Kanyon found dead, what a a waste and shame.

[CraigThe13th]

Just read that Chris Kanyon,former WCW & WWF star, has been found dead from an overdose, possibly suicide. This is the type of horrible news us wrestling fans are used to, doesn't make it feel any better though especially if you were a fan of their work

I am a big fan of his and loved his work in WCW as Mortis and then as Kanyon. He used a lot of moves that were well ahead of their time and I really enjoyed watching the guy in the ring. I think WWE treated him like crap and really degraded him for his sexuality having him dress up as Boy George and then getting squished (can't remember who squashed him, sure someone here will tell me) then releasing him. He could have been a good worker for WWE if not for that.

Now I'm not sure what personal problems he had, I'm sure he had some seeing as his passing might have been suicide but I remember reading somewhere that he felt persecuted in WWE once his sexuality became known.
I won't pretend to KNOW why he died or what happened properly leading to this sad situation. But I wonder maybe if being a gay man in a profession which is known for being homophobic with few who ever 'come out' publicly was a leading factor in his downward spiral?

It's something I was thinking about recently with the Flair/Orlando's boyfriend situation. Just wondered what all you think about homophobia in wrestling? is it really as bad as it seems? and what part, if any do you think this played in the passing of another quality wrestler who could have been so much more

Hope this post doesn't offend anyone and is set out right. I don't post often on here but felt the urge after reading the bad news.

 

[MozRKO]

i liked the guy too. i always thought he could have been used better than he was, but enjoyed watching him just the same.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

Such a shame.

Chris was always one of my favorites in WCW. He was so innovative and extremely entertaining. I was just watching his Kanyon Cutter videos on youtube a couple days ago.

He never got a fair shake in the WWE, like a lot of guys that came from WCW.

R.I.P.

 

[Poɘt]

Very sad news. Kanyon was a real innovator (which was rare in the 90s for N.American wrestlers, still is sorta) in the ring and a great athlete. If you never told me Mortis was Kanyon, I wouldn't have known because the guy could change his style with ease.

With this bad news that leaves only member left from the Triad. Live strong DDP.

I think wrestling, despite the obvious connection to looking gay, really needs to look at what they think is "wrong" with being gay. I mean, pro wrestling has had every low angle in the book done multiple times, yet these grown men can't accept the sexuality of a co-worker? It's 2010, more people are coming out and being open with their homosexuality. If you don't learn to accept it, then eventually it will be all the homophobes that are pushed out of locker rooms for being ignorant.

Though with this, I can't say being gay had anything to do with Kanyon's apparent suicide. Idk, maybe it did lead to him not getting more bookings, but I really don't know. Sorta don't care, just sad he's gone.

 

[jmt225]

So simple, yet one of the better catch phrases of the nineties and new millennium:

Who Better?

That's what he'll always be remembered for.

But that's not all for me personally. Kayon was one of the few entertaining things about WCW during its dying days, and also during the Invasion angle as well. Truly one of the rare guys who could work a match, and also pull off funny comedic segments.

While he doesn't have any 5 star classics under his belt or anything like that, no one can deny his capabilities in the ring, not just as a performer, but as a teacher as well, with WCW putting faith in him to train the Ready to Rumble actors, and WWE giving him a big training role in OVW.

He was a very gifted talent to the professional wrestling industry, and it's sad to see his life get cut short, after a career that didn't come anywhere close to living up to its full potential.

RIP

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's always a shame when the hardships and pressures of life leads someone to suicide. From the things I'm reading right now, Kanyon suffered from Bipolar Disorder and was founed with an empty pill bottle along with several notes in close proximity to his body. It's also being said that he'd talked about and threatened suicide in the past.

I can't say that I was really a fan of Kanyon's work. The only time I was ever into the guy was when he was using the Mortis gimmick in WCW. But, at least to some degree, Kanyon made it to the dance, had some time in the spotlight and wrestled in the big leagues. As with similar wrestling tragedies, there will probably be some fingerpointing or at least the blame will attempted to be put on someone, or just pro wrestling in general. I don't think there's really anyone or anything to blame in this situation. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the prospect of going on living is worse than death for some. Whatever plagued Kanyon in his life got the better of him in the end and he died alone. It really is the stuff that tragedy is made of.

