5 things to know about Tammy 'Sunny' Sytch, former wrestler facing prison for fatal DUI

Katie Kustura, Daytona Beach News-Journal
·3 min read

In recent years, World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch has received more attention for her crimes than her career in professional wrestling.

Last Wednesday, Sytch pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence and causing the death of another person plus other charges in a deadly Ormond Beach crash in March 2022 that claimed the life of 75-year-old Julian LaFrancis Lasseter.

Sytch, 51, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 27, according to court records. She faces up to 25 1/2 years in prison.

Here are five things to know about the former professional wrestler.

1. WWE's original 'Diva'

In the 1990s, the WWE, previously known as the World Wrestling Federation, began using the term "diva" when referring to any industry females.

Sytch is widely recognized as the original WWE diva.

Tammy Sytch in court for a hearing before Judge Karen Foxman at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.
Tammy Sytch in court for a hearing before Judge Karen Foxman at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.

"My definition of a Diva is that all-around, well-rounded performer," Sytch told WWE.com. "The girls who came before me were so one dimensional and then I came along and anything they threw at me I could do. I could get in the ring and have a match, I managed at ringside, I co-hosted TV shows, I did broadcasting. I was the first one to do it all."

In 2016, the organization announced it would no longer use the term in regard to female performers in an effort to focus on their athleticism.

2. Sytch's other crimes

In 2012, Sytch was arrested nearly a half-dozen times in Connecticut on multiple charges including disorderly conduct, third-degree burglary and violating a protective order for which she served 114 days in jail before her release in May 2013.

Sytch incurred DUI charges in Pennsylvania in 2015 and in New Jersey in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

She also served time in prison in New Jersey in connection to a July 2020 arrest on charges of violating a restraining order, eluding a police officer and driving a vehicle with a suspended license.

3. Getting started in wrestling

Sytch got into wrestling in the early 1990s via her then-boyfriend Chris Candido who also was working on developing a wrestling career.

Her first deal was with Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and her first onscreen appearance was in 1993 as Tammy Fytch, a villain who idolized Hillary Clinton.

It's not unusual for professional wrestlers to cycle through a few monikers until they find the one that sticks.

Here are other names used by Sytch, who was billed as 5 feet 4 inches and 118 pounds:

  • Tammy Spirit

  • Tammy Lynn Fytch

  • Tamara Murphy

  • Sunny

  • Tammy Lynn Sytch

During her wrestling career, Sytch also worked as a ring announcer, a valet and a manager of other wrestlers.

4. Championship, Hall of Fame, post-wrestling

Sytch won her first championship, the Women Superstars Uncensored Championship, in December 2007 in New Jersey. She lost the title the following March.

Sytch was inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame in April 2011.

In 2020, Sytch created an OnlyFans account for uploading adult-oriented content.

5. Long-time partner's early death

Sytch and Candido, who met in high school in New Jersey, were together from 1990 until the latter's death in April 2005 due to acute pneumonia brought on by surgery.

Their relationship was profiled earlier this year in an episode of "Dark Side of the Ring," a Canadian documentary TV series produced by Vice Studios.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 5 facts about Tammy Sytch, former wrestler facing prison for fatal DUI