The Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens recently took to social media to comment on the Dark Side of the Ring episode on Kanyon. Bowens said that he used to hide to read Kanyon’s book because he didn’t want anyone seeing him reading a book about a gay wrestler.

“Finally got around to watching this & it broke my heart. I use to hide in Barnes & Noble to read Kanyon’s book bc I didn’t want anyone to see me reading a book about a gay wrestler.”

Bowens continued to say that he felt many of the same fears Kanyon did.

“I felt his same fear. I wish he was alive to show him how far we’ve come & how much he was loved.”

“Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon, Wrestling’s Gay Superstar” is available on Amazon here.

In 2019, Bowens spoke about realizing his sexuality in a video posted to YouTube.

“I prefer to be labeled now as gay,” Bowens said.

“Most people who come out say they had a moment in their youth when they figured out something was different,” Bowens said. “They just knew they were gay. I never had one of those moments.”

Bowens originally said he was bisexual in 2017.

“I identified myself as bisexual because I really didn’t know much about the LGBTQ community,” he said. “I didn’t dive in that much because I was still closeted.”

Last night’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring focused on the life and career of Chris Kanyon. Diamond Dallas Page, James Mitchell, Brian Cage, and the Young Bucks were all interviewed for the piece. One person who played a notable role in Kanyon’s career was not interviewed, however, and this left a lot of fans asking, “What about Raven?”

This was not a case of Raven turning down the opportunity to be on the show. According to comments he would make on social media, Raven was not asked to take part.

“For those who are wondering, I was not contacted to be a part of Kanyon’s Dark Side of the Ring episode… yeah, I’m as puzzled as anyone else why not. Our friendship had a lot of depth to it & I feel like I would’ve had quite a bit to contribute, unique to my perspective..” Raven wrote.

Raven and Mitchell recorded a podcast in 2010 shortly after Kanyon’s funeral. It is available for purchase here.

Raven and Kanyon feuded and then aligned in WCW in 1998-99 during the dying days of the Flock angle. They would later both be members of the Alliance together during the Invasion storyline in WWE in 2001.

Raven hosts the Raven Effect podcast. A link to the show is in the below Tweet:

Last night’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring focussed on the life and career of Chris Kanyon. In 2006, Chris Kanyon was on the Howard Stern Show and stated his belief that he was let go from WWE due to his sexuality. Ric Flair called into the show and said the reason WWE let him go was that he was not good enough.

The Dark Side of the Ring episode featured interviews with friends of Kanyon who noted how hard he took this conversation with Flair on the Howard Stern show. Flair released a statement last night before the episode went to air.

“Breaks my heart to hear later on that he took this so hard. Calling into guests that were seen as “hostile” to WWE was part of the job then. I should not have said that nobody had ‘ever’ been released; there’s no way I could have known that for sure,” Flair wrote.

“I was holding the company line,” Flair continued. “Love is love is love is love and everyone should be able to love whoever and however they choose without fear of reprisal. I wasn’t a huge Kanyon fan as a worker; but Chris Klucsarits was a hell of a good guy.”

On September 20th, Flair released a statement regarding allegations made against him on the Dark Side of the Ring episode on the Plane Ride From Hell. His statement is available in the below Tweet:

Who better than Kanyon? Was a question Chris Kanyon would often ask WCW crowds that he performed in front of. Kanyon was also once a member of the Jersey Triad with Bam Bam Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page. Recently on the Jericho Cruise, DDP was asked a question about Kanyon during a panel discussion. DDPs answer was posted to the 83 Weeks podcast YouTube channel.

“He may be the most underrated guys ever,” DDP said of Kanyon.

“Chris was part of the FOP – which was ‘Friends of Page’ – and that helped him and that hurt him in ways too,” DDP said. “I felt like whenever I worked with him, cause he was down in the Power Plant when I was down there, I wanted him to get his body better because back in our generation that was important.”

• DDP Opens Up About His Relationship With AEW, Cody Rhodes

“Every time I wrestled him, I felt like I was wrestling a much younger version of myself so I didn’t even have to think out there,” DDP said.

The Jersey Triad twice held the WCW tag team championships. Kanyon passed away in 2010 at the age of 40.

