The Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament was a professional wrestling tag team single-elimination tournament held by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion in 2005. It was created to honor TNA wrestler Chris Candido, who died in April 2005 as a result of a blood clot following surgery for a leg injury sustained at TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event.
Format and Concept
The tournament featured eight teams, each composed of one veteran wrestler and one younger/rookie wrestler. This format was designed to reflect Candido's role at the time of his death, as he had been managing the young tag team The Naturals. The winning team would earn entry into a Four Way Elimination Tag Team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at TNA's Unbreakable pay-per-view on September 11, 2005.
Participants
The sixteen wrestlers were paired randomly into the following teams:
- Abyss (veteran) and Shark Boy (young)
- Alex Shelley (young) and Sean Waltman (veteran)
- B.G. James (veteran) and Cassidy Reilly (young)
- Chris Sabin (young) and Shocker (veteran)
- Kip James (veteran) and Petey Williams (young)
- Konnan (veteran) and Lance Hoyt (young)
- Mikey Batts (young) and Simon Diamond (veteran)
- Ron Killings (veteran) and Sonjay Dutt (young)
Tournament Results
All three rounds were taped on August 16, 2005, at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida, and aired on episodes of TNA Impact! from August 19 to September 9, 2005.
- Quarterfinals: Chris Sabin and Shocker defeated Mikey Batts and Simon Diamond; Ron Killings and Sonjay Dutt defeated B.G. James and Cassidy Reilly; Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman defeated Abyss and Shark Boy; Lance Hoyt and Konnan defeated Kip James and Petey Williams.
- Semifinals: Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman defeated Lance Hoyt and Konnan; Chris Sabin and Shocker defeated Ron Killings and Sonjay Dutt.
- Finals: Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman defeated Chris Sabin and Shocker to win the tournament.
Aftermath
Despite being announced as an annual event, only one edition of the tournament was ever held. At Unbreakable, The Naturals retained the NWA World Tag Team Championship in the Four Way Elimination match. Sean Waltman did not appear at the event for undisclosed reasons, and Johnny Candido (Chris Candido's brother) substituted for him, teaming with Alex Shelley. Chris Sabin suffered a broken jaw during the tournament finals, and Alex Shelley sustained a back injury.
Reception
James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch reviewed the tournament positively, describing the matches as "solid" and "effective in telling the story." He noted that the pairing of Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman was a "natural fit."
