Tammy Lynn Sytch

Tammy Lynn Sytch (born December 7, 1972 in Matawan, New Jersey) was a professional wrestling diva for ECW, WCW, WWE and various independent promotions. She achieved her greatest success as Sunny in WWF in the mid to late 1990's.

Career

Smoky Mountain Wrestling

Tammy started out traveling with her boyfriend, Chris Candido. She did some camera work for the New Jersey-based WWA. She first appeared onscreen as Tamara Murphy Fytch in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1993. She played a rich, spoiled brat, who was billed as having come from Wellesley College. Tammy Fytch became extremely hated by the fans in Smoky Mountain. She managed Candido, Brian Lee and Boo Bradley, who would become Balls Mahoney in ECW.

World Wrestling Federation

In late 1994, Tammy, as Tamara Murphy, began appearing on "Live Event News" segments during World Wrestling Federation television shows, where she would promote local WWF house show events. Tammy and Chris appeared on a handful of WWF shows as Team Spirit, a short-lived gimmick similar to (but pre-dating) the recurring Saturday Night Live "Spartan Cheerleaders" skit, and similar to the later "Spirit Squad". Later in 1995, the duo were renamed Sunny and "Skip", and began appearing on WWF television as the heel fitness-freaks Bodydonnas. Tammy would come to the ring with a microphone talking about how great they were and about how out of shape the fans were, and quickly became hated. However, she was also becoming loved by men everywhere for her looks. She became America Online's most downloaded woman thanks to her risque pictorials that were offered exclusively from AOL. In 1996, she won two Slammy Awards, "Best Buns" and "Best Manager". She also won Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Manager of the Year Award. The WWF split her up from Candido and she went on the manage The Godwinns in a swerve where she teased Phineas Godwinn so he would follow her every whim and caused them to lose the WWF World Tag Team Championship to the Smokin' Gunns.

During her time with The Smokin' Gunns her rivalry with ex-clients the Bodydonnas and recently backstabbed Godwinns led to feuds wherein both teams were more after getting revenge on Sunny than taking on her new clients. During this time she was subjected to a cross-dresser claiming to look exactly like her from The Bodydonnas and "slopped" by The Godwinns. Eventually her favoring of Billy Gunn caused The Smokin' Gunns team to disband after they lost their titles with Billy blaming both the title loss and loss of Sunny on Bart Gunn.

During this time in her real life she became known as "The Clique Chick" backstage due to her spending a lot of time with the members of the Clique. Candido had problems with the Clique members, and eventually she tapered off her associations with them before stopping altogether. She then began a short-lived relationship with wrestler Shawn Michaels. Additionally, she developed drug and alcohol problems at this time.

With little for her to do, Sunny began a short career as a ring announcer and t-shirt model before becoming the manager of Faarooq Asad. At the same time she began having legitimate offscreen problems with Sable. Candido left the WWF for ECW without Tammy and it wasn't long before Sunny began making guest appearances in ECW with him.

In 1998, Sunny briefly became the manager for the reformed Road Warriors as "LOD 2000". This was her final position with the company before her release.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Once released from the WWF, she officially made the announcement, at HeatWave '98, that she was now a full-time ECW employee. She assisted Chris Candido in his win over Lance Storm but as their feud moved forward, Storm introduced his own valet "Dawn Marie Bytch". They quartet had several very well received mixed tag team matches against each other including one infamous one where Dawn Marie lifted up a held Sunny's skirt and spanked her with a paddle. Candido being a member of the Triple Threat (where Shane Douglas was being managed by Francine) eventually led to a Francine/Sytch feud which caused the group to break up.

In 1999, Paul Heyman, the owner of ECW, had Tammy do a shoot interview on TV about her drug and alcohol problems. This was unusual in professional wrestling, but ECW was a very "smart" atmosphere, and its fans were largely aware of her ordeal.

Later in that year both Candido and Sytch were released from their ECW contracts, reportedly because their "personal demons" were getting out of hand.

World Championship Wrestling

In early 2000, Tammy had cleaned up her act and she and Candido signed with World Championship Wrestling. While there, she managed Candido to a WCW Cruiserweight title win at Spring Stampede 2000. During that run, she feuded with Paisley while Candido feuded with The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iaukea. The short-lived feud came to a conclusion at Slamboree 2000 when The Artist Formally Known as Prince Iaukea and Paisley stripped Tammy's dress off to reveal her undergarments. Her undergarments consisted of yellow colored hotpants and a midriff-bearing tube top. Shortly there after, Tammy began feuding with Daffney. Tammy's stay ended abruptly when Kimberly Page found a syringe backstage in a women's restroom that she claimed had been used by Tammy before the May 29, 2000 edition of WCW Monday Nitro. Tammy volunteered to a drug test (and passed), but WCW released her and Candido nonetheless.

