10 Awesome Wrestlers Who Quit Before They Were 40
5. Chris Kanyon
Chris Kanyon's story is one of the saddest in pro wrestling, and that covers a lot of ground. Kanyon dreamed of being a superstar pro wrestler growing up, and he came so close to achieving his dream - in WCW, his innovative offense, hard work, and good attitude brought him to the upper midcard, where he teamed and feuded with close friend Diamond Dallas Page.
Kanyon was part of the WCW Invasion of WWE, becoming United States Champion, but he ended up a de facto victim when he and the disliked-backstage DDP were squashed in a feud with Kane and The Undertaker.
\The rest of Kanyon's WWE tenure was marked with injury and misuse, including an infection that almost killed him and an infamous segment where the star was forced to dress as Boy George.
Kanyon later claimed that the Boy George angle was an attack based on his real-life homosexuality, which was something of an open secret to the WWE locker room/
Kanyon was release from WWE in 2004, and while he wrestled briefly on the indies and in TNA, he never had any long stints elsewhere. He announced his retirement in 2007 at the age of 37, but those close to him said that he still held out hope for another run in WWE.
In 2010, the 40-year-old Chris Kanyon committed suicide at his home.