The final days of Chris Benoit will be re-told in a new big screen ‘biographical thriller’, entitled Crossface.
SRG Films have bought the rights to Matthew Randazzo’s book Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry, to retell the wrestler’s story, whose career and life ended in a double murder–suicide.
Sarah Coulter has already written the first draft of the script, which is expected to begin filming late next year. Talks are underway with potential actors and directors and the film already has an IMDB page.
Coulter says, “People immediately point to steroids, never thinking about the brain trauma these wrestlers can, and do, incur in their profession, nor do they consider the rigorous schedule that keeps them working even when they shouldn t be. The Benoit story is one that needs to be brought into the light.”
WWE.com announced Monday that former Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia is returning to the organization.
Returning to WWE full-time after a more than two-year hiatus, she will be SmackDown’s new ring announcer. It’s her first time joining WWE’s Friday night brand.
“I am here to tell you that I am back baby! This is awesome. I am actually back in the WWE. I’m going to be announcing SmackDown full-time,” she tells WWE.com in an interview at tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Tampa, Florida.
“I’ve been doing a lot, I got married since I left. I actually relocated from New York City to L.A. I have been recording—I’ve never stopped singing. I’ve been recording, got some new songs coming out, got a video coming out next week, so that’s exciting, I missed it though. No matter how much I did other things, I always missed this.
“I’ve continuously watched it and there was a time there that it was hard for me to actually watch it—I did have to step away a little bit just because I missed it. I would it watch it, and nostalgia, and I’d tear up and I’m like, ‘No, you did the right thing, you did the right thing’ and then no matter how much I tried to step away from it, it always like draw you in (laughs). It gets in your blood!”
She continues, “I’m excited about everything. I’m excited about singing again on the show, that’s going to be awesome, singing the national anthem again and every other opportunity that comes up with that. Oh my gosh, I miss the fans, so, so much. I miss you. And then the Superstars. Working with the Superstars was so incredible, I said it when I gave my goodbye speech, they are the best athletes in the world, so being back here, watching them, best seat in the house, is really terrific and it’s just so exciting and all the crew, everybody, behind the scenes, it’s just a great energy.”
Foleys recent interview addresses the possibility of a in ring return and also touches on the hot topics of the last 12 months involving foley.
His new career as a stand up comedian, and is his aspiration that it turns into something more, or were these tours it all along: “I’ll tell you were I didn’t want to lead, its me sitting on my couch 10 years from now saying I could have done that comedy if I just give it a try. I’ve done it a little bit a few years ago, but I got a little disheartened. I realized it would take alot of work, much more work I’d be willing to put in to really become good. I don’t know where it’s suppose to lead anywhere besides me to be able to speak about things that seem fun to me.”
On his latest book “Countdown To Lockdown” being plugged by WWE, and whether that started the train of thought of him wanting to return to the WWE: “I got a 203 area code phone call. It was WWE asking me if I mind if they mention my book on the air, and the other question was if you would like to do an interview with Joey Styles, and I was like yeah. So Joey called me up, and Ive known Joey for ages, and we have always gotten along very well, and he was like is this for real? Like, they have never done this to anybody, and what it did was it just instantly erased all the little grudges that I thought I had.”
Foley addresses the possibility of having “one more match” left in him, how his son has been asking him about it, and how he is physically capable of having a “decent” match (perhaps not an epic encounter), but he would need lead time to physically prepare. He also said that he likely doesn’t have one more book left in him, but he (jokingly) has the desire to be the leader in writer forewords for books.