Chris Candido

**Christopher Barrett Candito** (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candido is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where he performed under his real name, as well as for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name **Skip**, one-half of the tag team **The Bodydonnas**. For much of his career, he performed alongside his real-life partner, Tammy "Sunny" Sytch, who acted as his valet.

In the course of his career, Candido held professional wrestling championships such as the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, WWF World Tag Team Championship, ECW World Tag Team Championship and WCW Cruiserweight Championship. At the time of his passing, he was the reigning NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion.

On April 28, 2005, Candido felt ill and his condition worsened during the day. He collapsed in the evening and was rushed to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was diagnosed with pneumonia. Doctors drained his lungs, but Candido died soon afterwards. He was 33 years old. His brother Johnny, reported that Candido died due to a blood clot, a complication from surgery. In a 2016 interview Johnny Candido would reveal that Chris did not die from a blood clot, but rather acute pneumonia. This death had a profound effect on fellow wrestlers such as CM Punk, who in 2014 voiced his concern of a post-elbow surgery clot similar to that of Candido.

TNA subsequently held the Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament in his honor in late 2005. In 2009, he was inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame.

## In wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Blonde Bombshell* (Superbomb)
	+ *Suicide Blond* (Diving headbutt)

* **Signature moves**
	+ Delayed vertical suplex
	+ Frankensteiner
	+ Knife-edged chop
	+ *New Jersey Jam* (Diving leg drop)
	+ *Suicide-plex* (Superplex)
* **Managers**
	+ Cloudy
	+ Tamara Fytch / Sunny / Tammy Lynn Sytch

* **Wrestlers managed**
	+ The Naturals

* **Nicknames**
	+ "Hard Knox"
	+ "No Gimmicks Needed"
	+ "Suicide Blond"

* **Entrance themes**
	+ **Smokey Mountain Wrestling**
		- "Suicide Blonde" by INXS
		- "Get the Funk Out" by Extreme
	+ **World Wrestling Federation**
		- "Body Donna" by Jim Johnston
	+ **Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling**
		- "Back in Black" by AC/DC
	+ **World Championship Wrestling**
		- "Chris Candido Theme" by Jimmy Hart & Howard Helm
		- "Rock Box" by Ross Hardy & Brian White
	+ **Independent circuit**
		- "Back in Black" by AC/DC
	+ **Total Nonstop Action Wrestling**
		- "Smack" by Dale Oliver
		- "Born & Raised" by Dale Oliver
		- "Natural" by Dale Oliver (used while teaming with The Naturals)

### Wrestlers trained

* Johnny Candido
* Tammy Lynn Sytch

## Championships and accomplishments

* **California Creative Wrestling**
	+ CCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling**
	+ ECW (World) Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Johnny Hotbody and Chris Michaels (2) and Lance Storm (1)
* **Hardcore Hall of Fame**
	+ Class of 2009
* **Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling**
	+ ISPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Jersey Championship Wrestling**
	+ JCW Television Championship (1 time)
* **Legacy Wrestling Enterprises**
	+ LWE World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Mid-American Wrestling**
	+ MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **National Wrestling Alliance**
	+ NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
	+ NWA World Championship Tournament (1994)
* **NWA Midwest**
	+ NWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **NWA New Jersey**
	+ NWA New Jersey Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* **Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling**
	+ PCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Ranked **#45** out of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the *PWI 500* in 1994 and 1998
	+ PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2005)
* **Smoky Mountain Wrestling**
	+ SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship (2 times)
	+ SMW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brian Lee
	+ SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
* **United States Extreme Wrestling**
	+ USEW United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
* **USA Pro Wrestling**
	+ USA Pro United States Championship (1 time)
* **World Championship Wrestling**
	+ WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
* **World Wrestling Association**
	+ WWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
	+ WWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Evans
* **World Wrestling Council**
	+ WWC World Television Championship (1 time)
* **World Wrestling Federation**
	+ WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Zip
* **Xtreme Pro Wrestling**
	+ XPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Most Underrated (1995)