Dark Side of the Ring S04E01 Chris and Tammy

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Transcript

00:00Tammy and Chris's story is everything.

00:04It was a love story.

00:05It was a cautionary tale.

00:07It was a success story.

00:09It was a failure story.

00:10High school sweethearts, Chris Candido and Tammy Sitch,

00:14soared to wrestling stardom, fueled by their talent, ambition,

00:18and devotion to one another.

00:20Anybody who met Chris loved Chris.

00:23You couldn't help it.

00:24From the first time that I saw Chris in the ring,

00:26I knew he had exceptional talent.

00:28He was a natural, and he loved wrestling.

00:31I went from seeing Chris and Tammy backstage

00:34to seeing them as two of the biggest stars.

00:38But as Tammy's star rose higher and brighter than Chris's,

00:41the bond between the young lovers was put to the test.

00:44Tammy was the first female internet sensation

00:49in professional wrestling.

00:51And when she came onto the scene,

00:53she took all of the attention away from him.

00:57Until a series of devastating injuries and ill-fated choices

01:01sent them hurtling towards disaster.

01:03There was substance abuse.

01:05There was alcohol abuse.

01:07There were rumors of infidelity.

01:10If you are fucking around with the top guy,

01:14have enough decorum to shut your fucking mouth.

01:17They were the two cleanest kids that you

01:19could possibly imagine.

01:21What has happened?

01:22What's happened to these two?

01:23I once said to myself, I'll probably die at 36

01:27because I want to be just like Marilyn Monroe.

01:29I know my son loved her.

01:33Loved her.

01:34As addicted to opioids as Chris became,

01:39his biggest addiction was to Tammy.

01:41Tammy's legacy in wrestling is both a meteoric rise

01:47and a meteoric fall.

01:49What happened was bound to happen.

01:51And you don't live like that and not go away

01:54without paying the piper.

02:02Candido's going for his top rope powerbomb.

02:05He calls it the blonde bombshell named

02:07for his significant other, Sonny.

02:09If you would have came down to 13-year-old Chris Candido

02:11and said, listen, you're going to die at 33,

02:15but you're going to be a WWF champion,

02:20you're going to have more belts than you can count.

02:24You're not going to have kids or get married,

02:26but you'll be a wrestling star who's

02:28going to be remembered by the people and by other wrestlers.

02:31How about win one for Candido, baby?

02:33You accept, he would say yes.

02:35You know, like he took what came.

02:40I'm Johnny Ray, also known as Johnny Candido.

02:43I'm Chris Candido's younger brother.

02:48This is the office.

02:49This is where he concocted all of his wrestling

02:54ideas and stuff.

02:57My brother hung this fan.

02:59That's why I had me taking it down.

03:01He's got all the old pictures.

03:04I mean, just there's stuff everywhere.

03:07In Chris's spare time, he would draw wrestling in here.

03:13Wish there was a date on this.

03:15This is probably before I was even born.

03:18Cook is what me, my family, everybody in the neighborhood

03:20calls him, Cook.

03:21When I was a baby, I couldn't say Chris.

03:24I called him Cook.

03:25It kind of stuck.

03:27So he started the Eastern Kids Wrestling Federation.

03:31He took this platter that was left

03:35behind at somebody's wedding.

03:37And yeah, so he just made this out of a weight belt.

03:40It looks like a legit wrestling belt,

03:42and he made it when he was 13.

03:44Like, how the fuck do you make that at 13, right?

03:46Him and his friend Scott would say,

03:49Chris would say, I'm sleeping at Scott's house.

03:52Scott would tell his mom he's sleeping over here.

03:55And the two of them, they were 13.

03:56They'd get on a bus, go to Brooklyn,

03:58and they would wrestle at the Galaxian Bar.

04:01Then they would take a bus back home the next morning

04:05and wash off their gig marks and come back home

04:08like they were just at a regular sleepover.

04:11That's how determined he was.

04:14So he was sort of starting his wrestling career

04:16like behind your back.

04:17Oh, way behind my back.

04:19I had no clue he was doing that.

04:21I wouldn't have allowed it.

04:22It was not my dream or wish for him at all.

04:27Hi, my name is Peggy Ray, and I'm Chris Candido's mom.

04:31He was confident that he was going to be a wrestler.

04:34It was what he wanted for his future.

04:36That's what he wanted to do.

04:40He was in a wrestling match at Madison Regional High School.

04:44And I went to watch the match that night.

04:49I think he was working with Johnny Hotbody.

04:50And Johnny Hotbody had him in a headlock.

04:53And he's like, hey, dude, you know,

04:55check out the blonde in the front.

05:00I actually saw Tammy while I was sitting in the bleachers.

05:04And I said to him, oh my god, I saw this girl.

05:07And she was all dressed in white.

05:08And she looked so heavenly.

05:11And he told me that, yeah, mom, I met that girl too.

05:14Actually, we all went back to her house.

05:18The girl in white was Tamara Lynn

05:20Sitch, a bright high school student preparing for college,

05:24unaware that her life was about to take a sharp turn.

