Chris Candido
Chris Candido | |
---|---|
![]() Candido in 1998 | |
Birth name | Christopher Barrett Candito |
Born | [1] Edison, New Jersey, U.S.[2] | March 21, 1972
Died | April 28, 2005[1] New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.[2] | (aged 33)
Cause of death | Acute pneumonia brought on by surgery |
Partner | Tammy Lynn Sytch (1990–2005) |
Family | Johnny Candido (brother) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Chris Candido[1] Skip[1] |
Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] |
Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg)[1] |
Billed from | Asbury Park, New Jersey Spring Lake, New Jersey |
Trained by | Larry Sharpe[1] |
Debut | 1986[1] |
Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American
In the course of his career, Candito held
Early life
Candito was the grandson of "Popeye" Chuck Richards, a wrestler for the
While attending Red Bank Catholic High School,[3] he met and fell in love with Tammy Lynn Sytch, and the two began a lifelong relationship. Sytch would later become his valet.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1986–1992)
As a teenager, Candito and his friend
Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1992-1995)
Championship reigns (1992–1994)
In 1992, Candido and Sytch (billed as "Tamara Fytch") were signed by Jim Cornette for his Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion.[5]
Between September and November 1993, Candido won the SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship on three occasions, trading the title with Bobby Blaze. He went on to win the SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship in December 1993 and again in July 1994.
In 1994, Candido formed a tag team with
NWA World Heavyweight Champion (1994–1995)
On November 19, 1994, Candido won a 10-man tournament, defeating
In late 1994, Candido formed a tag team with
Eastern Championship Wrestling (1993)
In 1993, Candito began wrestling as Chris Candido for
World Wrestling Federation (1995–1996)
In 1995, Candido and Sytch were signed by the World Wrestling Federation, with Candido renamed "Skip" and Sytch renamed "Sunny". Debuting on WWF television in May 1995, the duo were given the gimmick of a pair of arrogant fitness gurus who would mock their opponents and members of the audience for being unfit, with Candido performing push-ups during his matches.[5][8]
In July 1995, Candido began feuding with Barry Horowitz, a career jobber, after Horowitz scored an upset victory over him on an episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge using a roll-up while Candido performed push-ups. Candido faced Horowitz in a bout at SummerSlam on August 27, 1995, with Horowitz once again defeating Candido.[9][10]
In late-1995, the portly
On January 21, 1996, at the
Following the departure of Sunny, The Bodydonnas would eventually turn face, and announced that they were seeking a new manager. At King of the Ring on June 23, 1996, they introduced their new manager, the transvestite "Cloudy" (portrayed by Candido's friend Jimmy Shoulders).[16]
In late-1996, Candido left the WWF and rejoined Eastern Championship Wrestling, which had since been renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996–1999)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Candido_Doing_the_Nature_Boy_Strut.jpg/220px-Candido_Doing_the_Nature_Boy_Strut.jpg)
After leaving the WWF, Candido returned to ECW at
Candido made his final appearance with ECW in December 1999.
He was supposed to show up at the One Night Stand Pay-per-view for a match but he died two months beforehand.
World Championship Wrestling (2000)
In March 2000, Candido debuted in
In June 2000, Candido briefly aligned himself with
Independent circuit (2000–2005)
Candido had two runs with
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2001–2002)
Candido wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2001 and 2002.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Chris_Candido_turnbuckles.jpg/220px-Chris_Candido_turnbuckles.jpg)
Candido debuted in
Death
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Gilbert_and_Candido_HHoF.jpg/220px-Gilbert_and_Candido_HHoF.jpg)
At Lockdown on April 24, 2005, Candido fractured both his tibia and fibula and dislocated his ankle during a steel cage match with Lance Hoyt against Apolo and Sonny Siaki.[17] He underwent surgery the next day to have titanium plates and screws inserted into his leg. He was at the following Impact! tapings managing The Naturals to defeat America's Most Wanted to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[17]
On April 28, 2005, Candido felt ill and his condition worsened during the day. He collapsed in the evening and was rushed to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[2][17] He was diagnosed with pneumonia. Doctors drained his lungs, but Candido died soon afterwards. He was 33 years old. His brother Johnny initially believed that Candido died due to a blood clot, a complication from surgery.[17] In a 2016 interview, Johnny would reveal that Chris' autopsy confirmed that he did not die from a blood clot, but rather acute pneumonia brought on by his surgery.[22] This death had a profound effect on fellow wrestlers such as CM Punk, who in 2014 voiced his concern over the possibility of a post-elbow surgery clot similar to what had erroneously been believed to have killed Candido.[23]
TNA subsequently held the Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament in his honor in late 2005. In 2009, he was inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame.[24]
Other media
Both Candido and Sytch were featured on the Vice TV docuseries Dark Side of the Ring, aired on May 30, 2023. [25]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Chris_Candido_Vertical_Suplex_Jerry_Lynn.jpg/220px-Chris_Candido_Vertical_Suplex_Jerry_Lynn.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Chris_Candido_Flying_Leg_Drop.jpg/220px-Chris_Candido_Flying_Leg_Drop.jpg)
