1 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:08,276 {\an8}Chris Kanyon was so ahead of his time. 2 00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:10,570 {\an8}He was amazing. 3 00:00:10,594 --> 00:00:11,821 {\an8}[Commentary] with moves like that! 4 00:00:11,845 --> 00:00:13,448 {\an8}I loved working with that mother... er. 5 00:00:13,472 --> 00:00:15,867 {\an8}Kanyon, the Innovator of Offense, 6 00:00:15,891 --> 00:00:17,660 {\an8}living up to his reputation. 7 00:00:17,684 --> 00:00:19,829 {\an8}He called himself the Innovator of Offense. 8 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:21,456 {\an8}...trying to get this, oh, my goodness! 9 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,499 {\an8}How about that, a cradle neck breaker! 10 00:00:23,523 --> 00:00:25,251 {\an8}Might end up getting stuck, look at this! 11 00:00:25,275 --> 00:00:26,419 {\an8}Oh, my goodness! 12 00:00:26,443 --> 00:00:27,962 {\an8}[narrator] In the 1990s, 13 00:00:27,986 --> 00:00:30,673 {\an8}wrestler Chris Kanyon rose from obscurity 14 00:00:30,697 --> 00:00:33,509 {\an8}to become one of the most innovative and versatile 15 00:00:33,533 --> 00:00:36,638 {\an8}performers of the era, pioneering a style that 16 00:00:36,662 --> 00:00:39,057 {\an8}would set the stage for decades to come. 17 00:00:39,081 --> 00:00:42,101 {\an8}I would say he's one of the most 18 00:00:42,125 --> 00:00:44,562 {\an8}underappreciated wrestlers of all time. 19 00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:45,980 {\an8}Chris is one of those guys who deserve 20 00:00:46,004 --> 00:00:48,775 {\an8}so much more respect, so much more notoriety, 21 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:49,943 {\an8}and so much more love 22 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:52,153 {\an8}for everything he did for wrestling. 23 00:00:52,177 --> 00:00:55,448 {\an8}Despite success and the adulation of his peers, 24 00:00:55,472 --> 00:00:57,450 {\an8}Kanyon lived with a deep secret, 25 00:00:57,474 --> 00:00:59,285 {\an8}which he believed, if revealed, 26 00:00:59,309 --> 00:01:01,663 {\an8}would end his career in an instant. 27 00:01:01,687 --> 00:01:04,958 {\an8}I had no idea he was gay. 28 00:01:04,982 --> 00:01:08,544 {\an8}Here was a guy twice my size that's just, 29 00:01:08,568 --> 00:01:10,672 {\an8}[mimicking raspy voice] always talking about, 30 00:01:10,696 --> 00:01:13,424 {\an8}"... the queers! I ain't got time for that!" 31 00:01:13,448 --> 00:01:16,636 {\an8}That, to me, was like the greatest kept secret. 32 00:01:16,660 --> 00:01:19,264 {\an8}And, I'm one of Chris' best friends. 33 00:01:19,288 --> 00:01:21,516 {\an8}Concealing the truth became an obsession, 34 00:01:21,540 --> 00:01:23,977 {\an8}and his increasingly erratic behaviour 35 00:01:24,001 --> 00:01:25,853 {\an8}deeply concerned and terrified 36 00:01:25,877 --> 00:01:27,647 {\an8}those closest to him. 37 00:01:27,671 --> 00:01:30,525 {\an8}Then he started doing a bunch of crazy shit. 38 00:01:30,549 --> 00:01:32,110 {\an8}The house would be destroyed, 39 00:01:32,134 --> 00:01:34,070 {\an8}or my car would be destroyed, 40 00:01:34,094 --> 00:01:36,489 {\an8}or my clothes would be torn up. 41 00:01:36,513 --> 00:01:38,074 {\an8}And at that point, I was like, 42 00:01:38,098 --> 00:01:40,660 {\an8}"You just tried to ing kill me." 43 00:01:40,684 --> 00:01:42,745 {\an8}Just holding onto a secret, 44 00:01:42,769 --> 00:01:43,955 {\an8}not being able to share it with your 45 00:01:43,979 --> 00:01:45,415 {\an8}closest friends and family. 46 00:01:45,439 --> 00:01:48,084 {\an8}Not being able to tell them who you really are, 47 00:01:48,108 --> 00:01:50,169 {\an8}that must have killed him for so long. 48 00:01:50,193 --> 00:01:52,463 {\an8}Literally, it was an emotional rollercoaster. 49 00:01:52,487 --> 00:01:56,509 {\an8}He was manic. Really just out of his mind. 50 00:01:56,533 --> 00:02:01,222 {\an8}It was a painful thing to watch him disintegrate, really. 51 00:02:01,246 --> 00:02:04,684 {\an8}His life played out the way he saw it, 52 00:02:04,708 --> 00:02:06,853 {\an8}'cause we all manifest our own reality. 53 00:02:06,877 --> 00:02:14,877 {\an8}♪ 54 00:02:17,012 --> 00:02:19,991 {\an8}Who's better than Kanyon?! 55 00:02:20,015 --> 00:02:21,451 {\an8}In the 90s, it was like 56 00:02:21,475 --> 00:02:22,618 {\an8}You had to have a catch phrase. 57 00:02:22,642 --> 00:02:24,412 {\an8}You had to have a catch phrase! 58 00:02:24,436 --> 00:02:25,830 {\an8}[raspy voice] "Who better than Kanyon?" 59 00:02:25,854 --> 00:02:30,043 {\an8}- "Who better!" - "Who better than Kanyon!" 60 00:02:30,067 --> 00:02:32,587 {\an8}Who better than Kanyon? Nobody! 61 00:02:32,611 --> 00:02:34,130 {\an8}Well, he shows me something different every time. 62 00:02:34,154 --> 00:02:36,507 {\an8}Kanyon has really revolutionized our sport. 63 00:02:36,531 --> 00:02:39,260 {\an8}Brought in some moves that no one's even thought of. 64 00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:40,303 {\an8}That was different. 65 00:02:40,327 --> 00:02:42,638 {\an8}As far as guys I loved to be in the ring with 66 00:02:42,662 --> 00:02:45,683 {\an8}and dance, as we call it, haha... 67 00:02:45,707 --> 00:02:47,935 {\an8}Chris Kanyon's the top 5%. 68 00:02:47,959 --> 00:02:49,812 {\an8}'Cause it was just fun. 69 00:02:49,836 --> 00:02:52,315 {\an8}It's me, it's DDP. 70 00:02:52,339 --> 00:02:54,067 {\an8}Diamond Dallas Page. 71 00:02:54,091 --> 00:02:56,194 {\an8}Master of the Diamond Cutter. 72 00:02:56,218 --> 00:02:57,737 {\an8}[Cheering]. Oh! 73 00:02:57,761 --> 00:03:00,656 {\an8}I think he did the independent wrestling style 74 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,408 {\an8}before anybody else. 75 00:03:02,432 --> 00:03:05,119 {\an8}I'm Nick Jackson, this is my brother, Matt Jackson. 76 00:03:05,143 --> 00:03:06,412 {\an8}We're The Young Bucks. 77 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:09,207 {\an8}We're very good friends with Chris Kanyon. 78 00:03:09,231 --> 00:03:11,209 {\an8}He doesn't realize so much of us, as kids, 79 00:03:11,233 --> 00:03:12,710 {\an8}as teenagers, we watched Chris. 80 00:03:12,734 --> 00:03:15,338 {\an8}The way that he took moves and the way he sold moves, 81 00:03:15,362 --> 00:03:17,256 {\an8}and the way he strung along offense. 82 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,634 {\an8}You see another one of his innovative moves. 83 00:03:19,658 --> 00:03:20,927 {\an8}There was something special about Chris. 84 00:03:20,951 --> 00:03:22,178 {\an8}Everyone loved him. 85 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:24,097 {\an8}And he was funny, and he was bright, 86 00:03:24,121 --> 00:03:25,139 {\an8}and he was witty. 87 00:03:25,163 --> 00:03:27,767 {\an8}I would call him the King of Sunnyside, New York. 88 00:03:27,791 --> 00:03:29,477 {\an8}Hi, my name is Rafael Morffi. 89 00:03:29,501 --> 00:03:31,771 {\an8}I'm a 20-year pro wrestling executive. 90 00:03:31,795 --> 00:03:33,940 {\an8}I grew up with Chris Klucsarits, aka, 91 00:03:33,964 --> 00:03:36,692 {\an8}Chris Kanyon, in Sunnyside, Queens, New York. 92 00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:39,612 {\an8}And I went to grammar school with Chris and high school, 93 00:03:39,636 --> 00:03:43,074 {\an8}and as luck would have it, work with him at WWE. 94 00:03:43,098 --> 00:03:45,368 {\an8}Middle class, blue collar area. 95 00:03:45,392 --> 00:03:47,745 {\an8}A lot of Catholics. 96 00:03:47,769 --> 00:03:50,331 {\an8}In our parish, he would be in the corner with 97 00:03:50,355 --> 00:03:53,251 {\an8}some of his friends, putting on these shows. 98 00:03:53,275 --> 00:03:55,837 {\an8}He adored wrestling. 99 00:03:55,861 --> 00:03:57,964 {\an8}I don't think he was ever comfortable 100 00:03:57,988 --> 00:04:00,967 {\an8}about his sexual orientation. 101 00:04:00,991 --> 00:04:03,177 {\an8}That comes from where he grew up, 102 00:04:03,201 --> 00:04:05,096 {\an8}his religious beliefs. 103 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,473 {\an8}He had a struggle at our high school. 104 00:04:07,497 --> 00:04:10,435 {\an8}He was overheard cursing his teacher and, 105 00:04:10,459 --> 00:04:13,229 {\an8}sent him to the chaplain of our school. 106 00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:16,983 {\an8}And he just blurted out, "I'm gay." You know, 107 00:04:17,007 --> 00:04:21,487 {\an8}"Don't give into Satan, don't give into temptations." 108 00:04:21,511 --> 00:04:25,491 {\an7}The animosity Chris had towards this person who told him that... 109 00:04:25,515 --> 00:04:30,329 {\an8}Chris says, "That's who I am so, why is it wrong?" 110 00:04:30,353 --> 00:04:33,499 {\an8}I think it had a big effect on him. 111 00:04:33,523 --> 00:04:34,834 {\an8}And really broke my heart. 112 00:04:34,858 --> 00:04:36,502 {\an8}I was like, man, I wish I knew. 113 00:04:36,526 --> 00:04:41,299 {\an8}I wish I knew he was going through this. 114 00:04:41,323 --> 00:04:44,010 {\an8}So, when I first started hanging around with Kanyon, 115 00:04:44,034 --> 00:04:47,680 {\an8}he presented himself as a guy from New York, 116 00:04:47,704 --> 00:04:50,975 {\an8}a tough New York, you know, Queens guy, 117 00:04:50,999 --> 00:04:57,064 {\an8}who was very Catholic and very anti-homosexual. 118 00:04:57,088 --> 00:05:01,402 {\an8}I am The Sinister Minister, Father James Mitchell. 119 00:05:01,426 --> 00:05:04,822 {\an8}I have been known as Daryl Van Horne in 120 00:05:04,846 --> 00:05:05,823 {\an8}Smoky Mountain Wrestling. 121 00:05:05,847 --> 00:05:07,909 {\an8}I'm sure your mother's waiting for you in the tool shed! 122 00:05:07,933 --> 00:05:11,412 {\an8}I was known as James Vandenberg in WCW. 123 00:05:11,436 --> 00:05:13,122 {\an8}..and twist his body! 124 00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:17,752 {\an8}He showed me this tape of him doing a match in the streets. 125 00:05:17,776 --> 00:05:20,463 {\an8}I said, you know, "I could really do 126 00:05:20,487 --> 00:05:22,507 {\an8}something with you, Kanyon. 