They say love happens when you least expect it. But many couples have found love in the wrestling ring. Many notable couples met and started dating because of their jobs in the wrestling ring. Some of these match-ups were meant to be, others happened because other forces brought them together, like the story of Chris Benoit and Nancy Sullivan Benoit.
Chris Benoit:
According to the website PopularTimelines.com, Chris Benoit was born in May 1967 in Canada; he made his professional wrestling debut on November 22, 1985, in Calgary, Canada. It was a tag team match that he won with his partner Rick Patterson. In 1986, he went to Japan to begin training, which was usually the training ground for young wrestlers. Upon his return, Benoit began winning numerous bouts in the ring. The first was on March 18, 1988, when he won the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship. Here are some other important highlights according to SlamWrestling:
- In 1989, Stampede Wrestling closed and Benoit went back to Japan to compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
- That same year, he began wrestling as “The Pegasus Kid” and his identity by wearing a mask.
- In 1990, he won his first major title for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
- Twice in 1991, Benoit was unmasked, so he no longer used the moniker The Pegasus Kid.
- In 1992, Benoit began working for the World Championship Wrestling, where he stayed until 1994 when he went to Extreme Championship Wrestling. That same year, he earned the nickname The Crippler after injuring Rocco Rock.
- In 1997, Chris Benoit met Nancy Sullivan, the wife of WCW booker and wrestler Kevin Sullivan.
Nancy Toffoloni Benoit:
Nancy Benoit (formerly Toffoloni and Sullivan) was born in May 1964. Nancy loved watching and attending wrestling matches and soon found herself taking on the role of a pro wrestling manager. She was then married to wrestler and booker Kevin Sullivan. Here is Nancy’s timeline:
- Nancy attended DeLand High School in Florida and got a job at a State Farm Insurance office after graduation.
- Wrestling All Stars magazine was looking for an attractive girl for the cover of their June 1984 edition and Nancy Toffoloni fit the role. Nancy was 20 at the time.
- She began selling programs at Orlando shows and occasionally modeling for magazines, and this is where she met future husband, Kevin Sullivan.
- Sullivan recognized Nancy’s good looks and wanted her to become part of his team. She became his valet sometime later and was known as Fallen Angel.
- Nancy made her ring debut in June 1984.
- Sullivan wrote kayfabe storylines for wrestlers like The Lock, Luna Vachon, Purple Haze, and many others. He used a santanist gimmick for his promotions.
- Nancy and Kevin Sullivan married in 1985.
- That same year, she went into the ring herself in a bout against Debbie Combs for NWA Polynesian Wrestling but was disqualified.
Following these events, Nancy began managing other wrestlers and later returned to WCW in 1996 as Woman.
Chris Benoit and Nancy Sullivan Meet:
During the late 1990s, kayfabe was a big deal and Kevin Sullivan was the master of writing storylines for many wrestlers. He decided that Chris Benoit could use some traction in his career and featured him in a kayfabe plot with his wife, Nancy. The plot was that Chris and Nancy would fall in love and taunt Kevin. There would be film of them together at different locations; they were even encouraged to share the same room so as not to ruin the kayfabe plot.
This onscreen relationship developed into a real love affair off screen, and both Nancy and Chris left their spouses and began a relationship and had a son named Daniel
Unfortunately, their love affair ended badly. Chris lost one of his closest wrestling friends, and he suffered from pain all the time and was using steroids. These issues all led to the death of Nancy and Daniel and the suicide of Benoit. After the news broke, Vince McMahon said that Chris Benoit’s name would never be mentioned again, and as of now, he is not in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.
