head injuries is a sad comment on todays professional entertainment sports. The prolonged use of drugs and head injuries incurred playing professional sports can have life long implications and can lead to premature death--a lesson that all amateur athletes should heed. Watching Stampede Wrestling progession to WWF Wrestling is a sad reminder of the lust for money made on the backs of injury and drug ridden superstars.

I posted an earlier comment but I think that this subject has opened up a whole new can of worms. Having worked as a Nursing Assistant in a long term care facility I have a new question. Having worked with seniors with dementia, is it possible that these people who suffer from this illness had a brain injury (concussion) at some time in their life??? There definently has to be more study on this topic of concussions. Thanks again to all for the public awareness. The brain can only take so much punishment, just look at Mohammed Ali.

Now that we know what repeated head concussions do to wrestlers and football players and their families, it seems only logical that hockey players are exposed to the same risks.

During your broadcast you made a generalized statement on The numerous deaths of wrestlers from a variety of causes.

However it was made to appear as though Andre The Giant's death could be linked to the use of drugs.
Andre The Giant's death was heart failure due to his fatal form of gigantism.

You diminish his achievments and the legacy he left in the world of professional wrestling by erroneously grouping him into deaths caused by drugs or the health complications thereof.

Kudos on the show. It's probably one of the most balanced shows on Benoit I've watched. After watching all the sickeningly sensationalized coverage, The Fifth Estate produced something intelligent and meaningful. For even more context I'd recommend reading Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport. The authors know their stuff and expose the root and relevance of Benoit's actions to the sport. Their journalism stands with Dave Meltzer's as the best in the sport.

This piece, by far, has been one of the best I've seen that has examined the life of Chris Benoit and other professional athletes like him. It is almost frightening to me, especially considering that I have worked within professional wrestling for the last several years, that this could happen to my friends and colleagues, and that until now we have thought little of it.

Michael Benoit is right - the wrestling business will change. It may change in some part because professional wrestling organizations will not be able to withstand the litigation that comes from these injuries. However, I believe most of the change will come from the wrestlers themselves, once they come to realize that not only are the stunts that they are performing will come to kill them over time, but that they are completely unnecessary to perform in order to create good matches and entertain the fans.

What a wonderful documentary! I was a huge wrestling fan and a regular watcher of the Calgary Stampede. I remember watching some very gruesome, bloody matches. Dynamite kid was a huge star, he had some unbelievable matches. I was heart broken to see what his life had turned into.

As for Chris Benoit, at least people can take comfort in knowing that his death and the death of his family wasn't meaningless - hopefully the research will save other athletes involved in high impact sports.

For Vince Mcmahon, I thought his comments about head injuries in the documentary was a bit off. I mean if the neurosurgeons are saying that he had significant damage to his brain and this being what most likely triggered the violent act, why would he dispute that? Oh yeh, it boils down to money, Vince certainly would not want to portray his product in a negative manner.

Doctors Bailes and Omalu diagnosed Chris Benoit as having suffered from CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Simply put, Benoit's brain looked like the brain of an individual suffering from the kind of dementia which afflicts some people in their 80s and 90s, and was described by the doctors as being "extremely unusual" in a 40 year-old man.

Our online video is only available in a streaming format at this time. It cannot be downloaded.

Thanks for your interest!

I also would like to know what type of dementia you were talking about.

Also, just out of curiosity, why did CBC chose not to say what sort of dementia it was? It seemed like you bent over backwards to not tell us.

Where can I download it?

American Journalist and News Programs truly need to watch this and learn from it! I have been a fan of Professional Wrestling for almost 30 years and I am a "Licensed" Female Professional Wrestling Referee. The night the death of Chris Benoit was announced, I wanted to throw my Wrestling Boots in the trash can. Not another one of my "HEROES" dead before their time.

My heart was broken and I truly wanted to end my own Wrestling Career. However, thanks to the horrible way the American "So Called" Journalists and News Programs treated this story ... I have never been more proud to lace up my Boots and walk to the Ring with my head held high.

We as human beings are given the ability to know right from wrong. Steroids did not cause the death of Chris Benoit. They played a factor, however if you watched this Program there are "MANY" contributing factors that led to this horrible tragedy. I come from a family where my own Father was unstable. You woudln't have known it .. he taught Sunday School and was a Police Officer. What happens behind closed doors when nobody is around is a totally different situation. Only Chris, Nancy and Daniel know what happened in that house during those three days.

