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->''"Many moons ago, I made a promise to my people to climb TO THE TOP of the World Wrestling Federation!!!"''
-->-- '''Tatanka''', putting the "axe" in CarefulWithThatAxe

Chris Chavis (born June 8, 1961), aka Tatanka, is an American professional wrestler, who rose to prominence in the early 1990s on the strength of his on-screen persona, which heavily played up his Native American heritage; in fact, he is actually descended from the Lumbee Native American tribe. He was a popular upper midcarder in Wrestling/{{WWE}}, and held a famous undefeated streak for a year and a half. After it ended, he had a FaceHeelTurn in 1994 and spent time as a {{Mook|s}} for Wrestling/{{Ted DiBiase}} before departing the company.

Chavis spent time on the independent circuit after having turned down a contract from Wrestling/{{WCW}}, preferring the lighter schedule. In the mid-2000s, he had a short-lived comeback in the [=WWE=].

While he never held a title in WWE, he has held gold all over the world. Among his in-ring achievements, he is a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/uswa/uswa-uh.html USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion]], a 2x [[http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/auassow.html [=iGeneration=] Wrestling Australasian Heavyweight Champion]] and a former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/israel/ipwa-h.html IPWA (Israel) Heavyweight Champion]].

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!!Tropes associated with THE UNDEFEATED NATIVE AMERICAN, TATANKA~! include:
* AnimalThemeNaming: Being that Tatanka is a Lakota word that literally means "bull buffalo."
* ArchEnemy:
** (in South Atlantic Pro Wrestling): [[Wrestling/PaulJones Jones' Rangers]] The Stud Stable
** (in WWE): Wrestling/RickMartel, Ludvig Borga, Wrestling/BamBamBigelow, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels (to a lesser extent), Wrestling/LexLuger (after his heel turn, they were firm allies beforehand).
%%* BadassNative: A Lumbee.
* CaptainEthnic: Unlike many pro wrestlers with a NobleSavage gimmick, though, he was ''actually'' an American Indian.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Had an undefeated streak for over ''a year and a half'' before losing to ForeignWrestlingHeel Ludvig Borga, of all people. [[note]]Sadly this feud never really saw a proper conclusion, as Borga's ankle injury wound up spelling the end for his time in the company.[[/note]]
* EightiesHair: Still rocking a mullet these days.
* FinishingMove: During his peak years he preferred the Samoan Drop (sometimes called the Papoose To Go or the End Of The Trail, or as Gorilla Monsoon called it derisively after his heel turn the "End of the Money Trail"). He switched to a swinging side slam during his brief 2000s comeback.
%%* {{Kiai}}: The Warpath Yell.
%%* {{Loincloth}}
%%* MakeUpIsEvil: After his 2006 FaceHeelTurn.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: It's one way to look at his ability to gain a HeroicSecondWind, a la Wrestling/HulkHogan, by doing a Native American war dance.
* NobleSavage: Zig-zagged depending on his current face or heel status. One questions if a truly "noble" figure would sell out to Wrestling/TedDiBiase.
* PowerStable:
** (in SAPW): Jones' Rangers
** (in WWE): The Million Dollar Corporation
* '''ProudWarriorRaceGuy'''
%%* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: He "hulks up" with a war dance.
* ScreamingWarrior: ''"AYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYI, YI, YI, YI, YI, YI, YI!!!"''
* TheStoic: Tatanka was ''intensely'' serious at all times.
* TraumaticHaircut: Bam Bam Bigelow jumped him backstage and cut a huge chunk out of his hair, kicking off a 1993 feud.
%%* UnderwearOfPower
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