127 00:05:22,531 --> 00:05:25,968 {\an8}What we need to do is get you into a ring. 128 00:05:25,992 --> 00:05:29,055 {\an8}And the only wrestling ring that I know of around here 129 00:05:29,079 --> 00:05:32,225 {\an8}is the one that Fabulous Moolah has." 130 00:05:32,249 --> 00:05:35,561 {\an8}Brought in the hard way by the fabulous one. 131 00:05:35,585 --> 00:05:38,648 {\an8}For over half a century, the Fabulous Moolah was 132 00:05:38,672 --> 00:05:41,192 {\an8}one of the industry's leading power brokers, 133 00:05:41,216 --> 00:05:44,987 {\an8}controlling nearly all aspects of women's wrestling. 134 00:05:45,011 --> 00:05:47,532 {\an8}He was pretty marked out that he was 135 00:05:47,556 --> 00:05:49,784 {\an8}in the presence of a legend. 136 00:05:49,808 --> 00:05:53,079 {\an8}Moolah normally trained women. 137 00:05:53,103 --> 00:05:56,541 {\an8}I had told him, "Just keep your mouth shut. 138 00:05:56,565 --> 00:06:00,378 {\an8}Let me do the talking. Let me see if I can 139 00:06:00,402 --> 00:06:03,839 {\an8}bullshit her, get you in the door." 140 00:06:03,863 --> 00:06:06,217 {\an8}She looked at him, she was very impressed. 141 00:06:06,241 --> 00:06:08,719 {\an8}♪ 142 00:06:08,743 --> 00:06:11,931 {\an8}Moolah would run these tiny shows for her students. 143 00:06:11,955 --> 00:06:14,892 {\an8}Mae Young was there, and she would get in there all the time 144 00:06:14,916 --> 00:06:18,938 {\an8}and jump on Kanyon and stomp the shit out of him. 145 00:06:18,962 --> 00:06:22,316 {\an8}She'd rip big wads of hair out of his head. 146 00:06:22,340 --> 00:06:25,403 {\an8}"Van! What's going on? This bitch is crazy! 147 00:06:25,427 --> 00:06:26,779 {\an8}She's shooting on me!" I'm like, 148 00:06:26,803 --> 00:06:29,907 {\an8}"Just put up with it. You'll be okay." 149 00:06:29,931 --> 00:06:31,409 {\an8}By the mid 90s, 150 00:06:31,433 --> 00:06:34,745 {\an8}Kanyon catches the attention of World Championship Wrestling, 151 00:06:34,769 --> 00:06:37,290 {\an8}and is soon realizing his dream performing 152 00:06:37,314 --> 00:06:40,167 {\an8}regularly on national television. 153 00:06:40,191 --> 00:06:43,170 {\an8}I first met Chris when I went to WCW and, 154 00:06:43,194 --> 00:06:45,923 {\an8}he used to be in a tag team called Men At Work where 155 00:06:45,947 --> 00:06:47,967 {\an8}they used to go around and measure things 156 00:06:47,991 --> 00:06:50,928 {\an8}for no apparent reason. [Laughing] 157 00:06:50,952 --> 00:06:53,264 {\an8}He started getting a little bit of steam because he had 158 00:06:53,288 --> 00:06:56,309 {\an8}such a great reputation amongst the other wrestlers. 159 00:06:56,333 --> 00:06:59,437 {\an8}He had this really super thick accent. 160 00:06:59,461 --> 00:07:00,980 {\an8}He also had a little bit of a lisp, 161 00:07:01,004 --> 00:07:02,189 {\an8}which used to bother him. 162 00:07:02,213 --> 00:07:04,775 {\an8}He was always nervous to do a promo on air 'cause 163 00:07:04,799 --> 00:07:06,736 {\an8}he was always kind of worried about his lisp. 164 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,656 {\an8}[Indistinct] ...and found to be condemned! 165 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,242 {\an8}Everyone saw the potential that he had to be top star, 166 00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:15,286 {\an8}and that's when they started giving him a little bit more 167 00:07:15,310 --> 00:07:17,913 {\an8}to do on the show and kind of expanding his role. 168 00:07:17,937 --> 00:07:19,999 {\an8}He was getting to live his dream. 169 00:07:20,023 --> 00:07:25,630 {\an8}This was a time when he was really happy. 170 00:07:25,654 --> 00:07:29,717 {\an8}He went to pack up and go to Memphis, I believe. 171 00:07:29,741 --> 00:07:32,011 {\an8}I get a phone call, and I see it on the caller ID and 172 00:07:32,035 --> 00:07:34,388 {\an8}I'm excited. Christopher Klucsarits, and I picked it up. 173 00:07:34,412 --> 00:07:37,141 {\an8}"Kanyon! How are you doing?" He goes, 174 00:07:37,165 --> 00:07:39,310 {\an8}"Van, I have something to tell you." 175 00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:40,770 {\an8}"Okay, what's that?" 176 00:07:40,794 --> 00:07:42,813 {\an8}"I had one of those big U-Haul things, 177 00:07:42,837 --> 00:07:45,733 {\an8}and my cousins were trying to move it. 178 00:07:45,757 --> 00:07:51,113 {\an8}And Van, gay pornography exploded all over the street! 179 00:07:51,137 --> 00:07:54,033 {\an8}It was like a piñata of gay porn! 180 00:07:54,057 --> 00:07:56,160 {\an8}And I panicked, and they said, 181 00:07:56,184 --> 00:07:57,870 {\an8}'Kanyon, what the... is that'? 182 00:07:57,894 --> 00:08:00,289 {\an8}And I said, 'That's Daryl Van Horne's! 183 00:08:00,313 --> 00:08:02,416 {\an8}He, he, he pulls ribs on people. 184 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,086 {\an8}He's a sick mother... er! He's probably gay, himself. 185 00:08:05,110 --> 00:08:06,587 {\an8}I bet it's his!'". 186 00:08:06,611 --> 00:08:09,632 {\an8}So, that's how he came out to me. 187 00:08:09,656 --> 00:08:12,551 {\an8}And I said, "Okay, so what?" He goes, 188 00:08:12,575 --> 00:08:14,804 {\an8}"So, you need to call my cousin." 189 00:08:14,828 --> 00:08:18,307 {\an8}And he had this very elaborate script written out where 190 00:08:18,331 --> 00:08:21,560 {\an8}I couldn't be too obvious, but I had to say, 191 00:08:21,584 --> 00:08:25,022 {\an8}"Hey, can you get me in touch with Kanyon because 192 00:08:25,046 --> 00:08:30,069 {\an8}I left some materials with him." And the thing was, 193 00:08:30,093 --> 00:08:34,198 {\an8}I was the only person Kanyon told he was gay. 194 00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:38,202 {\an8}And, my job was to cover for him. 195 00:08:38,226 --> 00:08:41,414 {\an8}What really was a huge break for Chris, 196 00:08:41,438 --> 00:08:43,999 {\an8}was they came up with this campaign. 197 00:08:44,023 --> 00:08:46,585 {\an8}Our world is about to change. 198 00:08:46,609 --> 00:08:49,547 {\an8}The Blood Runs Cold story line casts wrestler 199 00:08:49,571 --> 00:08:51,507 {\an8}Ray Lloyd as Glacier, 200 00:08:51,531 --> 00:08:54,927 {\an8}a character inspired by Mortal Combat's Sub Zero. 201 00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:58,514 {\an8}While Kanyon emerges as his nemesis, Mortis, 202 00:08:58,538 --> 00:09:01,475 {\an8}with Manager James Vandenberg at his side. 203 00:09:01,499 --> 00:09:04,270 {\an8}That's the coolest mask gimmick ever. 204 00:09:04,294 --> 00:09:12,294 {\an8}♪ 205 00:09:15,555 --> 00:09:20,369 {\an8}This was... a huge break. 206 00:09:20,393 --> 00:09:22,747 {\an8}And it was a great combination with Vandenberg. 207 00:09:22,771 --> 00:09:25,040 {\an8}"Vandenballs", he used to call him. 208 00:09:25,064 --> 00:09:27,168 {\an8}He used to torture Vandenballs, man. 209 00:09:27,192 --> 00:09:29,211 {\an8}He was vicious. 210 00:09:29,235 --> 00:09:31,297 {\an8}He was vicious. [Laughing] 211 00:09:31,321 --> 00:09:36,051 {\an8}But, Vandenballs never has a career without Chris Kanyon. 212 00:09:36,075 --> 00:09:38,304 {\an8}And he loved Vandenballs, he loved him. 213 00:09:38,328 --> 00:09:41,974 {\an8}- [Cheering] - Oh! 214 00:09:41,998 --> 00:09:44,310 {\an8}Oh! That was right in the chest! 215 00:09:44,334 --> 00:09:48,272 {\an8}We were celebrating a great victory or something. 216 00:09:48,296 --> 00:09:50,649 {\an8}I went to turn the car on, and it wouldn't start. 217 00:09:50,673 --> 00:09:53,402 {\an8}He started screaming, and yelling, and cursing at me. 218 00:09:53,426 --> 00:09:55,696 {\an8}I go, "Kanyon, it's not a big deal. 219 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:57,239 {\an8}I'll call a taxi, whatever." 220 00:09:57,263 --> 00:09:58,866 {\an8}And, he just started increasing it. 221 00:09:58,890 --> 00:10:00,117 {\an8}Anyhow, the car starts. 222 00:10:00,141 --> 00:10:01,827 {\an8}So, now we're riding home to Atlanta. 223 00:10:01,851 --> 00:10:04,872 {\an8}The whole time, he's throwing elbows in my face going, 224 00:10:04,896 --> 00:10:07,500 {\an8}"You mother... er! I... ing hate you! 225 00:10:07,524 --> 00:10:10,920 {\an8}You... ing piece of shit!" I'm just going, "What? 226 00:10:10,944 --> 00:10:13,422 {\an8}What's wrong with you, man?" 227 00:10:13,446 --> 00:10:17,301 {\an8}And we got to the parking garage. He kicked, 228 00:10:17,325 --> 00:10:21,347 {\an8}actually kicked my ing passenger door open. 229 00:10:21,371 --> 00:10:23,307 {\an8}"You mother... er!" 230 00:10:23,331 --> 00:10:28,103 {\an8}And he began to kick out every headlight, brake light. 231 00:10:28,127 --> 00:10:29,980 {\an8}Jumped up and down on the hood. 232 00:10:30,004 --> 00:10:34,527 {\an8}Totally destroyed my car. Bashed the glass out of it. 233 00:10:34,551 --> 00:10:36,654 {\an8}"Get the... out of here! I hate you. 234 00:10:36,678 --> 00:10:38,072 {\an8}I never want to see you again! 235 00:10:38,096 --> 00:10:40,991 {\an8}If I didn't have a lisp, I would never have anything to 236 00:10:41,015 --> 00:10:44,495 {\an8}do with you, 'cause I can't do a promo." 237 00:10:44,519 --> 00:10:47,540 {\an8}And then, I looked at him, I let it sit for a minute. 238 00:10:47,564 --> 00:10:52,169 {\an8}And I went... "Okay." 239 00:10:52,193 --> 00:10:54,046 {\an8}"That's a hell of a thing to say to the only guy 240 00:10:54,070 --> 00:10:55,881 {\an8}who knows your secret identity." 241 00:10:55,905 --> 00:10:57,699 {\an8}♪ 242 00:11:03,329 --> 00:11:06,308 {\an8}As Chris Kanyon reaches new heights wrestling for 243 00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:08,727 {\an8}one of the industry's top promotions, 244 00:11:08,751 --> 00:11:11,188 {\an8}he becomes even more paranoid about his 245 00:11:11,212 --> 00:11:14,900 {\an8}colleagues discovering his innermost secret. 246 00:11:14,924 --> 00:11:18,571 {\an8}If you were gay back then, you were a bad guy. 247 00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:20,239 {\an8}You were a heel. 248 00:11:20,263 --> 00:11:22,533 {\an8}You were the guy that you would do the Sunset Flip 249 00:11:22,557 --> 00:11:23,576 {\an8}and they would pull your pants down, 250 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,327 {\an8}you'd have a thong on. 251 00:11:25,351 --> 00:11:27,037 {\an8}Look at this! [Laughing] 252 00:11:27,061 --> 00:11:28,414 {\an8}[Cheering] 253 00:11:28,438 --> 00:11:32,209 {\an8}Back in those days, it just wasn't as accepted as it is now. 254 00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:35,462 {\an8}Oh, my gosh! A man kissing another man! 255 00:11:35,486 --> 00:11:36,755 {\an8}I can't believe it! 256 00:11:36,779 --> 00:11:38,299 {\an8}Absolutely, I'm sure Kanyon was worried about 257 00:11:38,323 --> 00:11:39,592 {\an8}how that would be presented. 