05:28When Chris and Tammy started dating,

05:29they were very into each other, together all the time.

05:33And he would say, mom, Tammy's coming.

05:34Please be nice.

05:35It was always pleasant.

05:38That relationship was his other obsession.

05:42He actually had a prom date.

05:44She was just, Tammy was just an acquaintance at that time.

05:47But he left the prom with the girl.

05:48And she was sitting there in her convertible.

05:54And he left the date and got in the car with her, which

06:01I didn't think was very nice.

06:03But I thought in the very beginning that she was lovely.

06:09After graduating from high school,

06:12Chris does everything in his power

06:13to establish himself in the wrestling business.

06:16My brother was constantly on the phone, trying to get books,

06:20driving to shows.

06:21Even if he's not booked, he's still

06:22going to drive there and see if he can get on.

06:24And he wanted to go to Smoky Mountain.

06:26And he was calling Jim Cornette.

06:28He started sending me VHS tapes of all of his matches

06:31on the independent circuit.

06:33I saw a lot of natural talent in Chris Candido.

06:37I'm Jim Cornette.

06:38I was the promoter of Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

06:40And I'm the one who brought Chris Candido and Tammy

06:43Sitch to mainstream wrestling.

06:46The drawback for me bringing Chris Candido to Smoky Mountain

06:50Wrestling was that I couldn't pay him enough to justify

06:53asking this kid to move from New Jersey to East Tennessee

06:57for $75 a night, four times a week, or whatever it was.

07:01At the same time, Tammy had never

07:03been involved in wrestling.

07:05She was Chris's girlfriend.

07:06She would go and do some ringside photography

07:09or just support him.

07:11But I was looking at her.

07:12I said, there's something about her.

07:14She's got charisma.

07:15She's a very pretty girl.

07:16But she seems quick and intelligent.

07:19Finally, I got an idea.

07:22What if Tammy was a manager?

07:25What if she could talk?

07:26I don't know. Can she?

07:28I'm not sure.

07:28She's never done it before.

07:30But if she can talk, then I could

07:31pay them both a little bit.

07:33So I called him and pitched him the idea.

07:37And I said, you're not going to leave school.

07:40So he applied to the University of Tennessee and got accepted.

07:43And I said, well, that's great.

07:45Yeah, you can take that little road trip

07:48and go see Mr. Cornett as long as you go to school.

07:52Yeah, I thought it was going to be temporary.

07:54Of course, he had to wear a baby bonnet.

07:57What?

07:58And he gets that baby bonnet, count of two, and no!

08:01That's why wrestling just makes me so crazy.

08:03They make up these stories.

08:05So there was Christopher walking around

08:07in a baby bonnet and a diaper.

08:09The suicide blind Chris Candido.

08:12I guess it makes sense to some people.

08:15It made no sense at all to me.

08:18Chris was such a student of the game.

08:20And he understood that it took more than great moves

08:23or a great match to get over.

08:26He realized he had to be a character.

08:29My name is Mick Foley.

08:31I am a three-time WWE champion.

08:33I'm known as the Hardcore Legend.

08:36And I was a colleague of Chris and Tammy's.

08:39It's just more fun to be a bad guy.

08:42Bad guys have more fun.

08:44That cat is in that bag!

08:46Oh, no!

08:47He embraced the heel mannerisms.

08:50He liked to be a jerk.

08:52He was one of the best wrestlers in the world.

08:56One of the best jerks I've seen in our business.

08:59Though Chris relishes playing the bad guy,

09:02it's Tammy who is destined to be the ultimate villain.

09:05The way I fell into the business,

09:07Jim Cornette asked me to work for him.

09:09And I was in college.

09:10I was a pre-med student.

09:11I wanted to be a plastic surgeon.

09:13And I was like, this is his thing.

09:15You know, I'm in school to be a doctor.

09:16But I was like, all right, it might be fun.

09:17I'll make a couple extra bucks.

09:18And that's how I fell into it.

09:21We were in East Tennessee in the early 90s.

09:23And it was a highly Republican area.

09:25Everybody hated the Clintons.

09:27He's president.

09:29Hillary has tons of heat with all the Republicans.

09:32Suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies

09:34and had teas, but what I decided to do

09:36was to fulfill my profession, which I am.

09:38I saw an opportunity to basically piss off

09:41every Republican and every hillbilly in East Tennessee

09:44and surrounding states.

09:45This young lady is Tammy Fitch.

09:47Now, the Smoky Mountain Wrestling attorneys

09:49have advised us to let her have her say here on the program.

09:52And I gave her notes.

09:54I said, here, this is the story we'd like you to tell

09:57on your first interview.

09:58Put it in your own words.

09:59Make it sound natural.

10:01Tammy?

10:02My name is Tammy Fitch of the New England Fitches.

10:04I'm sure you've heard of us.

10:06One take.

10:07One take she did.

10:09Mrs. Clinton has proven that a woman

10:11can do anything she wants.

10:13Here is this woman who idolizes the person

10:16that they all can't stand.

