The fifth season of Dark Side of the Ring is currently underway. With five episodes in, the series has revealed several unknown facts about some of the most iconic professional wrestlers. Similarly, the upcoming episode of this docuseries will focus on the life and career of Chris Colt, an American professional wrestler who passed away almost three decades ago.
Charles Harris, aka Chris Colt, was born in Idaho on June 22, 1946. Professional wrestling had intrigued Chris ever since he was a young boy. Eventually, his family moved to Oregon, where he got introduced to the sport for the first time. Moreover, he got the opportunity to work with Don Fargo, a prominent wrestler who held over 50 championships throughout his career.
Chris Colt made his wrestling debut in the 1960s in New England, Massachusetts, for Tony Santos. His first ring name was “The Magnificent Maurice Chevalier.” Gradually, Colt met his future tag team partner, Russell Grobes, and the duo became increasingly popular among fans. They portrayed themselves as brothers Paul and Ronnie Dupree.
At first, the duo were known as The Hells Angels. Later on, the tag team changed their name to The Comancharos. The Comancharos wore leather vests and resorted to cheating and other illegal tactics to best their opponents.
The upcoming episode of Dark Side of the Ring titled “Chris Colt: Welcome to my Nightmare” will air on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 10 pm ET on VICE TV. The official synopsis of this episode reads, “The wildest wrestler never to break through, Chris Colt’s life took him from LSD trips in the ring to the world of porn, but his self-destructive ways kept him from becoming a star.
Chris Colt was openly gay and a fan of rock and roll
Chris Colt and Russell Grobes had an intense rivalry with famous wrestlers such as Cowboy Bob Ellis and Luis Martinez. Furthermore, they held the tag team titles four times from 1966 to 1968. Besides this, reports suggest that Colt was openly gay. It is said that he was romantically involved with Grobes. However, their partnership ended with the latter’s death in 1976.
Apart from Russell Grobes, Colt had teamed up with prominent wrestlers such as Don Fargo and Bobby Duncum and won several championships with them. Moreover, he had a successful singles career, winning the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Championship, Big Bear Promotion’s North American Heavyweight Championship, and the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship titles.
After Russell Grobes’s demise, Colt adopted a gimmick inspired by rock and roll. In real life, he was a fan of rock culture, idolizing Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin. His wrestling attire included gear leather biker vests, piercings, and gothic makeup. Additionally, he inserted safety pins onto his forehead, and his entrance theme was the song “Welcome To My Nightmare” by Alice Cooper.
Chris Colt was addicted to drugs and alcohol which eventually led to his demise
Chris Colt suffered from severe drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life. It is said that he lived each day like it was his last day and did not make any attempts to hide it. According to ProWrestlingPost.com, famed wrestler Bill Anderson stated that Colt consumed a crate of beer and a bottle of whisky daily. Greg Lake further added to this, saying that Colt could not perform in the ring until he was inebriated.
Due to his addiction issues, Colt had to face several problems throughout his career. Perhaps one of the most notorious moments in his career was in a match held at Phoenix in 1975. Reports suggest that during a cage match, Colt began hallucinating and saw spiders all around him. On top of that, he threw his hands at fans and arena security and fled the venue.
Research revealed that Chris Colt was an active performer in the Canadian wrestling scene. In fact, a clip from a Canadian wrestling event featured him walking in an unsteady manner, possibly due to the influence of drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, when George Cannon interviewed him after the match, he forgot his name, went off the script, and even apologized.
Chris Colt performed in his final days in the sport under the name “Chris von Colt.” He had adopted a neo-nazi gimmick by then and finally drew the curtains on his wrestling career in 1986.
Carehis er after retirement from wrestling and death
After he retired from wrestling, Chris Colt starred in several gay adult films. Later, several rumors circulated regarding his conversion as a born-again Christian in the 90s. Unfortunately, Colt died on May 28, 1995, at a homeless shelter in Seattle, Washington. However, some believe that he passed away in 1996.
To reiterate, viewers can watch the latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring titled “Chris Colt: Welcome to my Nightmare” on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 10 pm ET on VICE TV.
