A friend of mine recently forwarded me a link to a story that she found rather interesting. Well, for her, it was kind of depressing, but it was pretty interesting for me. Here's the story. (Click on the Feb. 4th results). You can also go here, and look for the news listed as being Tuesday, January 7th, but should probably read Tuesday, FEBRUARY 7th. But the people at Slam! are good people, so I won't rip on them too much. Who really wants to admit its February anyway?
Anyway, in case you didn't bother to click the links, or couldn't find the story, here's a quick cut and paste from the first link.
"At this time Chris Kanyon requested a few minutes to speak to the crowd. In an emotional delivery, Chris Kanyon said that he believes that the reason he was fired from WWE was not because of cutbacks, not because they didn't have a storyline for him, or any other reason you might have heard. Following some very nasty words for WWE and Vince McMahon, Kanyon revealed to the crowd that he believes that he was fired because the higher ups in WWE found out that he is GAY. Kanyon then said he was tired of living in the closet and announced to the awestruck crowd that he was in fact a homosexual. He said he couldn't live another day living the lie. He then pronounced himself as the first openly gay professional wrestler in the industry. He then went on to say that he chose to be the real Chris Kanyon, and the fans had to chose whether they wanted to boo him or cheer him. Either way it was their choice and life is about choices. He was finally happy that he made his. Tonight would be the first time that Chris Kanyon wrestled with the weight off his shoulders."
Now, my friend emailed me this link yesterday. And since then, I haven't seen anything on any of the major wrestling news sites about this story, apart from that misdated newsbite on the Slam! Wrestling site. But people should be talking about this. This is news. This is the kind of thing that people of the world should be standing up and taking notice of. But...nothing.
In fact, neither Kanyon's official website, www.chriskanyon.net nor his MySpace page, have anything about this either. So its entirely possible that this is a big fat lie, concocted by this promotion to bring some publicity to their organization (and if thats the case, boy is that not working). But I doubt that. Blood, Sweat & Ears has a good reputation in Ontario for putting on quality rock n wrestling shows, and I doubt they would damage their reputation in the industry by making something like this up. Unless of course its a work that Kanyon is in on, to see how the net handles the whole thing.
And as for the lack of coverage on Kanyon's official online presences, its pretty easy to chalk this up to not having enough time to get to it yet. I mean, I imagine the life of a pro wrestler or a pro wrestler's webmaster is pretty hectic, and we can't expect immediate updates. I expect we'll see something on this in the next few days. Provided its true.
But the lack of coverage on major wrestling news sites (Wrestling Observer, PWTorch, PWInsider being my big three)is truly mind boggling. But my boggled mind does have a few theories:
1) They don't know yet.
This one is about as plausible as Chuck Liddell losing to Jorge Rivera. These guys know everything.
2) They are skeptical as to the veracity of this news, and they are waiting for some official news from Kanyon himself before writing on it.
Entirely possible, but at the same time, rumours spread like wildfire in the IWC (that's Internet Wrestling Community). See Hardy, Matt and Maff,Dan/Cide, Homi for more on this.
3) They're waiting for an official announcement from Kanyon because they don't want to risk a libel lawsuit.
I suspect this one has a good chance of being true. Should this prove to be a lie, or a work, I can see why they would not want to get caught up in this, particularly if Mr. Kanyon was feeling litigious.
4) They don't want to talk about it because they don't feel it would be proper to discuss Kanyon's sexuality, as there should be no need to discuss such a subject.
Man, do I wish this were the one. I wish we lived in a world where stuff like sexuality didn't matter, and people were free to love who they loved. (If, you know, you believe in love.) But we don't, and they aren't. It's getting slightly better, but we ain't there yet.
5) They don't want to talk about it, because the First Rule of Gay Pro Wrestlers Is...We Don't Talk About Gay Pro Wrestlers. And the Second Rule of Gay Pro Wrestlers...
Sadly, I think this may be it. And yet, if this is true, Kanyon has really forced everybody's hand. He's made it public, and announced it openly to, well, not really the world, but a crowd of a few hundred people in Sudbury [dramatic pause] Ontario Canada.
