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The Cauliflower Alley Club announced this afternoon that former WCW star Charlie Norris has passed away at 57.
Norris was with WCW for a little over a year debuting in the summer of 1993 with a gimmick that played up his Native American heritage. He received a nice babyface push early, getting regular wins over low-level enhancement talents and mid-card heels. He was absolutely in the mix during that time period as one of the second-tier babyfaces under Sting, alongside names like Ice Train and The Equalizer, both of which Norris teamed with on PPV shows.
Norris exited WCW in early 1994 and filed a lawsuit after exiting, alleging he was asked to perform demeaning and racially insulting acts including an Indian dance and making chops in the air, specifically naming then-WCW executive Greg Gagne, who would call Norris "Big Chief" and would show how the promotion wanted him to dance in the ring. Norris also alleged he was underpaid at $800 per week, which Norris alleged was well under other talents, who were also receiving travel and costuming money while Norris was not. He also alleged that WCW wouldn't honor a deal that he signed when Ole Anderson was in charge of talents after Eric Bischoff took over the company. Norris eventually won the lawsuit.
Norris was trained by the legendary Ed Sharkey in Minnesota and was utilized as the top babyface for Sharkey's Pro Wrestling America promotion, holding the group's championship belt, working with names like Ricky Rice and Larry Cameron. Norris had several dark match tryouts with the WWF in 1991 in advance of the company debuting a new Native American talent, with Chris Chavis instead getting the nod, performing as Tatanka. In those tryouts, Norris worked under the ring names Thunderblood and Johnny Grey Feather.
After his WCW run, he worked for the Paul Alperstein version of the AWF as a babyface, aligned with Tito Santana against the promotion's heels. He also had a run in Texas' Continental Wrestling Alliance as a babyface, including feuding with The One Man Gang. Norris last wrestled in 2001.
In recent years, Norris lived on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Northwestern Minnesota and was working as a personal trainer.
PWInsider.com extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Charlie Norris.
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