Chris Kanyon

Real name: Chris Klucsaritis
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 245 lbs.
Date of birth: January 4, 1970
Date of death: April 2, 2010
Hometown: Queens, NY
Pro debut: 1992
Trained by: Wild Samoan Afa
Finishing move: The Flatliner

Biography

– Kanyon wrestled under the ring Chris Morgan in his pro debut match.
– In 1994, Kanyon had a try out with the WWF, but the federation opted not to extend him a contract.
– Kanyon had brief stints in Memphis, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and ECW before joining WCW in May 1995.
– In WCW, Kanyon formed a tag team called Men at Work, first with Mark Starr, and later with Mike Winner.
– As Mortis, Kanyon was managed by James Vandenberg (Sinister Minister in ECW). Mortis regularly tagged with Wrath (Bryan Clark).
– At the 1997 Bash at the Beach in Daytona Beach, FL, Mortis and Wrath defeated Glacier and Ernest “The Cat” Miller.
– Mortis and Wrath took care of Meng and the Barbarian at the 1997 Fall Brawl.
– At the 1998 Great American Bash in Baltimore, MD, Kanyon defeated Perry Saturn.
– Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page defeated Chris Benoit and Saturn at the 1999 Great American Bash for the WCW World Tag Team title.
– At the 1999 Bash at the Beach in Sunrise, FL, the Triad (Kanyon, Page, and Bam Bam Bigelow) beat Benoit and Saturn to retain the WCW World Tag Team title.
– Kanyon fought Mike Awesome to a no contest at the 2000 Slamboree in Kansas City. Later in the show, Kanyon took a bump off a steel cage courtesy of Awesome.
– The WCW creative team gave Kanyon a new gimmick – “Positively” Kanyon, a parody of his former partner, Diamond Dallas Page.
– Thanks to a Jeff Jarrett guitar shot, “Positively” Kanyon defeated Booker T at the 2000 Bash at the Beach.
– Following a humiliating “Judy on a Pole” match at New Blood Rising, Kanyon requested his release from WCW.
– In the fall of 2000, Kanyon took a leave of absence for personal reasons.
– After a lengthy absence from television, Kanyon returned on the February 5, 2001 episode of “Nitro” to attack Page.
– At the Superbrawl Revenge PPV on February 18, 2001 in Nashville, TN, Kanyon returned to the ring and defeated Page.
– The following night, Kanyon gave The Cat’s valet Miss Jones a diamond cutter.
– In April 2001, Kanyon worked out a release from WCW (AOL Time Warner).
– A short time later, Kanyon signed with the World Wrestling Federation.
– Kanyon made his WWF television debut on the July 8, 2001 edition of “Sunday Night Heat,” teaming with Shawn Stasiak.
– At Invasion, Kanyon, Stasiak, and Hugh Morrus defeated the Big Show, Billy Gunn, and Albert in a six-man tag match.
– Two nights later, Kanyon was awarded the WCW United States title by Booker T at the “Smackdown” taping in Pittsburgh, PA.
– Kanyon and Page defeated the APA at the August 7, 2001 “Smackdown” taping in LA, CA to capture the WWF World Tag Team title.
– On the August 30, 2001 episode of the “Smackdown” in Detroit, MI, Kanyon pinned Intercontinental champion Edge to retain the U.S. champion.
– At the October 29, 2001 “Raw” television taping in Louisville, KY, Kanyon suffered a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in a match against Randy Orton. He had surgery three days later with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, AL.
– After being sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE announced in February 2004 that Kanyon had been released from his contract.