Chase Tatum
| Chase Tatum | |
|---|---|
 Tatum in the 2007 film Who's Your Caddy? | |
| Birth name | William Chase Tatum |
| Born | November 3, 1973 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Died | March 23, 2008 (aged 34) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Cause of death | Accidental Drug overdose |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Chase Tatum |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (120 kg; 19 st) |
| Trained by | WCW Power Plant |
| Debut | March 1998 |
| Retired | July 28, 2007 |
William Chase Tatum (November 3, 1973 – March 23, 2008) was an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling, road manager for OutKast and as an actor, in the 2007 film Who's Your Caddy?.
Career
[edit]Professional wrestling
[edit]At age 19, Tatum won the Mr. Georgia bodybuilding competition.[1] In 1998, he signed with the Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling promotion. Working as a personal trainer,[2] a person who worked for WCW reportedly encouraged Tatum to try out.[3] After beginning his career as a jobber, he debuted on the March 5th episode of WCW Thunder with a loss to Scott Steiner.
A year or so later, Tatum became a member of rapper Master P's No Limit Soldiers and feuded with The West Texas Rednecks.[4] In 1999, he faced such wrestlers as Curt Hennig on an episode of WCW Thunder and WCW Television Champion Rick Steiner on WCW Monday Nitro. He lost both matches but wrestled Mikey Whipwreck to a draw on the August 23 episode of WCW Monday Nitro.[5] That would be his last WCW match.
Tatum worked for Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California in December 2000. On December 20, he lost to the Prototype who was a young John Cena.[6]
He returned to wrestle one more at Innovate Pro Wrestling match on July 28, 2007, where he was in a 4 way won by EZ Money.[7]
Tatum's wrestling career lasted less than three years and left him with severe back problems which required back surgery. Without any health indemnification, he developed a dependence to analgesics.
Post-wrestling
[edit]In 2007, Tatum appeared in the comedy film Who's Your Caddy? alongside rapper Big Boi of Outkast. He also worked as a road manager and personal assistant for the band, and relished his time with them as he got to travel with the members and see Paris, Germany, and Japan.[4][8]
Death
[edit]Tatum was found dead at his home in Atlanta, Georgia's Buckhead neighborhood after an apparent accidental drug overdose, on March 23, 2008. His father states that Tatum was planning to enter a rehab facility to help overcome his addiction.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Associated Press: Former Wrestler Found Dead". March 30, 2008. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Former Pro Wrestler Found Dead in Home". wltx.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Chase Tatum Death". Wrestler Deaths. January 4, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Chase Tatum dead at 34". SLAM! Wrestling. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Cawthon, Graham. "WCW Ring Results: 1999". The History of WWE. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
- ^ "Events Database - Ultimate Pro Wrestling". Cage Match.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com (in German). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Former WCW wrestler Chase Tatum (34) passed away from an apparent drug overdose". Archived from the original on April 6, 2008.
External links
[edit]- Former Wrestler Found Dead at the Wayback Machine (archived March 30, 2008)
- Outkast Road Manager/Former Wrestler Found Dead
- Chase Tatum at IMDb