| Chris Tolos | |
|---|---|
Tolos walks to the ring in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens |
|
| Ring name(s) | Chris "The Body" Tolos[1] |
| Born | December 5, 1929 Hamilton, Ontario[1] |
| Died | August 13, 2005 [1] St. Peter's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario[1] |
| Debut | 1951[1] |
Chris Tolos (December 5, 1929 - August 13, 2005) was a Canadian professional wrestler. Chris stayed close to Hamilton for much of his life, taking care of his mother—who lived to be 101 and died in 2001—and his disabled sister. He died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005. He was 75.[1]
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Chris was the oldest of the three children born December 5, 1929 to Nicolaos and Evangelia (Evangeline) Tolos, followed by his brother John and sister Mary. Growing up in Hamilton, both boys were natural athletes, playing football, hockey, lacrosse and track, and learning to amateur wrestle. Chris got into pro wrestling via Wee Willie Davis and made his debut in Buffalo around 1951.[1]
Chris debuted as a heel at first, losing preliminary bouts to the likes of Johnny Barend, Sandor Kovacs and Don Beitelman (Curtis), all of whom he would fight many times over the years.[1]
He soon brought John into the sport. Together, they were one of the best teams ever, holding numerous tag titles, including the WWWF U.S. tag titles in 1963, the NWA World tag titles in Florida in 1964 and in Detroit that same year, the World and Canadian tag titles in Vancouver in 1967 and the Pacific Coast tag belts in California in 1953. They weren't showy, wearing simple tights to the ring. Rough and tough in the ring, their style relied on hard work and supporting a partner who was in trouble.[1]
In 1972, Chris went to Los Angeles and teamed with John for a strong run as babyfaces, against Black Gordman and Goliath, one of his few stints as a babyface.[1]
Chris typically stayed close to home, very dedicated to his disabled sister, allowing his brother John to hit the road and become a singles star, particularly in Los Angeles with his epic feud with Freddie Blassie. But one should not discount Chris Tolos' singles career. In the late '60s, Chris "The Body" Tolos feuded with Iron Mike Dibiase in Omaha, and had his share of NWA World title shots.[1]
Chris Tolos died of cancer on Friday, August 13, 2005. He is survived by his sister Mary and nephew Chris Jr. of California; his son Nicholas of Hamilton, grandson Cory, and ex-wife Joanne of Vancouver. A tree was planted in Woodland Cemetery in Tolos' memory.[1]
Chris' brother and tag team partner John died in May 2009.[4]