Xtreme Pro Wrestling

After being released from WCW, the duo landed in Xtreme Pro Wrestling where again she managed him to a title (the XPW World Heavyweight Title).

Indies

After leaving XPW Candido & Sytch toured a few independent promotions (including a stint in USA Pro Wrestling where Tammy famously got into an argument which nearly escalated into a fight with Low-Ki before entering a semi-retirement.

Rumors swirled around the two as they removed themselves from the spotlight, including the planning of a release of a sex-tape. The duo moved to Puerto Rico for eight months and Tammy announced her retirement saying she was going to become a flight attendant, but instead opened and began running a tanning salon in May 2004.

Death of Chris Candido

Chris Candido unexpectedly died on April 28, 2005 due to, according to his brother Johnny, acute pneumonia caused by complications from surgery to repair a broken ankle that he suffered at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's PPV on April 24, 2005.

Tammy made an appearance in Women's Extreme Wrestling on May 7, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She gave a short speech before the show began after they had a ten bell salute to honor Candido. She then managed Talia while wearing one of Candido's ring jackets. She was briefly hospitalized for a minor nervous breakdown the same weekend but was soon released.

Indies after Candido's passing

After the passing of Chris Candido, it did not take long for Sytch to become regularly involved in the independent circuit again. Sytch made appearances as a referee for NWS Wrestling in May 2005 and attended a Chris Candido Memorial Show on June 4, 2005. Also, Sytch was a part of Hardcore Homecoming on June 10, 2005. She first came out with Johnny Grunge and Pit Bull #1 to do a tribute to former ECW wrestlers who had recently died. Among those honored were Chris Candido, Pit Bull #2 and Rocco Rock. They were interrupted by Danny Doring and Roadkill, but 911 cleared them out of the ring. 911 then proceeded to pick up Sytch and place her on his shoulder. In a bit of a humorous moment, 911's knee buckled due to Sytch's overwhelming weight and they both toppled to the canvas. Sytch proceeded to laugh it off. After the show, a Q & A session was held and donations for the Chris Candido Scholarship Fund were taken. A donor contributed $700, and Tammy stated that she would flash her breasts to anybody who topped that. Another donor paid $800, and Tammy flashed him in what was said to be the highlight of the session.

After Candido's death, Sytch considered NWA Cyberspace to be her primary wrestling promotion. She considered a lot of the people in the promotion to be "family." She has managed All Money Is Legal, Kip James, Andy Douglas, Chase Stevens, and Sabu on various shows. At the September 25, 2005 NWA Cyberspace show, Tammy Sytch got into a catfight with Julio Dinero's valet Miss Michelle. Tammy instigated the fight after she witnessed Michelle interfering on Dinero's behalf in his match with Kip James. Tammy kicked her high heels off and chased the petite female around the ring until she finally trampled her inside of the ring with her excess girth. Tammy ferociously attacked and beat on Miss Michelle for several seconds, however, Julio Dinero eventually came over and shoved Tammy upside down and off of his beaten valet. Shortly there after, Julio Dinero pinned a distracted Kip James for the victory.

Tammy had also been involved in a heated feud with rival manager John Shane and his protégé Rhino. At the September 25, 2005 NWA Cyberspace show, John Shane attacked her when her back was turned, which left her laid out. On November 19, 2005 at a NWA Cyberspace show, Tammy was on the receiving end of Rhino's finishing maneuver, the Gore, after her match with John Shane. This was not her only encounter with the maneuver as she was also Gored by Rhino on March 25, 2006 at another NWA Cyberspace show after his match with Sabu. Sytch suffered a broken rib as a result of the maneuver. Tammy's feud with John Shane came to a conclusion on May 21, 2006 as Rhino, seconded by John Shane, defeated Kip James in a "Loser's Manager Retires" match. Considering that James lost the match and Tammy was his manager, Tammy is no longer able to appear on future NWA Cyberspace shows.