10:18And she was coming to Smoky Mountain Wrestling

10:21because she demanded equal opportunity.

10:23At any rate, the reason I'm here today

10:26is because I have filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit

10:29against Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

10:32And the people hated that shit.

10:35I don't hate you, and think for yourself.

10:41She leaned into the idea that she could make people hate her.

10:45She wasn't scared of it at all.

10:47I'm ready to become the first lady of Smoky Mountain

10:50Wrestling.

10:51Hi, this is Tammy Fitch.

10:52And I'm here with Tammy's Tips.

10:54You'll be amazed at how I can make Margie

10:56into an acceptable human being.

10:58Tune in next week for more of Tammy's Tips.

11:01I'll make something out of you yet.

11:03As soon as she was on screen, she lit it up.

11:07You know, like she just popped on screen.

11:09And Jim Cornette put her in a perfect spot

11:12because she was that.

11:14She wasn't playing a part either.

11:15That was Tammy.

11:18My name is Dr. Tom Pritchard.

11:19And I was Chris Candido's tag team partner in WWE.

11:24Behind us, it's time to get down to business.

11:26Chris with stars in his eyes, and just love

11:29for this one woman that he's going to spend

11:31the rest of his life with.

11:32Why wouldn't you want to be with your partner?

11:35From the time they first came to Tennessee,

11:37they were inseparable.

11:38They rode together.

11:39They lived together, obviously.

11:41They seemed to be the most romantic, loving couple.

11:45You know, Tammy had no idea that wrestling

11:47was going to pan out for her.

11:49She thought it was something that Chris was going to do.

11:52And then actually, it made it all the more surprising

11:55when she got over quicker than he did.

11:58They're obviously insecure about their masculinity.

12:02In early 1995, Tammy's charisma and Chris's

12:06dynamic wrestling style catch the attention of the WWF.

12:11Signing with the company, the pair finally

12:13achieved their ultimate dream.

12:16My relationship with Chris and Tammy

12:18was obviously as a mentor as well as a boss.

12:21But I genuinely believed in both of their talents,

12:24and I wanted to see them succeed even past my promotion.

12:29He said, yeah, I'm going to go wrestle for the WWF, which

12:32I thought was, well, OK.

12:34So you did make it.

12:35That means you're dropping out of school,

12:36but I guess you did make it.

12:39His ultimate dream was getting to the WWF

12:42and being a top talent.

12:45He attained his goal, and a lot of people

12:48just never attain their goal.

12:49And he did it without any encouragement from me.

12:53Tammy, from the beginning, was ready to conquer the world.

12:57And she didn't care who knew it, didn't care

12:59what anybody thought about it.

13:01Yes, I do think with the success, her head grew.

13:06Her head grew pretty big.

13:07But the transformation that she was undergoing personally

13:11inside and underneath all that was even more remarkable

13:17and, honestly, much more dangerous.

13:27Hi, I'm Skip.

13:28And I'm Sunny.

13:30And we're the Body Donnas.

13:32At that time, a lot of people in WWE were vocations.

13:37They were Mounties.

13:39They were IRS agents.

13:40They were repo men.

13:41I love my job.

13:44They made them fitness gurus, the Body Donnas.

13:50Chris was the young, jacked guy that would work out.

13:53And she was the pretty girl that would exercise along with him.

13:57Come on, get up and work, work, work, work, work.

14:00He would have been much more comfortable being himself.

14:03But I think he just thought of it as a rite of passage.

14:06See where it goes.

14:07And it went.

14:08I mean, they won the tag titles.

14:10Slap, drop, slap.

14:11No, no, no, no.

14:12What is that?

14:14Did you see?

14:15Did you just see what Phineas?

14:17Wait a minute.

14:19When they added the tag partner and they made Tom Prichard,

14:22who had long, curly hair that he was a big fan of, shave his head.

14:26And I'm like, they should have just called me.

14:28It's like I had the hair already.

14:31Hi, I'm Lance Storm, a professional wrestler

14:34who worked with Chris and Tammy in Smoky Mountain Wrestling,

14:37as well as Extreme Championship Wrestling.

14:43I could have been Zip, yeah.

14:45Although in hindsight, being 20-20, and thank God they didn't.

14:49It sucked.

14:50It was horrible.

14:51It was the worst goddamn time of my life.

14:54Shit.

14:55Just, it was rotten.

14:56It was a rotten gimmick.

14:58And that's what got Chris Candido off on the wrong foot with the fans

15:03and the WWF, is they saw this as preliminary foolishness.

15:08And they weren't mad at Tammy anymore,

15:11because she wasn't this bitchy heel manager.

15:14She was this girl doing jumping jacks, and she's pretty,

15:17so they started loving her.

15:20She was amazing on the mic.

15:22She was amazing as a manager.

15:23She was amazing at any damn thing in the business

15:27that you could possibly ask of her.

15:31I am Terry Reynolds, former diva, manager, wrestler.

15:38She was, back in the day, the most downloaded female on AOL.

15:45And if you don't know what AOL is, well, it was back in the day.