 

[Travaje]

I'll always remember "Who Better?" For me, that catchphrase is right up there with "What?".

I'd never heard of a thing called a Death Pool before a friend asked me if I wanted to join his this year. Even though I think a death pool is really f'ed up, I did. I picked 20 wrestlers. He thought I was nuts. Kanyon was one of my picks. This really comes as no surprise, although it's still sad when it happens and nobody wants to see somebody suffer in pain all through their life. It's too bad.

 

[Attitude_Raven]

i figured out a coule hours ago, it ruined my day, but well... i'll always remember Chris for what he did in WCw, he was a great talent and took part in a lot of good factions and storylines. since the Blood runs Cold thing, then the Raven's Flock, the Jersey Triad, "Champagne" Chris Kanyon (loved that gimmick), the fall from the top of the triple cage at Slamboree 200, the New Blood and his Positivelly Kanyon gimmick, and then his return with that awesome theme (who sounded like a JH version of "Comedown" by Bush)... i guess he's partying with Bam Bam Bigelow right now..
it gets me asking the eternal question over and over again ¿why the ones that bust their asses entertaining us die, instead of the politicians, mobsters and other pieces of shit that ruin our world?
well, homophobia in Wrestling is an issue that i don't see ending anytime soon, despite the late 90s broke a lot of taboos, Wrestling is still popular beetween rednecks, most of them are still being raised under orthodox values, so when they see some gay guy they think it's an unnatural thing. I peronally don't have anything against gay people, they're in their own right to feel whatever the hell they feel, as long as they don't try to convert other people (lol)

RIP Chris Kanyon,
BEER UP on his honor

 

[Davi323]

This is going to sound harsh, but I don't give a damn that Kanyon is dead. I have no respect for anyone who commits suicide. As soon as you do that, you are nothing but a chicken shit coward in my view. I don't buy in to the canonization of any wrestler who dies, where everyone suddenly has nothing bad to say about them, when 2 days ago, would have blasted them for being crappy. Its hypocritical, and it happens all the time. Take wrestler X, alive, fans think he was a piece of shit, waste of ring time, not entertaining, etc, then they die, and suddenly wrestler X is one of the most under appreciated guys ever. The same fans that would blast him suddenly praise him. And for what? Because the coward wasn't man enough to realize that living is better than dying? Because he decided to take the easy way out? Bullshit. We all have problems, some more than others, but, I will never accept that committing suicide is the right way to deal with those problems. Lets not kid ourselves, while the media might try to claim that it could have been an "accidental" overdose, I suspect that we all immediately thought as soon as we heard the word overdose, the first words that popped in our heads was suicide.

Who better than Kanyon?

Everyone who has the strength to go on living.

I fully expect to be blasted for this post, but I don't care. I am not going to pretend that Kanyon was the greatest wrestler ever, like some hypocrites will no doubt try to do. I don't care if my opinion is unpopular, because its the truth.

 

[CraigThe13th]

This is going to sound harsh, but I don't give a damn that Kanyon is dead. I have no respect for anyone who commits suicide. As soon as you do that, you are nothing but a chicken shit coward in my view. I don't buy in to the canonization of any wrestler who dies, where everyone suddenly has nothing bad to say about them, when 2 days ago, would have blasted them for being crappy. Its hypocritical, and it happens all the time. Take wrestler X, alive, fans think he was a piece of shit, waste of ring time, not entertaining, etc, then they die, and suddenly wrestler X is one of the most under appreciated guys ever. The same fans that would blast him suddenly praise him. And for what? Because the coward wasn't man enough to realize that living is better than dying? Because he decided to take the easy way out? Bullshit. We all have problems, some more than others, but, I will never accept that committing suicide is the right way to deal with those problems. Lets not kid ourselves, while the media might try to claim that it could have been an "accidental" overdose, I suspect that we all immediately thought as soon as we heard the word overdose, the first words that popped in our heads was suicide.

Who better than Kanyon?

Everyone who has the strength to go on living.

I fully expect to be blasted for this post, but I don't care. I am not going to pretend that Kanyon was the greatest wrestler ever, like some hypocrites will no doubt try to do. I don't care if my opinion is unpopular, because its the truth.