258 00:11:39,616 --> 00:11:41,343 {\an8}Oh, my god! Oh! 259 00:11:41,367 --> 00:11:42,636 {\an8}Wait a minute. 260 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:45,139 {\an8}It wasn't gonna be a positive thing. 261 00:11:45,163 --> 00:11:47,933 {\an8}My name is Brian Cage. Current AEW wrestler. 262 00:11:47,957 --> 00:11:49,977 {\an8}Big time fan, very close friend, 263 00:11:50,001 --> 00:11:53,314 {\an8}and also unofficial trainee of Chris Kanyon. 264 00:11:53,338 --> 00:11:56,483 {\an8}Just because of the creative control that wrestling 265 00:11:56,507 --> 00:11:57,985 {\an8}could have, you know, that easily could have 266 00:11:58,009 --> 00:11:59,653 {\an8}lost him his job, for sure. 267 00:11:59,677 --> 00:12:03,324 {\an8}He had what looked like a control center. 268 00:12:03,348 --> 00:12:06,994 {\an8}He would spend days trolling for boyfriends. 269 00:12:07,018 --> 00:12:10,289 {\an8}He had all these long winded conversations with guys, 270 00:12:10,313 --> 00:12:12,166 {\an8}and he would print everything out. 271 00:12:12,190 --> 00:12:14,001 {\an8}Alphabetize them, organize them. 272 00:12:14,025 --> 00:12:17,838 {\an8}And he would put them in this little metal box. 273 00:12:17,862 --> 00:12:20,925 {\an8}So, you'd have the usual suspects come running in 274 00:12:20,949 --> 00:12:23,928 {\an8}and, they'd ask what was in the box. 275 00:12:23,952 --> 00:12:25,471 {\an8}He'd say, "None of your ing business!" 276 00:12:25,495 --> 00:12:27,806 {\an8}And he started getting really paranoid about the box, 277 00:12:27,830 --> 00:12:30,100 {\an8}to a point, I started calling it Pandora's Box. 278 00:12:30,124 --> 00:12:33,270 {\an8}I said, "Kanyon, why do you have this? 279 00:12:33,294 --> 00:12:35,773 {\an8}You're worried about being outed as being gay, 280 00:12:35,797 --> 00:12:39,109 {\an8}but this is like Nixon keeping Watergate tapes." 281 00:12:39,133 --> 00:12:42,529 {\an8}Maybe he wanted somebody to knock it over just like 282 00:12:42,553 --> 00:12:45,324 {\an8}his gay porn fell out of the U-Haul thing 283 00:12:45,348 --> 00:12:49,161 {\an8}with his cousin, you know. That could have been it. 284 00:12:49,185 --> 00:12:52,039 {\an8}What was great about the Mortis character for Chris, 285 00:12:52,063 --> 00:12:54,875 {\an8}was that you could hide behind the mask. 286 00:12:54,899 --> 00:12:57,378 {\an8}And, little did I know that he was hiding 287 00:12:57,402 --> 00:12:59,296 {\an8}behind a mask the whole time. 288 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,050 {\an8}Mortis really gave him that power to grow. 289 00:13:03,074 --> 00:13:04,677 {\an8}What a move, what a move! 290 00:13:04,701 --> 00:13:07,221 {\an8}And then a little thing happened called... 291 00:13:07,245 --> 00:13:11,350 {\an8}the N.W.O. 292 00:13:11,374 --> 00:13:12,893 {\an8}What is he doing? 293 00:13:12,917 --> 00:13:14,853 {\an8}Is he the third man?! 294 00:13:14,877 --> 00:13:17,356 {\an8}You can call this the 295 00:13:17,380 --> 00:13:21,235 {\an8}New World Order of wrestling, brother. 296 00:13:21,259 --> 00:13:24,154 {\an8}And I will never forget Kanyon. 297 00:13:24,178 --> 00:13:28,325 {\an8}He looked at me, he goes, "Our push is dead." 298 00:13:28,349 --> 00:13:30,828 {\an8}And he was right. The NWO took over the world. 299 00:13:30,852 --> 00:13:32,621 {\an8}I hope it's okay because 300 00:13:32,645 --> 00:13:34,832 {\an8}there's nothing you can do about it! 301 00:13:34,856 --> 00:13:37,793 {\an8}All of that gimmicky character-based 302 00:13:37,817 --> 00:13:40,212 {\an8}wresting stuff went out the window. 303 00:13:40,236 --> 00:13:43,632 {\an8}We're on reality-based wrestling, not cartoons. 304 00:13:43,656 --> 00:13:45,300 {\an8}He started getting really frustrated about it. 305 00:13:45,324 --> 00:13:48,053 {\an8}You just opened Pandora's Box! 306 00:13:48,077 --> 00:13:50,639 {\an8}The stress off it started making him 307 00:13:50,663 --> 00:13:53,392 {\an8}really lash out at me for no reason. 308 00:13:53,416 --> 00:13:56,228 {\an8}One night, he went off on me. 309 00:13:56,252 --> 00:14:00,149 {\an8}"You mother... er!" And started choking me, 310 00:14:00,173 --> 00:14:04,445 {\an8}like this, with the thumbs on the Adam's apple, 311 00:14:04,469 --> 00:14:09,033 {\an8}to the point that I, I blacked out. 312 00:14:09,057 --> 00:14:11,368 {\an8}And I started coming to and I was hearing, 313 00:14:11,392 --> 00:14:12,953 {\an8}"You mother... you mother... er!" 314 00:14:12,977 --> 00:14:15,998 {\an8}And then he, he looked down at me and he goes, 315 00:14:16,022 --> 00:14:18,500 {\an8}"Oh, Van... [gasping] 316 00:14:18,524 --> 00:14:19,835 {\an8}What am I doing? I'm so sorry! 317 00:14:19,859 --> 00:14:21,670 {\an8}I, I... ing love you. I'm... ing sorry." 318 00:14:21,694 --> 00:14:23,714 {\an8}And he started kissing my forehead and shit. 319 00:14:23,738 --> 00:14:26,300 {\an8}And, you know, and I was loyal to him, 320 00:14:26,324 --> 00:14:28,677 {\an8}and I loved him, and he, he helped me so much. 321 00:14:28,701 --> 00:14:32,598 {\an8}But, there's no reason to be beating my ass. 322 00:14:32,622 --> 00:14:36,268 {\an8}You know, he had to release his steam and he couldn't 323 00:14:36,292 --> 00:14:39,897 {\an8}act that way in front of other people. 324 00:14:39,921 --> 00:14:42,191 {\an8}With the Mortis storyline now over, 325 00:14:42,215 --> 00:14:45,486 {\an8}Chris grows anxious about his future with the company. 326 00:14:45,510 --> 00:14:47,613 {\an8}But WCW finds him a new role. 327 00:14:47,637 --> 00:14:50,282 {\an8}- That's, that's Mortis! - Oh, my... 328 00:14:50,306 --> 00:14:52,201 {\an8}You know, we haven't seen Mortis for months. 329 00:14:52,225 --> 00:14:53,744 {\an8}Now without a mask, 330 00:14:53,768 --> 00:14:56,371 {\an8}he is reintroduced to fans as Kanyon. 331 00:14:56,395 --> 00:14:58,040 {\an8}Now we can see Chris. 332 00:14:58,064 --> 00:15:00,709 {\an8}We can see, 'cause he looks, he's a good looking dude. 333 00:15:00,733 --> 00:15:02,503 {\an8}You know, he's got swag. 334 00:15:02,527 --> 00:15:06,965 {\an8}Now he's got a different level of confidence. 335 00:15:06,989 --> 00:15:09,843 {\an8}Who's better than Kanyon? 336 00:15:09,867 --> 00:15:12,846 {\an8}Eric Bischoff had a lot of faith in Chris Kanyon. 337 00:15:12,870 --> 00:15:15,933 {\an8}I mean, he sent him to do Ready to Rumble. 338 00:15:15,957 --> 00:15:19,770 {\an8}That match, everything, all that's Chris Kanyon. 339 00:15:19,794 --> 00:15:23,732 {\an8}That generation loved Ready to Rumble. 340 00:15:23,756 --> 00:15:25,901 {\an8}It's the best wrestling movie of all time. 341 00:15:25,925 --> 00:15:27,611 {\an8}[Laughing] 342 00:15:27,635 --> 00:15:29,738 {\an8}Kanyon helped teach David Arquette 343 00:15:29,762 --> 00:15:31,073 {\an8}how to wrestle and how to take the bumps. 344 00:15:31,097 --> 00:15:33,158 {\an8}And then he even took some of the stunts. 345 00:15:33,182 --> 00:15:34,660 {\an8}He was a stunt double in the, 346 00:15:34,684 --> 00:15:37,287 {\an8}in the film, itself. 347 00:15:37,311 --> 00:15:40,290 {\an8}Someone came up with the three-level cage match. 348 00:15:40,314 --> 00:15:45,420 {\an7}And then it was his idea to use that cage in actual WCW match. 349 00:15:45,444 --> 00:15:48,173 {\an8}Chris took a bump from the top from Mike Awesome, 350 00:15:48,197 --> 00:15:49,716 {\an8}big moment. 351 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:51,343 {\an8}- Oh! - [Match bell chiming] 352 00:15:51,367 --> 00:15:52,469 {\an8}It was just great to see him. 353 00:15:52,493 --> 00:15:53,887 {\an8}Like, he's in the mix. 354 00:15:53,911 --> 00:15:56,306 {\an8}He would make fun of me all the time. 355 00:15:56,330 --> 00:15:59,184 {\an8}He would do his DDP impersonation. 356 00:15:59,208 --> 00:16:01,145 {\an8}He was having such a good time with it. 357 00:16:01,169 --> 00:16:02,271 {\an8}Bang! 358 00:16:02,295 --> 00:16:05,232 {\an8}WCW had the money to spend on these guys. 359 00:16:05,256 --> 00:16:07,109 {\an8}Chris probably went from making, you know, 360 00:16:07,133 --> 00:16:09,111 {\an8}100 bucks a day to making, you know, what, 361 00:16:09,135 --> 00:16:10,696 {\an8}3, 4, 500 grand a year. 362 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,781 {\an8}He was spending it, but in a good way. 363 00:16:12,805 --> 00:16:16,326 {\an8}He loved to play lord bountiful 364 00:16:16,350 --> 00:16:19,621 {\an8}and put on the best parties. 365 00:16:19,645 --> 00:16:22,791 {\an8}He turned his house into 366 00:16:22,815 --> 00:16:25,627 {\an8}a beach bar nightclub. 367 00:16:25,651 --> 00:16:30,549 {\an8}Like, literally. He brought in sand. 368 00:16:30,573 --> 00:16:33,010 {\an8}The women were crawling on him. 369 00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:35,846 {\an8}I'm not kidding. Crawling on him. 370 00:16:35,870 --> 00:16:37,973 {\an8}And he completely no sells it. 371 00:16:37,997 --> 00:16:40,100 {\an8}And, one of the girls one night, 372 00:16:40,124 --> 00:16:41,393 {\an8}comes over to me and she goes, 373 00:16:41,417 --> 00:16:44,563 {\an8}"I think your friend might be gay." 374 00:16:44,587 --> 00:16:48,609 {\an8}And I told him that. He got really paranoid then. 375 00:16:48,633 --> 00:16:50,944 {\an8}♪ 376 00:16:50,968 --> 00:16:54,406 {\an8}So, he had assigned me to 377 00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:57,826 {\an8}make a pornographic video of him 378 00:16:57,850 --> 00:17:03,040 {\an8}that he could show the boys as proof that he was straight. 379 00:17:03,064 --> 00:17:04,458 {\an8}"Find a whore. 380 00:17:04,482 --> 00:17:07,044 {\an8}Here's the room and here's my video camera. 381 00:17:07,068 --> 00:17:09,254 {\an8}Here's the script. 382 00:17:09,278 --> 00:17:11,632 {\an8}I'll be there about midnight." 383 00:17:11,656 --> 00:17:13,425 {\an8}And he never showed up. 384 00:17:13,449 --> 00:17:15,093 {\an8}One o'clock, two o'clock, whatever. 