One thing that we know for sure is that Chris placed Bibles next to the bodies of his Wife and Son. I can truly understand the condition of Chris's Brain after all the years of head trauma. However, by that act alone Chris Benoit knew the difference between right and wrong. Unlike what the Doctor stated in this program ... Chris Benoit knew what he did was wrong. He should be held accountable for his actions.

Truly, I think an arguement took place, things got out of control and Chris just snapped. Everything stated in this Program just combined all at once and exploded.
What hurts so much about watching this Program was it was clear that those close to Chris knew something was wrong and nobody tried to step in and get Chris help?

The Professional Wrestling Industry sincerely needs a "Major Overhaul!" Regulations must be put in place and it is time for everyone in this Business to step up to the plate and get things changed. I hope Michael Benoit gets things started! There was something special when I was a child and watched wrestling, I believed! I don't believe in Sports Entertainment! The only School is "Old School!" Maybe a return to the past wouldn't be such a bad thing!

I would like to send my deepest sympathy to the Benoit Family and the Family of Nancy. Somehow ... Someway ...
Something good will come out of this. It must! Chris Benoit was one of my HEROES! I will remember him for the "Outstanding Wrestler" that he was ... Not for the last three days of his life!

Just one nitpick that is over looked and I think a mistake on here. That being the listing of Kerry Adkisson aka Kerry Von Erich. The writer seems to be tying his foot amputation to his suicide when in fact that is not the case. He lost part of his foot many years before he took his life. The real reason for his suicide was apparently due to violating his probation from a previous charge of cocaine possession with once again being caught with it and he was facing significant jail time. I think his brothers, all but one might have been worth a mention also. But I guess the deaths in the 80s weren't factored in despite one brother's death being in 1991.

Tell me more about the proteins found in the brains of some of these wrestlers and also about the specific type of dementia.

Having been an R.N. for 30 plus years hence the reason you piqued my interest.

With thanks-Helen

There is an addendum to this article on Chris Benoit that is a must for any followers of history. Look up "Gladiators" in the Wikipedia and notice the remarkable similarities between the gladiators of old, and the WWE wrestlers.
I think that civilization has forgotten what happened 1600 years ago in ancient Rome. Perhaps our civilization should follow the events that occurred in 399AD - 404AD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator
Makes a good additional read. We could learn from the past!

I'm very glad that somebody decided to actually give a good biography on Benoit, and also looked into new aspects of why this could happen. I watched all the talk shows and news trying to learn about Benoit's death and tens of wrestlers came to discuss with the media and help the world. but all the Nancy Grace's of the worlds wanted to talk about was Steroids. Now looking at the research where the pure insanity that haunted Benoit we might be further able to help wrestlers and other individuals with concussions.

I am a huge wrestling fan, and while I only saw 2 matches of his, I truly loved watching Benoit in the ring. I hope to somehow get into the backstage aspect of wrestling and help write the storylines that these performers follow. I was so glad to see somebody who wanted to report on pro wrestling instead of just attack it.

I hope that Benoit can be remembered as a man who was overwhelmed by his personal demons, instead of an evil man. I don't need him in the WWE hall of Fame, but It would be very good if someday Benoit is forgiven enough that his signiture moves can be practiced by other wrestlers, and that his name could be said without fear or contreversy.

Two things;

One is that I'd like to see a study on the dissected brain of human being that has engaged in long-term drug and alcohol abuse to see whether the
same 'dementia' protein is produced.

The second thing I'd like to see is the human interest angle of the families of these wrestlers and what they had to live with behind the scenes when these Frankensteins were out of control.

Kudos on the show - It was extremely well done.

This program is what journalism should be about, following up a story to find the truth behind it as apposed to just manipulating the initial shock value for ratings purposes. Chris deserves to have his name cleared, he is one of the best wrestlers of all time and he should be remembered for that.

Vince trying to erase chris' name as if he never existed in wresting is a massive disrepect to chris and to all wrestlers. It would be an honor to chris' memory if some good comes from all this to better the lives of all wrestlers past and present.

