Chris Kanyon

Mortis (1996–1998) In December 1996, Kanyon donned a mask and was repackaged as Mortis (a Latin word meaning death), with James Vandenberg as his manager. Glacier again defeated Kanyon at Slamboree on May 18. After the match, Wrath and Mortis once again attacked Glacier, who was spared a post-match beating when Ernest Miller ran to the ring to defend him. Mortis and Wrath defeated Glacier and Miller at Bash at the Beach on July 13. They defeated the Faces Of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian) at Fall Brawl on September 14. Mortis and Wrath continued to team together until the angle was quietly dropped in early 1998.

The Flock (1998–1999)

In February 1998, Kanyon (still in his guise as Mortis) asked Raven if he could join Raven's stable The Flock, but was told that he could only become a member if he defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the United States Heavyweight Championship. Mortis failed to defeat Page for the title on the February 12 episode of Thunder, and after the match, Raven hit him with the DDT on the entrance ramp, starting a feud between the two.

Kanyon was dubbed "The Innovator of Offense" by play-by-play commentator Mike Tenay due to his unique wrestling techniques and, before matches, asked the rhetorical question "Who Better than Kanyon"?. He formed an uneasy alliance with Perry Saturn in order to fight against The Flock, but eventually turned on Saturn and joined forces with Raven. At The Great American Bash on June 14, Kanyon defeated Saturn. They both lost to Raven in a triple threat match on August 8 at Road Wild. After Saturn forced The Flock to disband by defeating Raven at Fall Brawl on September 13, Kanyon and Raven continued to team together until Raven, in storyline, was sidelined with depression and Kanyon took time away from his wrestling career to work as stunt coordinator and stuntman on The Jesse Ventura Story.

Teaming and feuding with Diamond Dallas Page (1999–2001)

On May 9, 1999, at Slamboree, Kanyon appeared in a Sting mask to help Raven and Saturn defeat Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr. for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. Later that month, Kanyon (substituting for Raven) and Saturn defended the titles against Bam Bam Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page. During the match, Kanyon turned on Saturn, enabling Bigelow and Page to win the titles. Kanyon then formed a stable with Bigelow and Page known as the Jersey Triad, defeating Saturn and Chris Benoit to win the titles on June 13 at The Great American Bash. During their reign, they were given special dispensation by WCW President Ric Flair to defend the title as a three-man unit, granting them a numerical advantage over their opponents. However, the ruling was overturned by Flair's replacement Sting, and Kanyon and Bigelow lost the titles to Harlem Heat at Road Wild on August 14, 1999. The Triad disbanded shortly thereafter, with Kanyon once again placing his wrestling career on hiatus to work on the WCW produced film Ready to Rumble, where he served as stunt coordinator and as the stunt double of lead actor Oliver Platt. After a storyline which saw him in a halo brace in a hospital and in a wheelchair, Kanyon stepped out of the wheelchair and turned on Page on June 11 at The Great American Bash, costing him his Ambulance match against Awesome. Kanyon then joined Eric Bischoff, the leader of the New Blood faction. In the course of his renewed feud with Page, Kanyon began imitating Page, renaming himself "Positively" Kanyon (a reference to Page's autobiography, Positively Page). Kanyon left WCW shortly afterward.

Kanyon returned to WCW in February 2001 to renew his feud with Page, defeating him at SuperBrawl Revenge on February 18, but losing in a rematch the following night on Nitro. He lost to Ernest "The Cat" Miller at WCW's final pay-per-view, Greed, on March 18. Their feud was not resolved by the time WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in late March 2001. At Invasion on July 22, Kanyon, Shawn Stasiak and Hugh Morrus defeated The Big Show, Billy Gunn and Albert. On the July 26 episode of SmackDown!, WCW Champion Booker T gave his WCW United States Championship to Kanyon, who began referring to himself as "The Alliance MVP". Kanyon lost the WCW United States Championship to Tajiri on the September 10 episode of Raw.

Kanyon returned to OVW in October 2002 and remained there for a further four months. On the February 13, 2003 episode of SmackDown! he returned to the main roster, emerging from a large crate from The Big Show, dressed as Boy George and singing the 1983 Culture Club hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" to The Undertaker, prompting the latter to attack Kanyon and concussing him with a hard chair shot. Kanyon made his televised in-ring return on the April 19 edition of Velocity with his "Who Betta Than Kanyon?" gimmick, losing to Rhyno. At Vengeance on July 27, he participated in the APA's Invitational Bar Room Brawl. Kanyon was relegated to Velocity for the rest of 2003 and was released from WWE on February 9, 2004.

Late career (2004–2010) Kanyon retired from professional wrestling on August 28, 2004, after losing a retirement match to Diamond Dallas Page in Wayne, New Jersey. In July 2005, he came out of retirement and returned to the independent circuit.

Kanyon appeared at the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view Turning Point on December 11, 2005, as Larry Zbyszko's choice, Chris K, losing to Raven. Five days later, Kanyon appeared in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) at Astonishing X-Mas, facing Joey Ryan for the PWG World Championship in a losing effort after someone wearing a Mortis outfit distracted Kanyon. On April 29, 2006, he appeared at the World Wrestling Legends (WWL) pay-per-view 6:05 The Reunion, losing to Page.

Kanyon announced his second retirement on April 5, 2007. He came out of retirement in December 2009 to wrestle for the New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), where he worked shortly before his death.

In the early hours of October 16, 2005, he was arrested in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida for "disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence" after attempting to break up a fight. He was released that same day after a $750 cash bond.

Kanyon, along with Raven 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.

In 2004, after Kanyon's release from WWE, he began what was thought to be a gimmick in which he was an openly gay wrestler. This included an occasion in which he stated that WWE released him from his contract because of his sexuality. Kanyon later told reporters and radio personalities that this was just a publicity stunt, but later retracted those statements and acknowledged that he was, in fact, gay. Before his death, Kanyon was working on a book, Wrestling Reality, with Ryan Clark, which details Kanyon's struggles as a closeted gay man.

On September 23, 2021, Viceland pro wrestling Canadian docuseries Dark Side of the Ring aired an episode focusing on Kanyon's career as well as his struggles with his personal life.

Death On April 2, 2010, Kanyon was found dead at his childhood home in Sunnyside, Queens, aged 40. An empty bottle of antidepressants and the drug Seroquel, as well as a suicide note were found near his body. He struggled with symptoms of bipolar disorder, having been diagnosed in 2004, and had threatened to end his own life in the weeks prior to his death. His death was acknowledged by WWE. Before his death, he worked as a physical therapist at Pulse Fitness and had plans to open a wrestling school.

Championships and accomplishments Pro Wrestling Illustrated Ranked No. 108 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998 World Championship Wrestling WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Diamond Dallas Page and Bam Bam Bigelow World Wrestling Federation WCW United States Championship (1 time) WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Diamond Dallas Page