WrestlingClothesline.com is proud to bring you Kanyon's Commentary. Chris Kanyon (aka Mortis) of WCW, WWF, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, ECW, and Memphis fame currently relaunched his website and is more motivated and inspired than ever to prove himself in the business. I first met Chris many years ago when he hosted a forum in AOL's Grandstand Wrestling Area. From that moment on I was a fan and have remained one ever since. I am pleased to post Kanyon's Commentary, which can be found along with tons of other Kanyon info on his official webpage http://www.chriskanyon.net/ . - Brett

Kanyon's Commentary

KATRINA SHOW, KANYON’S DEPRESSION

Oct. 14, 2005

Well, I’m back again. It’s been a while since I posted on here and its been a while (actually, I believe, many years) since I was truly motivated and inspired to prove myself in this business. I got lazy. I got complacent. But no more.

What changed? For those of you who know me personally and those of you who have followed my websites, you probably know that I am somewhat inconsistent and unpredictable. At times I seem really into whatever I am doing and focused and at other times easily distracted and unfocused. That is why you may see me at one point heavily involved with the website and making many posts and than at times I disappear for months at a time. It also explains why sometimes I am (relatively) good at returning phone calls and at most times, the worst on the planet. I often wondered why I was like this. I hated myself for not keeping in touch with friends, not returning calls, not being more motivated, and for being lazy. But than it all made sense. Since being fired from the WWE, I have gone thru some rough times, which ultimately led to me being diagnosed with clinical Bipolar Depression (also known as Manic Depression). I have spent the last year learning about and understanding my condition and we have finally got my medications balanced to the point where I feel I am in the best mental state of my life. I am truly optimistic about my future.

But, it takes more than medication and studying and therapy to become motivated and optimistic. It takes good friends, good times and great family. And sometimes it takes something as horrible and as tragic as Hurricane Katrina to really get motivated. To really see the good in people. To really regain trust and faith in people.

That is exactly what happened with me. I had taken myself off my medications (big mistake….great advice Tom Cruise!!!). After a while, I got pretty depressed. I decided to go back on my meds. I was having trouble getting out of my depression when I got the call. It was a promotion that I had worked for back in July 17, 2005, the MWF. They asked if I would come back and have a rematch with Brian Cage and try and raise awareness and money for Katrina. I immediately agreed, not just because it was a cause that I believed in, but because I was so impressed with the MWF.

The MWF is a group of young men who built there own federation from the ground up…starting on a trampoline in a backyard to running professional shows in big buildings in a ring. They still have a true love for wrestling, not jaded by the politics and the negatives associated with this business. They have a bunch of talented young wrestlers and always put on a great show. They have a bunch of their shows on DVD which I recommend you get your hands on. The story of how I got involved with the MWF and part of the reason of how and why they got up and running is described at the end of this post in a paper MEW wrestler Brian Cage (my opponent at the last show I worked for them and my opponent at the upcoming Katrina benefit show on 10-26-05 in Chico, California) wrote back in 2002.

But back to the Katrina show. Again, it is 10-26-05 in Chico, California. The MWF website is www.MWF-Wrestling.com. As far as the proceeds that go to the Red Cross to benefit Katrina victims, the break down is as follow: 75% of the net proceeds for the live show on 10-26-05 (Tix are $15 for ringside, $10 for general admission). You can order the DVD of the entire MEW show that I wrestled on 7-17-05 as well as other MWF shows off their website. It is $20.00 per DVD with 50% going to Katrina The match I had with Brian Cage on that show, I consider one of the better matches of my career. You can also order autographed Kanyon Pics from the MWF website for $5 plus S&H, 100% of which goes directly to Katrina. And, for the first time ever, I am also donating Kanyon shirts (the same style I have worn to the ring the last few years with Who Betta Than Kanyon on the front and Nobody’s Better (especially not you) on the back). I have worn blue black and white on TV. I have found 12 more shirts to donate to Katrina…$20 plus S&H with 100% going to Katrina. Colors and sizes as follows, first come first served: Red 1 xl, Purple 2 large, 1 xl, Yellow 1 large, 2 xl, Green 2 large, 1 xl and Lime green 1 large, 1 xl. These, along with everything else can be ordered through the MWF website at www.MWF-Wrestling.com . If you are having trouble with ordering merchandise please go directly to www.backofthehouseproductions.com and click on the MWF logo. Once all the money is collected and donated, I will put a receipt up on this website and a breakdown of where the money came from. Also, any donations (from individuals, promoters, promotions, Big National Pro Wrestling Companies) can be made payable to Brian Button and sent to Brian Button, 1176 Whitewood Way, Chico, CA 95973.

