Tarzan Tyler
Camille Tourville (December 4, 1927 – December 24, 1985) was a Canadian professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, Tarzan Tyler. He was one-half of the first WWWF World Tag Team Champions, along with Luke Graham.
| Tarzan Tyler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Camille Tourville |
| Born | December 4, 1927 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | December 24, 1985 (aged 58) Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, Quebec, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Boot La Bottine Tarzan Tyler Tarzan Tourville |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (120 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Miami Beach, Florida[1] |
| Trained by | Jacques Rougeau, Sr. Édouard Carpentier Yvon Robert Jr |
| Debut | 1949[1] |
Professional wrestling career
Tarzan Tyler began competing in the United States during the 1960s after having spent nearly 10 years wrestling in Canada.[1] Tyler competed for World Championships against such stars as Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, and Dory Funk Jr.[1] His greatest success came as a tag team competitor, as he and Crazy Luke Graham defeated the team of Dick the Bruiser and The Shiek in 1971 to become the first WWWF World Tag Team Champions.[1] Tyler also challenged Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship during his tenure with the promotion. In 1980 he fought Angelo Mosca Sr. for the Canadian Heavyweight title in Toronto.
While working as a heel manager for Gino Brito`s Lutte Internationale, Tarzan Tyler died, along with fellow wrestler Pierre 'Mad Dog' Lefebvre and referee Adrien Desbois, in Laurentides Wildlife Reserve upon returning from a wrestling event in Chicoutimi, Quebec on December 24, 1985, in a car crash.
He was a three-time heavyweight champion for Grand Prix Wrestling in Montreal in the 1970s.
Championships and accomplishments
- Big Time Wrestling
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Alaskan[2][3]
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Florida Television Championship (2 times, inaugural)[4]
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) - with Louie Tillet
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (2 times) - with Tim Tyler (1) and Freddie Blassie (1)
- World Wide Wrestling Federation
- WWWF International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Luke Graham
- World Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) - with Luke Graham
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mighty Ursus
References
- Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Siegel, Boesch and McLemore]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- Hoops, Brian (January 17, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/17): Vader wins IWGP heavyweight title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.