Chris Kanyon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chris Kanyon |
|
|---|---|
Kanyon as WCW United States Champion in 2001
|
|
| Birth name | Christopher Morgan Klucsarits |
| Born | January 4, 1970 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 2010 (aged 40) Sunnyside, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University at Buffalo |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Chris Canyon Chris K Chris Kanyon Chris "Champagne" Kanyon Mortis "Positively" Kanyon |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Billed from | Queens, New York Taipei (as Mortis) |
| Trained by | Pete McKay Gonzalez Ismael Gerena Bobby Bold Eagle Afa Anoaʻi The Fabulous Moolah |
| Debut | April 5, 1992 |
Christopher Morgan Klucsarits (born January 4, 1970 – died April 2, 2010) was an American professional wrestler. He was famous for wrestling in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He wrestled from 1994 to 2004.
He used different ring names like Chris Kanyon, Kanyon, and Mortis. People called him "The Innovator of Offense" because of his unique wrestling style. Many thought he was one of WCW's most underrated stars.
Contents
Early Life and Education
When Chris Kanyon was young, he loved playing sports. He played roller hockey, basketball, and baseball in school. He went to Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York. He graduated from high school in 1988.
After high school, he went to the University at Buffalo. He studied physical therapy and graduated in 1992. While at college, he was part of the rugby team. Before becoming a full-time wrestler, Kanyon worked as a physical therapist for three years.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting Out (1992–1995)
After college, Kanyon started training to be a wrestler. He trained with Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena, and Bobby Bold Eagle. His first wrestling match was on April 5, 1992. He wrestled as Chris Morgan for one match.
Then, he changed his name to Chris Canyon and later to Chris Kanyon. For three years, he worked as a physical therapist during the week. He wrestled on weekends and evenings. In 1995, he decided to become a full-time professional wrestler.
Early in his career, Kanyon teamed up with Billy Kidman. They wrestled in hockey uniforms. In 1994, he wrestled a few matches for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He often faced bigger stars like Shawn Michaels and Diesel. His friend, James Mitchell, saw his talent. He sent Kanyon for more training with The Fabulous Moolah and Afa.
World Championship Wrestling (1995–2001)
Men at Work (1995–1996)
Kanyon joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1995. At first, he mostly lost matches to help other wrestlers look strong. He did get one surprise win against Disco Inferno. After a few months, he formed a tag team with Mark Starr. Their team was called "Men at Work."
Their wrestling characters were construction workers. They wore jeans to the ring. Kanyon would sometimes cause them to lose matches. He would pull out his tape measure at the wrong times. Eventually, Kanyon was replaced, and the team broke up.
Mortis (1996–1998)
In 1996, Kanyon started using a new character called Mortis. He wore a mask for this role. Mortis is a Latin word meaning "death." He was managed by James Vandenberg. Mortis had a big rivalry with a wrestler named Glacier.
Mortis faced Glacier at a big event called Uncensored in March 1997. He lost to Glacier. After the match, another wrestler named Wrath appeared. Wrath joined Mortis and attacked Glacier. Glacier beat Mortis again at Slamboree in May. Wrath and Mortis attacked Glacier again.
However, Ernest Miller came to help Glacier. These four wrestlers fought for several weeks. Mortis and Wrath won a tag team match at Bash at the Beach in July. Mortis and Wrath continued to team up for a while. Their storyline ended quietly in early 1998.
The Flock (1998–1999)
In February 1998, Kanyon (still as Mortis) wanted to join Raven's wrestling group called The Flock. Raven said he could join if he beat Diamond Dallas Page for the United States Heavyweight Championship. Mortis tried but failed to win the title. Because he lost, Raven attacked him.
After this, Kanyon stopped being Mortis. He started a rivalry with Raven. During this time, he got the nickname "The Innovator of Offense." This was because he used many unique wrestling moves. He often started his matches by asking, "Who Better than Kanyon?" The crowd would usually shout back, "Everybody!"
Kanyon teamed up with Perry Saturn to fight The Flock. But Kanyon eventually turned on Saturn and joined Raven. Saturn later forced The Flock to break up by beating Raven. Kanyon and Raven continued to team up. Kanyon then took a break from wrestling. He worked as a stunt coordinator and stuntman for a movie.
Teaming with Diamond Dallas Page (1999–2001)
In May 1999, at Slamboree, Kanyon helped Raven and Saturn win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Later that month, Kanyon teamed with Saturn to defend the titles. During the match, Kanyon turned on Saturn. This allowed Bam Bam Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page to win the tag team titles.
Kanyon then formed a group with Bigelow and Page. They called themselves the Jersey Triad. The Triad had rivalries over the Tag Team Championship. They won the title on June 13, 1999. WCW President Ric Flair allowed them to defend the title as a three-man team. This gave them an advantage.
However, Sting later changed this rule. Kanyon and Bigelow lost the title to Harlem Heat in August 1999. The Triad broke up soon after. Kanyon again took a break from wrestling. He worked on the movie Ready to Rumble. He was the stunt coordinator and stunt double for actor Oliver Platt.
Kanyon returned to WCW in late 1999. He was called Chris "Champagne" Kanyon, or C.C.K. He had an "agent" named J. Biggs and two women with him. He pretended to be a Hollywood star. He enjoyed expensive things like champagne and fancy cars. He had a short rivalry with Bigelow and Page.