15:49Like, way back when Christ was born, we had AOL.

15:54Anyway, she was gorgeous.

15:56She just, she had it all.

15:58Viewer discretion is advised.

16:01She went from a 19-year-old kid to a 24-year-old sex symbol.

16:09I think it timed well with, you know, the explosion of the internet.

16:13And all of a sudden, it's, you know,

16:15everyone's downloading sexy pictures of attractive women.

16:18Hit it, boys!

16:19And Tammy was just hitting it the right time

16:23as this new sex symbol character on wrestling television.

16:27And there was a lot of teenager, younger boys

16:30that thought that was a pretty damn good thing.

16:32In the beginning, a lot of people liked Tammy

16:35because she could come across as very charming.

16:38But once you got to know her, you understood that was just a front.

16:43And Tammy was all about Tammy.

16:45I had heard Tammy was divisive.

16:47I always liked Tammy.

16:50I understood she was ambitious.

16:51Like, that's not a negative.

16:54But it can be if you're a woman in a man's business.

16:57So, there was one time on television

16:59before they had taken her off the road as the body Donna's manager,

17:05Henry and Phineas Godwin, the pig farmers,

17:08they carried a slop bucket around

17:10and they would dump the slop over the head of their opponents

17:14and people would cheer and they'd just love it.

17:16Henry's got the slop!

17:18On a particular night, I remember the Godwins coming in,

17:22putting the bucket down in the locker room and said,

17:24guys, the bucket is going on Tammy tonight.

17:27So, don't anybody do anything in this bucket.

17:32And you can imagine.

17:33Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

17:38There must have been DNA from 20 different people in there.

17:42Tammy seemed to have heat in the dressing room.

17:46I don't know why.

17:48If cockiness was a penalty,

17:51then we wouldn't have much of a business.

17:53Yeah!

17:56Everybody needs to have the performer's ego.

18:00Yes, you must have an ego, no doubt.

18:02Tammy didn't lack an ego,

18:04but she went off the rails

18:07because she didn't know how to control it.

18:09Tammy skyrockets to fame

18:11as one of the first female megastars in the WWF.

18:15But her rise to the top is plagued by a culture of drugs and alcohol.

18:19Soon, she's caught up in the hard partying lifestyle.

18:24Well, at the time that Tammy and Shawn Michaels started their liaison,

18:29I didn't know about it originally.

18:31Most people didn't.

18:32Then the rumors started circulating,

18:36and then it started to become more of an out-in-the-open thing.

18:39She's mesmerized by Shawn Michaels.

18:42Will she come into the ring?

18:43In the mid-'90s, Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid,

18:46was the top star in the WWF.

18:49He was the champion.

18:51He defeated Bret Hart in 1996 at WrestleMania

18:54and carried the belt through the end of 1997.

18:59I think Michaels did it because he could,

19:01and he could get away with it.

19:02You know, I'm feeling awfully random.

19:04You know that?

19:05Can you feel it?

19:06You want to feel me?

19:07I can feel it.

19:08Did Chris find out about Shawn and Tammy?

19:10I don't know if he actually caught him red-handed,

19:13but how could you not know, is my point.

19:16Of course he knew.

19:18Everybody knew.

19:19I really, I have to believe that he knew it

19:22and just could not accept it.

19:25Oh, my goodness!

19:27She was a little girl that just wanted to be loved,

19:29and, you know, being loved by the top guy

19:33felt a whole lot better than being loved by,

19:36you know, her boyfriend that was down here, I assume.

19:41If Shawn Michaels hadn't been Shawn Michaels

19:44and he got sideways with Chris Candido,

19:47Chris Candido would have broke him in 15 pieces

19:49and shoved him up his own ass.

19:52But Chris wasn't going to do that

19:53because Michaels is a big star.

19:56This is Chris's dream to work for the biggest promotion.

19:59He took it and he internalized it, I think.

20:04My brother and Tammy had an altercation in a hotel.

20:09It was too much.

20:10I couldn't watch my brother get treated like that.

20:14So I grabbed him.

20:16I threw him out of the room into the hallway.

20:19He's trying to fight to get back in.

20:21I'm not letting him.

20:22I'm like, dude, let's get in the car

20:23and let's get the fuck out of here.

20:25And he's like, I can't do that, dude.

20:27And he's like, dude, I brought her into this business.

20:29It's my responsibility to take care of her.

20:30I'm like, that's bullshit, dude.

20:31Like, let's get the fuck out of here.

20:34And he's like, I can't do it.

20:35We were together for, it was almost the seven-year mark.

20:38And it was like, I had the itch, you know what I mean?

20:41I was kind of tired of being in the same thing.

20:44So we split up for a little while

20:46and that's when I was seeing Shawn.

20:47Nothing was ever talked about.

20:48Nothing was ever brought up.

20:50That's why, like, to this day, I always wonder,

20:53did he know everything?

20:54Did he not know?

20:56If he knew, he just loved me so much, he just ignored it.

20:59You know what I mean?

21:00I would love to know, but I'll never know.

