WWE icon Chris Benoit's son opens up on family tragedy

The surviving son of WWE icon Chris Benoit has opened up on his legacy. Photo / AP

David Benoit has revealed his plans to wrestle using his father Chris Benoit's name as he explained how he believed his late dad will one day be inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame.

Chris was widely regarded as the best technical wrestler in the business during the early 2000s and held the world title twice.

However, over a three-day period between June 22 and 24, 2007, the 40-year-old Canadian killed his wife Nancy Benoit and their seven-year-old son Daniel before taking his own life at their family home in Fayetteville, Georgia, in a tragedy that shocked the world.

Benoit's other son David is now aged 27 and this week opened up about the horrendous ordeal before explaining how he wants to pay tribute to his dad inside the ring.

Speaking to wrestling media personality Chris Van Vliet about how the media handled the reporting of the murder, David said: "The news was f***ing non-stop.

"It was either about steroids, steroids, steroids, or that Nancy Grace joke, it was terrible man. I couldn't even walk around.

"I didn't go to or finish school. I was 14 or 15. I didn't finish my finals. I finished high school, but just not that year."

David also explained how he felt the man who killed his mother and brother was not his real father, and that Chris' Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated head knocks, had affected his brain and way of thinking.

"That wasn't him, man. He would never do that. I know he wouldn't," he said.

"I think something went terribly wrong. The doctor said he had CTE. At the beginning, that somewhat gave me closure. He had CTE, so I don't think that was him."

WWE has since attempted to wipe Chris Benoit's name from its history — but David believes it will one day induct his dad into the Hall of Fame.

"I would like the WWE to remember him," he added.

"At least for the good times. I want him in the Hall of Fame."

David says he did not watch pro wrestling again until the formation of All Elite Wrestling last year.

Now watching that has lit a fire inside him and he wants to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a wrestler himself — and perform as Chris Benoit Junior while wearing similar ring attire and using the same theme music.

"I don't own (the rights to) his name yet. I have his middle name, I can legally use it and they can't come after me," David said.

"Yeah (I would wrestle as Chris Benoit Jr), I think it would be cool. I've got the tights with the claw.

"It looks like my dad's (outfit). I got one in white, one in blue. Gear's ready to go."