By Christmas 2009, Chris Klucsaritis and Ryan Clark had finished writing the autobiography of Klucsaritis' alter ego, pro wrestler Chris Kanyon.
The book detailed the highs and lows of Kanyon's personal and professional lives, which certainly intertwined since Kanyon was gay (but not openly) as he won multiple world championship belts for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
He struggled deeply with his sexual orientation and also reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder, according to Fox News.
The glory of stardom as a pro wrestler couldn't win over his real-life struggles. He was found dead in his Queens, N.Y., apartment April 2, 2010, after committing suicide.
The book Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon, Wrestling's Gay Superstar (ECW Press) was released last November, offering a rare, behind-the-curtain look at Kanyon's wild world of wrestling. Ryan Clark, who is straight and admittedly "not a huge wrestling fan," co-authored the book. Clark is an editor and instructor at Northern Kentucky University and a writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. The two met when Kanyon spoke to about 200 college students at Northern Kentucky for National Coming Out Day in October 2006.
Also in 2006, Kanyon made appearances in Chicago in conjunction with the quadrennial Gay Games.
"Sadly, once a wrestler dies, he becomes more marketable, and that was the case for Kanyon for well," Clark said. "Kanyon saw this as the first of a couple of books that he wanted to do." The others would have been self-help books, Clark said.
After Kanyon's death, Clark said he had to rewrite the ending, changing the tone to a certain extent. Then, he reshopped the book to publishers. "Sad thing, [after his death, the book] wasn't too hard to sell," Clark said.
The book features a preface from former wrestler Jim Mitchell, who was one of the first wrestlers Kanyon came out to. Mitchell wrote his introduction after Kanyon's death.
"I had to change the beginning and the ending a bit, but I don't think that changed the message that Chris wanted to relay," Clark said.
The book, Clark admitted, has as much impact as a steel chair to the head. "It's not an easy read, by any means," Clark said. "That said, in some ways I still view it as somewhat of an inspirational story. There are several things that I think Kanyon wanted to get out there, such as, for those who are struggling with their own reality, their own sexuality, you can be honest with yourself and with everyone else and hopefully, if you are.
"I think it's a tough book to read, but I think there's a lot to be learned from it, and a lot of really positive things to be taken away from it."
The book is being marketed to both the wrestling and gay communities, Clark said, which, on the surface, are two seemingly opposite groups of people. "It's a book that can alienate both markets, or it can draw in both," he said.
So far, the responses from both demographics have been very favorable.
