Gay in the Ring

[OneFinger]

Found an excellent article about a professional wrestler who came out of the closet.

 

http://www.outsports.com/news/chris5inside.jpg

 

Chris Klucsarits is the real name of Chris Kanyon, a pro wrestler who’s shined under the national spotlight since 1995. Kanyon has worked for the three major domestic federations: now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).

 

He had a six-digit salary for years, a luxurious home in Atlanta and worldwide fans and fame. During the summer of 2001, he was the WWE’s United States Champion and, simultaneously, the WWE World Tag Team Champion (with Diamond Dallas Page). Kanyon was leading the good life, a rare champion with two titles at the same time.

 

But Klucsarits’ real life was hell. He was gay, closeted in an ultra-macho profession, an emotional wreck.

 

Klucsarits recently revealed his homosexuality and, in his first interview, talks with Chicago-based writer Ross Forman about his closeted past, his suicide attempt and a promising future as an only openly gay male athlete. (Professional wrestling is more sports-entertainment, but the athleticism needed to excel in pro wrestling certainly is real.)

 

http://www.outsports.com/news/20060331chriskanyon.htm

 

I'm not a big wrestling fan but found his story inspirational. Perhaps my favorite part was his reason for going public:

 

“Coming out isn’t about me. This is, hopefully, about helping others, especially kids, who are struggling with their sexuality. I want to be a role-model to them, someone they can look up to.”

[mikeytoddadkins]

I wonder just how "ultra macho" it really is. I wish Randy Orton or John Cena would start escorting. I am not implying that they are gay but just would love to "go in the ring with them". Gay or not!

[Guest rohale]

I'm glad you found this article and it's a good one too. I think it might have been Wade Keller in one of his wrestling blogs who first officially broke the story Kanyon's sexual orientation maybe two months ago now. To be fair, rumors were persistant for years about Kanyon and for the most part it was a well kept secret within the wrestling industry until now.

 

I've read various articles from other pro-wrestlers and their reactions to Kanyon. For the most part, there is a general feeling of great support for him, especially from DDP, X-Pac and Kevin Nash. Even Terry Bolea ( Hulk Hogan ), Dwayne Johnson ( The Rock ) are the most recent professional wrestlers who have come to the defence of Kris. They're just simply protecting one of their own kay-fabe. I dont know if Vince McMahon was aware, but definitely Eric Bischoff.

 

I mention Bischoff for a reason. When Billionaire Ted Turner purchased the old NWA from Jim Crockett Senior Promotions back in 1988. He wanted to compete against Vince McMahon's then WWf. Since Ted Turner is a businesmman and didn't really know the wrestling industry very well. He hired all sorts of people to run his newly christened WCW. For the most part the guys in charge didn't really know what they supposed to be doing. In 1993, Turner Promotions fired Bill Watts and decided to hire a rather ambitious guy to run WCW and make the company competitive against the WWF at that stage in time. His name turned out to be Eric Bischoff ( early fame in AWA as announcer ) and what a run he had with the company. One of his early implementations was to try and get the company to reflect where society was heading at that point in time. Bischoff's policy was if a guy has talent he's hired regardless of past history.

 

To Eric Bischoff's credit one his earliest disoveries with the help of DDP was a guy by the name of Kris Kanyon who trained at WCW Powerplant in Atlanta. As I understand it, Kris told Eric that he was gay and Bischoff didn't have a problem with it. In fact WCW really had no room for him storywise, basically Eric helped him land a spot with Paul Heyman's ECW for a while. When Eric was ready with a storyline, after Kanyon's contract with ECW expired, he was brought back to WCW and right away had a program with Raven's Flock. It proved to be a big hit with the fans and ultimately lead to his pairing with Diamond Dallas Page. So basically without Bischoff, who knows what would have happened to Kanyon's career as a pro-wrestler

 

In 2001, when WCW folded and was sold to Vince McMahon, Kanyon was one of those hold overs to land a spot in WWE. In fact I dont think Jim Ross who was head of talent relations at time really didn't like Kanyon that much. The only guy who was really supportive of Kris in his early days within WWE was Pat Patterson who himself is very much openly gay. Eventually WWE realeased Kanyon from his contract, even Kris himself has said many times that he was never given a reason as to why. To his credit, he soldiered on with his wrestling career.

 

As a sports entertainer, he's a really funny guy, he's one of the few guys in wrestling who still knows how to sell to the crowd and knows how to be a face or create legit heat. I know MTV is thinking of having their own wrestling brand and one of the guys that they're talking to is Kanyon. So hopefully if everything works out, he'll have his own deal and be back on television.

 

Ro

[Guest rohale]

>I wonder just how "ultra macho" it really is. I wish Randy

>Orton or John Cena would start escorting. I am not

>implying that they are gay but just would love to "go in the

>ring with them". Gay or not!

 

 

Ego is part of the game, guys like Hogan and Stone Cold have testified to this many times over.