385 00:17:15,117 --> 00:17:18,347 {\an8}So, nature took its course. 386 00:17:18,371 --> 00:17:20,974 {\an8}Long story short, we followed his script. 387 00:17:20,998 --> 00:17:24,228 {\an8}And the girl was wearing the Mortis mask, okay. 388 00:17:24,252 --> 00:17:27,022 {\an8}♪ 389 00:17:27,046 --> 00:17:29,316 {\an8}In the morning, we're in the hotel room, 390 00:17:29,340 --> 00:17:33,570 {\an8}and I pop the tape in. Kanyon laughed at first, 391 00:17:33,594 --> 00:17:37,407 {\an8}and then you could see him start getting furious. 392 00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:41,161 {\an8}And he ran in the bathroom, and out of nowhere he goes, 393 00:17:41,185 --> 00:17:44,248 {\an8}"You mother... er! You used my hair conditioner!" 394 00:17:44,272 --> 00:17:47,251 {\an8}I was like, "Kanyon, I don't even have... ing 395 00:17:47,275 --> 00:17:49,586 {\an8}three pieces of hair on my head." 396 00:17:49,610 --> 00:17:51,213 {\an8}And he's just amping it up and I, 397 00:17:51,237 --> 00:17:53,548 {\an8}and I started seeing... 398 00:17:53,572 --> 00:17:55,884 {\an8}the things that led to me getting choked. 399 00:17:55,908 --> 00:18:02,516 {\an8}However, I had a 45 pistol under the pillow. 400 00:18:02,540 --> 00:18:04,393 {\an8}And he hit me with both fists in the chest and 401 00:18:04,417 --> 00:18:05,852 {\an8}I flew over the bed. 402 00:18:05,876 --> 00:18:07,896 {\an8}I hit the ground and I came right back up, 403 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:09,439 {\an8}slid across, put my hand under the pillow, 404 00:18:09,463 --> 00:18:11,566 {\an8}picked up the gun and I went, "... you! 405 00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:13,777 {\an8}You hit me again, you're... ing dead!" 406 00:18:13,801 --> 00:18:15,112 {\an8}Now shit's on. 407 00:18:15,136 --> 00:18:18,365 {\an8}Kanyon grabs the four pieces of Charlie Brown hair 408 00:18:18,389 --> 00:18:20,701 {\an8}I have on top of my head: "Put down the gun!" 409 00:18:20,725 --> 00:18:23,161 {\an8}And I'm going, "I've had enough of this shit! 410 00:18:23,185 --> 00:18:25,455 {\an8}You're too... ing big, you mother... er! 411 00:18:25,479 --> 00:18:27,541 {\an8}What the... did I do to deserve this shit?" 412 00:18:27,565 --> 00:18:32,337 {\an8}And, and then, it hit me like, this shit's out of control. 413 00:18:32,361 --> 00:18:34,881 {\an8}This is my, one of my best friends. 414 00:18:34,905 --> 00:18:36,866 {\an8}So, we let it diffuse. 415 00:18:38,826 --> 00:18:40,762 {\an8}Oh, yeah, yeah, I was. 416 00:18:40,786 --> 00:18:42,764 {\an8}I had looked up all the statutes on, 417 00:18:42,788 --> 00:18:46,977 {\an8}you know, reasonable fear of life, and whatnot. 418 00:18:47,001 --> 00:18:48,437 {\an8}I mean, it wasn't something I wanted to do, 419 00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:49,938 {\an8}but I was like, you know, the next time this guy 420 00:18:49,962 --> 00:18:53,257 {\an8}starts that Adam's apple business... 421 00:18:55,426 --> 00:18:57,195 {\an8}I was prepared to shoot him. 422 00:18:57,219 --> 00:18:59,430 {\an8}♪ 423 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:05,746 {\an8}Although Chris Kanyon's paranoia continues to 424 00:19:05,770 --> 00:19:09,333 {\an8}manifest in violent outbursts, his career is about to 425 00:19:09,357 --> 00:19:12,294 {\an8}peak in a way he never dreamed possible. 426 00:19:12,318 --> 00:19:15,047 {\an8}Chris Kanyon took prominence right when 427 00:19:15,071 --> 00:19:16,965 {\an8}the industry was having a great boom. 428 00:19:16,989 --> 00:19:20,594 {\an8}Then, you know, WWE bought out WCW. 429 00:19:20,618 --> 00:19:22,304 {\an8}You know, they really believed in him. 430 00:19:22,328 --> 00:19:24,598 {\an8}And Chris writes in his book, you know, 431 00:19:24,622 --> 00:19:26,308 {\an8}Vince pulled him aside and said, 432 00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:27,809 {\an8}"You have really adjusted well here, 433 00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:29,144 {\an8}and we have big plans for you." 434 00:19:29,168 --> 00:19:30,937 {\an8}And he ended up being a double champion 435 00:19:30,961 --> 00:19:31,980 {\an8}the first two months or so. 436 00:19:32,004 --> 00:19:34,524 {\an8}He was a tag champion, and he was the US champion. 437 00:19:34,548 --> 00:19:37,235 {\an8}Who better than Kanyon and DDP, and... 438 00:19:37,259 --> 00:19:38,154 {\an8}Who better? 439 00:19:38,178 --> 00:19:41,365 {\an8}You know, I thought he was in a great spot. 440 00:19:41,389 --> 00:19:44,493 {\an8}I mean, I thought he was gonna shine. 441 00:19:44,517 --> 00:19:48,622 {\an8}But, you know, it's like anything, you know, 442 00:19:48,646 --> 00:19:51,583 {\an8}you don't know what you don't know. 443 00:19:51,607 --> 00:19:53,960 {\an8}Kanyon would invite me to come up and stay with him. 444 00:19:53,984 --> 00:19:55,212 {\an8}I'd stay with him two, three weeks. 445 00:19:55,236 --> 00:19:57,005 {\an8}Sometimes a month at a time. 446 00:19:57,029 --> 00:20:00,675 {\an8}He would spend two or three days sitting on the floor, 447 00:20:00,699 --> 00:20:04,930 {\an8}stacking and restacking papers. 448 00:20:04,954 --> 00:20:07,933 {\an8}I'd say, "What are you doing?" "I'm working on my taxes." 449 00:20:07,957 --> 00:20:09,684 {\an8}But he wasn't working on his taxes. 450 00:20:09,708 --> 00:20:14,898 {\an8}He was just taking piles of notices from the IRS and 451 00:20:14,922 --> 00:20:19,820 {\an8}things like that and just moving them around, like... 452 00:20:19,844 --> 00:20:24,241 {\an8}He would stay in bed for 6 and 7 days 453 00:20:24,265 --> 00:20:26,284 {\an8}after he's invited me there. 454 00:20:26,308 --> 00:20:31,081 {\an8}I'd just be sitting in his house for days, and days, and days. 455 00:20:31,105 --> 00:20:34,126 {\an8}I didn't understand depression. 456 00:20:34,150 --> 00:20:38,922 {\an8}I'd say, "What the... do you have to be depressed about? 457 00:20:38,946 --> 00:20:42,008 {\an8}You're on... ing WWE, you're in movies. 458 00:20:42,032 --> 00:20:43,385 {\an8}You got money." 459 00:20:43,409 --> 00:20:46,304 {\an8}He couldn't articulate it to me further than, you know, 460 00:20:46,328 --> 00:20:48,181 {\an8}"You don't know what it's like to be in my head. 461 00:20:48,205 --> 00:20:49,558 {\an8}You think everybody loves me. 462 00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:51,017 {\an8}I don't think they do." 463 00:20:51,041 --> 00:20:56,231 {\an8}♪ 464 00:20:56,255 --> 00:20:58,066 {\an8}Then he got hurt. 465 00:20:58,090 --> 00:21:00,610 {\an8}He got his shoulder injured, 466 00:21:00,634 --> 00:21:03,321 {\an8}and he was worried that he was gonna get fired. 467 00:21:03,345 --> 00:21:07,200 {\an8}You build a program, then you get hurt. 468 00:21:07,224 --> 00:21:09,703 {\an8}It's really hard to come back from. 469 00:21:09,727 --> 00:21:13,540 {\an8}He took steroids for one of the few times 470 00:21:13,564 --> 00:21:15,333 {\an8}I was ever aware of it 471 00:21:15,357 --> 00:21:17,627 {\an8}to try to rehab his injury. 472 00:21:17,651 --> 00:21:20,046 {\an8}And I guess he was depressed for a few days and 473 00:21:20,070 --> 00:21:21,631 {\an8}left a needle out. 474 00:21:21,655 --> 00:21:25,802 {\an8}And he got some sort of horrible blood infection and, 475 00:21:25,826 --> 00:21:27,387 {\an8}and he lost a bunch of weight, 476 00:21:27,411 --> 00:21:30,140 {\an8}and he was really worried that... 477 00:21:30,164 --> 00:21:32,267 {\an8}they would let him go. 478 00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:35,061 {\an8}Kanyon spends the next year and a half recovering 479 00:21:35,085 --> 00:21:37,397 {\an8}from his injuries while also struggling with 480 00:21:37,421 --> 00:21:39,065 {\an8}his mental health. 481 00:21:39,089 --> 00:21:41,234 {\an8}Determined to come back better than before, 482 00:21:41,258 --> 00:21:43,904 {\an8}he's finally offered a role that he believes will get 483 00:21:43,928 --> 00:21:46,031 {\an8}his career back on track. 484 00:21:46,055 --> 00:21:48,533 {\an8}He had told me he was gonna be at Smackdown. 485 00:21:48,557 --> 00:21:51,036 {\an8}And he had a role, a big one. 486 00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:53,622 {\an8}It was a moment for him to be involved with 487 00:21:53,646 --> 00:21:56,708 {\an8}two huge names in the industry, The Undertaker, 488 00:21:56,732 --> 00:21:58,376 {\an8}who was very high on Chris. 489 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,045 {\an8}Thought Chris had a lot of potential. 490 00:22:00,069 --> 00:22:01,379 {\an8}And, Paul Heyman, 491 00:22:01,403 --> 00:22:03,465 {\an8}who's presenting The Undertaker with a gift. 492 00:22:03,489 --> 00:22:05,634 {\an8}...The Undertaker in a box... 493 00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:07,469 {\an8}Whenever WWE came to town in southern California, 494 00:22:07,493 --> 00:22:09,221 {\an8}we were at the shows, no matter what. 495 00:22:09,245 --> 00:22:11,473 {\an8}I remember Chris was hiding in like a giant, 496 00:22:11,497 --> 00:22:13,808 {\an8}of course, in pro wrestling, a giant present. 497 00:22:13,832 --> 00:22:18,021 {\an8}At some point, Kanyon was directed to come out of a big 498 00:22:18,045 --> 00:22:21,358 {\an8}wooden box dressed as Boy George and singing, 499 00:22:21,382 --> 00:22:23,276 {\an8}'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me', 500 00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:26,446 {\an8}and he was told to do it with a lisp. 501 00:22:26,470 --> 00:22:32,118 {\an8}♪ Do you 'weally' want to make me cry? ♪ 502 00:22:32,142 --> 00:22:36,915 {\an8}- Boy George? - Do you really want to hurt me! 503 00:22:36,939 --> 00:22:38,416 {\an8}And we're like, "Oh, my god, it's Kanyon!" 504 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:39,584 {\an8}'Cause we were such Kanyon fans. 505 00:22:39,608 --> 00:22:41,461 {\an8}We're just popping from our seats. 506 00:22:41,485 --> 00:22:43,380 {\an8}We're like, "We didn't know he was gonna be here!" 507 00:22:43,404 --> 00:22:45,382 {\an8}♪ ...me cry. ♪ 508 00:22:45,406 --> 00:22:46,967 {\an8}Where's Brother Love when you need him? 509 00:22:46,991 --> 00:22:49,427 {\an8}But then he just got destroyed, right? 