Falls Count Anywhere

04-29-05

Give my computer some Nyquil.

SmackDown!
Sadly, all this is from my longer term memory as a virus gnarled my computer something fierce, and since I was watching it while I write it, I didn’t tape the show. That sucks hard, as the kids today are saying.

A good episode of SmackDown! from England. Solid work all around and a good opening segment. Carlito’s Cabana is a great segment. I really like his charisma and I hope he can get in the ring again soon and start getting back his heat. Having Kurt on the Cabana also helped. They had an English guy come out and challenge Kurt. Sadly, Kurt turned down his challenge, until the poor limey bastard turned his back and got jumped. The Brit got some OK offense in until Kurt hit the Angle Slam and got the ankle lock for the win. Nice segment from start to finish.

Chavo took on Paul London in a decent match. Chavo had the advantage to start, but London got his Spinning Heel Kick and the Dropsault. He eventually got tossed outside and Chavo rammed him ribs first into the post and got the count-out win. He didn’t seem to know that he couldn’t win the title on a Countout.

The WWE never met an angle they couldn't ruin.

The Guerrero issue with Rey came to an end as they first did a big ole segment where they had Chavo interject himself and try to tear the two of them apart. This didn’t work, though Rey was being all quiet. The match against MNM was very good storytelling and there was some nice work, especially from Rey who busted out a Standing Moonsault which I haven’t seen from him in a long time.

At one point, Rey knocked Eddie off the mat and to the ground. This led to Eddie staying off the apron for a while. Finally, he got back up, but he refused Rey’s tag and Rey had to endure the Snapshot for the loss. This was the end of an era and it may be the end of Eddie as a big draw in many Hispanic markets.

There was a Dupree vs. Cena match. Cena won with his good fiery comeback. He’s kinda one dimensional, but Cena’s over, that’s for sure.

Matt Morgan continues to annoy me with his stuttering gimmick. Seriously, they stopped using it with Buhbuh Dudley years ago. He then squashed a jobber, which is the WWE MO with big guys of late. Sadly, I don’t see him lasting. Hell, give the guy a mask and call him The Executioner!

The Fatal Fourway was a good match that I enjoyed. Big Show worked harder than usual, this time taking everyone’s finisher (The Angle Slam, the Scissors Kick, and the Clothesline from Hell) before getting tossed and counted out. This left Angle and JBL to work over Booker T. Booker got some offense in, but in the end, he was murdered by a chairshot and pinned by Angle. This left the two heels in with each other and this was a good section. The crowd seemed to be solidly behind Angle. Kurt got hit with the Chair to give JBL the win. Good match.

NEWS
Chris Candito passed away yesterday at the age of either 33 or 35. The cause of death has been reported as a blood clot from the surgery he underwent on Monday to a staph infection.

On a happier note, Debbie Micceli, better known as Medusa, won the Monster Jam championships, becoming the first woman ever to do it. She held all the major women’s championships before turning to Monster Trucks after being released by WCW.

FlashBack
Chris Candito went by Chris Candido in most of his wrestling appearances. A lot like Mike Rotundo would go by Mike Rotunda…or vice-versa. Either way, he was a talented wrestler and a star who left us far too soon.

Chris started wrestling in 1986. He was still in high school at the time. He was a huge fan and the Jersey Indy scene was a place where just about any kid with a little training could get a shot. He quickly rose through the ranks with his good looks and athletic build. He worked all over the East until 1992, when he was spotted by both Eddie Gilbert and Jim Cornette.

Gilbert put Candido with Johnny Hotbody and called them the Suicide Blondes. The team won the ECW tag titles. ECW was just another Northeastern Indy at this point, but Candido did appear at the first show at the ECW arena, I believe in the main event. Cornette called Candido Crybaby, and that got him over with the fans. He quickly won most of the big titles in Smokey Mountain Wrestling and was spotted there along with his manager: Tammy Lynn Sytch.

A surprisingly strong couple...

This was exactly what was needed, as Sytch was a great manager. Chris was even given the NWA title after the tournament that ended with Shane Douglas throwing the NWA title down in favour of the ECW belt. He lost the belt to Dan The Beast Sevren who held it for a couple of years. The two of them got a call from Vince in 1995 and were set to debut with one of the best gimmicks of the mid-1990s.

Chris and Tammy came in as the Bodydonnas, Skip and Sunny. They were bodybuilder types and Sunny was perfect in her role. She got a great response for being the first real WWF Diva. Skip was a great wrestler and had some really good matches, but due to his size, despite his roided appearance, he was never pushed hard until Dr. Tom Pritchard became his tag partner as Bodydonna Zip. The pair of them became tag team champs and had good feuds with The Smoking Gunns and others. Candido had a bunch of injuries, but eventually he was let go. This led Candido to head off to ECW, where he quickly became a star in the Triple Threat along with Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelowe.

Candido was not without problems. He was a partier, and had troubles with drugs and booze. He was a nice guy to most folks and even took time to chat up his fans. Tammy was also not without her troubles, but she and Chris stayed together for a long time, I believe right up until the end.

Chris was in TNA until Sonny Siaki fell on his leg, breaking it on Sunday. He had surgery on Monday and it’s likely that complications from the surgery are what killed him. He had some great matches, and some real troubles, but he’ll be remembered for his runs with WWF and ECW as one fo the great guys who never made it to the top.

That’s all for this week. Hopefully next will be more death and virus free.

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Chris Garcia