DISCLAIMER:I didn’t write my “Random Thoughts” column for April 2005, but will be replacing it with the following column. The column you are about to read (much to the dismay of some of my cohorts) may seem a bit cliche, but it is very important to me to share this experience with you about a stand up guy who help show me a reality in wrestling that I had never understood until the day I met him.
This is by far one of the hardest columns I have ever had to do. Chris Candido may not have been a “good friend” of mine, but he was still someone who I had the great pleasure of meeting and conversing with and showed me a lot of respect and gained a world of respect from me in a matter of hours.
During the late spring of 2003, I had my share of problems. I found myself stuck in a rut and in the midst of “Nowhereville”. I had a good job and a baby on the way but began to drink a bit much and found myself rather depressed more often than not. There were 2 things in my life that I enjoyed. My children and professional wrestling. In the midst of all this (and writer’s block) I was sent a “gift” so to speak. I managed to get in contact with a promoter named Denise Hoopes that was working with an upstart Indy wrestling federation called Prime Time Wrestling. She offered me a front row ticket to the show (knowing that I worked for 1Wrestling), as much access that she could allow to any “non-wrestler” and kept her word above and beyond anything we had discussed.
I had never been to an Indy show and never had the chance to get up close and personal with professional wrestlers before (with the exception of Big Vito, who was scheduled to work the PTW show, but was called off to Japan at the last moment).
Now it was showtime and I was ecstatic to say the least.
When I arrived at the building, Denise informed me that Danny Doring (of ECW fame) had cancelled last minute and that Chris Candido would be his replacement. I met quite a few wrestlers that day, but Candido (to me) was the “real deal”. I have always been familiar with Candido’s work and always admired him tremendously. Unknown to many is the fact that Candido was the youngest professional wrestler to ever have an “official” match at the tender age of 14. He was also the youngest NWA World Champion in history (as of the day he won it)!
Any ways, in between my cigarette breaks I managed to have a couple of conversations with Julio Dinero and saw him once again as I headed outside. This time he was talking to Candido (whom I figured I wouldn’t have seen in the hallway). When Julio walked away I nervously went up to Candido and said…”Hey Chris, looking great. Nice to meet you man, I’m a big fan!”. “Thanks a lot man!” he cheerily replied. I asked him if he would take a picture with me and replied “Sure, let me just have Tammy pop my shoulder in!”. Now to be honest with you, I didn’t even know she was standing all but 3 feet away from us, so that was an added bonus. I asked him if he was going to be alright to wrestle (seeing now that he was in pain) and he replied “Oh yeah! I’m just a little sore. I had a match last night….I’ll be good as soon as I hit the ring!”. Well he took the picture with me, I thanked him and Tammy for their time and as I was walking away he said “You guys having a good time?”. “A blast!” I replied.
“Great…I’m glad to hear it….thanks man!” he said as I walked off to let him get ready for his match.
About an hour after our encounter, it was Candido’s time to wrestle. His pop was HUGE and he was wrestling (as a heel) Trent Acid who was (and is) a pretty big “face” on the East Coast Indy scene. He put on a 25 minute classic that showed every reason why he had all the accolades that he did. He was flawless and worked the crowd about as good as Bill Gates could work a laptop. He rather easily defeated Acid and even shook his hand after the match and raised it in the air.
As the card progressed I would catch glimpses on Candido on the sidelines walking off some of the pain he was obviously in. “What a trooper!” I said to my friend Rocco (who had attended the show with me). “You ain’t kidding’ bro……you couldn’t even tell he wrestled last night!” he replied. When the show ended I thanked Denise for her hospitality and wouldn’t you know who was laid up on the sideline bench on the way out. It was Candido. “Great job Chris…you okay?”. He laughed and grunted in pain all at the same time and replied “Thanks a lot man…that means a lot to me. You guys have a good time?” he asked with a smile. “A Blast” I replied once again. “Great….thanks for coming guys” he said.”The pleasure was all mine bro!” I replied.
The last words I ever uttered to Chris Candido.
In all the years I’ve been watching wrestling and hearing about what wrestlers put their bodies through, this is the day I got the truest understanding of why professional wrestlers are indeed the greatest athletes in the world.
Isn’t it a bit ironic that my last words to Chris Candido were….”The pleasure was all mine….”.
Indeed my friend. You will be sorely missed and I can’t thank you enough for being a real person to me and showing me what “troopers” professional wrestlers really are.
God bless you and yours and let us never forget a consummate professional and a wonderful human being.
Chris Candido.
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