510 00:22:49,451 --> 00:22:52,055 {\an8}[Indistinct shouting] 511 00:22:52,079 --> 00:22:53,431 {\an8}And Kanyon! 512 00:22:53,455 --> 00:22:55,600 {\an8}Welcome back to the WWE. 513 00:22:55,624 --> 00:22:57,477 {\an8}It was really violent. 514 00:22:57,501 --> 00:22:58,728 {\an8}A chair! 515 00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:00,772 {\an8}And I remember, like, I was smart to the business even, 516 00:23:00,796 --> 00:23:04,484 {\an7}I think, I remember thinking to myself, like, this is terrible. 517 00:23:04,508 --> 00:23:06,194 {\an8}Oh! 518 00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:09,531 {\an8}Why did they bring Kanyon out just to kill him like that? 519 00:23:09,555 --> 00:23:12,200 {\an8}[Indistinct shouting & screaming] 520 00:23:12,224 --> 00:23:13,994 {\an8}He's a human being! 521 00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:16,079 {\an8}What was that, like a chair shot to the head or something? 522 00:23:16,103 --> 00:23:18,248 {\an8}It was like a terrible chair shot to the head. 523 00:23:18,272 --> 00:23:19,332 {\an8}Oh! 524 00:23:19,356 --> 00:23:21,418 {\an8}Wow, did you hear that? 525 00:23:21,442 --> 00:23:25,130 {\an8}Unfortunately, I did. Man, that was a nasty... 526 00:23:25,154 --> 00:23:26,673 {\an8}It's pretty obvious. 527 00:23:26,697 --> 00:23:28,008 {\an8}He had never done anything like that. 528 00:23:28,032 --> 00:23:29,342 {\an8}Just out of the blue one day he comes out and 529 00:23:29,366 --> 00:23:31,595 {\an8}is expected to sing like Boy George. 530 00:23:31,619 --> 00:23:32,887 {\an8}Like, I mean, come on. 531 00:23:32,911 --> 00:23:34,681 {\an8}Somebody found something out or heard something, 532 00:23:34,705 --> 00:23:37,142 {\an8}or said, "Let's put this guy to task." 533 00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:42,147 {\an8}And it's a bullying WWE trick. Why else would you do that? 534 00:23:42,171 --> 00:23:45,191 {\an8}I think that really did hurt him. 535 00:23:45,215 --> 00:23:47,027 {\an8}To this day, I'm not gonna buy it 536 00:23:47,051 --> 00:23:49,446 {\an8}that they wanted to humiliate him. Sorry. 537 00:23:49,470 --> 00:23:52,824 {\an8}WWE's not gonna have someone trained to come back 538 00:23:52,848 --> 00:23:55,827 {\an8}for a year to humiliate him on national TV. 539 00:23:55,851 --> 00:23:57,537 {\an8}That's not gonna happen. 540 00:23:57,561 --> 00:23:59,831 {\an8}It just didn't work out creatively. 541 00:23:59,855 --> 00:24:02,542 {\an8}And then he started being... 542 00:24:02,566 --> 00:24:05,712 {\an8}depositioned or pushed down a card. 543 00:24:05,736 --> 00:24:07,255 {\an8}You know who's better than Kanyon? 544 00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:10,008 {\an8}I want to know. Tell me, please. 545 00:24:10,032 --> 00:24:12,927 {\an8}Everybody! Woo! 546 00:24:12,951 --> 00:24:14,721 {\an8}This happens a lot of times in the WWE. 547 00:24:14,745 --> 00:24:17,307 {\an8}You get kind of slotted in a certain position and 548 00:24:17,331 --> 00:24:19,851 {\an8}it's hard to dig yourself out of it. 549 00:24:19,875 --> 00:24:21,811 {\an8}They didn't feel it was enough to keep him on so, 550 00:24:21,835 --> 00:24:23,355 {\an8}they let him go. 551 00:24:23,379 --> 00:24:26,107 {\an8}♪ 552 00:24:26,131 --> 00:24:28,109 {\an8}Kanyon claimed to me, at first, 553 00:24:28,133 --> 00:24:31,446 {\an8}that the office was punishing him for being gay. 554 00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:34,282 {\an8}But then he told me later that was all bullshit. 555 00:24:34,306 --> 00:24:35,825 {\an8}A knee injury, a shoulder injury. 556 00:24:35,849 --> 00:24:37,786 {\an8}He can't get back on track. 557 00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:40,163 {\an8}And he was just using it as an ace in the hole 558 00:24:40,187 --> 00:24:43,083 {\an8}to cover his ass if he ever had to sue them. 559 00:24:43,107 --> 00:24:46,002 {\an8}And he became what I guess you call in literature, 560 00:24:46,026 --> 00:24:48,129 {\an8}an unreliable narrator. 561 00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:51,633 {\an8}I couldn't tell what was true and what wasn't. 562 00:24:51,657 --> 00:24:54,094 {\an8}And Orlando Jordan beats Kanyon! 563 00:24:54,118 --> 00:24:56,846 {\an8}But, you know, Kanyon in a lot of ways towards the 564 00:24:56,870 --> 00:24:59,224 {\an8}last few years of his life could be his own worst enemy. 565 00:24:59,248 --> 00:25:02,418 {\an8}♪ 566 00:25:07,172 --> 00:25:08,942 {\an8}Devastated by his release from the WWE, 567 00:25:08,966 --> 00:25:11,444 {\an8}Chris Kanyon finds meaning in mentoring 568 00:25:11,468 --> 00:25:14,280 {\an8}a new generation of wrestling stars. 569 00:25:14,304 --> 00:25:17,242 {\an8}It was about 2005 when we got booked on a bigger show... 570 00:25:17,266 --> 00:25:20,495 {\an8}We saw Chris Kanyon was on the list and we couldn't believe it. 571 00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:23,039 {\an8}He was one of our heroes, legitimate heroes. 572 00:25:23,063 --> 00:25:24,749 {\an8}Here we are, we're just these kids. 573 00:25:24,773 --> 00:25:28,712 {\an8}- I'm probably 19? - Yeah, and I'm 15, 16. 574 00:25:28,736 --> 00:25:30,088 {\an8}We're like teenage voices: 575 00:25:30,112 --> 00:25:31,214 {\an8}[high pitch voice] "Hi, I'm Matt. 576 00:25:31,238 --> 00:25:33,383 {\an8}This is my brother, Nick." All nervous. 577 00:25:33,407 --> 00:25:35,885 {\an8}We hit it off, you know, right off the bat. 578 00:25:35,909 --> 00:25:39,305 {\an8}Imagine this guy that you watched on television for years. 579 00:25:39,329 --> 00:25:44,394 {\an7}Now he's your friend, and he's, you know, calling you every day. 580 00:25:44,418 --> 00:25:46,104 {\an8}He had called me at one time and he goes, 581 00:25:46,128 --> 00:25:47,313 {\an8}"Hey, are you guys having a show? 582 00:25:47,337 --> 00:25:48,314 {\an8}'Cause, I'm kind of in the area. 583 00:25:48,338 --> 00:25:50,191 {\an8}I could come work one of your shows if you're there." 584 00:25:50,215 --> 00:25:51,443 {\an8}And I was like, "Holy crap. 585 00:25:51,467 --> 00:25:53,111 {\an8}Well, we're doing a show now!" 586 00:25:53,135 --> 00:25:55,321 {\an8}Chris Kanyon, the Innovator of Offense. 587 00:25:55,345 --> 00:25:56,740 {\an8}Who better, nobody's better! 588 00:25:56,764 --> 00:25:59,492 {\an8}He came out to a big pop, you know, the big star. 589 00:25:59,516 --> 00:26:02,829 {\an8}And he buries the crowd, super good heel, mic work. 590 00:26:02,853 --> 00:26:04,414 {\an8}I'm gonna beat ya, and then I'm gonna 591 00:26:04,438 --> 00:26:08,710 {\an8}leave this stupid hick town and never, ever come back. 592 00:26:08,734 --> 00:26:10,128 {\an8}- [Booing] - Shut up! 593 00:26:10,152 --> 00:26:12,255 {\an8}I didn't want to go, I didn't want to go over at all. 594 00:26:12,279 --> 00:26:13,923 {\an8}And he goes, "Kid, this is your promotion, 595 00:26:13,947 --> 00:26:15,925 {\an8}your hometown. Like, you gotta go over, 596 00:26:15,949 --> 00:26:17,218 {\an8}it's gonna get the better reaction." 597 00:26:17,242 --> 00:26:19,220 {\an8}I was like, "Okay, fine." He goes to pick me up, 598 00:26:19,244 --> 00:26:23,308 {\an8}I slip out the back door, and I roll him up, 1, 2, 3. 599 00:26:23,332 --> 00:26:25,268 {\an8}Still to this day, it's one of my top three favourite, 600 00:26:25,292 --> 00:26:26,853 {\an8}not like matches in wrestling, 601 00:26:26,877 --> 00:26:29,230 {\an8}but probably one of my top three favourite moments in my life. 602 00:26:29,254 --> 00:26:31,483 {\an8}And he was such a giving, selfless guy. 603 00:26:31,507 --> 00:26:34,235 {\an8}Maybe for this one night, you're better than Kanyon. 604 00:26:34,259 --> 00:26:36,446 {\an8}[Cheering] 605 00:26:36,470 --> 00:26:37,864 {\an8}Chris Kanyon was the person that would, 606 00:26:37,888 --> 00:26:40,658 {\an8}honestly, give you the shirt off his back. 607 00:26:40,682 --> 00:26:42,202 {\an8}He was a great person, yeah. 608 00:26:42,226 --> 00:26:44,579 {\an8}Chris was a, Chris was a great person. 609 00:26:44,603 --> 00:26:46,998 {\an8}My name is Luke Hawx. I'm a professional wrestler, 610 00:26:47,022 --> 00:26:49,501 {\an8}and also a dear friend of Chris Kanyon. 611 00:26:49,525 --> 00:26:51,044 {\an8}As you can see, such a dear friend, 612 00:26:51,068 --> 00:26:54,088 {\an8}you see, I have Mortis tattooed on my arm right here. 613 00:26:54,112 --> 00:26:57,884 {\an8}2005, Katrina hit, and I was in Louisiana. 614 00:26:57,908 --> 00:26:59,093 {\an8}It was the worst hurricane of all time, 615 00:26:59,117 --> 00:27:01,054 {\an8}completely wiped out the city. 616 00:27:01,078 --> 00:27:03,139 {\an8}Kanyon called me up and he, 617 00:27:03,163 --> 00:27:04,641 {\an8}he was the first person to call me. 618 00:27:04,665 --> 00:27:06,559 {\an8}And he goes, "If you need a place to live, 619 00:27:06,583 --> 00:27:08,728 {\an8}you can come live with me as long as you need to. 620 00:27:08,752 --> 00:27:11,898 {\an8}No charge." So, Chris would go through these stages 621 00:27:11,922 --> 00:27:14,567 {\an8}where he would stay up for three or four days at a time. 622 00:27:14,591 --> 00:27:16,861 {\an8}Keep in mind, we're in Clearwater Beach and, 623 00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,114 {\an8}the headquarters for Scientology is not far away. 624 00:27:20,138 --> 00:27:22,826 {\an8}So, he said he had just got home, 625 00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:23,868 {\an8}and he went left, 626 00:27:23,892 --> 00:27:27,622 {\an8}and he was driving on this bridge for hours. 627 00:27:27,646 --> 00:27:29,582 {\an8}And he was trying to get to the scientology building, 628 00:27:29,606 --> 00:27:31,501 {\an8}and I think he said he'd seen aliens or 629 00:27:31,525 --> 00:27:33,211 {\an8}aliens had stopped him. 630 00:27:33,235 --> 00:27:35,296 {\an8}♪ 631 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,048 {\an8}Which never happened because 632 00:27:37,072 --> 00:27:39,050 {\an8}he was home with us the whole time. 633 00:27:39,074 --> 00:27:40,385 {\an8}So, he starts freaking out. 634 00:27:40,409 --> 00:27:42,011 {\an8}He's like, "I gotta break into this building. 635 00:27:42,035 --> 00:27:46,558 {\an8}I gotta go in that building. I know the aliens are in there." 