21:03Chris Candido's undeniable talent isn't enough

21:06to make him a top star in the eyes of the company.

21:09After falling down the ranks of the WWF,

21:12a serious injury makes his prospects even worse.

21:15He was in Madison Square Garden.

21:20He came back to the dressing room.

21:22He said, I got a hurt neck.

21:23Well, they found out that it was more than hurt.

21:26It was broke.

21:28And this kid's going out there busting his ass.

21:31You know, having a broken neck, aching back,

21:35everything else in life.

21:37Somebody says, here, try this.

21:39Well, if one's good, six must be even better.

21:43My brother never touched a drink, a drug, anything

21:48until he was in WWF.

21:51And it was out of necessity, it was pain.

21:53He was hurt, he broke his neck.

21:54I was surprised when I heard

21:56that Chris had fallen into that trap

21:59because he'd always been so clean.

22:02Didn't even drink.

22:03It started for pain, obviously,

22:06but then it became, he could use it to just go to sleep

22:09and forget about it.

22:11And I think he used it for his emotions at times, yes.

22:21While Tammy Sitch revels in the fame and excitement

22:24of being on top in the WWF,

22:26Chris Scandito finds himself squeezed out

22:29and even bullied by the toxic culture of the locker room.

22:33He wasn't well-liked by a few key people in the locker room.

22:38And life can be really tough for somebody

22:41who's not well-liked by the key people in the locker room.

22:44Battling injuries and frustration

22:46with his mid-card status, Chris leaves the WWF

22:50in search of the main event spotlight

22:52and joins the hardcore and controversial

22:54Extreme Championship Wrestling.

22:57Paul Heyman was in charge of ECW.

22:59Chris knew he would be well-utilized there.

23:03And he was.

23:09The thing that the fans liked about Chris

23:11was that he was a throwback to an old-time wrestler.

23:15He was exciting and fast and strong

23:17and he could talk and he looked good.

23:19That in-ring portrayal

23:22was the best thing that Chris Scandito ever did.

23:27There's the blonde bomb from the top!

23:29It's like, people think we're, and we were insane,

23:31but it's like, in ECW, when we were working,

23:34it's like, his finisher was the blonde bombshell,

23:36the powerbomb off the top rope.

23:39And depending on which one of us won,

23:41we would give the other one

23:43the powerbomb off the top rope every night.

23:47There it is, the blonde bombshell!

23:49And he had injuries from these bumps.

23:52I remember there was one time, in the middle of the night,

23:53his back was bothering him so much,

23:54they caved in and took him to the hospital.

23:57And when they went in and first looked at his back,

23:59the doctor looked at him and said,

23:59well, I need to see the accident report.

24:01And Chris was like, what do you mean?

24:03He's like, well, you were in a car accident, right?

24:04He's like, no.

24:06They're like, well, how did your back end up this messed up?

24:08He's like, um, I wrestle professionally.

24:11The fans for that 90s grunge era loved that kind of shit.

24:16And as a result, all those guys crippled themselves.

24:20Had to face the reality of breaking my neck twice!

24:24And that fed the drug use

24:27that most of the people involved on the ECW roster

24:30were already heavily involved with.

24:33Somas were a drug of choice for a lot of wrestlers,

24:37especially in the 90s and 2000s.

24:41It's a muscle relaxer, heavy duty muscle relaxer.

24:44They're really great for back pain.

24:46The intended use for somas is take one or two with food.

24:52However, if you take six, seven, chew them up, swallow them,

24:57and it's like insta, I was gonna say insta-drunk,

25:02but it's not drunk, it's like a euphoric state

25:05is pretty much what it is.

25:07It seems to me like people can be addicted

25:09with one prescription, with 30 pills.

25:13By the time that week is up, you can be an addict.

25:20Tammy, she didn't have any of that problem.

25:22It was the jack-offs that she was going out

25:25and partying with.

25:26They're all drinking, they're all doing somas.

25:28She didn't have any of those issues.

25:30She just started doing it socially.

25:32Tammy's meteoric rise in the WWF

25:35hits a sudden obstacle with the arrival of Sable,

25:38a new diva who quickly outshines Tammy

25:41in the eyes of both the company and the fans.

25:44Shut up, I'm reading.

25:45In the hopes of revitalizing her career,

25:48Tammy joins Chris at ECW as his on-screen manager,

25:52but her struggles with substance abuse continue,

25:56affecting her performance in the ring.

25:57She would, walking on her high heels,

26:00her ankles would be vibrating and shaking

26:02and she'd be stumbling,

26:03and the audience noticed it on her entrance.

26:05Joey, take a whiff of that front row,

26:07that ringside area, it smells like alcohol.

26:09I'm so sorry.

26:11She's a bad boy.

26:13As Chris and Tammy's drug use spirals out of control,

26:17it becomes impossible to ignore,

26:19both for audiences and ECW owner, Paul Heyman.

26:22Let me tell a few jokes, let me get on the floor

26:24and do the Curly Shovel, well, there's no more jokes now.

