Chris Markoff: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
made correction
No edit summary
(17 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Yugoslavian-American professional wrestler (1938–2024)}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
{{Infobox professional wrestler
| name = Chris Markoff
| name = Chris Markoff
Line 7: Line 8:
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}<ref name="Cagematch"/>
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}<ref name="Cagematch"/>
| weight = {{convert|275|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}<ref name="Cagematch"/>
| weight = {{convert|275|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}<ref name="Cagematch"/>
| birth_date = {{birth year|1940}}
| birth_name = Risto Zelevarov
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1938|03|01}}<ref>{{cite web |author=De Castro, Arin |url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2024/02/10/chris-markoff-dead-at-84/ |title=Chris Markoff dead at 85 |access-date =2024-02-10 |date = February 10, 2024 |work=SLAM! Wrestling|publisher=[[Canoe.com]]}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]<ref name="Pope2005"/><ref name="RaceTritz2004"/>
| birth_place = [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]<ref name="Pope2005"/><ref name="RaceTritz2004"/>
| death_date = {{death date and given age|2024|2|10|84}}
| death_date = {{death date and given age|2024|2|10|85}}
| death_place = U.S.
| death_place = U.S.
| billed = [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/><br>[[Socialist Republic of Serbia|Serbia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/><br>[[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/>
| billed = [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/><br>[[Socialist Republic of Serbia|Serbia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/><br>[[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russia]]<ref name="Pierce2013"/>
| trainer =
| trainer =
| debut = 1960s<ref name="Pope2005"/>
| debut = 1963
| retired = 1980s<ref name="Pope2005"/>
| retired = 1993
}}
}}


'''Chris Markoff''' (1940 – February 10, 2024) was a [[Yugoslav Americans|Yugoslav-American]] [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. He was best known for his appearances with [[professional wrestling promotion]]s in the [[Midwestern United States]] in the 1960s.<ref name="Pope2005">{{cite book|author=Kristian Pope|title=Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcRlZN7dIP0C&pg=PA294|date=14 August 2005|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=1-4402-2810-8|pages=294}}</ref><ref name="Cagematch">{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1993|title=Chris Markoff|work=Cagematch.de|accessdate=September 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pierce2013">{{cite book|author=Dale Pierce|title=Wrestling in Akron|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IqFpBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA75|date=10 June 2013|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|isbn=978-1-4396-4350-1|pages=75}}</ref>
'''Risto Zelevarov''' (March 1, 1938 – February 10, 2024), known professionally as '''Chris Markoff''', was a [[Yugoslav Americans|Yugoslav-American]] [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. He was best known for his appearances with [[professional wrestling promotion]]s in the [[Midwestern United States]] in the 1960s.<ref name="Pope2005">{{cite book|author=Kristian Pope|title=Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcRlZN7dIP0C&pg=PA294|date=14 August 2005|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=1-4402-2810-8|pages=294}}</ref><ref name="Cagematch">{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1993|title=Chris Markoff|work=Cagematch.de|accessdate=September 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Pierce2013">{{cite book|author=Dale Pierce|title=Wrestling in Akron|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IqFpBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA75|date=10 June 2013|publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated|isbn=978-1-4396-4350-1|page=75}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
⚫
Markoff was born in [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and raised in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], United States.<ref name="Pope2005"/><ref name="RaceTritz2004">{{cite book|author1=Harley Race|author-link=Harley Race|author2=Gerry Tritz|title=King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKlr1fZuWIEC&pg=PA31|year=2004|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|isbn=978-1-58261-818-0|pages=31}}</ref>

⚫
Chris Markoff was born in the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] and raised in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]], in the United States.<ref name="Pope2005"/><ref name="RaceTritz2004">{{cite book|author1=Harley Race|author-link=Harley Race|author2=Gerry Tritz|title=King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yKlr1fZuWIEC&pg=PA31|year=2004|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|isbn=978-1-58261-818-0|pages=31}}</ref>


==Professional wrestling career==
==Professional wrestling career==
Line 39: Line 40:
In 1981, Markoff joined the [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]-based [[Jim Crockett Promotions]], where he formed a tag team with [[Nikolai Volkoff]] called "The Imperial Russians". Managed by [[Lord Alfred Hayes]], the duo won the [[NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship]] later that year.<ref name="CagematchCareer"/><ref name="RobertsonRenwick2006"/><ref name="Lentz2006">{{cite book|author=Harris M. Lentz III|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nvGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164|date=4 May 2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5210-1|pages=164}}</ref>
In 1981, Markoff joined the [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]-based [[Jim Crockett Promotions]], where he formed a tag team with [[Nikolai Volkoff]] called "The Imperial Russians". Managed by [[Lord Alfred Hayes]], the duo won the [[NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship]] later that year.<ref name="CagematchCareer"/><ref name="RobertsonRenwick2006"/><ref name="Lentz2006">{{cite book|author=Harris M. Lentz III|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nvGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164|date=4 May 2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5210-1|pages=164}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
⚫
Markoff died on February 10, 2024, at the age of 85, after suffering a stroke in January.<ref>[https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2024/02/10/chris-markoff-dead-at-84/ Obituary], SlamWrestling.net. Accessed February 12, 2024.</ref>