In an unfortunate turn of events, Sytch was thrown out of the WrestleReunion wrestling convention in August 2005 due to being a disturbance. She was unscheduled to appear at the event. Apparently, she was bothering several of the wrestlers and acting unusual, mostly notably towards Bret Hart and Matt Hardy. At one point, she suddenly burst out crying next to Bret Hart. She also interrupted an early morning Q & A session featuring the Dudley Boyz. Sytch was said to have been intoxicated and/or "high" during the entire ordeal. It was also noted by observers that she had regained most of the weight she had lost earlier in the year by this time. She was eventually escorted out of the building by security.

In an interesting pairing, Sytch managed a person just as controversial as her in the form of the one and only Lex Luger at the June 3, 2006 National Wrestling Superstars (NWS) show. Sytch led Luger to victory as he defeated Johnny Candito. Candito was accompanied to the ring by Dawn Marie - who happened to be making her first appearance in a wrestling ring since giving birth. As it turns out, they were all in town for the Wrestling Reunion wrestling convention held earlier in the day at Carteret, New Jersey and thus they were able to appear on this particular wrestling show. Sytch's long time friend Terri Runnels happened to appear at the convention as well. Observers noted that Runnels had the longest line at the convention. In comparison, Sytch was said to have been lonely at times as the line for her autograph was never particularly long.

Sytch will be making an all too rare in-ring wrestling appearance as she teams up with Trent Acid to wrestle Salvatore Sincere and "Hammy" in an intergender tag team match at a National Wrestling Superstars match on July 14th. "Hammy" is a parody aimed towards Sytch. The parody pokes fun at Sytch's weight problems by having an obese male wrestler being billed as "Hammy, formerly Bunny of the WWWF" come out dressed in drag. Hammy also comes out with a "panty blaster" which shoots a multitude of panties at people. "Hammy" is portrayed by NWS wrestler Saddam Insane.

Return to the WWE

In recent months WWE.com has made many references to Sunny including a puzzle, Sunny Month on WWE 24/7, and the use of her old WWE theme Music "I Know You Want Me" on the Divas section of the site. On a March 2006 radio show, she mentioned that she had spoken to Vince McMahon and that he has opened the door for Sytch to come back when she is ready. Sytch stated that she hopes to be back in the WWE by the end of 2006 ^*. Sytch will feel that she's ready to return as soon as she is in "Sunny Shape". Her voice has considerably lowered in the past few years.

Also, she was featured in the 2006 WWE DVD, The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers. The DVD paid tribute to her blazing the trail for future WWE Divas, but also seemed to put the blame on herself for her personal problems and drug abuse. Many clips of her past were shown, however, it is unclear if she actually participated in the DVD. Sytch, in her present day appearance, didn't actually physically appear in the DVD, but she partially narrated her segment - or at least a voice similar to her "Sunny" voice did.

Health issues

Tammy Sytch's weight gain in recent years has often been a source of mean-spirited jokes and insults amongst the Internet Wrestling Community. The majority of wrestling fans have expressed a strong distaste for her increase in weight and its frequently been a subject of ridicule on internet forums. Albeit, a small minority of fans find her curvaceous, fuller figure to look rather appealing on her and don't particularly mind the increase in weight. Due in part to the ridicule, Sytch has gone on record to state that she detests the internet. Sytch has stated that she doesn't care what the internet pundits say about her weight. On the other hand, she admires the individuals who have stuck by her side throughout the years and don't mind her increase in weight. Tammy's weight gain over the years can be attributed to a number of factors.

In January 2001, Tammy was hospitalized after her pancreas gave out - due in part to her excessive drinking in previous years. Doctors said that she only had 48 hours to live; she was even given last rites on two occasions. Approximately one and half weeks after being admitted to the hospital, Tammy's pancreas shrunk back to normal one night. Tammy was subsequently released from the hospital a few days later.

Tammy's thyroid shut down not long after her hospitalization, thus causing her to gain some weight. Sytch suffered from depression due to the weight gain, which caused her to stop working out. Consequently, her weight would greatly escalate over the course of 2003 and 2004. Tammy's full-figured state was at its pinnacle in 2004 as she was approximately 200 pounds over the course of the year.

In early 2005, Tammy lost over 50 pounds on a crash diet. After the untimely passing of Chris Candido, Sytch's family made her go to a psychiatrist because she was depressed. The psychiatrist told her to take anti-depressants to help cure her depression. Initially, Sytch refused to take them because she said that they would cause her to gain weight, thus making her even more depressed than she already is. Sytch ended up taking the anti-depressants anyways. Consequently, the medication caused her to regain the majority of the weight she had lost earlier in the year, by the end of the summer. Tammy eventually stopped going to that psychiatrist.