26:27It's no more fun and games, no more joking around.

26:31To keep their jobs in ECW,

26:33Tammy agrees to film a provocative tell-all video

26:37as directed by Paul Heyman.

26:39My first drink was at home

26:43when there were no more pills to make you go to sleep.

26:47It was disheartening.

26:49As their friend, I'm watching it,

26:50sitting there going, this is not productive.

26:53This is not gonna help these kids in any way.

26:55I was hoping I wouldn't wake up next morning.

26:58Tell me about it, describe that feeling.

27:03The worst feeling in the world.

27:06I was mad at Heyman for a long time.

27:09Actually, still, I could work up getting mad at him now

27:11for doing that, but it was all

27:14because Paul thought, people will watch this,

27:16it'll get ratings.

27:17Well, they'll watch two dogs fucking

27:19on the side of the road too, Paul,

27:21but I wouldn't put it on my television.

27:23I don't think it did anyone any favors.

27:26Now, the right answer would have been

27:29that their time off, they had gone to rehab

27:31and got everything worked out,

27:32and we had the triumphant story on the return,

27:36but that's not what happened.

27:46As their alcoholism and soma addictions grow more severe,

27:50Chris and Tammy's domestic problems escalate

27:53to a whole new level of intensity.

27:55I would see something really crazy, just crazy insanity,

27:59like she's pulling knives out of the butcher block.

28:03He's running away, and then she's locked in the car,

28:07and then he picks me up from high school the next day,

28:09and he's like, oh, dude, Tammy's waiting for you

28:12to put together your bedroom set,

28:14and he's wondering why I'm not stoked

28:16to go put together a bedroom set,

28:18and we just never talked about it.

28:20We just slipped it under the rug, and that was it.

28:26Chris would be in the ring wrestling,

28:30and Tammy would be somewhere else

28:34with somebody else in the back while he's in the ring.

28:41While he's in the ring, you have to want to stop.

28:44You have to want to get better,

28:46and I don't think either one of them

28:50knew how to live any other way at that time.

28:53While serving their suspension from ECW,

28:56Paul Heyman keeps Chris and Tammy on the payroll

28:58by assigning them office jobs,

29:00including arranging travel plans

29:02for other wrestlers on the road.

29:04My brother had this American Express card,

29:07and he would book the boys' flights in hotel rooms

29:11and then get reimbursed with cash.

29:13He'd do it, get reimbursed with cash,

29:15and then he stopped getting reimbursed with cash.

29:17What Chris and Tammy don't know

29:19is that ECW is struggling with crippling debt.

29:23As the promotion crumbles,

29:24the couple is stuck with a massive bill

29:27for tens of thousands of dollars

29:29in unreimbursed ECW expenses.

29:31So they ended up in huge, huge debt,

29:35and ultimately ended up losing their home.

29:41So that was a horrible time for them.

29:44His drug use was probably as bad as it ever was.

29:48We knew of pharmacies that were corrupted,

29:51and we could go there and get 120 somas every other day,

29:55you know?

29:56So we were at this pharmacy,

29:57and we were waiting, waiting, waiting,

30:00and all of a sudden, he goes, oh, no.

30:04And he has a seizure, and he bites his tongue,

30:05and he's coughing up blood,

30:07and I'm holding him, trying to get his eyes

30:09to, like, look at me, you know?

30:11So they call the ambulance,

30:14and when you come out of a seizure,

30:17you don't know what you're saying.

30:19They're like, sir, sir, what day is it?

30:22Sir, what day is it?

30:22I'm like, move out of the way.

30:23Ask him something he knows.

30:24I'm like, cook, how many times did Ric Flair

30:26win the NWA title?

30:28He's like, 16.

30:29I'm like, all right, he's alive.

30:31Then when you go to the hospital,

30:33and you, you know, they're like, where am I?

30:35I'm like, you're in the hospital.

30:37And he'd be like, I'm in the hospital.

30:38Get the fuck out of here.

30:40Rip the things out of his arm, and we'd go.

30:44After years of uncertainty,

30:46Chris and Tammy receive an invitation

30:48to join an independent wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico

30:51with the hope of revitalizing their careers.

30:54However, things quickly take a turn for the worse.

30:57We get there, the buildings are decrepit.

31:00A lot of them are outside, no running water.

31:03You get hit in the head with nine-volt batteries

31:05as you walk in that locker room.

31:08People would go up to the concession stands,

31:10buy a cup of soda, drink it, fill it with pee,

31:11pour it on your head as you walk in the locker room,

31:13whether you're a heel or a baby face, doesn't matter.

31:16I had welts on my head from nine-volt batteries

31:17night after night.

31:18The access in Puerto Rico to somers was very easy.

31:22You know, it was well-known where you could go

31:25to get somers, just like that.

31:28I heard Chris was struggling.

31:30Ah, man, I heard it was bad.

31:33People just say, you know, dude, if I go out,

31:35I wanna leave a good-looking corpse,

31:38blonde, tan, and I wanna live fast, die young.