[mikeytoddadkins]

Of course ego is part of the "game" and it was not my intention to offend. You obviously have a great knowledge and admiration of the sport which I admire. My initial reply was meant to simply say that I wish that Cena or especially Orton would marry me. Every one of these guys has the ego from the early guys to the Von Erichs, Georgous Jim Garvin(w/Sunshine and Precious), Kimala, and everyone who came later. Do you( or anyone) remember Ricky Ruud doing a "hands behind his head pelvic thrust" thing?

[JT Brooklyn]

rohale..I have one Question. When will "Rick Flair" ever retire?

 

Most of his Peers have been Retired or Passed on year's ago.

How long, even with Great Expertise, can that Old Bod take these Slams! LOL

 

I'm guessing he has a Major Stake and Major Say, in the Wrestling WORLD and that... and Definitely EGO have kept him around this long?

:P

[Guest rohale]

>Of course ego is part of the "game" and it was not my

>intention to offend. You obviously have a great knowledge and

>admiration of the sport which I admire. My initial reply was

>meant to simply say that I wish that Cena or especially Orton

>would marry me. Every one of these guys has the ego from

>the early guys to the Von Erichs, Georgous Jim

>Garvin(w/Sunshine and Precious), Kimala, and everyone who came

>later. Do you( or anyone) remember Ricky Ruud doing a "hands

>behind his head pelvic thrust" thing?

 

 

You didn't offend me at all. I suppose my original response to you could have been a bit more diplomatic.

 

As for Rick Rude, I do remember him doing the pelvic move when he was working for the WWF. In a way it did end back firing on him. Rick ended up having a real life fued with Jake " The Snake " Roberts over this back in 1988. The WWF built a program around these two guys that maybe lasted six months. Jake used to bring his wife with him a lot to various arenas and she would mainly sit in with the audience. I think it might have in Charlotte for a television taping where Rick totally went off script and was wearing tights with Jake's wife's pic plastered to his arse. Offcourse to add fuel to the fire, Rick started courting Jake's wife at ringside using the pelvic thrust. Jake didn't like it and ran down to ringside and basically chased Rick inside the ring and literally pulled off Rick's tights and left him pretty much naked in the center of the ring. Offcoure Jake was pretty much in the dog house for a few weeks after that incident and never ever apoligised for what he did to Rick Rude. Offcourse Rude learned the heard way, dont mess with Jake.

[Guest rohale]

>rohale..I have one Question. When will "Rick Flair" ever

>retire?

>

>Most of his Peers have been Retired or Passed on year's ago.

>How long, even with Great Expertise, can that Old Bod take

>these Slams! LOL

>

>I'm guessing he has a Major Stake and Major Say, in the

>Wrestling WORLD and that... and Definitely EGO have kept him

>around this long?

> :P

 

 

I think as of now it would be almost impossible for Ric Flair to retire. He's going through a real life divorce with his second wife. So basically he's in a bit of a financial rut and for the time being being in the WWE is his only source of income. He's always had this certain reputation of living the life of luxury and basically spends his money like running water, but to his credit has always had the time of his life

 

Secondly I think he's going to stick around long enough to see his eldest David become an active wrestler. Right now David is being trained by Jim Cornette in OVW. Also to Ric's credit, he's put on some pretty decent matches as of late. Recently he was involved in a ladder match with " Edge " and the feedback was pretty positive and escpecially for Flair considering his age.

 

In terms of Ric having a say. I dont think so. The only guy to ever have a say was Terry Bollea ( Hulk Hogan ) and was through creative control which was pretty much stipulated in his contract. As for Flair himself, I think a lot of his longevity in the current business have a lot to do with the McMahon's. Vinnie Mac knows very well that Ric can still draw money for the company, even though Ric, like Hulk is considered a nostalgic act these days. As long as people pay to see Ric, the WWE franchise will keep him in front of the camera and only for so long. Basically I think Flair will remain active for at least a year or two before considering official retirement and leave on a high note with the fans. Even then it'll create a problem, cause for guys like Hogan and Flair, they've spent a good portion of their careers in sports entertainment. They just dont know of any other world outside of wrestling. So it's gonna be a tough transition for Flair in particular, just like Hogan, he feels that wrestling is in his blood.

 

It's funny how wrestling has always been considered to be the bastard child of entertainment. It's guys like McMahon, Hogan, Flair, Kanyon and many others too numerous to mention who very much keep this artform alive and kicking.

 

Ro

[mikeytoddadkins]

When all is said and done I get to watch some hot sweaty guys manhandle each other in some skimpy outfits every Friday night and it is for FREE(Except for WrestleMania). Woo hoo! :9

[mikeytoddadkins]

Oh, BTW, MNM needs to lose one of the "M's", the screaching harpie. Your original post was about a man in this macho business who came out of the closet. It, BTW, was not lost on me. His coming out was a corageous(sp) thing to do and was very admirable. I have great respect for him. Hopefully the various tangents, from myself and others, do not take away from that act. Just FYI.