Richard Gilbert Vest Sr. (March 5, 1927 – April 22, 1993[1][3]) was an American professional wrestler best known by the ring name Chief Big Heart.

He also worked with a number of other tag team partners, including Johnny Weaver, Abe Jacobs, Red McIntyre, and Haystacks Calhoun.

Vest was born on March 5, 1927, in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, United States and attended Carlisle Indian School.

They went on to win the NWA International Tag Team championship with McIntyre on December 7, 1956, by defeating inaugural champions Ike Eakens and Fred Atkins.

[13][14] That same year, Vest defeated NWA North American Champion Danny McShain during a tour of Australia, however, it is unclear which version of the title was on the line.

[20][21] After this Chief had a series of matches with Jerry Graham and subsequently went back to the Texas territory in the World Class Wrestling Association operated by Southwest Sports.

He formed a team with Red Bastien to challenge the champions Jerry Graham and Johnny Valentine but was again unsuccessful in winning the title.

[7][27] He won the NWA Tri-state Tagteam Championship along with Kit Fox by defeating the team of Karl Von Stroheim & Treach Phillips in January 1969.

His last-known match was at a Northwest Wrestling Promotions event in Hope, British Columbia, on September 4, 1975, teaming with Tiger Jeet Singh and Dennis Stamp in a six-man elimination match against Seigfried Steinke, Professor Lewis and Masa Saito.

[1] He was briefly involved in Eddie Faieta's short-lived outlaw group based at the Showboat Casino in 1981,[30] and occasionally worked on local wrestling shows as a referee into the early-1980s.