31:43I'm like, dude, don't fucking say that shit.

31:45He needed to change.

31:47I think he even knew that he needed to change,

31:51and it's not time to throw in the towel

31:52and just stay there and fucking die.

31:59One day, we were sitting there having our lunch,

32:04and he's like, man, you know,

32:06the guys on the indies right now fucking,

32:08you know, he's like, they really get under my skin.

32:10He's like, you know, they don't look

32:11like professional athletes.

32:12He's like, you know, when I was 17, 18,

32:15I was already big, muscular.

32:17I was going to Smoky Mountain.

32:19I was making moves.

32:20I was doing all this stuff.

32:22I'm like, yeah, dude, that's why you were a standout.

32:24That's why you made it, numb nuts.

32:26And he's like, it's like, man,

32:29I really fucked everything up.

32:32And I was like, dude, no, you didn't.

32:33Like, you're 32, 31.

32:37Let's get back on fucking track.

32:40And he's like, yeah, dude, fuck it.

32:43It was at that point that his love for wrestling

32:48overcame his addiction to the somas.

32:57Chris gets clean and undergoes intense training

33:00to regain his fighting form.

33:02With Tammy by his side, he returns to the mainland

33:04to join a new wrestling promotion called

33:06Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

33:09Back on television, he's determined to work his way

33:12to the top of the industry.

33:14What I noticed from Chris Kessler

33:15is being reinvigorated, getting that drive back.

33:20And you could see it in his eyes.

33:22I could see it in his work.

33:24He was as happy as he was when he first got signed to WWF.

33:29Like, he had that same happiness.

33:31He was, like, glowing, you know?

33:33The thing he just said, he's like, dude,

33:36I'm really sorry for all the stuff

33:38that you saw at such a young age.

33:40I apologize.

33:42He's like, I shouldn't have put you in that situation.

33:44I was just like, dude, you were a baby, too.

33:46You were 23, 24.

33:49I had heard at that point he had cleaned up,

33:51and he certainly seemed like Smoky Mountain Chris

33:54Candido again.

33:57There was a camera in the ring, and he

34:00tried to bump to get away from it.

34:03And that got his boot hung up a little bit in the canvas

34:06when he was trying to bump, and his shin broke.

34:13And right away, he wanted to stand up, but he couldn't.

34:19He got out of the ring, and they took him to the hospital,

34:24and I'm fucking freaking out.

34:26I'm here, you know?

34:27I call his phone, and he's just like, he's like, dude,

34:30I can't believe I left the ring.

34:32He's like, I just couldn't stand up, you know?

34:34He's like, I'm just, like, fucking embarrassed

34:36that I left the ring.

34:37Like, I shouldn't have done that.

34:41I talked to him on Monday, and he said, hey,

34:46I'm about to go in the doctor.

34:48I'll call you back.

34:49After undergoing extensive ankle surgery,

34:52Chris makes a surprise appearance at a TNA event

34:55just two days later.

34:57He then boards a flight home, unaware

34:59of the tragedy that awaits.

35:01Everybody saw the horrendous injury

35:04that I sustained in lockdown.

35:05On Wednesday, he flew home, and he called me Wednesday night.

35:10And he's like, oh, mom, I just don't feel good.

35:14I said, well, Chris, you probably

35:16shouldn't have flown home.

35:17You just need to go to bed.

35:20And that was the last time I talked to him.

35:24All I know is he was fine on the phone, talking to me.

35:28You know, the two of us were chatting.

35:30You know, last thing we said to each other was, hey,

35:32love you, bro, love you, too.

35:34It was the next morning that I get a call

35:37that Cook's in the hospital.

35:40I go in there, and I see him, like, laid on a hospital bed.

35:46And I get on top of him, like I've done a million times.

35:48And I'm like, Cook, Cook, Cook.

35:50You know, I'm like, yo, wake up, wake up.

35:54And, you know, I'm trying to, like, open his eyes and shit.

35:57And then when I was trying to grab him,

36:00once I grabbed his hand, I realized he passed away

36:04because the blood stopped flowing.

36:06And I was like, holy shit.

36:10Like, it was fucking, like, it was the worst experience

36:14of my entire life.

36:20I just go walking.

36:21And I found a church.

36:23And I went and I said a couple of prayers.

36:25And then, yo, sorry, hold on.

36:31The last interaction I had with Chris, sorry.

36:54Everything was off, everything, dude.

36:57It was just fucked.

36:59And I got home, and Tommy Drimmer called me.

37:03I said, Chris is dead.

37:04I said, Chris who?

37:05Because it couldn't have been Candido.

37:07I just talked to him Monday.

37:08I said, Candido?

37:10He started crying.

37:12I said, oh my god.

37:15And I hung up, he hung up, and I started crying.

37:18And I was like, oh my god, what the fuck?

37:21And I hung up, he hung up, and I started crying.

37:33Yeah, dude, I don't really break up, you know?

37:35But that image is freaking stuck with me.

37:43Doctor comes in, kneels down in front of me, says,

37:45sorry, he's gone.

37:47I said, what?