636 00:27:46,582 --> 00:27:50,520 {\an8}I told the guys, I said, "We can't let him leave." 637 00:27:50,544 --> 00:27:53,356 {\an8}♪ 638 00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:54,357 {\an8}We gotta hold him down. 639 00:27:54,381 --> 00:27:57,068 {\an8}We're gonna have to tie him up and lock him in a room. 640 00:27:57,092 --> 00:27:59,070 {\an8}We can't let him leave until he calms down and goes 641 00:27:59,094 --> 00:28:00,947 {\an8}to sleep 'cause we knew once he went to sleep, 642 00:28:00,971 --> 00:28:02,574 {\an8}he would wake up and he would be fine. 643 00:28:02,598 --> 00:28:04,534 {\an8}And that's exactly what happened. 644 00:28:04,558 --> 00:28:07,996 {\an8}He woke up, didn't even remember it happening. 645 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:12,000 {\an8}♪ 646 00:28:12,024 --> 00:28:15,295 {\an8}Kanyon eventually begins treatment for bipolar disorder, 647 00:28:15,319 --> 00:28:17,630 {\an8}and finally feels empowered to open up 648 00:28:17,654 --> 00:28:19,465 {\an8}about his sexuality. 649 00:28:19,489 --> 00:28:21,217 {\an8}He says, "I need to tell you something." 650 00:28:21,241 --> 00:28:23,219 {\an8}And I go, "Okay, what's up?" 651 00:28:23,243 --> 00:28:24,429 {\an8}His tone was different, 652 00:28:24,453 --> 00:28:26,931 {\an8}and he was more serious and, and I'm just like, 653 00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:28,641 {\an8}"Is everything okay, man?" 654 00:28:28,665 --> 00:28:30,560 {\an8}"I just don't know how you're gonna react to this." 655 00:28:30,584 --> 00:28:32,353 {\an8}I'm like, "Dude, just tell me." 656 00:28:32,377 --> 00:28:34,939 {\an8}And he finally spits it out, he's like, "Kid..." 657 00:28:34,963 --> 00:28:40,612 {\an8}"I'm gay." And, I said, "Okay." 658 00:28:40,636 --> 00:28:44,407 {\an8}And he goes, "You don't hate me?" 659 00:28:44,431 --> 00:28:46,284 {\an8}I said, "Hate why, why would I hate you?" 660 00:28:46,308 --> 00:28:47,660 {\an8}He goes, "'Cause I'm gay." 661 00:28:47,684 --> 00:28:50,038 {\an8}And just to be honest, especially at that time, 662 00:28:50,062 --> 00:28:51,915 {\an8}that day and age, I was a little bummed out about it. 663 00:28:51,939 --> 00:28:55,752 {\an8}I'm like, "What?" I'm like, "Kanyon's gay?" 664 00:28:55,776 --> 00:28:58,546 {\an8}Then I started thinking about it. I go, wait a minute, 665 00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:00,673 {\an8}that doesn't change anything. Like, 666 00:29:00,697 --> 00:29:02,967 {\an8}I'm, I'm really thankful for that opportunity now, too, 667 00:29:02,991 --> 00:29:05,720 {\an8}because I really think that made me... 668 00:29:05,744 --> 00:29:08,306 {\an8}like, open my eyes and become a lot more like 669 00:29:08,330 --> 00:29:10,558 {\an8}understanding and tolerant towards a lot of things 670 00:29:10,582 --> 00:29:12,894 {\an8}because it was like that quick, like, 671 00:29:12,918 --> 00:29:13,854 {\an8}within a minute I went from like, 672 00:29:13,878 --> 00:29:16,230 {\an8}"Oh, man," to like, "Oh, wait, who cares?" 673 00:29:16,254 --> 00:29:18,441 {\an8}We were all kind of happy for him 'cause by this time, 674 00:29:18,465 --> 00:29:23,613 {\an8}his career wasn't where he dreamed it could be. 675 00:29:23,637 --> 00:29:25,949 {\an8}He had been discussing, on and off, 676 00:29:25,973 --> 00:29:28,242 {\an8}being an openly gay wrestler. 677 00:29:28,266 --> 00:29:32,538 {\an8}He wanted to really be a role model in doing it, 678 00:29:32,562 --> 00:29:37,001 {\an8}but the, the issue was how do you portray that. 679 00:29:37,025 --> 00:29:40,004 {\an8}He came out of the closet at an independent show 680 00:29:40,028 --> 00:29:42,090 {\an8}where he was wrestling Diamond Dallas. 681 00:29:42,114 --> 00:29:46,970 {\an8}And right now, one of the most controversial wrestlers... 682 00:29:46,994 --> 00:29:48,429 {\an8}The question I got for you, my brother... 683 00:29:48,453 --> 00:29:50,348 {\an8}You gonna pop the question? Uh-oh. 684 00:29:50,372 --> 00:29:52,975 {\an8}The rumour that's going around is... 685 00:29:52,999 --> 00:29:54,686 {\an8}Are you gay? 686 00:29:54,710 --> 00:29:56,604 {\an8}He figured that it would be a big deal. 687 00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:59,482 {\an8}The rumours are true. I'm gay. 688 00:29:59,506 --> 00:30:03,444 {\an8}I am the first ever openly gay professional athlete 689 00:30:03,468 --> 00:30:05,321 {\an8}active in this country. 690 00:30:05,345 --> 00:30:08,032 {\an8}You will always be my brother. 691 00:30:08,056 --> 00:30:11,160 {\an8}The thing was, we're now in 2006. 692 00:30:11,184 --> 00:30:12,537 {\an8}And nobody cared. 693 00:30:12,561 --> 00:30:15,581 {\an8}It was kind of like too little too late. 694 00:30:15,605 --> 00:30:20,795 {\an8}Orlando Jordan had been put on television and, 695 00:30:20,819 --> 00:30:23,923 {\an8}they were gonna announce him as an openly gay wrestler. 696 00:30:23,947 --> 00:30:27,218 {\an8}And Kanyon lost his mind about that. 697 00:30:27,242 --> 00:30:30,138 {\an8}"They're taking my gimmick! They're taking my gimmick!" 698 00:30:30,162 --> 00:30:31,264 {\an8}And I would say, 699 00:30:31,288 --> 00:30:35,309 {\an8}"Well, you don't have a patent or trademark on being gay, 700 00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:38,146 {\an8}and you didn't bring it up to them before." 701 00:30:38,170 --> 00:30:41,149 {\an8}He wrote a letter to Stephanie McMahon saying, 702 00:30:41,173 --> 00:30:44,444 {\an8}"Please, let me be the spokesman. 703 00:30:44,468 --> 00:30:47,864 {\an8}I think I can help kids that need to come out," 704 00:30:47,888 --> 00:30:49,115 {\an8}and things like that. 705 00:30:49,139 --> 00:30:51,868 {\an8}Stephanie wrote him back this pithy little response, 706 00:30:51,892 --> 00:30:53,619 {\an8}"I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles. 707 00:30:53,643 --> 00:30:54,996 {\an8}I didn't know about any of this, 708 00:30:55,020 --> 00:30:56,873 {\an8}but before I can address your other issues 709 00:30:56,897 --> 00:31:00,209 {\an8}I have to talk to legal," legal department or something. 710 00:31:00,233 --> 00:31:02,545 {\an8}And, he never heard back from it after that. 711 00:31:02,569 --> 00:31:06,174 {\an8}A few years prior, Kanyon had already sealed his fate with 712 00:31:06,198 --> 00:31:09,886 {\an8}the WWE by attempting a series of ill-conceived 713 00:31:09,910 --> 00:31:12,764 {\an8}stunts in the hopes of getting their attention. 714 00:31:12,788 --> 00:31:15,475 {\an8}I was WWE's MSG promoter. 715 00:31:15,499 --> 00:31:18,227 {\an8}You know, Chris Benoit just wins his world title. 716 00:31:18,251 --> 00:31:20,688 {\an8}You had Eddie Guerrero in the ring. 717 00:31:20,712 --> 00:31:22,482 {\an8}So, you know, I'm on the floor. 718 00:31:22,506 --> 00:31:25,777 {\an8}So, this is about a few minutes after we were off air. 719 00:31:25,801 --> 00:31:29,655 {\an8}I look in the corner of my eye and I see Chris 720 00:31:29,679 --> 00:31:32,200 {\an8}jump in the ring, go to the turnbuckle... 721 00:31:32,224 --> 00:31:35,369 {\an8}♪ 722 00:31:35,393 --> 00:31:37,997 {\an8}That was some odd behaviour from him. 723 00:31:38,021 --> 00:31:39,749 {\an8}You know, I had to ask myself, 724 00:31:39,773 --> 00:31:41,542 {\an8}what, you know, what's going on here? 725 00:31:41,566 --> 00:31:44,337 {\an8}Later that night, the WWE was kind enough 726 00:31:44,361 --> 00:31:48,216 {\an8}to invite him to the after party. 727 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:49,842 {\an8}He goes, "Oh, and by the way, I just went over to, 728 00:31:49,866 --> 00:31:51,469 {\an8}to Vince, Vince McMahon, 729 00:31:51,493 --> 00:31:53,554 {\an8}put my arm around him and I said, 730 00:31:53,578 --> 00:31:56,849 {\an8}'Thank you for inviting me to this party, you know, 731 00:31:56,873 --> 00:31:58,726 {\an8}even though you fired me.'" 732 00:31:58,750 --> 00:32:00,436 {\an8}- Again... - I don't know why he did that. 733 00:32:00,460 --> 00:32:03,106 {\an8}Chris was, he, it was like a downward spiral. 734 00:32:03,130 --> 00:32:06,400 {\an8}I think his head was stuck in that, "No, I'm gonna be 735 00:32:06,424 --> 00:32:09,946 {\an8}controversial so they'll talk about it in the sheets." 736 00:32:09,970 --> 00:32:11,614 {\an8}You would hear these stories about, 737 00:32:11,638 --> 00:32:14,117 {\an8}"Yeah, Kanyon's sitting front row at a live event 738 00:32:14,141 --> 00:32:16,035 {\an8}screaming, you know, 'Give me justice'," 739 00:32:16,059 --> 00:32:18,287 {\an8}or whatever, whatever the, the details were. 740 00:32:18,311 --> 00:32:21,833 {\an8}Any way you slice it, you could see this isn't good. 741 00:32:21,857 --> 00:32:26,254 {\an8}The industry may have seen him as taboo to work with. 742 00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:28,297 {\an8}That must have been terrible for Chris. 743 00:32:28,321 --> 00:32:30,091 {\an8}And then, you know, he kind of disappeared 744 00:32:30,115 --> 00:32:32,093 {\an8}for a while after that. 745 00:32:32,117 --> 00:32:33,553 {\an8}One time he calls me, 746 00:32:33,577 --> 00:32:35,346 {\an8}and we were really close at this point. 747 00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:38,391 {\an8}I start the shower and my phone goes off, and it's Chris. 748 00:32:38,415 --> 00:32:40,601 {\an8}And I always pick up for Chris. 749 00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:41,769 {\an8}And he's bawling his eyes out. 750 00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:43,312 {\an8}And I'm like, "Chris, calm down, calm... 751 00:32:43,336 --> 00:32:44,730 {\an8}What's going on?" 752 00:32:44,754 --> 00:32:47,316 {\an8}"I've had enough. I'm gonna kill myself." 753 00:32:47,340 --> 00:32:49,902 {\an8}I said, "Chris, what?" 754 00:32:49,926 --> 00:32:51,320 {\an8}He's like, "Pray for me right now, kid. 755 00:32:51,344 --> 00:32:52,864 {\an8}Pray for me for me right now." 756 00:32:52,888 --> 00:32:54,490 {\an8}And I'm like, my hand's shaking and I'm like, 757 00:32:54,514 --> 00:32:56,200 {\an8}I'm praying for this guy. 758 00:32:56,224 --> 00:32:58,578 {\an8}And, he's bawling and bawling and bawling, 759 00:32:58,602 --> 00:33:01,164 {\an8}and like, the entire bathroom's filling up with steam 760 00:33:01,188 --> 00:33:03,332 {\an8}'cause like, I'm on this call for 45 minutes. 