Kanyon came back to WCW again in April 2000. He teamed with Diamond Dallas Page for several months. At Slamboree, Kanyon tried to save Page from a powerbomb. Page was almost thrown off a tall cage. Kanyon saved Page, but then Mike Awesome threw Kanyon off the cage instead. This was a dramatic moment.
Kanyon was then shown in a hospital with a neck brace. He was later in a wheelchair. But he suddenly stood up from the wheelchair. He turned on Page at The Great American Bash. Kanyon joined Eric Bischoff's group, The New Blood. Kanyon started copying Page. He called himself "Positively" Kanyon. He wore a blonde wig and later dyed his hair blonde. He even used a move similar to Page's, called the Kanyon Kutter.
He would use the Kutter on various people backstage. He even used it on Buff Bagwell's mother, Judy. This led to a short rivalry with the Bagwell family. Buff Bagwell beat Kanyon in a special match. Kanyon left WCW shortly after.
Kanyon returned to WCW on February 5, 2001. He attacked Diamond Dallas Page, restarting their rivalry. Kanyon beat Page at SuperBrawl Revenge in February 2001. But Page beat Kanyon the next night. Kanyon then started a rivalry with Ernest "The Cat" Miller in March 2001. He had a new look with a black leather jacket. This rivalry was still going on when WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 2001.
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2001–2004)
The Alliance (2001)
On July 5, 2001, Kanyon made his WWF debut. He was part of The Alliance. This was a group of former WCW wrestlers who were "invading" the WWF. His first WWF big event was Invasion. He teamed with Shawn Stasiak and Hugh Morrus. They won their match against The Big Show, Billy Gunn, and Albert.
On July 26, WCW Champion Booker T gave Kanyon the WCW United States Championship. Kanyon then called himself "The Alliance MVP." He kept the title against Kane on August 2.
Kanyon teamed up with Diamond Dallas Page again on August 6. Kanyon helped Page attack The Undertaker. On August 9, they beat the Acolytes Protection Agency for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Their championship reign lasted until August 19. They lost to The Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker) in a steel cage match at SummerSlam. Kanyon lost the WCW United States Championship to Tajiri on September 10.
Kanyon then had a short rivalry with Matt Hardy. Kanyon had been bothering Lita, Matt's girlfriend. Kanyon beat Hardy on September 24. This rivalry ended in early October. The Hardy Boyz beat Kanyon and his Alliance partners in several tag team matches. Kanyon then wrestled on smaller WWF shows.
On October 29, 2001, Kanyon got a serious knee injury. He had surgery and was out of action for a long time. He only appeared once in a small role at Survivor Series. At this event, the Alliance team lost to the WWF team. Because they lost, Kanyon and other Alliance members were "fired." This storyline allowed Kanyon time to recover from his injury. Later, most Alliance members returned to the WWF.
Brand Switches (2002–2004)
In May 2002, Kanyon was ready to wrestle again. He went to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). This was a WWE training area. But on July 13, 2002, Kanyon injured his left shoulder. He had surgery on July 21. After surgery, he had trouble breathing. He was allergic to his medicine. His lungs filled with fluid, and his oxygen levels dropped very low.
He slowly got better and left the hospital on July 28. He had lost a lot of weight. Kanyon returned to OVW in October 2002. He stayed there for four more months. He also wrestled in matches before TV shows in late 2002 and early 2003.
On February 13, 2003, Kanyon returned to the main TV show, SmackDown!. He came out of a big box, dressed as Boy George. He sang a song to The Undertaker. The Undertaker then attacked Kanyon. Kanyon wrestled his first TV match back on April 19, 2003. He used his "Who Betta Than Kanyon?" character. He lost to Rhyno. Kanyon mostly wrestled on the Velocity show for the rest of 2003. He also wrestled as Mortis in some matches. On February 9, 2004, Kanyon was released from his contract. He had faced two injuries and wasn't used in major storylines.
Later Career (2004–2010)
Kanyon officially retired from wrestling on August 28, 2004. He lost his last match to Diamond Dallas Page in Wayne, New Jersey. In July 2005, he announced he was coming out of retirement. He returned to wrestle on the independent circuit. After Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, he wrestled in several shows to help raise money.
Kanyon appeared at a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) event in December 2005. He wrestled as Chris K and lost to Raven. Kanyon also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). He faced the PWG champion, Joey Ryan. Joey kept his title with help from someone dressed as Mortis.
Kanyon announced his second retirement on April 5, 2007. However, he came out of retirement again on December 19, 2009. He wrestled for New York Wrestling Connection. He continued to wrestle for them before he passed away. His very last match was on January 30, 2010. He wrestled as Mortis in a handicap match.
Death
Chris Kanyon had been dealing with bipolar disorder. On April 2, 2010, his brother, Ken Klucsarits, found him deceased at his childhood home in Sunnyside, Queens. He was 40 years old. WWE acknowledged his passing.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 108 of the top 500 single wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Diamond Dallas Page and Bam Bam Bigelow
- World Wrestling Federation
- WCW United States Championship (1 time)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Diamond Dallas Page
- Victory Championship Wrestling
- VCW Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)
See also
In Spanish: Chris Kanyon para niños
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
Images for kids
-
Kanyon as WCW United States Champion in 2001