37:49I said, you're sorry he's gone?

37:50I said, you were going to, what are you talking about?

37:52Gone where?

37:53Where did he go?

37:53Did he walk out?

37:54He's like, no, we lost him.

37:56I was like, what do you mean?

37:58I don't comprehend this.

37:59And then that's when they said they found the blood clot.

38:01They said after the surgery, a blood clot formed in his ankle

38:04and went to his lungs, which caused pneumonia,

38:06and went to his heart.

38:07And there's nothing they could have done.

38:11By the time I got to the hospital, he was already gone.

38:16I let him down.

38:17Why do you say that?

38:19Because if I knew, maybe I could have helped him.

38:23Maybe I could have saved him.

38:25Maybe I should have been there.

38:27I shouldn't have let him gone through surgery by himself.

38:30You know, you think back on things,

38:32and you say, maybe if I was there,

38:34things would be different.

38:39I miss him.

38:41I miss him all the time.

38:43And I just feel sad that he didn't get the opportunity

38:49to enjoy a lot more life, because he had a lot,

38:53a lot more life to live.

39:00You know, here's the thing about this whole deal.

39:04It's that this kid never did anything wrong to anybody.

39:08And he finally, he has all those problems.

39:10And then he finally is getting straightened out.

39:13And just when he gets his last chance,

39:20it was because he was so dedicated to the wrestling

39:24business that he died.

39:26He could have sat at home, and they would have paid him.

39:29But after he had that surgery, he had to get on a plane

39:31and go somewhere.

39:33And you shouldn't fly after surgery.

39:35You can get blood clots in the altitude

39:38and the pressure, whatever.

39:40And that's what happened.

39:42A goddamn broken ankle killed him.

39:47I need a minute.

39:49I'm sorry.

39:49It just, that's, with Chris, I don't get

39:54sentimental about many people.

39:57Ah.

40:15If Chris Candido was around today,

40:17he'd be one of the biggest stars in wrestling,

40:20because the style has changed.

40:22And they like smaller, younger, faster guys.

40:26The road that Chris helped pave is now the road most traveled.

40:32And I think because of that, he's left a bigger legacy,

40:35even though she was by far the bigger star at her peak.

40:39Tammy was that bridge to divas.

40:43The road she paved at the time is a road

40:46almost no longer traveled.

40:49I once heard her say, she has no regrets, none, zero, zilch.

40:54I don't know if you are a living, breathing human being

40:58that you can truly utter those words and mean them,

41:01because mistakes are regrets, in my opinion.

41:07When was the last time you spoke to Tammy?

41:09I think she'd just gotten out of jail.

41:11Real quick, what's your last name?

41:13Sitch, S-Y-T-C-H.

41:14What's your first name?

41:15Tammy.

41:16OK, what's your middle name?

41:17Glenn.

41:19I mean, the way I look at it, did I fuck up?

41:20Sure, I did, absolutely.

41:22But you know what?

41:23Shit happens.

41:24Life happens.

41:25And there's nothing you can do about it.

41:26I, unfortunately, didn't know how to cover it up very well,

41:29with, you know, 70 UIs and a couple of jail stints.

41:34You could still always hold out hope

41:37that she'd straighten up and get her shit together.

41:41People do.

41:43And then we got the news.

41:44And at this point, it's never surprising.

41:47But still, it's like, oh boy, you know, she's done it now.

41:5149-year-old Tamara Sitch, a former WWE wrestler,

41:55crashed into the back of a car, killing

41:57its 75-year-old driver.

41:59She's drunk.

42:00She has no license with the multiple DUIs.

42:03She has no business being anywhere behind the wheel

42:08and is now charged with DUI manslaughter,

42:12up to 20-something years in prison.

42:15She's denying it and denying it and denying it.

42:19And when you can't be honest with yourself,

42:22you're not going to be honest with anybody else.

42:24So I just don't think she's coming out.

42:29I hope she doesn't.

42:30I don't want to do any more damage.

42:32It was surprising, the way that everything turned out,

42:36to see both of them as young people,

42:40and then especially to see what happened with Tammy.

42:44Tammy changed.

42:45Tammy lost track of what was going on,

42:49and Tammy lost control of her life.

42:52I wouldn't have seen that coming from the girl I first met.

42:56Chris Candido, the real World Heavyweight Champion.

43:00Chris, the last 15 years, I don't think if he'd have lived,

43:05if he would have been a significantly different person.

43:08Today, Chris would be one of the biggest stars in the business

43:12because the business is more accepting of what Chris

43:15offered and what he brought.

43:19His legacy.

43:21I think if you're happy doing what you're doing,

43:26you should just do it.

43:28Just do it.

43:29If you have a dream, dream it.

43:31Live your dream.

43:32Live your life to the fullest.

43:34He did more in 33 years than I've done in 73.

43:38So he's been everywhere.

43:41He's seen so many things.

43:43He's had so many life experiences.

43:45He was special.

43:47He was my special kid.

43:49He was special to a lot of people.

43:51And I'm thankful for that.

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