Let's face it, Professional Wrestling is probably not the most accepting and openminded industry in the world. This is a business that, every few years or so, comes up with a heel (bad guy) character, or characters, who are coded as being gay, and are subjected to crowd chants consisting of the words 'faggot', 'homo', 'die', 'kill' and often, 'the'. In the glory days of WCW's Filthy Animals, Konnan used to make comments involving the 'tossing of salad' to denigrate his opponents. Dustin Rhodes' Goldust was one of the most hated heels in the business until he proclaimed that he liked women, at which point he became the faciest of faces, beloved by fans worldwide.
(And of course, homosexuality is not the only way to be 'othered' in North American professional wrestling...you can also try being non-white, non-male, non-English speaking, or generally not resembling a strong, straight, English White Man. But I digress.)
It should also be noted that, generally, it is okay to be a lesbian in professional wrestling. At least, its okay to be a lesbian if you're really hot, have a great rack, wear skimpy clothing and will be willing to have a 3-way with a guy. If you're not a hot lesbian who also likes the cock, then you're EVIL!
I mean, any discussion of the politics of a professional wrestling locker room will invariably lead to a discovery that there are a large number of Republicans in the room, many of whom profess to be Born-Again Christians. And its entirely possible that they are only Republicans because they prefer George W. Bush's fiscal policies, and are actually socially progressive Republicans. Or that they are Christians who are more likely to know where the word LOVE can be found in the Bible than the words STONE TO DEATH. But somehow, I doubt it. I suspect that, in general, the attitudes in most professional wrestling locker rooms consists of a great deal of homophobia, misogyny and a barely suppressed racism. The last of these is likely most often disguised as "good natured ribbing" that the victims "just don't get".
Many of the testimonials surrounding the late Eddie Guerrero mentioned his being a proud Christian, sharing his faith in the locker room. And I'm sure Eddie, having been through what he had, had nothing but the best of intentions in sharing his faith and his love for Christ. I (unlike others in the industry) have no intention of denigrating this man. However, I have seen first-hand, how a shared faith, meant to be held out as an olive branch, can easily turn into a club. How the Bible, which, at its best, is a story of love, redemption, acceptance and rebirth, is too often used as a tool of hatred, destruction, attack, rebuke and, sometimes, death. (See Phelps, Rev. Fred for more.) To me, its not too difficult to imagine these wrestlers, who gather in prayer, to use that opportunity to attack someone for something they perceive as being a sin.
I mean, this is a business that sees men get blacklisted for buying first-class plane tickets, or not saying hello properly. A business where feces is used as a means of making sure a woman knows her place. A business that still believes that a stiff beating is the best way to make sure someone has learned their lesson about not showing the proper respect to a veteran. I'm afraid to imagine how a man whose sexuality went against "God's laws" would be accepted in the locker room. (Or maybe I don't have to imagine. If Kanyon's suspicions are correct, then evidently the best way to deal with a gay wrestler is to fire him, but make sure you say there was nothing in the creative plans for him, to ensure he doesn't have a case if he tries to make a federal case out of it.)
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the prominent homosexuals in the professional wrestling industry. All two of them. The late, great Jim Barnett was gay. He was also, at one time, one of the most powerful men in professional wrestling. He is responsible for many of the changes to the industry. He was, from what I gather, a tenacious business man and a driving force in professional wrestling's evolution.
Pat Patterson, one of Montreal's finest, is also gay. This man's classic Street Fight with Sgt. Slaughter was hardcore before there was a hardcore to be. Hell, the dude's over 60, and I still wouldn't want him angry at me.
But I wonder how many people these two men were open with, at least until they achieved positions of power where the truth could no longer ruin them. Hell, whenever I saw Patterson on WWE/F television, he was billed as being from New Orleans to account for his Quebecois accent. He was a closeted Montrealer! Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But for a professional wrestler, still trying to make a living as a professional wrestler, to openly admit to being gay, is anathema to the industry. The fans are encouraged/prompted/trained to hate 'gay' wrestlers. From the effeminate Gorgeous George (without whom there would be no Louisville Lip, Muhammad Ali) to Exotic Adrian Street, to Adorable Adrian Adonis, to Michelle Starr, to Goldust, to Leni & Lodi, Billy & Chuck, Rico, and the Christopher Street Connection, these characters have always been the bad guys. (And keep on the lookout for the rumoured new, improved, BISEXUAL, Orlando Jordan!) And they weren't bad because they broke rules, or kicked puppies, or slapped sweet old ladies or stole money from orphans. They were bad because they loved men. Or, at least pretended to like men.
