Italia 1 Drops Smackdown!

MILAN, July 3: Mediaset’s Italia 1 says it has stopped
broadcasting World Wrestling Entertainment’s Smackdown!, following the murder-suicide involving WWE star
Chris Benoit.

Last weekend, Benoit was found dead in his home; authorities
ruled that he had committed suicide after killing his wife and 7-year-old son.
In a statement, the Italian broadcaster said that decision had been made to
pull the programming “out of respect for younger viewers who should not run the
risk of confusing reality and fantasy.”

Luca Tiraboschi, the director of Italia 1, stated: "As
long as it was "blows" between characters half way between
superheroes and cartoon characters, it worked well as entertainment. But when a
crime of this nature risks contaminating our offer, then it’s time for Italia 1
to back down."

Smackdown! aired on
the Italian network every Sunday.