Chris Tolos (December 5, 1929 – August 13, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

Early life

Chris was the oldest of the three children born on December 5, 1929 to

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

parents, Nicolaos and Evangelia (Evangeline) Tolos, in Hamilton, Ontario where he and his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

played football, hockey, lacrosse and track, and learned to wrestle. Chris got into professional wrestling via

Wee Willie Davis William "Wee Willie" Grundy Davis (December 7, 1906 – April 9, 1981) was an American film actor and professional wrestler. He was born in New York City and died in Louisville, Kentucky, aged 74. He worked in the Jefferson County Jail in Louis ...

and made his debut in Buffalo around 1951.

Wrestling career

Chris debuted as a heel at first, losing preliminary bouts to such performers as

Johnny Barend John R. Barend (March 27, 1929 – September 20, 2011), better known as "Handsome" Johnny Barend, was an American professional wrestler. Early life Born in 1929 in Rochester, New York, Barend started wrestling as an amateur at the age of eight. ...

, Sandor Kovacs and Don Beitelman (Curtis), all of whom he would fight many times over the years. He soon formed a team with his brother John. They held numerous tag titles, including the WWWF U.S. tag titles in 1963, the NWA World tag titles in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in 1964 and in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

that same year, the World and Canadian tag titles in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1967 and the Pacific Coast tag belts in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1953. In 1972, Chris went to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and teamed with John as babyfaces, against Black Gordman and Goliath, one of his few stints as a babyface. In the late 1960s he feuded with Iron Mike Dibiase in Omaha, and was a contender for the NWA World title.

Death

Chris Tolos died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005. His brother and tag team partner John died in May 2009.John Tolos dies at 78; notorious wrestling villain known as the Golden Greek
- ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-06-02.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Wrestling Association **

AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship The AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship was a title in the American Wrestling Association from 1967 until 1971. It was for mid-level wrestlers and was mostly defended in the Omaha, Nebraska area. Title history See also *American Wrestling Asso ...

( 1 time) - with Stan Pulaski * Big Time Wrestling ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' ( 1 time) - with John Tolos *

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 1 time) - with

John Tolos John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", (September 18, 1930 – May 28, 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager. Professional wrestling career Tolos was born on September 18, 1930, in Hamilton, Ontario ...

Maple Leaf Wrestling Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Queensbury Athletic Club The promotion, initially known as the Queensbury Athl ...

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Toronto version)'' ( 3 times) - with John Tolos *

NWA All-Star Wrestling NWA All Star Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Vancouver) is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. All-Star Wrestling folded in 1989 but returned in 2007 no longer affiliated with the National Wr ...

** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (''Vancouver version'') (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) - with John Tolos ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' (

) - with John Tolos *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

**Class of 2007 - Inducted as a member of the Canadian Wrecking Crew (with

) *

Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...

** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' ( 1 time) - with John Tolos *

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd. was an American sports promotion company. It was run by Vincent J. McMahon from 1953 to 1982. Operating as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing ...

WWWF United States Tag Team Championship The WWWF United States Tag Team Championship was the first version of the main tag team title in the World Wide Wrestling Federation from 1963 until 1967. Originally, the WWWF was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance operating out of the No ...

( 1 time) - with John Tolos

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolos, Chris 1929 births 2005 deaths 20th-century professional wrestlers Canadian male professional wrestlers Canadian people of Greek descent Professional wrestlers from Hamilton, Ontario Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Stampede Wrestling alumni NWA World Tag Team Champions (Florida version) NWA International Tag Team Champions (Toronto version) Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions