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