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Lisa Marie Varon, otherwise known as Tara in TNA Wrestling, posted a blog on her MySpace account denying a rumor that circulated this past week accusing her as Chris Benoit’s secret mistress at the time of the Benoit family tragedy in June 2007.

Response to a Vicious Lie

I try not to respond to rumors. It’s a lose-lose situation. If you don’t respond, it seems like you may be avoiding the rumor because it is true. If you deny it, you are bringing more attention to a lie. Well, in this case I’m gonna respond. A MySpace friend emailed me yesterday to let me know that a wrestling gossip website is claiming that they have an anonymous source or sources that say I was Chris Benoit’s secret mistress at the time of his murder-suicide. First let me say, this is absolutely false. I invite the “reporter” from that website to come to my home city, and I will submit myself to a polygraph. If this website is at all concerned with the truth, they should jump at the opportunity. But frankly, I think they are just concerned about sensational headlines, and couldn’t care less about the facts behind it.

And the timing sure is conspicuous.Years after the event, but hours before my TNA wrestling debut. Could it be that a certain wrestling organization is concerned about what kind of impact that I will make in TNA? And what kind of coward would make such a powerful claim, and hide in the shadows of anonymity. Come forward. Legitimize your claim.

I have made every effort to move on and take the high road. The worst thing that I have said is that I wanted a different role. Believe me, in nine years with that organization, I have been aware of behavior so deviant that it would shock the devil himself. But as the old saying goes, the only thing certain about a mudslinging contest is that everyone gets dirty.

And finally, let me say this. To spread a lie like this hurts the survivors of a tragedy that already have gone through immeasurable suffering. Although it doesn’t excuse his behavior, studies on Chris Benoit’s brain after his death showed severe damage from years of wrestling-related injuries. That, mixed with mood and hormone altering drugs led to a horrible outcome. Before that, as we all have heard, he was very dedicated to his family. Don’t drag these victims and their families through vicious lies for the sake of attempting to take the wind out of my sails.

Again, I think the website that first posted this should feel obligated to come out here and polygraph me. Stand by your story.

But in the end, all you’ve done is hurt some innocent people with lies, and frankly, pissed me off, and motivated me to make TNA as good a product as I can.

Lisa Marie Varon
TARA is RIZING

Editor’s note: The report can be attributed to my website, pwpix.net, as I mistakenly posted the following e-mails sent to me by a person claiming to be related to the late Mike “Johnny Grunge” Durham (e-mail one and e-mail two) without investigating the matter further. While I did not fabricate the Victoria/Benoit story, I did however make a horrible case of judgement. For that I am sorry. I apologize for the grief I caused Ms. Varon, the Benoit family, and the many wrestling fans.