Looking Back At Chris Kanyon's Innovative In-Ring Style
Chris Kanyon, best known for his stints in WCW and WWE, was given the nickname "The Innovator of Offense" during his career for good reason. In a generation of workers taking their time with each move and emphasizing how it contributed to the overall story of a bout, Kanyon was already bringing a quick-paced, indie-style of wrestling featured nowadays in companies like AEW and Impact.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, when Kanyon was reaching the highest peaks of his in-ring career, stars like Ric Flair, Bret Hart, and Triple H were reigning atop WCW and WWE -– all stars with a very different style compared to what Kanyon offered. He delivered unique offensive maneuvers for the times like cradle neckbreakers, suplexes to people from the middle rope, and a brutal-looking torture rack into a neckbreaker with fierce velocity. Kanyon also had a knack for countering moves into suplexes, like when he would counter a sunset flip into a Northern Lights suplex, or catch someone in a crossbody and throw them into a vertical suplex.
Chris Kanyon's work in the squared circle lives on today through the current generation of wrestlers. Indie star Luke Hawx and AEW stars Brian Cage and the Young Bucks were all trained by Kanyon and now channel his quick-paced, standout offense on television. All four men were involved in the September 2021 episode of "Dark Side of the Ring" that focused on Kanyon's career and the personal struggles he dealt with throughout his life.
Chris Kanyon's Legacy Lives On
During a "Talk is Jericho" interview in 2020, The Young Bucks described their first time meeting Chris Kanyon, noting that though they were unfamiliar, Kanyon agreed to help out with their budding careers. "He wanted to know a little bit about us. We actually told him, 'We actually run a company three hours from here. Would you ever do a show for us?' Immediately, he's like, 'Yeah, bro, that'd be great.' We're like, 'What?' He's like, 'Yeah, let's get contacts.'"
Another one of his students, former Impact World Champion Brian Cage, had similar stories about Kanyon, recalling how willing he would reach out a helping hand whenever possible. Cage also emphasized how "a lot of credit" is due to Kanyon for influencing his in-ring style. "He knew I always wanted to be a wrestler and helped me out with plenty of ins and outs in the wrestling world. And then in 2006, he got me into Deep South Wrestling, and I actually stayed with him for a while ... He helped out so many. And helped so many people break into the businesses, and get jobs or get opportunities."
On April 2, 2010, Kanyon passed away from a drug overdose. He was 40 years old. Despite such a tragic ending, Kanyon's memory lives on through his students as well as the "Dark Side of the Ring" episode that reminded fans of the impact he made on the industry.