Chris Edwards remembers when his dad, known in the Fairview area as “The Greek,” organized wrestling events in the 1990s. 
“My Dad use to run Pro Wrestling in Fairview,” Edwards said. “He held shows at Fairview Elementary school and was one of the first to help create Food for Fairview. He let people into the show if they brought food for those in need. Dad loved helping people.”
Gentle villain
Professional wrestling may seem like an unlikely setting for this kind of generous compassion. Yet Chris Edwards, of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), defies the stereotype. With Southern manners laced with “Yes, ma’am,” and “No, sir,” Edwards is a soft-spoken vegetarian who speaks of his two chihuahuas with the tenderness usually associated with a mother’s love.
Raised mainly by his grandparents, Edwards grew up just outside Fairview in Gerton. He moved away temporarily but returned to the home where he was raised after his grandparents passed away. He travels (always with his canine companions) from his Gerton residence to events all over the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
“I’m usually the bad guy,” he laughs. “My wife hates that. She doesn’t like for people to boo me.” (Kaitlyn Shelton and Edwards have been married since May 2022) “But actually, it’s good when people get mad at me because that means they are really getting into the show,” Edwards explains. “I try to get the fans riled up, you know, trash talking and stuff. Well, the guys. I can’t be rude to women and children. I just can’t.” 
Lifetime goal
So, how did this gentle fellow choose a career in wrestling? Simple. He didn’t, at least not in the strictest sense. “When my friends were watching cartoons, I was watching wrestling,” he says, chuckling softly at his childhood self. “Other kids would want to be police officers, then fire fighters, then something else. Not me,” Edwards remembers. “I always just wanted to be a wrestler.”
Naturally then, Edwards has accepted every opportunity that might get him closer to his goal. For example, he has worked as a training partner for lead wrestlers prior to events. “It’s kind of like being a crash-test dummy,” Edwards says. “Plus, there’s a lot of prep before the match. One time, I sat in for one of the wrestlers before the show and got dogfood poured on my head.” He shrugs. “The camera guy was trying to figure out the right angle for the shot and the organizers didn’t want their star wrestler to have to sit there for that.”
Professional connections
Minor roles offer another chance to work in the industry. “Sometimes the show needs characters other than the main wrestlers,”
Edwards says. “Like maybe a security guard or an EMT.” His willingness to take these lesser parts has enabled him to be in shows with champions like Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, and wrestling icon Rick Flair. “And once, I got punched by The Undertaker!” Edwards laughs. “That got me a bonus.”
To stay in top physical condition, Edwards follows a plant-based diet, lifts weights, and practices yoga. His dedication has been rewarded. Now, Edwards is getting his own matches and is recognized by fans. Wrestling as The Greek Wolverine (a nod to his father), Edwards has matches regularly. “Times and locations change,” Edwards cautions, “So people should follow me on Facebook for the latest information.”
Dreams for the future
While wrestling is Edwards’ career goal, he has even bigger dreams for the future. “Wrestling gives me a platform to promote 
other causes that are important to me,” he says. “Kaitlyn and I want to open an animal rescue center one day and have all kinds of animals there; it would be a kind of Noah’s Ark for animals that need a home.”
That’s the Greek Wolverine for you: he loves his pets and his family, remembers the manners his grandma taught him up on the mountain, and knows exactly how to get the WWE crowd to jeer for him.
This piece first appeared in our local paper, The Fairview Town Crier, where I write a monthly column called Folks of Fairview. You can read the Crier online here.