Professional wrestling, like many professional sports, is one still dominated by a rigid sense of masculinity that precludes difference. Particularly differences that challenge this rigid structure. Men of different ethnicities are more tolerated now, but that has taken time, and still isn't a model for cultural diversity. (See Nolan, Ted for more.) But men who love men? This is verboten. Particularly if those men ADMIT to such a deviance from the norm.
So, if this is true, and Kanyon has admitted to being gay, I'm happy. Happy that he has decided his own happiness and self-worth is more important than the prejudices of a bunch of closed-minded intolerant fools. Happy that a man who's talent, ability, dignity and character have already been well established in the industry is now willing to add one more dimension to his public identity. But most importantly, I'm happy that this will, hopefully, cause the professional wrestling industry, and the world in general, to re-examine the conventions and standards held so dearly. (Okay, and I'm happy because Kanyon had some pretty cute female fans, who must now find a different man to lust after.)
Chris Kanyon is called the "Innovator of Offense." He is one of those wrestlers who is constantly working to find new ways to entertain the crowd, while protecting his co-workers. Time and again, he has gone above the call of duty for his employers. The most notable example is his ridiculously risky fall from WCW's three-tier cage to the stage below. Hell, he even pretended to be Oliver Platt in the abysmal Ready to Rumble, and he helped train whatever celebrities WCW brought in, to make sure they didn't kill themselves or their opponents. (I'm not saying he made them into competent wrestlers, I'm just saying he made them less horrible. Which is something.)
But now, he's innovating in a new way. He's a recognized, semi-prominent wrestler. He has a reputation, and his name has some Q rating for wrestling fans. And by coming out, he's (hopefully) going to change the way that people, both wrestlers and fans alike, think about issues of sexuality.
As Jim Rome once said, "If you don't think you'd be comfortable showering with a gay man in the locker room, guess what...you already have."
Anyway, in case you didn't bother to click the links, or couldn't find the story, here's a quick cut and paste from the first link.
"At this time Chris Kanyon requested a few minutes to speak to the crowd. In an emotional delivery, Chris Kanyon said that he believes that the reason he was fired from WWE was not because of cutbacks, not because they didn't have a storyline for him, or any other reason you might have heard. Following some very nasty words for WWE and Vince McMahon, Kanyon revealed to the crowd that he believes that he was fired because the higher ups in WWE found out that he is GAY. Kanyon then said he was tired of living in the closet and announced to the awestruck crowd that he was in fact a homosexual. He said he couldn't live another day living the lie. He then pronounced himself as the first openly gay professional wrestler in the industry. He then went on to say that he chose to be the real Chris Kanyon, and the fans had to chose whether they wanted to boo him or cheer him. Either way it was their choice and life is about choices. He was finally happy that he made his. Tonight would be the first time that Chris Kanyon wrestled with the weight off his shoulders."
Now, my friend emailed me this link yesterday. And since then, I haven't seen anything on any of the major wrestling news sites about this story, apart from that misdated newsbite on the Slam! Wrestling site. But people should be talking about this. This is news. This is the kind of thing that people of the world should be standing up and taking notice of. But...nothing.
In fact, neither Kanyon's official website, www.chriskanyon.net nor his MySpace page, have anything about this either. So its entirely possible that this is a big fat lie, concocted by this promotion to bring some publicity to their organization (and if thats the case, boy is that not working). But I doubt that. Blood, Sweat & Ears has a good reputation in Ontario for putting on quality rock n wrestling shows, and I doubt they would damage their reputation in the industry by making something like this up. Unless of course its a work that Kanyon is in on, to see how the net handles the whole thing.