I would also like to plug and thank Matt and Nick and Dustin and everyone from High Risk Wrestling in California (website is www.highriskwrestling.com). They are assisting with the Katrina show by flying me out to California. I am working their show along with Altar Boy Luke and Shannon Moore in Victorville, California on Thur 10-27-05. Check out their website for more info (www.highriskwrestling.com)

BRIAN CAGE OF MWF- HISTORY AND MEETING KANYON

The following is an article Brian Cage sent me in 2003. It is a paper he wrote for school in 2001 and it is all true. I posted it on my old website on 4-8-03. Here my post is and his paper in its entirety:

“Note from Kanyon: I recently received this essay from a 19 year old fan, Brian. He wrote it for an English class, and the assignment, I believe, was to write a story with the emphasis on being descriptive and colorful. It is all true and from what I understand, he earned a grade of A for his efforts. I hope you enjoy reading it."

The Grand "Kanyon" Encounter

There we were, the three of us all on a trip down an all familiar road; the road of anticipation to our next wrestling event. But this wasn't going to be the same old wrestling event, not by a long shot.

Eric, (my brother) and our friend Jamie, and I all riding in Jamie's car to the Arco Arena, where tonight they were going to have WWF Raw is War! I was riding shotgun while Jamie was driving and Eric was in the back seat behind me next to the cooler that was full of soda and water. We were dying with anticipation not knowing what to expect, even though this was our fourth time going to a wrestling event. No one can ever know what to expect in a jam packed arena about to see one of the greatest shows on earth. This time we also had floor seats; sixth row baby! We have always-wanted seats that good and finally were granted them. With that aside, we let the CD player play and chomped down on some red vines and Funyuns, getting more and more excited until over the horizon there sat the Arco Arena.

Within minutes, we were there and as we got out, we grabbed our signs out of the trunk and took the long hike through the parking lot to the line. We made our way inside, got our tickets torn and wondered through the arena looking for our aisle. When we found it and walked through the curtain, I was blown away. The colors and set were more amazing than I could recall. Their ring; blue with black posts and red ropes looked a lot smaller then on TV, but the Titan Tron; (which is a huge screen that projects the show, the wrestler's intro videos, replays and special things during the break) was gigantic. We found our seats and were immediately pleased with how close we were. We sat there looking at the squared circle, waiting for someone's music to hit, and the show to start. Then out of nowhere the lights when black, the music picked up and the fans were on their feet.

The music was loud and there wasn't anyway you couldn't have gotten pumped; standing up, waiving your sign around screaming and acting like a jackass or a fourteen year old girl making eye contact with The Backstreet Boys. Then the fire works went off and I have never experienced such loud, explosive, bright fireworks that close before in my life. They exploded anywhere and everywhere, as I could feel the heat all over my body as the fire works came screaming by like a speeding bullet whistling in my ear. Then without further ado, the show began and it was an awesome event, not only because we where there and so close, but it would've been very entertaining to watch at home. The wrestlers were twice as big in person and the "oohhhhhhs, ahhhhhhhhhs, and woooooooooos" where amazing. There is no way to describe how it feels to attend a professional wrestling event, especially a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) one. Even if you hate wrestling with a passion, you would still have a pretty good time there from all the rush in the air, its impossible not to. You may not see the significance in this, but the show is not over.

Even after having the time of my life and sitting so close to the action I still was waiting for the main reason I wanted to go; to see my favorite wrestler who isn't some trendy watered down wrestler like the Rock. It's one of the best guys in the business performance and skill wise, by the name of Kanyon. I knew he was going to be there, but since it was the end of the show I knew he wouldn't be wrestling. Then as a surprise, led out by Stephanie McMahon, came out the Alliance, (A group of wrestlers that featured Stone Cold Steve Austin, Booker T, Tommy Dreamer, and Chris Kanyon, along with others.) And right behind her and a few other wrestlers in the group was Kanyon. He stood around 6'5" and was weighing in at 245lbs with long black hair. He was wearing his white "Who Betta Than Kanyon?" T-shirt, black gloves and his black tights and boots, which had a unique design on them custom made by him. They all came out to give Stone Cold a special tribute. I yelled out and waved my sign trying to draw his attention to me with my sign with his saying on it, "Who betta than Kanyon?" in red and black, on white poster board. As I waved the sign and yelled for his name, it was no use over the screaming wild twenty thousand fans that amplified throughout the arena.