In November 2005, WWE officials contacted Sytch in hopes of having her participate in a photo shoot and interview for WWE.com. Juxtaposed to her earlier stint as Sunny, WWE fans would be in for a surprise if they saw her in her present day physical appearance. Henceforth, Sytch turned down the offer as she didn't want WWE fans to see her in her current full-figured state. However, Sytch didn't completely rule out the offer as she stated that would be willing to do it when she finally got back into "Sunny Shape." In recent interviews, Sytch has stated that she is training in an effort to slim down her figure in hopes of making a WWE comeback in late 2006 or early 2007.

In late 2005, Tammy landed a desk job at a New York area fitness club. Her new occupation made it much more convenient for her to exercise. When questioned about her current day weight in recent interviews, Sytch has stated that her weight loss is on the right track and that she's losing weight with each passing month. In an appearance on the Get In The Ring radio show in March 2006, Sytch was asked to reveal how much she actually weighed. Sytch got flustered and refused to answer the question with a numeric figure. In recent public appearances, several observers have stated that Sytch was looking noticeably slimmer in contrast to the last few years.

Personal life

Tammy Sytch and Chris Candido were never legally married. Since she was never legally Chris' wife, Chris' parents took care of the funeral arrangements at the time of his death. Candido's parents wanted Chris to be cremated, however, Tammy didn't want that to occur. Chris's mother wanted to divide up his ashes, and that made Tammy very upset. She hasn't talked to Candido's parents since the funeral. However, she does keep in contact with Chris' brother Johnny Candito and his sister.

After the untimely passing of Chris Candido, Kip James called Tammy every single day to see that she was doing alright with herself. Tammy claims that Kip James is one of her best friends and is a person who genuinely cares about her well-being.

In her shoot interview with RF Video, Tammy addressed the rumors in regards to her possibly having a sexual relations with Bret Hart. Tammy claims that the two were good friends, however, nothing sexual ever came about between them. She did however admit to a nine month relationship with Shawn Michaels, during a time where she and Chris Candido had split up. According to Tammy, Shawn had his ego crushed when she decided to try to mend her relationship with Chris Candido instead of moving in with him. She did admit that she was in love with Shawn.

Sytch is now dating a police officer. In her interview with RF Video, Sytch predicted that they would be together for the rest of her life. Sytch happened to bring her boyfriend to the Wrestling Reunion wrestling convention in June 2006.

Trivia

Tammy was involved in the porn website Wrestling Vixxxens with Missy Hyatt from 2001 to 2003. Chris Candido filmed nude footage of the two for the site. Sytch admitted that she was shy at times in regards to doing certain poses.
In 2004, Tammy owned and operated a New Jersey tanning salon but a 2005 disagreement with a business partner led to the end of her affiliation with the business. Tammy now holds a desk job at a New York area fitness club. Tammy has stated that she was only been joking when posting information on the internet about her retirement from the professional wrestling business in order to become an airline stewardess and that she had never really planned on becoming one.
She is a huge fan of KISS and Marilyn Monroe.
She was a cheerleader in high school.
In 1997, Playboy approached Tammy in regards to posing nude for the adult magazine. Tammy declined the offer as she feels she wasn't ready for it at the time.
In June 1999, Tammy auctioned off her breast implants on Ebay. The implants sold for several thousand dollars, however, the winner of the auction never paid.
Tammy is a life-long fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
Sytch doubletaped her breasts to her black gown for the Hardcore Homecoming show on June 10, 2005. Sytch's breasts would have easily fallen out of her dress had she not taped them up.
It was reported in a local New Jersey area police report that Sytch was arrested for driving under the influence in December 2005.
Tammy is currently working on her autobiography. She says that Mick Foley will be doing the foreword for the book. She says the name of her autobiography will be called "Tammy Sytch: To Hell & Back".
Jakks Pacific plans on releasing a Sunny action figure for the WWE Classics Superstars Series line in the near future.

Finishing/Trademark moves

Wrestlers she has managed

Accomplishments/Awards

PWI Manager of the Year Award in 1996.
2-time Slammy Award winner (Best Buns & Brains Behind the Brawn).

External links

Official Website
RedHotDivas
Tammy Sytch Live
TammySytch.net Fan tribute to Tammy Sytch.
Tammy Sytch shoot interview tape

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