And as for the lack of coverage on Kanyon's official online presences, its pretty easy to chalk this up to not having enough time to get to it yet. I mean, I imagine the life of a pro wrestler or a pro wrestler's webmaster is pretty hectic, and we can't expect immediate updates. I expect we'll see something on this in the next few days. Provided its true.
But the lack of coverage on major wrestling news sites (Wrestling Observer, PWTorch, PWInsider being my big three)is truly mind boggling. But my boggled mind does have a few theories:
1) They don't know yet.
This one is about as plausible as Chuck Liddell losing to Jorge Rivera. These guys know everything.
2) They are skeptical as to the veracity of this news, and they are waiting for some official news from Kanyon himself before writing on it.
Entirely possible, but at the same time, rumours spread like wildfire in the IWC (that's Internet Wrestling Community). See Hardy, Matt and Maff,Dan/Cide, Homi for more on this.
3) They're waiting for an official announcement from Kanyon because they don't want to risk a libel lawsuit.
I suspect this one has a good chance of being true. Should this prove to be a lie, or a work, I can see why they would not want to get caught up in this, particularly if Mr. Kanyon was feeling litigious.
4) They don't want to talk about it because they don't feel it would be proper to discuss Kanyon's sexuality, as there should be no need to discuss such a subject.
Man, do I wish this were the one. I wish we lived in a world where stuff like sexuality didn't matter, and people were free to love who they loved. (If, you know, you believe in love.) But we don't, and they aren't. It's getting slightly better, but we ain't there yet.
5) They don't want to talk about it, because the First Rule of Gay Pro Wrestlers Is...We Don't Talk About Gay Pro Wrestlers. And the Second Rule of Gay Pro Wrestlers...
Sadly, I think this may be it. And yet, if this is true, Kanyon has really forced everybody's hand. He's made it public, and announced it openly to, well, not really the world, but a crowd of a few hundred people in Sudbury [dramatic pause] Ontario Canada.
Let's face it, Professional Wrestling is probably not the most accepting and openminded industry in the world. This is a business that, every few years or so, comes up with a heel (bad guy) character, or characters, who are coded as being gay, and are subjected to crowd chants consisting of the words 'faggot', 'homo', 'die', 'kill' and often, 'the'. In the glory days of WCW's Filthy Animals, Konnan used to make comments involving the 'tossing of salad' to denigrate his opponents. Dustin Rhodes' Goldust was one of the most hated heels in the business until he proclaimed that he liked women, at which point he became the faciest of faces, beloved by fans worldwide.
(And of course, homosexuality is not the only way to be 'othered' in North American professional wrestling...you can also try being non-white, non-male, non-English speaking, or generally not resembling a strong, straight, English White Man. But I digress.)
It should also be noted that, generally, it is okay to be a lesbian in professional wrestling. At least, its okay to be a lesbian if you're really hot, have a great rack, wear skimpy clothing and will be willing to have a 3-way with a guy. If you're not a hot lesbian who also likes the cock, then you're EVIL!
I mean, any discussion of the politics of a professional wrestling locker room will invariably lead to a discovery that there are a large number of Republicans in the room, many of whom profess to be Born-Again Christians. And its entirely possible that they are only Republicans because they prefer George W. Bush's fiscal policies, and are actually socially progressive Republicans. Or that they are Christians who are more likely to know where the word LOVE can be found in the Bible than the words STONE TO DEATH. But somehow, I doubt it. I suspect that, in general, the attitudes in most professional wrestling locker rooms consists of a great deal of homophobia, misogyny and a barely suppressed racism. The last of these is likely most often disguised as "good natured ribbing" that the victims "just don't get".
Many of the testimonials surrounding the late Eddie Guerrero mentioned his being a proud Christian, sharing his faith in the locker room. And I'm sure Eddie, having been through what he had, had nothing but the best of intentions in sharing his faith and his love for Christ. I (unlike others in the industry) have no intention of denigrating this man. However, I have seen first-hand, how a shared faith, meant to be held out as an olive branch, can easily turn into a club. How the Bible, which, at its best, is a story of love, redemption, acceptance and rebirth, is too often used as a tool of hatred, destruction, attack, rebuke and, sometimes, death. (See Phelps, Rev. Fred for more.) To me, its not too difficult to imagine these wrestlers, who gather in prayer, to use that opportunity to attack someone for something they perceive as being a sin.
