| Chris Candido |
 |
| Chris Candido
Height: 5'8" Weight: 225 lbs. Real name: Chris Candito Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey Pro debut: 1986 Finishing move: Blonde Bombshell (Powerbomb from the top rope), Diving headbutt, New Jersey Jam (Leg Drop from Middle Rope), Suicide-plex (superplex) Other aliases: Chris Candino (USWA, The (Masked) Avenger (USWA), "Hard Knox", Bodydonna Skip, Skip, "No Gimmick Necessary", "Mr. Charisma" Career highlights: WWA Junior Heavyweight Champion (2), WWA Tag Team Champion (w/Chris Evans), Smokey Mountain Wrestling/WWA Heavyweight Champion, ECW World Tag Team Champion (3), SMW U.S. Junior Heavyweight Champion (2), SMW Beat the Champ Television Champion, California Creative Wrestling Champion, SMW TV Champion (2), SMW Tag Team Champion (2) (w/Brian Lee), NWA World Heavyweight Champion, PCW United States Heavyweight Champion, WWE World Tag Team Champion (w/Zip), NWA New Jersey Heavyweight Champion, XPW World Heavyweight Champion, WCW Cruiserweight Champion, JCW TV Champion, USPW United States Heavyweight Champion (3), LWE World Heavyweight Champion, WWC TV Champion, UWA Heavyweight Champion (2), NWA North Jersey Heavyweight Champion (formerly UWA), NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion Trained by: "Pretty Boy" Larry Sharpe Chris Candido started wrestling at the age of 16 on the independent circuit. He had grown up loving professional wrestling due to his grandfather, "Popeye" Chuck Richards, being a wrestler. While in high school, he met Tammy Lynn Sytch. Candido debuted in the World Wrestling Association, a promotion operated by his trainer, Larry Sharpe. After winning several titles, he moved on to Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where he had his first real success, winning the Television, United States Junior Heavyweight and Tag Team titles. He was managed by his girlfriend, then known as "Tamara Murphy Fytch." At the same time, Candido also worked for Eastern Championship Wrestling. At just 22, he won a tournament to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The World Wrestling Federation signed Candido and his girlfriend in 1995 and renamed them Skip and Sunny respectively, giving them the characters of a fitness obsessed couple, The Bodydonnas. Though Candido's success was overshadowed by the popularity of Sunny, he eventually gained a tag team partner Zip (Tom Prichard), and went on to win the WWF tag team titles at WrestleMania XII in a tournament final against their nemeses, The Godwinns. Candido left the WWF in 1996, possibly because of friction between him and the Clique. He later claimed that both Prichard and he disliked the gimmick. As part of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Candido was a member of the Triple Threat which consisted of him, the leader, Shane Douglas, and Bam Bam Bigelow. Candido also enjoyed a seven month tag team title reign with Lance Storm, with the champions constantly bickering with one another. Tammy left the WWF soon after Candido, and followed him to ECW, resuming her position as his manager. In addition to being a performer, he was also the travel agent for the company, responsible for booking plane flights. Candido, along with Tammy, was released from ECW in October, 1999 as a result of their drug abuse. Candido appeared briefly with Xtreme Pro Wrestling before signing with World Championship Wrestling in 2000, competing (and winning gold) in the cruiserweight division. He was part of the New Blood, the stable formed by Eric Bischoff to oppose the older, more powerful wrestlers dominating the promotion. Candido left WCW in late 2000, allegedly as a result of drug abuse by his girlfriend, Tammy Lynn Sytch. A syringe containing Nubain was found in the women's restroom and Kimberly Page told management that it was Tammy's. Tammy volunteered to take a drug test and passed, but was released nonetheless. Tammy's well-known history of drug abuse did not help her case. Candido would leave WCW soon after. Candido then wrestled for numerous independent promotions and toured Japan, winning several regional titles. At one point he and Tammy relocated to Puerto Rico for eight months to work for the World Wrestling Council. In January 2004 he gave up drugs after his addiction to Somas led to him suffering a heart attack. Candido's career underwent something of a revival in early 2005, as he was hired by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, the second largest wrestling promotion in North America. He regularly competed in six man tag matches with his allies, The Naturals, and was a founding member of Planet Jarrett. |