In an example of life imitating art , Sullivan 's wife Nancy left him in favor of his rival , Chris Benoit , in 1997 . The situation began in late 1996 , when Sullivan conceived a storyline angle in WCW where Nancy , who under the ring name Woman was his manager , would leave him for Chris Benoit . Sullivan insisted that the two should travel together , share hotel rooms and hold hands in public to preserve kayfabe for the general public and to make the affair look real , but the storyline affair between Chris and Nancy became real in early 1997 . Nancy ultimately married Benoit in November 2000 . As a result , Sullivan and Benoit had a contentious backstage relationship at best , and Benoit defeated Sullivan in a Retirement match at Bash at the Beach in July 1997 . Benoit did , however , admit to having a certain amount of respect for Sullivan , saying on the DVD '' Hard Knocks : The Chris Benoit Story '' that Sullivan never took undue liberties in the ring during their feud , even though he blamed Benoit for breaking up his marriage . Sullivan later publicly paid tribute to Chris and Nancy after their deaths in June 2007
their deaths
Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)