WWE News: Kurt Angle Praises Chris Benoit, Says ‘He Was Incredible’ And One Of Top Three Of All Time

Chris Benoit will always be remembered for the tragic final days of his life and what took place in his home with his family. For the majority of his life leading up to that point, he was a wrestler, and that was all that truly mattered to him. Many people fail to remember that or even look at his professional career due to the fact that he murdered his wife and son. However, current Monday Night Raw General Manager Kurt Angle thinks Benoit is one of the best of all time.

In the summer of 2007, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son in their Georgia home before taking his own life two days later. Researchers have suggested that depression and brain damage resulting from numerous concussions suffered throughout a 20-plus wrestling career contributed to his actions.

Those 20 years of wrestling provided a number of memories for fans and those who stepped into the ring with him. One of those men was current Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, who recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho to discuss a number of topics, and one of those was Chris Benoit.

During the conversation with Chris Jericho, the topic of working with Chris Benoit came up, as both superstars did that a lot throughout their careers.

“He was…he was. I never had anyone match my intensity the way he did. He was always there, blow for blow. It was just like a mirror. I was wrestling me. Actually, I picked up my intensity when I was working with Chris. But, it does kind of suck that a lot of those matches are kind of forgotten…especially Royal Rumble (2003).

“It just had everything. It had submission trade-offs and this was, I mean, I would see Dean Malenko and [Jericho] do it…trade-off…here and there, in WCW. But this was really the first time and the whole match was based on it.”

Kurt Angle not only faced off with Chris Benoit on many occasions, but they also held the WWE Tag Team Championship together at one point. They were always involved in different angles together, and Angle truly sees Benoit as “incredible” and believed he could do it all.

For those wanting to see some of the matches that Angle was referring to, you won’t be able to find them on the WWE Network. The company does not show any footage with Benoit and won’t mention him on television or in reference to anything at all.

As transcribed by Wrestling Inc., Angle told Chris Jericho that he regards Benoit at the top of any list of wrestlers in history, but it doesn’t take away the awful things he did.

“I’m sorry, but he has got to be in the top three of all time. I mean, you can’t deny that. I mean, even Bret Hart will tell you that. I’m not going to excuse any of the things Chris did outside of wrestling, but when he was in that ring, he was possibly the greatest of all time.”

No matter what brings up Benoit’s name in wrestling conversation, the topic will always go to his horrible actions during the final days of his life. Despite all he accomplished in the ring, nothing will ever take away the fact that he took the lives of his family, which is why even Jim Ross believes he’ll never be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Considering the way Chris Benoit ended his life and the lives of his family members, it is almost a certainty that he will never make it into the WWE Hall of Fame. It is pretty much a given that he won’t even be mentioned again by the company, but there are those who still remember him and the work he performed in the ring. Kurt Angle truly believes Benoit is one of the best wrestlers of all time, but that still doesn’t excuse his final actions.

[Featured Image by WWE]