DDP’s comments can be heard in the player below:

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The latest issue of Power Slam, an independent monthly non-kayfabe wrestling magazine published in the United Kingdom, features a story on the recent passing of Chris Kanyon. James Mitchell, a close friend of his, contributes heavily to the piece, giving his views on the troubled life of his departed friend. The article talks about Chris struggling to come to terms with his sexuality and how he wanted to create a positive gay wrestling persona, described as a ‘normal masculine babyface who just happened to be gay’. However, no major wrestling company was willing to experiment his idea.

The conclusion of the article notes that a few of his close friends, including Mitchell, believe “the last straw” for the troubled former wrestling star was the debut of Orlando Jordan’s ‘openly bisexual’ character in TNA Wrestling.

Here is what was written: “Mitchell and some other of Kanyon’s close friends believe the last straw for the troubled Kanyon was likely the TNA debut of Orlando Jordan’s ‘openly bisexual’ character, which seeks to exploit the character’s sexuality for cheap heel heat instead of promoting tolerance and acceptance. Those who were close to Chris are of the opinion Kanyon regarded this as a mockery of the wrestling angle he felt was his “life’s work” and “destiny”. He took a fatal overdose of pills shortly after the character’s appearance on the Monday March 29 iMPACT!.”

It should be noted that Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer reported similar claims in his piece last month detailing the life and times of Kanyon, saying two different friends of his independently speculated that he may have watched the character’s debut on the Mar. 29 episode of iMPACT! and saw Jordan playing a role that in his mind felt was destined to be his. They felt it set off his latest bout of depression — past the point of no return — as he stopped returning phone calls following that particular evening.

“It could have been, hell that was his idea,” said Robert McLearren, one of Kanyon’s closest friends outside the business. “That would make sense. The last time I talked to him was Monday afternoon. I could only imagine how he felt knowing someone else got his angle.”

McLearren said his final conversation with Kanyon involved him trying to find a book on ecstasy.

“He thought that could finally be the key to helping him find stability,” he said. “That’s the last I heard from him. I texted him over-and-over again throughout the week, but with no response. Chris was incredibly unhappy. The unhappiness was punctuated by short periods of mania, but for the most part, he just wasn’t whole after he left wrestling. He told me once that since he was a kid, that’s all he could think about, all he wanted to do. After that was gone, he just didn’t feel like he had anything to live for, the only dream he had was gone. You throw in living with bipolar, and it made for a bad cocktail.”

– As we reported over the weekend, Batista is expected to take some time off from WWE soon – as his new WWE Studios film”Killing Karma” is scheduled to begin filming in New Orleans next week.

– Radio host Howard Stern discussed the passing of Kanyon on yesterday’s show, noting that Kanyon had recently tried to book an appearance on the show, which the show’s producers had passed on and told him they’d get him on down the line.

– The Associated Press ran a story yesterday about the death of Chris Kanyon, noting that it was Kanyon’s brother who found him dead and there was a suicide note next to his body. Sad stuff.

– Sheamus is featured in the new edition of Men’s Fitness magazine as one of the 25 Fittest Guys in the World. Sheamus talks about how he learned to work out from his father and how he keeps in shape, always looking to better himself and accomplish goals. WWE.com has an article looking at Men’s Fitness piece.

— The word amongst friends of Chris Kanyon is that an empty bottle of Seroquel was found near his body when he died on Friday night, reports prowrestling.NET. This particular drug is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

His death is being investigated as a suicide.

— Today is former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page’s birthday. He turns 54 years old.

Chris Kanyon was a longtime friend of Page as he worked his first retirement match against him in 2004. The two also worked directly alongside each other in 1999 as members of The Jersey Triad.

Page commented on his friend’s passing on his Facebook page, writing:

“Ok I’ve been a little over whelmed by the All the response and I wanted to THANK everyone AGAIN for the Birthday wishes and for you Condolences about the lose of my good buddy Chris Kanyon… He was a true friend and an amaZing worker in the ring… This week on www.DaRealDDP.com “Wrasslin Wednesdays” I will be breakin…g away from the Macho feud to Honor Chris’s memory… DDP.”

