Carlos López Tovar (28 August 1912 – 28 August 1975) was a

luchador ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...

who was active in the 1930s and 1940s, better known by the ring name Tarzán López. Known as "Tarzan" because of his bodybuilder's physique, Lopez held the Mexican national welterweight championship from 1936 through 1939. He also captured the NWA middleweight title several times and was named MVP in Mexico in 1940, 1944, and 1948.

Professional wrestling career

Carlos made his professional debut in 1934 under the name Carlos López, and was soon recruited by trainer Gonzalo Avendaño. He was launched into his first feud against

Salvador Flores Salvador Flores (Jose Salvador Ramon Flores) (ca. 1806–1855) served as a volunteer in the Texan Army in 1835–1836. He was instrumental in organizing and commanding Texian volunteers in support of the Texas Revolution. He participated in ma ...

, a feud that made the young López very popular. This popularity eventually resulted in López being signed to

Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...

(EMLL), where he gained his first title, the

Mexican National Welterweight Championship The Mexican National Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Nacional Peso Welter'' in Spanish) is a Mexican professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. (the Mexico City Boxing and Wres ...

, which he won on March 11, 1936. López was one of the most popular ''luchadores'' of his era, winning the title of Luchador of the Year in 1940, 1944, and 1948.Madigan, Dan, ''Mondo Lucha a Go-Go: The Bizarre & Honorable World of Wild Mexican Wrestling'', HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2007, Although still one of the most popular wrestlers in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, López's career ended early over a monetary dispute with EMLL. López requested a loan with which he intended to help a friend who desperately needed the money. When the owners of EMLL refused, an angry López retired from the professional wrestling business and never looked back.

Championships and accomplishments

Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship The Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (''Campeonato Nacional Semicompleto'' in Spanish) is a national Mexican singles professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the ''Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F.'' (''Mexico Ci ...

( 3 times) **

Mexican National Middleweight Championship The Mexican National Middleweight Championship ''()'' is a professional wrestling championship controlled by the ' (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission). The official weight definition of the middleweight division in Mexico is from . The ...

( 1 time) **

Mexican National Tag Team Championship The Mexican National Tag Team Championship ''()'' is a national Mexican professional wrestling championship controlled by the (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission) and competed for by two-man tag teams. The championship was created in 1 ...

( 1 time) – with Henry Pilusso **

( 1 time) **

NWA World Middleweight Championship The NWA World Middleweight Championship was a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) between 1939 and 2010. For most of its existence, it was defended in the Mexican ''lu ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) ** NWA World Middlweight Championship ( 1 time)¹ ** World Middleweight Championship (

)² *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll betwee ...

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...

( Class of 2004) ¹This championship was under the control of the

National Wrestling Association The National Wrestling Association (NWA) was an early professional wrestling sanctioning body created in 1930 by the National Boxing Association (NBA; now the World Boxing Association, WBA) as an attempt to create a governing body for professional ...

, a governing body in professional wrestling that existed prior to the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

. The title was abandoned in 1940.
²This title is actually the same championship that the National Wrestling Alliance would come to adopt and recognize. However, the title was created before the founding of the National Wrestling Alliance but after the World Middleweight Championship used by the National Wrestling Association was abandoned.

References

;General sources – Championship Information * ;General sources – Career * * ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Tarzan 1975 deaths 1912 births 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Mexican professional wrestlers Mexican male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Zacatecas Mexican National Middleweight Champions Mexican National Tag Team Champions Mexican National Welterweight Champions NWA World Middleweight Champions Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champions