Championships and accomplishments
- California Creative Wrestling
- CCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[26]
- Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling
- Hardcore Hall of Fame
- Class of 2009
- Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling
- ISPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Jersey Championship Wrestling
- JCW Television Championship (1 time)
- Legacy Wrestling Enterprises
- LWE World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[30]
- Mid-American Wrestling
- MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[31]
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA World Championship Tournament (1994)
- NWA Midwest
- NWA New Jersey
- NWA New Jersey Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[34]
- Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling
- PCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Smoky Mountain Wrestling
- United States Extreme Wrestling
- USEW United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[40]
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro United States Championship (1 time)[41]
- World Championship Wrestling
- 1 time)[21]
- World Wrestling Association
- World Wrestling Council
- 1 time)[42]
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Zip[13]
- WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1996) - with Zip
- Xtreme Pro Wrestling
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Most Underrated (1995)[44]
1Candido defended the championship with either Hotbody or Michaels under the
See also
- The Bodydonnas
- Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
- The Triple Threat
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Chris Candido Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ Gannett Company. April 30, 2005. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ISBN 9781554902743. Accessed September 25, 2019. "The veteran indie star was a graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School and wrestled professionally since he was a teenager."
- )
- ^ a b c d e Murphy, Ryan (January 12, 2011). "Where Are They Now? Sunny". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ Cris Candido vs Tracey Smothers, NWA tournament finals, retrieved 2021-02-22
- ^ a b c "ECW Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ )
- ^ "SummerSlam 1995 - Full Event Results". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ Difino, Lennie (October 22, 2008). "Where Are They Now? Barry Horowitz". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ "SurvivorSeries 1995 - Full Event Results". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ "Ring Results: 1995". The History of WWE. Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "World Tag Team Championship - Skip & Zip". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ "World Tag Team Championship - The Godwinns". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ "World Tag Team Championship - The Smokin' Gunns". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-55490-544-7.
- ^ )
- ^ a b c Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Chris Candido - matches - World Championship Wrestling". Cagematch.net. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- )
- ^ Hall, Thomas (6 September 2015). "Spring Stampede 2000". BlogOfDoom.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Cruiserweight Championship - Chris Candido". WWE. Archived from the original on 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ a b "The CHRIS CANDIDO Story - Part 3: Redemption Before Death". prowrestlingstories.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-22.
- ^ Punk, CM; Cabana, Colt (December 23, 2014). CM Punk - Art of Wrestling Ep 226 w/ Colt Cabana (Podcast). ColtCabana. Event occurs at 40:55. Retrieved September 18, 2021 – via YouTube.
So I get that elbow surgery, and I'm right back on television, and I'm right back at it, and I'm scared that I'm going to get a blood clot and die, because that's what happened to Chris Candido.
- ^ "Legends of the Arena Results 6.27.09".
- ^ "Chris and Tammy".
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "The Suicide Blonds' first ECW Tag Team Championship reign". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05.
- ^ "The Suicide Blonds' second ECW Tag Team Championship reign". Archived from the original on 2014-05-06.
- ^ "Chris Candido and Lance Storm's first ECW World Tag Team Championship reign". Archived from the original on 2014-05-06.
- ^ "Independent Wrestling Results - December 2002". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ^ "Independent Wrestling Results - November 2004". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "NWA World Heavyweight Championship reign".
- ^ "NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "NWA New Jersey Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners - Inspirational Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1998". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
- ^ "SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship history".
- ^ "SMW Tag Team Championship history".
- ^ "SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "United States Extreme Wrestling title histories". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ "USA Pro United States Championship history".
- ^ "WWC World Television Championship history".
- ^ "XPW World Heavyweight Championship history".
- ^ "Awards".
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Chris Candido at IMDb
- Chris Candido's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database