761 00:33:03,356 --> 00:33:05,710 {\an8}I'm crying, and I'm 19 years old. 762 00:33:05,734 --> 00:33:06,961 {\an8}I'm trying to convince this guy, 763 00:33:06,985 --> 00:33:09,505 {\an8}one of my heroes, don't kill yourself. 764 00:33:09,529 --> 00:33:10,631 {\an8}And it was heavy. 765 00:33:10,655 --> 00:33:12,550 {\an8}And by the time we were done with the conversation, 766 00:33:12,574 --> 00:33:14,051 {\an8}I got him to calm down. 767 00:33:14,075 --> 00:33:17,138 {\an8}And we said a prayer and, and he told me he loved me. 768 00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:19,098 {\an8}And, I got off the phone and I'm just like 769 00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:21,642 {\an8}standing there, just going, holy crap, 770 00:33:21,666 --> 00:33:23,019 {\an8}what was that? 771 00:33:23,043 --> 00:33:25,629 {\an8}♪ 772 00:33:29,507 --> 00:33:31,694 {\an8}In 2006, Kanyon receives an unexpected call 773 00:33:31,718 --> 00:33:33,196 {\an8}from The Howard Stern Show, 774 00:33:33,220 --> 00:33:35,573 {\an8}where he eventually appears as a regular, 775 00:33:35,597 --> 00:33:38,826 {\an8}demonstrating his wit, charm, and humour. 776 00:33:38,850 --> 00:33:42,163 {\an8}He got out there and he talked about being gay, 777 00:33:42,187 --> 00:33:44,123 {\an8}and he made the self-deprecating jokes 778 00:33:44,147 --> 00:33:45,958 {\an8}that he'd always wanted to do. 779 00:33:45,982 --> 00:33:47,877 {\an8}If the Mets win, you gotta suck my dick. 780 00:33:47,901 --> 00:33:49,295 {\an8}Ah! 781 00:33:49,319 --> 00:33:52,215 {\an8}Chris Kanyon's a wrestler. And, he feels he was 782 00:33:52,239 --> 00:33:54,675 {\an8}kicked out of the WWE 'cause he's gay. 783 00:33:54,699 --> 00:33:56,886 {\an8}To me, the Boy George thing, 784 00:33:56,910 --> 00:33:58,638 {\an8}that was a message, I thought. You know, 785 00:33:58,662 --> 00:33:59,805 {\an8}that was like, "If you come out of the closet, 786 00:33:59,829 --> 00:34:01,140 {\an8}we're gonna beat the shit out of you." 787 00:34:01,164 --> 00:34:02,100 {\an8}[Howard] I see. 788 00:34:02,124 --> 00:34:04,143 {\an8}They told me before that, before I went out there as 789 00:34:04,167 --> 00:34:06,229 {\an8}Boy George, they said, "Sing like a..." 790 00:34:06,253 --> 00:34:07,480 {\an8}- Whoa. - Oh... 791 00:34:07,504 --> 00:34:08,481 {\an8}You know... 792 00:34:08,505 --> 00:34:10,149 {\an8}There was an incident with him and John Cena 793 00:34:10,173 --> 00:34:11,484 {\an8}on Howard Stern. 794 00:34:11,508 --> 00:34:13,361 {\an8}He says Vince is a homophobe, 795 00:34:13,385 --> 00:34:15,571 {\an8}and Chris claims that he was fired because 796 00:34:15,595 --> 00:34:16,864 {\an8}he is a gay man. 797 00:34:16,888 --> 00:34:18,699 {\an8}Here's, here's a weird thing about Chris, 798 00:34:18,723 --> 00:34:20,368 {\an8}and I've known Chris for a long time. 799 00:34:20,392 --> 00:34:23,871 {\an8}He, he actually came out of the closet after he was fired. 800 00:34:23,895 --> 00:34:24,872 {\an8}[Howard] Right. 801 00:34:24,896 --> 00:34:27,291 {\an8}He just, he wasn't any good. 802 00:34:27,315 --> 00:34:30,253 {\an8}I remember when I first saw it, I was... ing livid. 803 00:34:30,277 --> 00:34:32,546 {\an8}It was just such a dirtbag thing to say. 804 00:34:32,570 --> 00:34:34,674 {\an8}And with Vince, you do have to have 805 00:34:34,698 --> 00:34:36,050 {\an8}a certain technical bravado. 806 00:34:36,074 --> 00:34:37,051 {\an8}You gotta be able to wrestle. 807 00:34:37,075 --> 00:34:38,344 {\an8}But at the same time, it's WWE. 808 00:34:38,368 --> 00:34:39,929 {\an8}You gotta be able to entertain the people. 809 00:34:39,953 --> 00:34:41,931 {\an8}Chris just wasn't any good. 810 00:34:41,955 --> 00:34:43,599 {\an8}Take Kanyon, you know, to the general public, 811 00:34:43,623 --> 00:34:44,559 {\an8}who's like right here. 812 00:34:44,583 --> 00:34:46,519 {\an8}And then, John Cena, who's right here. 813 00:34:46,543 --> 00:34:48,938 {\an8}And if he, you know, kind of craps on Kanyon. 814 00:34:48,962 --> 00:34:52,108 {\an8}Whatever truth there is to whatever he's saying, 815 00:34:52,132 --> 00:34:54,318 {\an8}Cena's gonna basically stomp it out. 816 00:34:54,342 --> 00:34:57,113 {\an8}You know, the guys from the WWE were in an uproar 817 00:34:57,137 --> 00:34:58,155 {\an8}after your last appearance here. 818 00:34:58,179 --> 00:34:59,323 {\an8}- Really? - Did you know that? 819 00:34:59,347 --> 00:35:00,616 {\an8}No. 820 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:02,159 {\an8}Ric Flair is on the phone. He wants to debate you. 821 00:35:02,183 --> 00:35:04,078 {\an8}Ric Flair is on the phone? 822 00:35:04,102 --> 00:35:05,579 {\an8}Kanyon loved Ric Flair. 823 00:35:05,603 --> 00:35:07,832 {\an8}Kanyon's Kanyon was Ric Flair. 824 00:35:07,856 --> 00:35:09,500 {\an8}[Ric Flair] John, John made a good point. 825 00:35:09,524 --> 00:35:11,752 {\an8}And I'm, I'm disappointed in Chris as a person. 826 00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:14,088 {\an8}I've known him a long time, that he would blame 827 00:35:14,112 --> 00:35:16,048 {\an8}his shortcomings on something that's going on 828 00:35:16,072 --> 00:35:17,216 {\an8}in his personal life. 829 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:19,510 {\an8}He started getting into a fight with 830 00:35:19,534 --> 00:35:22,388 {\an8}his childhood hero, Ric Flair. 831 00:35:22,412 --> 00:35:24,265 {\an8}Ric, we know a lot of guys inside the business that 832 00:35:24,289 --> 00:35:25,808 {\an8}are gay, but they don't want to go national, 833 00:35:25,832 --> 00:35:27,143 {\an8}be nationally out. 834 00:35:27,167 --> 00:35:29,478 {\an8}I did, and I was punished for wanting to do it. 835 00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:31,188 {\an8}[Laughing] Yeah. 836 00:35:31,212 --> 00:35:33,024 {\an8}I guess it kind of didn't go well for Kanyon. 837 00:35:33,048 --> 00:35:35,568 {\an8}He put Ric Flair in a position of having to say, 838 00:35:35,592 --> 00:35:38,946 {\an8}"Chris, I love you, buddy. You're a good guy, but... 839 00:35:38,970 --> 00:35:41,490 {\an8}you're not the Nature Boy. You're not Stone Cold." 840 00:35:41,514 --> 00:35:44,744 {\an8}So, you think he could work for the WWE again? 841 00:35:44,768 --> 00:35:45,911 {\an8}No, I don't think he could. 842 00:35:45,935 --> 00:35:47,038 {\an8}Why not? 843 00:35:47,062 --> 00:35:48,456 {\an8}I think the opportunity for Chris Kanyon 844 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,041 {\an8}has come and gone. And Cena said, 845 00:35:50,065 --> 00:35:51,584 {\an8}"Yeah, you are not good enough right now 846 00:35:51,608 --> 00:35:53,002 {\an8}to be on the show." - Okay. 847 00:35:53,026 --> 00:35:54,587 {\an8}[Howard] Alright, well, there it is. 848 00:35:54,611 --> 00:35:56,964 {\an8}Ric Flair backed what John Cena said, 849 00:35:56,988 --> 00:35:59,300 {\an8}and Kanyon had a huge problem with that. 850 00:35:59,324 --> 00:36:00,760 {\an8}He really kind of underplayed 851 00:36:00,784 --> 00:36:02,345 {\an8}how much it affected him. 852 00:36:02,369 --> 00:36:05,139 {\an8}I think he just didn't want to admit that 853 00:36:05,163 --> 00:36:08,309 {\an8}wrestling had that kind of power over him. 854 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:10,936 {\an8}He was a great professional wrestler. 855 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,481 {\an8}He was a great entertainer. 856 00:36:13,505 --> 00:36:18,194 {\an8}And, it was gone. 857 00:36:18,218 --> 00:36:21,822 {\an8}Last time I saw him was January or February of 2010. 858 00:36:21,846 --> 00:36:25,284 {\an8}And he had been booked to work a show for 859 00:36:25,308 --> 00:36:28,913 {\an8}Mikey Whipwreck, and the match just, 860 00:36:28,937 --> 00:36:30,289 {\an8}it was horrible. 861 00:36:30,313 --> 00:36:33,834 {\an8}It was the worst I've ever seen him wrestle in his life. 862 00:36:33,858 --> 00:36:36,379 {\an8}And people started laughing. 863 00:36:36,403 --> 00:36:40,800 {\an8}Once they're laughing at you and not with you, you're gone. 864 00:36:40,824 --> 00:36:44,428 {\an8}Total flat finish. Nobody cared. 865 00:36:44,452 --> 00:36:47,515 {\an8}But, we went to the bar afterwards. 866 00:36:47,539 --> 00:36:51,685 {\an8}He was holding court. He was the star. 867 00:36:51,709 --> 00:36:55,064 {\an8}He was making all the self-deprecating gay jokes 868 00:36:55,088 --> 00:36:57,942 {\an8}and people were laughing with him, not at him. 869 00:36:57,966 --> 00:36:59,443 {\an8}One guy walked up to me: 870 00:36:59,467 --> 00:37:01,195 {\an8}"Hey, I don't want to bother you guys, 871 00:37:01,219 --> 00:37:04,907 {\an8}but will you just let him know he meant a lot to me, 872 00:37:04,931 --> 00:37:10,830 {\an8}and he's inspired me because... because I'm gay." 873 00:37:10,854 --> 00:37:13,791 {\an8}So, we go back to the hotel room and everything's great. 874 00:37:13,815 --> 00:37:17,211 {\an8}And, we walk in, and he started saying he was sore, 875 00:37:17,235 --> 00:37:18,963 {\an8}and I asked him what happened. And he said that he'd 876 00:37:18,987 --> 00:37:21,507 {\an8}just thrown himself in front of a car, 877 00:37:21,531 --> 00:37:26,262 {\an8}trying to kill himself a couple days earlier. 878 00:37:26,286 --> 00:37:27,638 {\an8}And I started saying, "Kanyon, 879 00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:29,140 {\an8}have you lost your... ing mind? 880 00:37:29,164 --> 00:37:32,685 {\an8}Did you see just see what we did? 881 00:37:32,709 --> 00:37:37,690 {\an8}Did you see the outpouring of love from these guys?" 882 00:37:37,714 --> 00:37:39,817 {\an8}And I said, "You're being ing selfish." 883 00:37:39,841 --> 00:37:41,569 {\an8}And he goes, 884 00:37:41,593 --> 00:37:45,239 {\an8}"No, Van, you're the one who's being... ing selfish. 