Kudos to the Fifth Estate for this story. For Mike Benoit, thank you. I have no idea how hard it must have been to participate in the making of this program.

I grew up on Stampede Wrasslin' on Saturday afternoons, and pro wrestling has been a guilty pleasure for me for years. However, the more I learn about the business, the harder it is for me to watch. (To learn more I recommend a doc called "Beyond the Mat").

Thanks to the Fifth Estate for this extremely interesting but disturbing program on the long term effects of head injuries.

The depth of the feelings of Chris Benoit's father and friends was very palpable. Also the resolve of Chris's dad to pursue this further with the WWE is highly commendable. We must wish him the best of success in his son's memory.

For me the football portion of the program struck very close to home. A 12-year career through high school, university, and semi-pro in Toronto including the final 6 years with the CFL Ottawa Rough Riders from 1956-62. I, like many of my colleagues, had my share of head injuries, at least 6 being of the serious concussion type. Because of this, I will be watching with much interest the on-going studies on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League player: parts I & II by Omalu BI et al at the University of Pittsburgh.

On a perhaps related note, ex-CFL great Tony Proudfoot is working with McGill University on a study of CFL players who have died with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Tony has ALS and their research has noted an extremely high percentage of ex-CFL players have been diagnosed and died from ALS, well above the population norm.

I think it's short-sighed to place blame on Macmahon, he is no more to blame than city council is for a jackhammer-user's hearing loss.

There are steps reccomended to avoid excess wear and tear on the body..it's the employee's responsibility to make use of them.

Blaming Macmahon because of any unrelated steroid allegations is short-sighted, and premature.

What an insightful program.....Finally....As a teenager I suffered a major concussion, along with severe head trauma after being hit by a car. Years later into my thirties I have been involved in 4 automobile accidents which occurred in less than a 3 year period.

After participating in a year and a half long rehabilitation program, under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist, a Chiropractor and a Massage Therapist, I found my symptoms of headache, dizziness and nausea just kept getting worse. It was then I saw a Neurophychiatrist for the first time. After a lengthy Initial assessment it did not take him long to determine that in fact I had what he call a Post Traumatic Brian Injury.

By being properly diagnosed and treated I can now feel some lessening of my symptoms, such as the sever dizziness and headaches. Unfortunately the depression lingers along with the short term memory loss, change in personality and not quite as cognate as I used to be. Now I only wish that the people who are close to me saw thee program too so they may have a better understanding and acceptance of what I have.

Thank you Fifth Estate for doing this show. I have been a fan of Stampede Wrestling for years and I loved Chris Benoit, he was a great athlete!!! I had the pleasure of working for Mike and it came as a great shock to me and everyone when I learned of Chris's death! Even more shocking was the death of his son and wife and the way they had died. This was unbelievable and I could never comprehend why or how this would happen!!!

I am sure this was on the minds of all his fans. I still don't believe in all the steroid use. I definently do not believe in Vince McMahon! We have laws out there to protect animals from Entertainment abuse. Where are the laws to protect our athletes safety and human rights.

Thank you for easing the minds of Chris' fans, family and friends! Special thanks to Chris M for his research and findings of the truth!!! Maybe now there will be a public knowledge of concussions and the seriousness of their effect on the brain. Being a hockey, rugby and soccer mom of one son and watching the numerous injuries over the years, has opened my eyes.

Thank you Chris Benoit,I knew in my heart, this tragedy was not in vain!!

God Bless you Mike!

Oh my god. Thank you for this report. I'm a former athlete who suffered a bunch of concussions. For years I've been fighting so many of the symptoms you describe from head trauma but not one doctor out there has ever equated my depression, my suicidal thoughts or my inability to concentrate,sequence or retain memory as anything but "depresssion."

It didn't matter that I tried to insist that I "wasn't like this before the 'big crash.'"

Perhaps you could do a follow-up piece that talks about where all of us suffering from these symptoms, or loved one of people suffering from these symptoms can go to get help.
Or at least what they are doing to help post-concussion people.
Just a thought.

For years sport medicine professionals have been warning people about the ill effects of multiple concussions. It is very sad that such a tragic event has to bring the message home so that people will listen. The whole notion of just getting your "bell rung" needs to be put to rest. The new international guidelines on the management of concussions are much more conservative than in the past to recognize the dire consequences of the improper management of concussion.