— A number of media outlets are covering Chris Kanyon’s passing including FOX News, CNN, CBS News and New York Daily News.

– TNA star Mick Foley has updated his MySpace.com blog with more thoughts on the tragic death of former WWE & WCW wrestler Chris Kanyon. With yet another young life lost, Foley once again shines a light on the less-than glamorous transition from wrestling superstar to everyday civilian.

“Unfortunately, suicide is a solution that far too many wrestlers have opted for. I really wish there was some kind of emotional crash pad for wrestlers to land on when the bright lights dim, or when injuries take their toll, or when one is finally forced to face the fact that the next big break just might not come around.”

– TNA founder Jeff Jarrett tells Kentucky’s Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper that TNA looking to change their strategy concerning live events. Many of TNA’s bigger names currently do not appear at the live events, leading many fans to notice a major difference in the product they see in person compared to the household names they see on television.

“The issue you’re talking about of the (Kevin) Nashes of the world not making it, we are graduating or progressing so that won’t be the case by the end of the year,” Jarrett said. “What you see on TV will match the live events.”

Jarrett admitted that TNA is not financially able to “load up a card with up to 20 superstars,” but that’s allowed them to keep the talent budget low and as a result, the shows have been profitable.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety (and find some great BBQ products) at JRsBarBQ.com. In this update, Ross shared his thoughts on the unfortunate passing of Chris Kanyon as well as Jack Swagger’s World Heavyweight title win on Friday’s SmackDown. Some highlights:

Kanyon’s Death: Ross wrote, “The death is being investigated as a suicide as those close to Chris say that he has been battling depression for quite some time. … Chris was an innovative wrestler who always sought new maneuvers and holds to utilize in his matches and was a really good teacher and helped many of today’s stars with a variety of in ring techniques. Chris was a guy who seemingly wanted to be a pro wrestler most of his life and embraced the fact that he made it but obviously had issues after leaving the ring. Chris Kanyon will always be considered an underrated star in my eyes and I sincerely wish his many friends and his family our heartfelt condolences during these challenging and heartbreaking times.”

Jack Swagger’s World Heavyweight Title Win: Ross congratulated the fellow Oklahoma native for his big win and noted that Swagger was his final recruit as the head of WWE’s talent relations several years back. Ross wrote, “I’d love to see Swagger be able to establish his Championship reign over an extended period of time but wish him the best nonetheless. We had a great, private conversation after Wrestlemania at the hotel and he knows what I personally expect of him and what he potentially can do in WWE if he catches a break, conducts himself as a professional, and works harder than any one on the roster night in and night out.”

Ross also put over Swagger’s amateur wrestling credentials as a key factor in his potential in WWE.  “Amateur wrestlers more often than not [possess] an uncanny work ethic that is generally beyond reproach and any one who thinks that world class athletes who survive successfully in the world of amateur wrestling and who possess charisma can’t be successful pro wrestlers are kidding themselves. Granted many of these amateurs need coaching and time to reach the level one would ideally like but that’s the function and responsibility of those who are training these men. ”

Chris Klucsaritis, who wrestled in WCW and WWE as Chris Kanyon, was found dead Friday night at his apartment in the Sunnyside section of Queens, New York. He was 40 years old.

Klucsaritis’ death is believed to be suicide as a longtime friend reports that a pill bottle and several notes were found close to his body.

Klucsaritis had been vocal about suffering from a bipolar disorder and had threatened suicide many times in the past according to those close with him. He told one friend as recently as Monday that he was going through another bout of depression and contemplating suicide.

Earlier in his career, Kanyon wrestled in WCW as the masked character Mortis. After wrestling as Chris Kanyon in WCW, he got picked up by WWE in 2001 after the WCW buyout. During his WWE run, Kanyo held the WCW United States Championship and WWF Tag Team Championship. He garnered headlines following his 2004 departure from WWE by going public with his homosexuality and claiming WWE fired him for being gay. Although he retired from wresting at one point, he returned to the ring and worked matches on occasion.

He, along with Scott Levy and Michael Sanders, attempted to sue WWE for “cheating them out of health care and other benefits” but a federal judge in Stamford, Connecticut dismissed the case.

Our deepest condolences the family and friends of Chris Klucsaritis.