By Scott Bowden
May 5, 2005
A tragic break: Scott Bowden remembers the late Chris Candido. Under the KFR Heat Lamp this week: Benjamin and HBK nearly stop the show on RAW, and WWE is in no Gold Rush to push Christian.
Like Eddie Gilbert, Rick Rude, Kerry Von Erich and Curt Hennig before, upon hearing the news of Chris Candido’s (Candito) passing, I received a phone call from Kevin Lawler. It’s become an all-too-tragic tradition. Minutes before I saw the headline on Dave Meltzer’s Web site announcing Candido’s death from a staph infection or blood clot resulting from complications of surgery for his broken ankle, Kevin had learned of Candido’s death from his father, Jerry Lawler, in Memphis.
We reminisced for a bit, thinking back to Memphis in May 1991, when Chris “Charisma” Candino (later changed to Candido) debuted, working a Jesse “the Body” Ventura type gimmick, complete with feather boa. It really didn’t suit him, something he realized later in ECW when he went his “No Gimmicks Needed” moniker.
In his WMC-TV debut on Saturday, May 18, Candido teamed with Bill Dundee and Ben Jordan to work with Tex Slazenger (the future Phinneous Godwinn in WWF), Tom Prichard (the future Zip Body Donna in WWE) and the Master Blaster (no idea). Years later, Candido would team with Prichard—managed by Tammy (as Sunny) to defeat the Godwinns for the WWF tag titles at WrestleMania 12.
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The Monday following his TV debut, I met Chris and his girlfriend (and future wife) Tammy Sytch at the Pipkin Building at the Memphis Fairgrounds, and recall the second-generation worker as being wide-eyed, enthusiastic and nervous. Because of that, he reminded me of Brian Lawler, Tony Williams and myself—all of us were still in our teens and had just gotten started in the business we’d dreamt about for years. Chris was only about 19 years old at the time. He was so eager to make an impression with his work, asking Kevin if he thought his dad would be watching his match. I believe the late Dennis Carluzzo, a mutual friend of Candido’s and Lawler’s in New Jersey, had been instrumental in getting the kid a shot in the territory.
Candido appeared to know the history of the area, voicing his disappointment over not being able to work in the Mid-South Coliseum, which had forced out the Memphis promotion a couple of months earlier. (The promotion would return to “The House that Lawler Built” by August.)
Months ago, I wrote a column detailing a night on the road with Chris, Tammy, Kevin Lawler and Eddie and Doug Gilbert. I was embarrassed for Chris on that ride back from Nashville to Memphis because Tammy was overtly flirting with Gilbert in front of the boys. Now it seems trivial, as Chris and Eddie are no longer with us. It’s so hard for me to believe they both passed away at the age of 33. Maybe that hits home for me because I just celebrated my 34th birthday last Saturday, the day after Chris died.
Chris and Tammy had several ups and downs, with both battling personal demons that not only damaged their careers but also could have killed them. According to their peers, in months before his death, Chris and Tammy seemed to have put the past completely behind them and been on solid ground. That’s what makes his passing tragic for many of us—he had turned it around, accepted responsibility for his past and was committed to teaching the younger generation about the business—and the pitfalls to avoid.
Recently, Jeff Jarrett and Dusty Rhodes took a chance on him by giving him a few bookings in NWA: TNA, and they were rewarded with the Candido of old: enthusiastic and eager to please. For his efforts, he earned an official spot on the roster, an agreement TNA intended to honor even after Chris broke his ankle during a match at the TNA Lockdown PPV. In his last TV appearance for the company, Chris worked as a manager in a wheelchair, helping the Naturals win the NWA tag titles.
At only 33, Chris Candido still had time to leave a positive legacy on the business. In some ways, he managed to do just that. His brother Johnny Candito points out that it wouldn’t have been right for Chris to leave us before he had cleaned up his life. “…For him to go out two or three years ago wouldn’t have been a fitting end to the life of such a determined, passionate, and benevolent human being. Chris went out a happy man.”
Rest easy, Chris.
KFR Heat Lamp
Show Stealers If Not Stoppers: Hot show on RAW last week, highlighted by a spectacular (though short) bout between Shelton Benjamin and Shawn Michaels in the Gold Rush tournament to determine a number-one contender for Batista’s World title.
Once they figure out what to do with him, superstardom is going to come for Benjamin. The company will either address the crowd’s boos and turn him heel, a move that worked wonders for Rocky “Sucks” Maivia, or allow him to slowly build a babyface following with his outstanding work and innovative moves. Either way, the guy’s the real deal. That being said, this is the third high-profile defeat for Benjamin, who still keeps the Intercontinental title. No wonder fans don’t care about championships anymore—they’ve been educated not to.
Born-Again Christian? Just when you thought perhaps Christian was about to receive a much-deserved singles push, he’s beaten by Kane in the first round of the Gold Rush tournament. Judging from his rap performance at Backlash, it appeared as if he might be leaving for SMACKDOWN! to challenge Cena for the WWE title.
At this point, that’d be a mistake to rush that program as no one would believe he’d stand a chance—Christian’s done too many jobs. Granted, he’s looked fantastic doing it, but the fans won’t buy him as a main-eventer without a strong six-month push. Hell, even with all the jobs he’s done, the fans—his peeps—are really into his gimmick as Capt. Charisma. Don’t see him getting a break on the RAW side, so perhaps a move to the “other brand” would be best for everyone. Like Benjamin, the guy’s got a bright future as heel or babyface down the road.
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