Brain injury has been a hidden epidemic for far too long. People with brain injury do not want to go public for fear of being misunderstood. Chris Nowinski is a good example of subtle changes that can change over time. One can't help thinking what could have been prevented if Chris Benoit had recognized the effects of brain injury and if he had been open to seek help.

After having watched the Fifth Estate's program on professional wrestling and the arrogance of Vince McMahon I really have to wonder why this "sport" has not been banned. In addition to banning wrestling I think promoters of wrestling, like Vince McMahon should be held accountable for the deaths of the wrestlers, ie criminal charges.

Thank you so much for this in-depth investigation! In my heart, I never felt like this tragedy could be laid solely at the feet of steriod use. No matter how much scientific evidence points to this being a problem with Chris' brain and how continued hits to the head may have caused it, Vince McMahon will NEVER admit it publicly. That would be a mark against him and his organization.

My 7 year old grandson loved Chris Benoit and waited eagerly for his music to play on Monday nights. He was devestated when we had to tell him that Chris had died, like so many more fans. I hope that you will continue to do the in-depth investigations and reports that I have come to look forward to.

Having been an avid wrestling fan and life-long Chris Benoit fan, it relieves me to see media coverage that addresses the real issues. I am so sick of the "roid rage" story line.

Regardless of wrestlings fake matches, we still need to remember the individuals involved are real, with real bills, real families, and real responsibilities away from their chosen careers.

I am very happy to have been exposed to as much real world info about Chris as I was before his passing. It gave me the ability to question why this upstanding human being would behave as he did. It fueled my need to know the facts and not simply jump to conclusions. I hope this documentary restores the reputation of Chris. I have complete faith in his love and humanity.

I hope that even with his passing we can continue to learn more about the man away from the ring. I want to see stories of the Benoits as a family and not as a tragedy. My blessings and love will continue to go out to the remaining Benoits as well as the fallen. WE LOVE YOU!!!

I thought tonight's episode of the fifth estate pretty interesting. I hope people will now take concussions very serious

When this tragedy first came to light, everyone thought it had to be roid rage - the media jumped on the bandwagon and got everything wrong, no doubt due to Benoits profession.

Well now they find out the truth that it was brain damage - that Benoit could not be held responsible for his actions that June weekend, yet other then the fifth estate no one explains the story and the truth.

I always thought there was more to this especially because of everyones love and admiration for Chris, and the shock over his supposed actions. Kudos to the Fifth estate for bringing this to light. Hopefully something can be done to assure it doesn't happen to someone else.

Very interesting segment. As a child I suffered one very significant concussion and a handful of others in my teens. Playing goalie all my life I have sustained multiple severe head shots. Now at the age of 40, I am constantly surprised at how my short term memory seems to be deteriorating rapidly. This is a topic that certainly needs more study and more awareness.

I'm glad Chris nowinski is helping out by asking questions about concussions. Maybe changes will be implemented in wrestling sooner rather than later.

I cannot imagine what the Benoit family has gone through after Chris Benoit's death, although I was an avid fan of him so maybe I have idea of that trajedy's impact on one's heart and mind.

I hope his death and attention it has causen makes sure that the WWE continues it's act of cleaning itself up on the issues of the injuries on it's superstars, drug use (steroids) and the mental state of the company's superstars who go through long months of performing continously. (it's not easy)

I enjoyed your scrutinizing look into the death of Chris, and also others. I have never understood Vince McMahon; he does not want to lose the money that he has made, and is still making off of these guys, who end up broke, and broken at the end of their careers.

What he said on CNN is hogwash. Dementia/or alzheimers is a very strange illness, as the person can be lucid one minute, and then go into a rage the next. Then Vince says that he wouldnt have been able to function on a day to day level. He would say anything to keep the money rolling in. I applaud the neurologists who are studying the brain, and noting the effects of concussions/head injuries.

I commend Chris's father Mike for having the courage to face the hard questions that were presented in this documentary. This is the courage that he shows is exactly what we see is the Chris Benoit that we knew before the tragedy. Thank you all for looking deeper into this mystery and having the courage not to just jump on the "Roid Rage" bandwagon and to look past the surface to help us all understand what may have been going on with this troubled man that a lot of us looked up to and at one time respected.