Dueling Chair Shots
by Kurt La Mont
column date 12/17/99

An Open Letter to Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch

Chris and Tammy,

I read your (Chris') letter that you had wrestling newsboards post last
weekend and which ECWnews copied onto its newsboard.  (Apparently you didn't
see that ECWnews.com is the #1 ECW site as voted by the fans, we hold no
grudges though).  I can see that you two were troubled by the 'news' that
was reported and the effect it had on your family.

I can understand the urge to explain your side of the story.  What was
reported was very misleading.  What you two were doing was part of
rehabilitation and it came across as if you two were busted for drugs in a
police sting and locked up in your home.

You mentioned that Paul E. tells you to "Do Nothing" as a response.
Apparently, you don't realize that this is the best advice that anyone can
give you two.  Acknowledging these rumors just fans the flames.  In
addition, mentioning people by name only makes someone go and actually read
what they wrote.  If you feel it is necessary to post a response you should
have done something along the lines of:

"There have been internet reports circulating that we were "locked up" last
weekend and missed the ECW shows because of that. This is a true statement,
although, it is very misleading.  We were in a 72 hour program this past
weekend that was part of our rehabilitation. We informed ECW management
prior to the date that we would miss the shows and it was OK'd.  Thanks to
all of our fans for your continued support.  - Chris and Tammy"

It's really just that easy.  This statement shows that the 'news' was
misleading, you inform the reader of what actually was the intent of the
program, and you thank your fans.

The problem with what you posted is that your emotions got the best of you
and it leads you to write things that take away from the point of your
letter.  For instance, in your letter you talk about:
* Performances stealing the show which have led to higher ratings
* How Chris carries great matches without getting any credit
* How Tammy is the greatest manager today (among other things) without
getting any credit
* How you two are treated differently from other wrestlers

When the reader reads all of this the first reaction is to question the
whether or not he believes any of these statements.  I'm not going to argue
one way or the other over these things, that's not the point here.  The
point is that mentioning anything other than clarifying what was misleading,
you distract the reader into thinking about everything but that.

I think just about everyone on the internet knows that you two have had
numerous problems over the past few years.  And it appears you both are
working to overcome these problems and that in itself is admirable.  You
just need to learn when saying nothing is the best thing.

Next week will be my ECW year in review column.  If you have anything that
you think deserves a mention let me know at [email protected].