My weekly two-hour escape from reality was invaded last Monday night.

By reality, of all things.

Yes, I am a professional wrestling fan, more specifically a WWEfan. Each Monday night, I sit in front of the TVand let my mind drift into the ring with the characters and storylines.

It truly is sports entertainment and it put a smile on my face every week.

Until last Monday.

Expecting to be entertained by a three-hour special connected to the demise of Vince McMahon (the character, not the actual person), I was shocked to learn of the death of Chris Benoit.

Those who follow pro wrestling know of Benoit's background. Tremendous amateur wrestler. Knowledgeable of countless holds and in-ring maneuvers. Lousy with the microphone. In great physical condition and thus able to put together lengthy, entertaining matches in the ring with others like him.

WWE's Monday night Raw canceled its scheduled live show that night. Instead, those three hours of air time were devoted to a tribute to Benoit. He was portrayed as a hard-working ring technician who earned the respect of his peers, as a devoted family man who relished time with his wife and children.

Whenever Benoit experienced a memorable wrestling moment, his wife and youngest son were right alongside him to celebrate it.

When Benoit won the WWEworld title in 2004 — yes, of course, it was rigged that way — but it culminated an 18-year wait for Benoit to become "the man" in the wrestling business. He embraced his son in the ring as confetti flew everywhere.

Three years later, evidence shows that he smothered his son to death. He allegedly strangled his wife to death, then hung himself in his own weight room where he habitually worked out for years.

Anabolic steroids were found in the home. Old needle marks were found on the arm of his dead 7-year-old boy.

So much for my escape from reality.

Benoit becomes the 13th pro wrestler within the past five years to die young. That is a sickening statistic.

His best friend in the business was Eddie Guerrero — who he also embraced in the ring on that night in 2004 — who himself died the following year.

Are these wrestlers too big physically through un-natural means?Is the constant travel and matches in the ring — leaving little or no time for the body to recover — too much to withstand?

Likely, it's a combination of those things.

As I've heard of these wrestlers dying one by one — Bam Bam Bigelow, Sensational Sherri, Guerrero, Curt Hennig, Crash Holly, etc. — I justified it in my mind that they were victims of choice.

They opted for the fame and doing what they loved to do in exchange for the risk of their bodies, and their lives, giving out early.

Benoit's wife and son were not victims of choice. They were victims of innocence.

I can't just turn the page and move on this time.

Hopefully, the WWEand pro wrestling world can't, either.