I mean, this is a business that sees men get blacklisted for buying first-class plane tickets, or not saying hello properly. A business where feces is used as a means of making sure a woman knows her place. A business that still believes that a stiff beating is the best way to make sure someone has learned their lesson about not showing the proper respect to a veteran. I'm afraid to imagine how a man whose sexuality went against "God's laws" would be accepted in the locker room. (Or maybe I don't have to imagine. If Kanyon's suspicions are correct, then evidently the best way to deal with a gay wrestler is to fire him, but make sure you say there was nothing in the creative plans for him, to ensure he doesn't have a case if he tries to make a federal case out of it.)
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the prominent homosexuals in the professional wrestling industry. All two of them. The late, great Jim Barnett was gay. He was also, at one time, one of the most powerful men in professional wrestling. He is responsible for many of the changes to the industry. He was, from what I gather, a tenacious business man and a driving force in professional wrestling's evolution.
Pat Patterson, one of Montreal's finest, is also gay. This man's classic Street Fight with Sgt. Slaughter was hardcore before there was a hardcore to be. Hell, the dude's over 60, and I still wouldn't want him angry at me.
But I wonder how many people these two men were open with, at least until they achieved positions of power where the truth could no longer ruin them. Hell, whenever I saw Patterson on WWE/F television, he was billed as being from New Orleans to account for his Quebecois accent. He was a closeted Montrealer! Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But for a professional wrestler, still trying to make a living as a professional wrestler, to openly admit to being gay, is anathema to the industry. The fans are encouraged/prompted/trained to hate 'gay' wrestlers. From the effeminate Gorgeous George (without whom there would be no Louisville Lip, Muhammad Ali) to Exotic Adrian Street, to Adorable Adrian Adonis, to Michelle Starr, to Goldust, to Leni & Lodi, Billy & Chuck, Rico, and the Christopher Street Connection, these characters have always been the bad guys. (And keep on the lookout for the rumoured new, improved, BISEXUAL, Orlando Jordan!) And they weren't bad because they broke rules, or kicked puppies, or slapped sweet old ladies or stole money from orphans. They were bad because they loved men. Or, at least pretended to like men.
Professional wrestling, like many professional sports, is one still dominated by a rigid sense of masculinity that precludes difference. Particularly differences that challenge this rigid structure. Men of different ethnicities are more tolerated now, but that has taken time, and still isn't a model for cultural diversity. (See Nolan, Ted for more.) But men who love men? This is verboten. Particularly if those men ADMIT to such a deviance from the norm.
So, if this is true, and Kanyon has admitted to being gay, I'm happy. Happy that he has decided his own happiness and self-worth is more important than the prejudices of a bunch of closed-minded intolerant fools. Happy that a man who's talent, ability, dignity and character have already been well established in the industry is now willing to add one more dimension to his public identity. But most importantly, I'm happy that this will, hopefully, cause the professional wrestling industry, and the world in general, to re-examine the conventions and standards held so dearly. (Okay, and I'm happy because Kanyon had some pretty cute female fans, who must now find a different man to lust after.)
Chris Kanyon is called the "Innovator of Offense." He is one of those wrestlers who is constantly working to find new ways to entertain the crowd, while protecting his co-workers. Time and again, he has gone above the call of duty for his employers. The most notable example is his ridiculously risky fall from WCW's three-tier cage to the stage below. Hell, he even pretended to be Oliver Platt in the abysmal Ready to Rumble, and he helped train whatever celebrities WCW brought in, to make sure they didn't kill themselves or their opponents. (I'm not saying he made them into competent wrestlers, I'm just saying he made them less horrible. Which is something.)
But now, he's innovating in a new way. He's a recognized, semi-prominent wrestler. He has a reputation, and his name has some Q rating for wrestling fans. And by coming out, he's (hopefully) going to change the way that people, both wrestlers and fans alike, think about issues of sexuality.
As Jim Rome once said, "If you don't think you'd be comfortable showering with a gay man in the locker room, guess what...you already have."
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