885 00:37:45,263 --> 00:37:47,158 {\an8}You don't know what it's like to live in 886 00:37:47,182 --> 00:37:49,994 {\an8}my... ing brain, to feel like a... ing freak, 887 00:37:50,018 --> 00:37:52,538 {\an8}and to... ing hate yourself every day." 888 00:37:52,562 --> 00:37:57,042 {\an8}And I yelled at him a little bit more and, and then he goes, 889 00:37:57,066 --> 00:37:59,295 {\an8}"Van, I'm gonna stop you right here." 890 00:37:59,319 --> 00:38:04,842 {\an8}And we hugged, and then it was like, 891 00:38:04,866 --> 00:38:07,261 {\an8}like an episode of This Is Your Life. 892 00:38:07,285 --> 00:38:08,846 {\an8}He was gonna take me to the airport and 893 00:38:08,870 --> 00:38:11,348 {\an8}we had like 45 minutes to go. 894 00:38:11,372 --> 00:38:13,893 {\an8}And it was like, "You remember the time you did this, 895 00:38:13,917 --> 00:38:15,311 {\an8}you remember the time you did that?" 896 00:38:15,335 --> 00:38:21,358 {\an8}And we were howling like the good old days. 897 00:38:21,382 --> 00:38:25,529 {\an8}When I got out of the car, I just... ing lost it. 898 00:38:25,553 --> 00:38:28,199 {\an8}And I got on the plane, and I cried the whole way home. 899 00:38:28,223 --> 00:38:29,783 {\an8}And I found a little corner seat, 900 00:38:29,807 --> 00:38:32,203 {\an8}and I got off and my wife asked me what was wrong. 901 00:38:32,227 --> 00:38:35,039 {\an8}And I said, "I think he's gonna do it this time." 902 00:38:35,063 --> 00:38:38,399 {\an8}♪ 903 00:38:42,570 --> 00:38:48,761 {\an8}That last day I saw him, I literally knew that 904 00:38:48,785 --> 00:38:51,013 {\an8}he wasn't gonna be here much longer. 905 00:38:51,037 --> 00:38:54,725 {\an8}I started, you know, calling him several times a day, 906 00:38:54,749 --> 00:38:57,561 {\an8}every day for like two weeks. 907 00:38:57,585 --> 00:39:00,898 {\an8}And he wouldn't answer the phone, at all. 908 00:39:00,922 --> 00:39:04,485 {\an8}Then his friend Mike Paserello called me at, 909 00:39:04,509 --> 00:39:06,904 {\an8}I think it was like 6 am in the morning, 910 00:39:06,928 --> 00:39:09,740 {\an8}and that's never a good time to get a phone call. 911 00:39:09,764 --> 00:39:13,118 {\an8}And he told me, told me he was gone. 912 00:39:13,142 --> 00:39:15,287 {\an8}On April 2nd, 2010, 913 00:39:15,311 --> 00:39:18,123 {\an8}Chris was found dead in his childhood home 914 00:39:18,147 --> 00:39:20,042 {\an8}in Sunnyside Queens, New York, 915 00:39:20,066 --> 00:39:22,711 {\an8}having overdosed on antidepressants. 916 00:39:22,735 --> 00:39:25,130 {\an8}His death was ruled a suicide. 917 00:39:25,154 --> 00:39:28,759 {\an8}He was 40 years old. 918 00:39:28,783 --> 00:39:32,846 {\an8}As you can imagine, we took it how we took it. 919 00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:37,184 {\an8}[Sighing] And ah, you know, I teared up a little bit. 920 00:39:37,208 --> 00:39:39,186 {\an8}Said, "Mother... er!" 921 00:39:39,210 --> 00:39:41,438 {\an8}I was like so numb. I didn't know, like, 922 00:39:41,462 --> 00:39:43,482 {\an8}what to do or feel. I was just like frozen 923 00:39:43,506 --> 00:39:46,402 {\an8}'cause it was just, I was just at a loss. 924 00:39:46,426 --> 00:39:48,862 {\an8}But I also remember being relieved because I 925 00:39:48,886 --> 00:39:52,533 {\an8}remembered Chris is now at a place where he wants to be 926 00:39:52,557 --> 00:39:54,368 {\an8}because he can't be in pain, you know. 927 00:39:54,392 --> 00:39:56,704 {\an8}He's not... it's... 928 00:39:56,728 --> 00:40:00,749 {\an8}♪ 929 00:40:00,773 --> 00:40:03,210 {\an8}I'm sorry, I'm sorry. 930 00:40:03,234 --> 00:40:06,589 {\an8}He, I knew my friend wasn't suffering anymore. 931 00:40:06,613 --> 00:40:11,802 {\an8}And it sucked to lose him, but I just hope that 932 00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:14,888 {\an8}he's not suffering anymore. 933 00:40:14,912 --> 00:40:20,352 {\an8}I... ing owe everything to the guy, you know. 934 00:40:20,376 --> 00:40:22,688 {\an8}He's horribly missed. 935 00:40:22,712 --> 00:40:25,316 {\an8}He was one of my best friends. 936 00:40:25,340 --> 00:40:28,819 {\an8}He wanted to reach his arms out and help, 937 00:40:28,843 --> 00:40:32,698 {\an8}you know, me be successful and... 938 00:40:32,722 --> 00:40:35,576 {\an8}I love him and I miss him. 939 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:37,828 {\an8}It's very rare in wrestling that you get 940 00:40:37,852 --> 00:40:42,374 {\an8}somebody that nobody ever talks bad about. 941 00:40:42,398 --> 00:40:44,376 {\an8}Chris is one of those guys. 942 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,296 {\an8}I mean, he was a tortured soul. 943 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,256 {\an8}If I understood what was going on, 944 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,301 {\an8}maybe I could have been a, you know, more... 945 00:40:52,325 --> 00:40:55,888 {\an8}more assistance or guided him in the right way, but... 946 00:40:55,912 --> 00:40:57,431 {\an8}I just didn't know, and I, you know, 947 00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:00,142 {\an8}I would just tell anybody watching this... 948 00:41:00,166 --> 00:41:05,230 {\an8}if you know anybody who's bipolar or schizophrenic, 949 00:41:05,254 --> 00:41:09,568 {\an8}anything like that, to where they're mental health issues 950 00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:15,532 {\an8}are interfering with their day-to-day existence, 951 00:41:15,556 --> 00:41:18,952 {\an8}do what you have to do. 952 00:41:18,976 --> 00:41:21,497 {\an8}... any secrets you have. 953 00:41:21,521 --> 00:41:26,835 {\an8}Go out there and get them help and save them. 954 00:41:26,859 --> 00:41:28,170 {\an8}He definitely opened the door though. 955 00:41:28,194 --> 00:41:29,505 {\an8}Yes, in the wrestling industry. 956 00:41:29,529 --> 00:41:32,007 {\an8}For others to be more comfortable with coming out, 957 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,426 {\an8}and that he was one of the first that I can remember. 958 00:41:34,450 --> 00:41:36,303 {\an8}He's a pioneer. 959 00:41:36,327 --> 00:41:38,764 {\an8}You know, he'd be a hero right now. 960 00:41:38,788 --> 00:41:41,517 {\an8}He really would be a hero. 961 00:41:41,541 --> 00:41:45,604 {\an8}I think that was too much of a cross to bear, I really do. 962 00:41:45,628 --> 00:41:47,147 {\an8}I mean, now we've got, 963 00:41:47,171 --> 00:41:50,776 {\an8}you know, out gay wrestlers, trans. 964 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:52,611 {\an8}I mean, it's a different world. 965 00:41:52,635 --> 00:41:56,740 {\an8}Chris Kanyon inspired and helped 966 00:41:56,764 --> 00:42:01,954 {\an8}an entire generation of younger guys. 967 00:42:01,978 --> 00:42:05,541 {\an8}They show their appreciation for what he did, 968 00:42:05,565 --> 00:42:09,545 {\an8}for his legacy by incorporating his moves 969 00:42:09,569 --> 00:42:11,171 {\an8}into their matches. 970 00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:12,840 {\an8}- A superplex. - Wow! 971 00:42:12,864 --> 00:42:14,550 {\an8}Who better than Cage! 972 00:42:14,574 --> 00:42:16,802 {\an8}He was just so under-utilized and so underappreciated, 973 00:42:16,826 --> 00:42:18,387 {\an8}so the fact that we could bring more light 974 00:42:18,411 --> 00:42:20,472 {\an8}to his name and people can really understand and 975 00:42:20,496 --> 00:42:21,890 {\an8}see how great of a guy he was, 976 00:42:21,914 --> 00:42:23,434 {\an8}and how great in the ring he was, 977 00:42:23,458 --> 00:42:26,603 {\an8}you know, it's better late than never. 978 00:42:26,627 --> 00:42:30,107 {\an8}I remember on one road trip in particular, Chris is like, 979 00:42:30,131 --> 00:42:32,568 {\an8}"You guys don't realize what I would do to go back and 980 00:42:32,592 --> 00:42:34,069 {\an8}be your age." - Oh, yeah. 981 00:42:34,093 --> 00:42:37,656 {\an8}Trying to break in to wrestling and make it again right now. 982 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:39,700 {\an8}And we just, it didn't make any sense to me. 983 00:42:39,724 --> 00:42:41,827 {\an8}"What are you talking about? You've done it all. 984 00:42:41,851 --> 00:42:44,413 {\an8}You were on WCW Nitro, 985 00:42:44,437 --> 00:42:45,914 {\an8}you've been a champion in WWE." 986 00:42:45,938 --> 00:42:47,458 {\an8}You have your own action figures, 987 00:42:47,482 --> 00:42:48,709 {\an8}you've been on video games. 988 00:42:48,733 --> 00:42:50,669 {\an8}You've done it all, Chris. And I didn't understand, like, 989 00:42:50,693 --> 00:42:52,379 {\an8}why would he want to trade spots with me? 990 00:42:52,403 --> 00:42:55,883 {\an8}I would do anything, I would give up anything to be him. 991 00:42:55,907 --> 00:42:58,469 {\an8}"Guys, listen," he's like, "the journey there is 992 00:42:58,493 --> 00:43:00,637 {\an8}so much better than the destination." 993 00:43:00,661 --> 00:43:02,473 {\an8}And I'm like, I didn't get it. 994 00:43:02,497 --> 00:43:05,893 {\an8}And now, I've made it to the destination, 995 00:43:05,917 --> 00:43:07,311 {\an8}and he's right. 996 00:43:07,335 --> 00:43:08,729 {\an8}Like, you're chasing this thing and when you finally 997 00:43:08,753 --> 00:43:11,398 {\an8}get to the thing, it doesn't really make you feel 998 00:43:11,422 --> 00:43:12,566 {\an8}any better or happier. 999 00:43:12,590 --> 00:43:15,360 {\an8}You have to be happy the entire time. 1000 00:43:15,384 --> 00:43:17,529 {\an8}That last night I saw him, I'd asked him, 1001 00:43:17,553 --> 00:43:19,406 {\an8}"You know, I've told some of these stories about the crazy 1002 00:43:19,430 --> 00:43:23,911 {\an8}shit you did, but you didn't have the gay subtext to 1003 00:43:23,935 --> 00:43:27,247 {\an8}explain some of the behaviour." And I said, 1004 00:43:27,271 --> 00:43:29,666 {\an8}"Do you really want me to tell these stories?" 1005 00:43:29,690 --> 00:43:34,046 {\an8}He goes, "Shoot, papa, shoot." "Tell the truth, papa." 1006 00:43:34,070 --> 00:43:36,799 {\an8}If you pulled out a Ouija board and I got the 1007 00:43:36,823 --> 00:43:39,510 {\an8}chance to talk to him one more time, 1008 00:43:39,534 --> 00:43:42,179 {\an8}I would just say, "Kanyon, 1009 00:43:42,203 --> 00:43:46,850 {\an8}you've been an amazing friend." 1010 00:43:46,874 --> 00:43:49,853 {\an8}I... I... 1011 00:43:49,877 --> 00:43:52,815 {\an8}I guess I'd just hug his ghost. 1012 00:43:52,839 --> 00:43:55,943 {\an8}[Laughing] You know, oops. 1013 00:43:55,967 --> 00:43:58,612 {\an8}And he'd go, "Mother... er, you missed!" 1014 00:43:58,636 --> 00:44:00,572 {\an7}[Laughing] 1015 00:44:00,596 --> 00:44:03,933 {\an8}♪