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Lou Thesz
An image of Lou Thesz.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Lou Thesz
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Billed weight 225 lbs (102 kg)
Born April 24, 1916(1916-04-24)
Banat, Michigan, United States
Died April 28, 2002 (aged 86)
Billed from St. Louis, Missouri
Trained by George Tragos
Ad Santel
Ed "Strangler" Lewis"
Debut 1932
Retired 1979 (Full-time)
December 26, 1990 (Final match)

Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 - April 28, 2002), better known as Lou Thesz, was a legendary professional wrestler and three time NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Ad Santel, born Adolph Ernst was a practitioner of Catch wrestling. Robert Herman Julius Fredrich ( June 30 1891 - August 8 1966) was a professional wrestler whose career spanned four decades Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 days total), longer than anyone in history. Among his many accomplishments, he is credited with inventing popular professional wrestling moves such as the belly to back waistlock suplex (later known as the German suplex due to its association with Karl Gotch), the Lou Thesz press, STF and the original powerbomb. A suplex is an Offensive move used in wrestling both in competitive Sport wrestling, including Olympic and collegiate wrestling and Professional wrestling Karl Istaz ( August 3 1924 - July 28, 2007) was a Professional wrestler and trainer born in Antwerp, Belgium, Attacking maneuvers are offensive moves in Professional wrestling, used to set up an opponent for a submission hold or for a throw. Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a Submission. A Powerbomb is a Professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders and then slammed back-first

Contents

Wrestling career

Born in Banat, Michigan, Thesz moved to St. Louis when he was a young boy. His emigrant parents hailed from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a teenager, he trained in amateur wrestling with legendary shooter Ad Santel. Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport Wrestling. Ad Santel, born Adolph Ernst was a practitioner of Catch wrestling. Thesz made his professional wrestling debut in 1932, at the age of 16. He soon met Ed Lewis, the biggest wrestling star of the 1920s, who taught a young Lou the art of "hooking" (the ability to stretch your opponent with painful holds). Robert Herman Julius Fredrich ( June 30 1891 - August 8 1966) was a professional wrestler whose career spanned four decades Catch wrestling is a style of Wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern Grappling, Professional wrestling, Mixed martial arts The two formed a lasting friendship. By 1937, Thesz had become one of the biggest stars in the St. Louis territory, and on December 29 he defeated Everett Marshall for the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title, the first of many World Heavyweight Championships. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Everett Marshall ( November 4, 1905 - February 10, 1973) was a professional wrestler who was best known for his work in the late The National Wrestling Association version of the World Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association As a result, Thesz became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history, at the age of 21. A record which stands to this day. Thesz dropped the title to Steve "Crusher" Casey in Boston six weeks later. Steve Casey ( 1909 - January 10 1987) was an Irish sport rower and professional wrestler who was best known for his He won the title again in 1939, once again defeating Marshall, and again in 1948, defeating Bill Longson. "Wild Bill" Longson (died December 12, 1982) was a Professional wrestler, who spent most of his career in St

In 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was formed, the purpose being to create one World Champion for all the various wrestling territories throughout North America. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA Orville Brown, the reigning Midwest World Heavyweight Title holder, was named the first champion. Orville Brown ( March 10 1908 &ndash January 24 1981) was a Professional wrestler. Thesz, at the time, was head of a promotional combine that included fellow wrestling champions Longson, Bobby Managoff, Canadian promoter Frank Tunney and Eddie Quinn, who promoted in the St. Louis territory where NWA promoter Sam Muchnick was running opposition. Quinn and Muchnick ended their promotional war, and Thesz' promotion was absorbed into the NWA. Part of the deal was a title unification match between Brown and Thesz, who held the National Wrestling Association's World Title. Unfortunately, just weeks before the scheduled bout, Brown was involved in an automobile accident that ended his career. He was forced to vacate the championship and the NWA awarded the title to the #1 contender, Thesz. Thesz was chosen for his skill as a "hooker" to prevent double crosses by would-be shooters who would deviate from the planned finish for personal glory. In Professional wrestling, a shoot refers to any unplanned event &ndash that is an event that is "real" and not staged

Between 1949 and 1956, Thesz set out to unify all the existing World Titles into the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance In 1952 he defeated Baron Michele Leone in Los Angeles for the California World Heavyweight title and became the first undisputed World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion since the days of Frank Gotch and Georg Hackenschmidt. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West An Undisputed Championship is a Professional wrestling term for a champion who has obtained all of the major individual championships in his field during his era Frank Alvin Gotch ( April 27, 1877 - December 17, 1917) was an American Professional wrestler credited for popularizing Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt ( July 20 1878 - February 19 1968) was an early 20th-century strongman and professional wrestler Thesz finally dropped the Title to Whipper Billy Watson in 1956, and took several months off to recuperate from an ankle injury. Whipper Billy Watson ( July 25 1915 – February 4 1990) born William Potts, was a Canadian professional wrestler In Human anatomy, the ankle Joint is formed where the Foot and the leg meet He regained the title from Watson seven months later.

