Tammy Lynn Sytch

Tamara Lynn Sytch (born December 7, 1972), commonly known by her ring name Sunny, is an American former professional wrestling personality.

Sytch was introduced to the professional industry by her longtime boyfriend Chris Candido, and debuted in the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) territory in the early 1990s.

During the later half of the 1990s, Sytch gained mainstream fame within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) as Sunny, becoming one of the most popular figures in the company during the New Generation Era and early Attitude Era.

Sytch graduated from Cedar Ridge High School in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, in 1990.

In late 1992, she signed a six-month deal with Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

Upon entering Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1993, her fictional "in-character" storyline presented her as having come from studying pre-law at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

She then switched to pre-med at the University of Tennessee, with the ambition to be a plastic or orthopedic surgeon.

During her first year of college, she worked as a freelance photographer.

Sytch started out traveling with her boyfriend Chris Candido to make some extra money.

She first appeared onscreen as Tammy Fytch in 1993.

She played a villain, who idolized Hillary Clinton.

In her first storyline with the company, she threatened to file a sexual discrimination lawsuit due to the lack of prominent positions offered to females.

In June 1993, an unnamed Sytch made a cameo appearance at Eastern Championship Wrestling's Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular event.

Sytch managed Brian Lee to the Heavyweight Championship and also began accompanying Candido in his matches.

By May 1994, she was managing the two men as a tag team, which won the Tag Team Championship from The Rock 'n' Roll Express.

In late 1994, Sytch was contacted by the WWF, and she began appearing as Tamara Murphy, a commentator for "Live Event News" segments during syndicated WWF television shows.

One month later, Candido joined the WWF, and the duo began appearing as Sunny and Skip, known collectively as The Bodydonnas.

They were originally known as Team Spirit and booked as babyfaces, but were heavily booed by the crowd after they were recognized for their characters in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, thus turning villainous fitness fanatics.

Zip (portrayed by Tom Prichard) later joined the team, and Sunny was in their corner when they won the Tag Team Championship over The Godwinns at WrestleMania XII.

Both Sytch and Candido, however, left the promotion in early 1995 for jobs with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

WWE widely considers Sunny as their first Diva, and America Online named her the most downloaded celebrity on the internet in 1996.

On March 10, 1996, Sunny hosted a show called “The Sunny Show” wherein she discussed the upcoming matches at Wrestlemania XII.

In that same year, she won Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Manager of the Year Award.

Weeks later, The Godwinns regained the championship, and Sunny turned on The Bodydonnas in favor of the new champions.

She then turned on The Godwinns and helped The Smoking Gunns win the Tag Team Championship.

After The Smokin' Gunns lost the title at In Your House 10: Mind Games, she fired them in the middle of the ring.

She spent a short time as the manager of Faarooq Asaad, aiding him in his feud over the Intercontinental Championship with Marc Mero and his valet Sable.

She then served as a special guest commentator during Rocky Maivia's WWF debut at Survivor Series 1996.

Later that year, the internet company AOL announced that Sytch was the most downloaded woman on their website, surpassing various megastar celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey and Cindy Margolis.

During this time, she was heavily featured on numerous television programs such as MTV's Singled Out and Entertainment Tonight, becoming one of the preeminent figures in the company.

On February 24, 1997, Sunny faced Marlena on Monday Night Raw at Manhattan Center in an arm wrestling match that ended in no contest after Sunny threw a powder on Marlena's face.

She later managed Savio Vega in his match against Goldust that same night.

After departing the WWF in 1998, she appeared alongside Candido in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

After Candido's 2005 death, Sytch was active on the independent circuit until she retired in 2018.

Lauded as one of the greatest managers in WWE history, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Since 2012, Sytch has been arrested and incarcerated several times, including multiple arrests for driving under the influence.

In November 2023, she was sentenced to seventeen and a half years in prison on DUI and manslaughter-related charges stemming from a March 2022 incident.

Although lauded as having "redefined the role of women in WWE", various commentators have noted how her personal controversies have impacted her legacy.

Sytch was born to parents of American and Russian origin.

Sytch grew up in a strict family, with a father retired from the United States Navy.