⚫
Chris Markoff died on February 10, 2024, at the age of 84.<ref>[https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2024/02/10/chris-markoff-dead-at-84/ Chris Markoff dead at 84] Slam Wrestling</ref>


==Championships and accomplishments==
==Championships and accomplishments==
Line 75: Line 75:
* {{Professional wrestling profiles}}
* {{Professional wrestling profiles}}


{{Navboxes|
|list1=
{{AWA World Tag Team Championship}}
{{AWA World Tag Team Championship}}
{{NWA World Tag Team Champions (Detroit version)}}
{{NWA World Tag Team Champions (Detroit version)}}
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Markoff, Chris}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markoff, Chris}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Faux Russian professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Faux Russian professional wrestlers]]

Revision as of 12:39, 3 May 2024

Chris Markoff
Birth nameRisto Zelevarov
Born(1938-03-01)March 1, 1938[1]
Yugoslavia[2][3]
Died (aged 85)
U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Chris Jelevarov
Chris Jelevorou
Chris Markoff[4]
Chris Markov
Chris Zeleurov
Harry Madison
Billed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4]
Billed weight275 lb (125 kg; 19.6 st)[4]
Billed fromMacedonia[5]
Serbia[5]
Russia[5]
Debut1963
Retired1993

Risto Zelevarov (March 1, 1938 – February 10, 2024), known professionally as Chris Markoff, was a Yugoslav-American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with professional wrestling promotions in the Midwestern United States in the 1960s.[2][4][5]

Early life

Markoff was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.[2][3]

Professional wrestling career

Markoff began his career in the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association in the mid-1960s.[6] Managed by Professor Steve Druk, he feuded with The Crusher.[2] He became AWA World Tag Team Champion with Harley Race in January 1967 after Race's original partner, Larry Hennig, sustained a broken leg. Their reign ended in November 1967 when they were defeated by Pat O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder.[7]

In the mid-1960s, Markoff began wrestling for the Indianapolis, Indiana-based World Wrestling Association, where he formed a tag team with Angelo Poffo called "The Devil's Duo". Markoff and Poffo won the WWA World Tag Team Championship in 1966 and again in 1967.[8]

In the late 1960s, Markoff began competing for Championship Wrestling from Florida. He won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship in 1969 and again in 1972.

In 1969, Markoff wrestled for the Los Angeles, California-based promotion NWA Hollywood Wrestling. Over the course of the year, he won the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship with Bronko Lubich, the NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship, and the NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Los Angeles version) three times.[9][7]

In 1972, Markoff toured Japan with the Japan Wrestling Association, wrestling a series of matches against Apache Bull Ramos. Antagonism between Markoff and Ramos resulted in a legitimate brawl in a restaurant during which Ramos bit off part of Markoff's ear and Markoff bit off the tip of Ramos' finger.[10]

In 1978, Markoff wrestled in New Zealand for All Star Pro Wrestling, briefly holding the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship. In the same year, he wrestled in Hawaii for 50th State Big Time Wrestling, holding the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship with Steve Strong.

In 1981, Markoff joined the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions, where he formed a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff called "The Imperial Russians". Managed by Lord Alfred Hayes, the duo won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship later that year.[6][11][12]

Death

Markoff died on February 10, 2024, at the age of 85, after suffering a stroke in January.[13]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ De Castro, Arin (February 10, 2024). "Chris Markoff dead at 85". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  2. ^ a b c d Kristian Pope (14 August 2005). Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore. Krause Publications. p. 294. ISBN 1-4402-2810-8.
  3. ^ a b Harley Race; Gerry Tritz (2004). King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-58261-818-0.
  4. ^ a b c d "Chris Markoff". Cagematch.de. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Dale Pierce (10 June 2013). Wrestling in Akron. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-4396-4350-1.
  6. ^ a b "Chris Markoff – Career". Cagematch.de. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Chris Markoff – Titles". Cagematch.de. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Harris M. Lentz III (9 May 2011). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-7864-4175-4.
  9. ^ a b "Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title (Los Angeles)". Wrestling-Titles.com. 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. ^ Jim Wilson; Jim Wilson & Weldon T. Johnson (2 September 2003). Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring. Xlibris Corporation. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4628-1172-4.
  11. ^ a b Dewey Robertson; Meredith Renwick (2006). Bang Your Head: The Real Story of the Missing Link. ECW Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-55022-727-7.
  12. ^ Harris M. Lentz III (4 May 2006). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-7864-5210-1.
  13. ^ Obituary, SlamWrestling.net. Accessed February 12, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Harris M. Lentz III (20 May 2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-7864-5191-3.
  15. ^ "N.W.A. "Beat the Champ" International Television Title (Los Angeles)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
  16. ^ Harris M. Lentz III (9 May 2011). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-7864-4175-4.
  17. ^ George Schire (2010). Minnesota's Golden Age of Wrestling: From Verne Gagne to the Road Warriors. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-87351-620-4.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_Markoff&oldid=1222025079"