The Alliance had some funny moments in the ceremony and someone threw something into the ring during it. Kanyon stood on the second rope, playing out his heel character looking for the person responsible for throwing the object into the ring. As he was scanning the crowd, I took this as my chance. I stood up in front of everyone and yelled, waving the sign again as he glanced down and eye balled the sign. I knew he saw the sign and me, even though he didn't change in any expression or action, because the cameras where still rolling the action to live TV (Monday nights at 9 PM on the new TNN), but it felt like he was very happy to see the sign. My mission was accomplished. The Alliance was in the middle of a tribute song to Stone Cold Steve Austin, when hit the Olympic gold medallist, Kurt Angle's music.

He drove down the ramp way in a blue milk truck,(part of his gimmick at the time "drink your milk and take your vitamin stuff") and sprayed the ring and all the wrestlers in it down. Even gave some love to the fans as well. Good way to end a show, but for me it was still far from over. As the cameras went off the show did not. Alliance had some more bonus footage for us and as they finally started to head off, Kanyon stopped in his tracks and looked back at me holding my sign once again, and pointing at me to draw my attention gave me the big thumbs up. I freaked out saying, "Holy sh*t Eric did you see that?" Eric, almost as excited as I, who only witnessed the event responded "Hell yeah, he just gave you the big thumbs up." I was ecstatic and overwhelmed. Here I was just trying to have him take a peek at my sign and I got that and the thumbs up from him.

As we made our way up to the top of the stairs, Eric, Jamie, and I couldn't stop talking about that and the event itself, when Eric said " Hey, I bet you could see Kanyon and the other wrestlers walking to the locker room behind the Titan Tron." I looked and didn't really see anything and said "Nahhh, you can't see anything, and plus there probably already back there anyway." Then taking another look back made me glance more to left down back to our seats where I saw tons of kids running over to a safety rail where none other than Kanyon was standing behind. I ran back down the flight of at least fifty stairs faster than a cheetah, waving my sign I still had in my hand screaming "Kanyon, Kanyon, Kanyon!" and well I don't really remember what else I said or did until I hit the safety rail and flew over into him as he caught the rail and me. Helping me up and placing a hand on my shoulder he said, "Here you go Kid" as he gave me his white "who betta than Austin?" shirt he had given to Stone Cold during the tribute. I freaked out and can't recall what he or I said, and no word could describe what I was feeling as my favorite wrestler came back out after the show was over and personally handed me his T-shirt.

I then ran up the stairs, and out the exit doors as fast as I could, displaying my shirt to every stranger passing by me looking for my friends that I knew also attended the event in higher seats. As did Jamie and Eric, who flipped out of the craziness of it, as we saw one of our friends, Beau running over to this lot where all the wrestlers cars and limos where. I ran over as fast as I could, perched myself on the rail and waited motionless. Not caring what wrestler came out where I had my eyes fixed on the corner where wrestlers continued to walk out. As more and more people gathered, and a few surrounding my area with smoke, he came. I was shocked and couldn't say anything as I stood frozen in the ground. When it all came out at once and I ran over to where he was coming, once again freaking out and yelling as loud as I could, as my brother flashed him the sign that he was now holding, because I had the shirt in my hands. He came over and sign my shirt and sign for me and shared some words with me as well, to make the night even more unforgettable.

It's not everyday that you meet your favorite celebrity and he gives you his shirt off his back and signs it for you. It was the happiest day of my life, and it helps me cheer up on a bad day to think about it. And I never get tired of telling the story to anyone, especially not when I posted the story on Kanyon's message board on Kanyon's official web site, which increased the strength of the story, as the webmaster of the site emailed me and told me he sent my message to Kanyon. In a few days I had a new email in my inbox. Kanyon emailed me back, and we have become friends through email, which we use to write each other regularly. I will never forget that day or feeling, and as I have always wanted to be a wrestler since I was twelve years old, I hope that I too can help a fan have such an unforgettable feeling as that.

Brian

Note from Kanyon:

E-mails continued for months and months, than I would get Brian tickets when I went with the WWE to California. I would meet him and his friends. He sent me tapes of the shows he worked, MWF shows. He would ask me to work the shows. I told him I would if he got a ring. He got a ring…than I told him I would work if the show wasn’t in the back yard. He got the shows into bars. I than said I would work the show if it was in a big building..like a HS or a hall. He did that, so on 7-17-05, I finally did it. I am glad I did. It was a great match and although Brian can be persistent almost to the point of being annoying, he has worked hard and I am glad that I have been able to help him and make him happy. I wish him the best, although I will destroy him on 10-26-05. Good luck, kid, you’ll need it…’cause remember…the answer to the question, “who betta than Kanyon?” is “NOBODY!!!!!! Especially not Brian Cage.”

courtesy http://www.chriskanyon.net/

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