Killing The Town
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Recap By: Dust
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
With Cyrus, aka Don Callis, busy working on NJPW commentary and above all booking Impact (don’t call it TNA), we get a repeat of the Chris Candido Tribute Show from May 2, 2017. Still a great show.
Chris Candido died very young, at 33 but managed to make a big impact in the business working for everybody starting with ECW while it was still Eastern Championship Wrestling, moving to Cornette’s Smokey Mountain Wrestling, then working with WWF while it was still with the F, heading to Heyman’s Extreme ECW, doing a brief stint with endgame WCW and wrestling the independent circuit and NJPW before finishing his career in TNA.
Along the way he was NWA Heavyweight Champion, WCW Cruiserweight Champion, held multiple SMW junior belts and was a 3 time ECW tag team champion. His run was fascinating despite it being cut tragically short with varying reasons being given for his death, pneumonia or a blood clot.
Lance Storm was a close friend’s of Candido despite being a kayfabe rival and ‘reluctant’ tag team partner.
The main theme of the podcast is how fun Candido was a great human being as well as a great worker, a favorite of Lance’s and others.
Lance talks about meeting Candido immediately upon joining SMW. They even lived in the same apartment building, Lance with his girlfriend and Candido with Tammy Sitch (look up Sunny/Candido on Youtube to hear about the Sunny SMW stories, they’re too depressing for me to talk about).
They were close friends, working together, going to the gym, working out, working and bumping hard. Candido just wanted to have matches and didn’t politic. He was also a fan of taking bumps called horrendous by Lance and which Lance didn’t want him to execute. Storm talks meeting McMahon as well as Candido getting Lance a job at Heyman’s new ECW. Lance calls his feud and forced tag team with Candido in ECW one of his most fun runs ever.
Heyman’s stipulation was that if either turned on each other, they would be fired so Candido would always try to work around this with Storm while doing double duty. Lance also talks singing the Blue Danube Waltz while doing spots with Candido to set their temp. Candido in WWF was told to dog his house show matches but loved wrestling too much. Lance calls Candido being a cutting edge technical wrestler while having a huge sense of humor in matches, doing comedy without running a ‘comedy’ match.
Cyrus notes how open and friendly Candido was with upon meeting him. The business was everything to Candido and his life.
16:45 – Candido talks his introduction to the business with a list of huge names.
19:35 – Joey Styles talks about working with Candido, a blast. Talks about Candido having a great sense of humor, always having a great story, never being angry, running a Three Stooges ‘Curly’ shuffle, running a Terry Funk ‘stumble/rubber leg’ never too serious (unlike Lance), having unbelievable strength and being a ‘scientific’ wrestler. Candido stopped Styles lifting with the boys because Candido was too strong.
26:28 – Candido talks about working in FMW, working with ‘paint’ on his face vs. Onita, being a heel and a certain legend using styrofoam in a horrible way.
29:30 – Tommy Dreamer talks about working Candido on the indies. Candido was a great worker. Tommy talks looking through wrestling magazines and papers thanks to Candido’s brother. Candido fantasy booked in detail. Talks Candido using an ‘invisible’ gimmick. Talks about Taz accusing Candido of disrespecting the business by having too much fun.
34:20 – Candido talks teaming up with Tom Prichard (and Bruce and Bob Backlund being involved).
36:08 – Tom Prichard talks working with Candido, one of his favorite people in the business, a great and passionate worker worthy of appreciation and admiration. Talks Bodydonnas and going to ECW. Talks about the power bomb finish and being worried about the ECW ring, which turned out to be an excellent bumping ring. Talks SMW with Lance and having to cut his hair and dying it after the Heavenly Bodies run. Lance was jealous because he had the cut hair ready. Tom talks of reaching for a branch with Candido/Sunny. Cooking an impromptu promo with Bob Backlund outside of the barber shop before cutting his hair. Talks having his fill of Tammy and how Tammy behaved towards Candido being herself with the boys… well you know, feeling bad for Candido. Bonding with Candido unlike most of people. Good segment.
45:25 – Candido talks about Lance, compensating for Lance having “zero personality”, having fun with Lance. Candido talks about almost losing his ear in a match with Sabu/Lance. Blood, EMTs and tables.
48:00 – Christopher Daniels talks WCW, one match under contract, loads of tryouts and dark matches, almost fighting Rey Mysterio but was switched with Candido. Candido let him lay out the match, doing a chair shot. A bit random segment.
51:50 – Candido talks going to WCW, talking with Kevin Sullivan and Kevin Nash. Nash was a friend. Talks meeting Scott Hall in WCW after an ECW show, each accusing the other of being a d*** in New York.
54:06 – Longest segment: Jim Cornette talks about knowing Candido since he was a teenager in the Coralluzzo clique. Talks about not being able to offer Candido enough money to hire him alone but Sammy being pretty and talented enough to use them as a couple with enough money to support them.
Tammy went to school and she might have finished her classes as a nurse since she was always doing homework. Candido was supposed to come in as an underneath guy to SMW as the real WWF junior champ vs. Tim Horner (who Jimmy says was a good worker despite everything else…). Talks about how Candido was an amazing worker taking huge bumps without the audience caring. Cornette teaches Candido how to act like a crybaby heel without taking damage, ‘Southern style’. Lance says you had to do the match the way the audience wanted instead of the other way round.
Cornette says he saw Jericho taking a huge bump and saying “that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen, don’t do it again”. Cornette talks the Clinton gimmick transferred to Tammy and her getting heat. Candido finds his way in SMW from the bottom while Tammy started at the top. Talks about road trip planning ribs, strip clubs and Candido driving around with Tammy in the trunk before she turned. Compares Candido with Owen Hart. Talks Candido meeting Lou Thesz in an airport bathroom after Candido won the NWA belt, Lou Thesz gave him a warning about promoters looking to screw him out of the belt. Cornette says that Candido might have done too much damage to himself in Knoxville, had a ‘black’ (dead) collarbone and then got involved in a too busy bump culture but Candido had a great attitude.
About Dust
Not an Attitude Era fan, watches old wrestling but likes Nakamura/Styles/Kevin Owens, listens to too many podcasts. @twitdust
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