Chris Candido

Candito was the grandson of "Popeye" Chuck Richards, a wrestler for the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1966 to 1974, as the WWF was known prior to 1979.

He started training at age 14 with Larry Sharpe and wrestled for Sharpe's World Wrestling Association.

While attending Red Bank Catholic High School, he met and fell in love with Tammy Lynn Sytch, and the two began a lifelong relationship.

Sytch would later become his valet.

As a teenager, Candito and his friend Jonathan Rechner began working for independent professional wrestling promotions in New Jersey, setting up the wrestling rings.

Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler.

Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Chris Candido, as well as for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now known as WWE) under the ring name Skip, one-half of the tag team The Bodydonnas.

For much of his career, he performed alongside his real-life partner, Tammy "Sunny" Sytch, who acted as his valet.

In the course of his career, Candito held professional wrestling championships such as the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, WWF World Tag Team Championship, ECW World Tag Team Championship and WCW Cruiserweight Championship.

When he died he was the reigning NWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion.

Candito and Rechner trained to wrestle at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory in Bellmawr, New Jersey, with Candito making his debut in 1986.

In 1992, Candido and Sytch (billed as "Tamara Fytch") were signed by Jim Cornette for his Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion.

Between September and November 1993, Candido won the SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship on three occasions, trading the title with Bobby Blaze.

He went on to win the SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship in December 1993 and again in July 1994.

In 1993, Candito began wrestling as Chris Candido for Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he formed a stable called "The Suicide Blonds" with Johnny Hotbody and Chris Michaels.

Wrestling under the Freebird Rule, the Suicide Blondes trio had two stints as the ECW Tag Team Champions in April and May 1993, first defeating Tony Stetson and Larry Winters and then losing the titles to The Super Destroyers, only to regain them the same evening.

They vacated the ECW Tag Team Championship in July 1993 when Candido left the promotion.

In 1994, Candido formed a tag team with Brian Lee, with Fytch managing the duo.

On April 23, 1994, Candido and Lee defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express to win the SMW Tag Team Championship.

They held the titles until August 5, 1994, when they lost to The Rock 'n' Roll Express.

Candido and Lee regained the titles the next day, but lost them for a second and final time on August 8, 1994.

Following the second loss, Fytch fired Lee and began exclusively managing Candido.

On November 19, 1994, Candido won a 10-man tournament, defeating Al Snow, Dirty White Boy, and Tracy Smothers to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which had been vacated by Shane Douglas and ECW that August when Douglas won it in a separate tournament.

Candido's reign came at a time when exposure for the National Wrestling Alliance was limited, as there was no national television outlet for the organization's remaining affiliates.

His title defense matches were mostly held in SMW and on the independent circuit.

In late 1994, Candido formed a tag team with Boo Bradley (a parody of the To Kill a Mockingbird character Boo Radley).

At "Christmas Chaos" on December 28, 1994, Candido attacked Bradley after they lost a bout to Tracy Smothers and Cactus Jack.

In a controversial angle, Fytch kidnapped Bradley's pet cat, Boots, and brought a bag supposedly containing the cat to the ring, which Candido then leg dropped, (kayfabe) killing Boots.

Candido dropped the title to Dan Severn on February 24, 1995.

The angle led to a feud between Candido and Bradley, which culminated in a loser leaves town dog collar match at Sunday Bloody Sunday II on February 26, 1995, that was won by Bradley.

This marked Candido's final appearance in SMW before he and Fytch joined the World Wrestling Federation.

In 1995, Candido and Sytch were signed by the World Wrestling Federation, with Candido renamed "Skip" and Sytch renamed "Sunny".

Debuting on WWF television in May 1995, the duo were given the gimmick of a pair of arrogant fitness gurus who would mock their opponents and members of the audience for being unfit, with Candido performing push-ups during his matches.

In July 1995, Candido began feuding with Barry Horowitz, a career jobber, after Horowitz scored an upset victory over him on an episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge using a roll-up while Candido performed push-ups.

Candido faced Horowitz in a bout at SummerSlam on August 27, 1995, with Horowitz once again defeating Candido.

In late-1995, the portly Rad Radford joined Candido as a "Bodydonna in training".

At Survivor Series on November 19, 1995, "The Bodydonnas" (Candido, Tom Prichard, Radford and The 1-2-3 Kid) teamed together to defeat "The Underdogs" (Horowitz, Hakushi, Bob Holly and Marty Jannetty), with Skip personally eliminating Bob Holly with a schoolboy rollup, but getting pinned by Jannetty with a top-rope powerbomb.

On the December 23, 1995, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Sunny "fired" Radford after he and Candido lost to WWF World Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns.

On the January 6, 1996, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Candido defeated Radford with the assistance of Prichard, who had been repackaged as Candido's cousin, "Zip".

Skip and Zip began teaming together as The Bodydonnas, with Sunny as their manager.