Chris
Chavis, Lumbee, is a 6’2”, 285-pound professional wrestler
who is now known as Tatanka or “the Native American.” He
began wrestling as Chris “War Eagle” Chavis. He has wrestled
since 1989, including six years with the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) and a heavy schedule on the independent circuit.
Chris Chavis was born on 8 June 1960 in Pembroke, North Carolina.
His parents are Stoney and Patricia Chavis. He attended Bethel High
School in Hampton, Virginia, where he was a member of the Virginia
state championship football team. He attended James Madison University
for one year. Soon thereafter, he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
and continued his bodybuilding training and competitions while selling
memberships for Bally’s Health Club. He met Buddy “Nature
Boy” Rogers, who encouraged him to go into professional wrestling.
Chavis consented and was sent to Larry Sharpe’s Monster Factory,
a wrestling school in New Jersey.
Chavis’s early wrestling action was with George Scott’s
North American Wrestling Association (renamed South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
or SAPW). In 1990 he was Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s runner-up
for rookie of the year. By defeating Ken Shamrock in a Lumberton,
North Carolina, match in 1991, he became the SAPW heavyweight champion.
In
1991, Vince McMahon persuaded Chavis to sign with the WWF and helped
him enhance his identity as a Native American wrestler. Chavis adopted
the name Tatanka (Lakota for “big bull” or “big buffalo”)
and developed wrestling moves such as a fall-away slam (“Indian
Death Drop” or “End of the Trail”) and the tomahawk
chop from the top rope. Tatanka had a two-year undefeated streak in
the WWF and carried on several lengthy feuds with wrestlers including
I.R.S., Lex Luger, Bam Bam Bigelow, Rick Martel, and Yokozuma.
Tatanka left the WWF and his 300-day-a-year schedule in late 1996,
taking time off to renew his commitments to family and religion. When
he returned to wrestling after a two and a half year hiatus, he began
a personal campaign to convert people in the wrestling industry to
Christ and to create a cleaner image for professional wrestling. He
assumed a heavy schedule (thirteen to twenty-one days a month) of
appearances and matches on the independent circuit. After his reentry
into wrestling his heavyweight championship titles included South
African, U.C.W., North American Stampede, Mid-Atlantic, and I.W.A.
In January 2002 he defeated Vance Nevada for the Top Rope Championship
Wrestling International title. He has been involved in both home-based
and international business. His third child was born in March, 2004.
He also wrestled with a federation called W.X.L., appearing before
large crowds in Lima, Peru. In early 2004 his activities included
appearances on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, the International
Wrestling Superstars (Philadelphia, PA), and an interview shoot for
a video.
References
Bonham, Chad. 2002. “Tatanka.” Wrestling with God: 10
Stories of Modern Day Warriors Who Came Face to Face with the Creator.
Tulsa, OK: RiverOak Publishing. 17-35.
“NativeTatanka.com, the official site for Chris ‘Tatanka’
Chavis.” http://www.nativetatanka.com.
Accessed June 24, 2004.
