George Zaharias

George Zaharias
George Zaharias c. 1942
Birth nameTheodore Vetoyanis
Born(1908-02-27)February 27, 1908
Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.
DiedMay 22, 1984(1984-05-22) (aged 76)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)George Zaharias
Billed weight300 lb (140 kg)
Debutc. 1930
Retired1938

Theodore Vetoyanis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Βετογιάνης; February 27, 1908 – May 22, 1984)[1] was an American professional wrestler and sports promoter known by his ring name George Zaharias. He was also popularly known as "The Crying Greek from Cripple Creek" or "The Greek Hyena" during the 1930s. Often cast as a villain or sore loser, one of his most celebrated bouts was a 1932 match with Jim Londos at a sold-out Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, which Londos won.[2] The audience of 14,500 was the highest attendance for any North American wrestling match that year.[3]

  1. ^ "Pueblo County Biographies". www.kmitch.com.
  2. ^ "The Inside Cradle". Canoe.ca. November 10, 2003. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Top drawing matches, year-by-year, 1929–1974". Toronto Wrestling History. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2007.