I don't think anyone (at least in this thread) has made Kanyon out to be more than he ever was, which was a good midcard wrestler who popularized a few of the moves used today who was entertaining. You have your point about people donning the rose tinted glasses for gone/passed away wrestlers. But I don't see where you've picked up that here. It isn't great that Kanyon killed himself but I would never shit on a guy for taking his own life unless I'd walked a mile in his shoes. You don't know what Kanyon had to deal with in his life,none of us really do. Not really constructive is it? It's just hateful and insensitive.

 

[Davi323]

Oh, wait. It will happen. It always does. First, there will be the artificial post-mortem improvement to his career, then someone will no doubt create a "Kanyon for the Hall of Fame?" thread.

I don't give a shit what he had going on his life, committing suicide is a cowardly act. Don't care if he was gay, straight, a druggie, clean, sick, healthy, I simply don't care. I also refuse to canonize Kurt Cobain. A hero to the rock community? Fuck him. He decided his own misery was more important than being a husband, more important than being a father.

This is the same thing. When someone commits suicide, they aren't just affecting themselves, there is always collateral damage. I don't care if I am being perceived as being hateful and insensitive, Chris Kanyon took the coward's way out. I call things the way I see them, and I have no respect at all for people like Kanyon. We all have problems. Some people's lives are flat out fucked up. But, 99.99% of those people with really fucked up lives still possess the courage to keep going. In fact, his life was probably easier than the vast majority of those that live in the third world, yet, they don't all commit suicide, do they? They have absolutely no possessions, are repressed by tribal warlords, etc, are starved, and someone wants to tell me that Kanyon's life was so damned awful that killing himself was better than going on living?

No offense man, but simply claiming we haven't walked in his shoes is really a weak defense. His life was easier and more comfortable than a large chunk of the world's population, and yet they go on. People with absolutely nothing at all find reasons to go on living, so I refuse to accept the idea that Kanyon didn't.

People need to stop bitching and moaning, stop measuring their lives as failures because of what they don't have, and start measuring their lives by what they do have. Trust me, when you focus on what you have, instead of what you don't, you are much happier.

 

[oogieboogie]

This is the same thing. When someone commits suicide, they aren't just affecting themselves, there is always collateral damage.

His life was easier and more comfortable than a large chunk of the world's population, and yet they go on. People with absolutely nothing at all find reasons to go on living, so I refuse to accept the idea that Kanyon didn't.

People need to stop bitching and moaning, stop measuring their lives as failures because of what they don't have, and start measuring their lives by what they do have. Trust me, when you focus on what you have, instead of what you don't, you are much happier.

You know what? I agree with your posts and especially the points you have made above. I also agree that suicide is the easy way out.

Regardless of what Kanyon was going through there are so many more people in the world going through much worse situations but they still decide to carry on and make a life for themselves with a lot less.

 

[Window Licker 101]

I was always a big fan of Chris and although very young at the time when watching his WCW work I was amazed by him. He was very special and an all round excellent wrestler. In WWE it sickens me how they treated him for what he was worth. Heres a man who was practically a big star in WCW and in WWE you relegate him to Velocity and crush him via A-Train and Rhyno?! Disgusting absolutly disgusting. Chris was one who always gave his all just a shame the Pro Wrestlign world couldn't give as much back. Who better? Quite frankly nobody. R.I.P Chris. Us diehards will miss you

 

[harrythem]

The only plus side of this death is that, although young, at least it was suicide rather then another "wrestler dies from drug abuse" case. Might sound harsh but, I think for the industry as a whole that's the only upside in this. Shame he's gone, was a talented mid-card heel but, I said this when he was alive and I wont change it just because he's dead (hence why I still think Princess Diana is a bit of a two-faced slag) but I thought he was a bit pathetic. He had the talent to create amazing moves and would've been an asset to any company in an agent role but, instead, he was happy to let WCW and WWE base him as a bit of a moron with a funny voice and, even worse, when he came out of the closet he tried to make a career out of his sexual orientation, which is pathetic. I don't care if you're gay/straight or like shagging turnips, keep your personal life personal and don't use it to annoy an audience (I'm looking at YOU too Orlando Jordan!!)

I just wish he'd won his independent contractors dispute with the WWE, that would have been an amazing legacy to leave the business (as in more freedom for the wrestlers and, dare I say it, even a union) instead that, like most of his career, failed. Shame but, life goes on while all those around him who tried to get him help are left to pick up the pieces from his selfish act