Our Lady Peace Release “Reclaimed” Version of Chris Benoit Theme “Whatever” For Charity

The Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace has released a re-recorded version of their 2002 song "Whatever," famously known as the entrance theme for the late professional wrestler Chris Benoit. The band announced that all proceeds from the new recording will be donated to suicide prevention and mental health charities.

For much of his career, Chris Benoit was widely considered one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. His intense in-ring style and dedication to his craft earned him world championships in both WCW and WWE. However, his entire legacy was permanently and horrifically tarnished in June 2007 when he murdered his wife, Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, before taking his own life. In the aftermath, WWE has made a concerted effort to erase Benoit from its history, never mentioning his name or acknowledging his accomplishments.

The song "Whatever" became inextricably linked to this dark chapter in wrestling history. In 2012, Our Lady Peace made the decision to stop performing the song live. That hiatus was broken a few months ago during a performance in Calgary, Alberta, the same province as Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. The band addressed the song's complicated past before playing it for the crowd.

Now, the band has decided to reclaim the track for a positive cause. The newly released version, however, may surprise longtime fans, as it curiously omits the signature opening guitar riff that was a hallmark of the original. In a statement, Our Lady Peace explained their reasoning for revisiting the song.

We feel that enough time has passed that it was necessary to to re-record “Whatever” to help shine a light on suicide prevention and mental health awareness. We’re donating all monies earned from streaming Whatever to suicide prevention initiatives across North America.

The band's statement that "enough time has passed" is noteworthy. While the song itself was released on their album Gravity in 2002, the tragic events that linked it to Benoit occurred in June 2007, making it just over 18 years since the murder-suicide, not a full quarter-century. The re-release aims to transform a piece of music associated with a dark legacy into a vehicle for positive change.