1957 was an important year for Thesz; on June 14, the first taint to Thesz' claim of undisputed Champion occurred in a match with gymnast-turned-wrestling star, Edouard Carpentier. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Édouard Carpentier (born July 17 1926) is a retired French Professional wrestler who garnered several world championships in a career that spanned The match was tied at two falls apiece when Thesz claimed a back injury and forfeit the last fall. Carpentier was declared the winner, but the NWA chose not to recognize the title change, deciding a championship could not change hands due to injury. Despite the NWA's decision, there were some promotions who continued to recognize Carpentier's claim to the World Heavyweight title. That same year, Thesz became the first wrestler to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Japan, wrestling Rikidozan in a series of 60 minute draws. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. better known as Rikidōzan ( Japanese: 力道山 Korean: 역도산 November 14, 1924 - December 15, 1963) Their bouts popularized pro wrestling in Japan, gaining the sport mainstream acceptance. Realizing he could make more money in the land of the rising sun, Thesz petitioned to the NWA promoters to regularly defend the belt in Japan. His request was turned down, and Thesz asked to drop the title to his own hand picked champion, Dick Hutton, rather than Thesz's real-life rival and the more popular choice, Buddy Rogers. Dick Hutton was a professional wrestler who was trained by Ed 'Strangler' Lewis "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, born Herman C Rohde Jr, ( February 20 1921 &ndash June 26 1992) was a Professional Thesz would embark on a tour of Europe and Japan, billing himself as the NWA International Champion; this title is still recognized as a part of All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown. ( AJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972 The AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship is the top Professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling.

In 1963, Thesz came out of semi-retirement to win his sixth World Heavyweight Championship from Buddy Rogers, at the age of 46. Legend has it that Rogers was having second thoughts about dropping the title, and Thesz responded by saying, "we could do this the easy way or the hard way" . In Professional wrestling, a shoot refers to any unplanned event &ndash that is an event that is "real" and not staged He would hold the title until 1966 when, at the age of 49, he was dethroned by Gene Kiniski. Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (born November 23 1928) better known as Gene Kiniski, is a retired Canadian Professional wrestler and

Thesz wrestled on a part-time basis over the next 13 years, winning his last major Title in 1978, in Mexico, becoming the inaugural Universal Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Champion at the age of 62, before dropping the championship to El Canek a year later. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. for the Itza mayan rulers see Canek Canek is a masked Mexican Professional wrestler currently performing part time for Thesz officially retired in 1979, after a match with Luke Graham. He remained retired for the most part, before wrestling his last match on December 26, 1990 in Hamamatsu, Japan at the age of 74, against his protegé, Masahiro Chono. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is the largest city in the prefecture For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Masahiro Chono ((born September 17, 1963) is a Japanese professional wrestler.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (Boston version) (1 time)
  • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (Ohio version) (1 time)
  • Iron Mike Mazurki Award (1998)
  • TWWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame inductee in 1999
  • World Heavyweight Championship (Montreal version) (4 times; Youngest and oldest champion)
  • (Class of 2007)

Notes

1Records are unclear as to where Thesz first won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and which promotion he was wrestling in when he won it. A suplex is an Offensive move used in wrestling both in competitive Sport wrestling, including Olympic and collegiate wrestling and Professional wrestling Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a Submission. Attacking maneuvers are offensive moves in Professional wrestling, used to set up an opponent for a submission hold or for a throw. Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a Submission. A Powerbomb is a Professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders and then slammed back-first A suplex is an Offensive move used in wrestling both in competitive Sport wrestling, including Olympic and collegiate wrestling and Professional wrestling The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit Fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website comprised of both retired and active professional wrestlers and This page describes the two promotions that have administered the International Wrestling Alliance titles in Japan Do not confuse this promotion with Riki Chōshū 's Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion which was spelled "Japan Puroresu" (ジャパンプロレス instead This was a regional NWA championship based in Japan. For the WCW International World championship see WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. This was a regional NWA championship based in Japan. For the WCW International World championship see WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the Professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance The NWA World Heavyweight Championship is a Professional wrestling title and is the highest ranked championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance The NWA World Heavyweight Championship is a Professional wrestling title and is the highest ranked championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. In Professional wrestling, the NWA Hall of Fame is an institution that honors selected former employees of the National Wrestling Alliance. In Professional wrestling, the NWA Hall of Fame is an institution that honors selected former employees of the National Wrestling Alliance. NWA All Star Wrestling is a former Canadian Professional wrestling promotion based in Vancouver British Columbia. The Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in its National Wrestling Alliance -affiliated territory NWA The Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in its National Wrestling Alliance -affiliated territory NWA Dory Funk (May 4 1919 – June 3 1973 was a Professional wrestler. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA The NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship is a Professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers board-controlled by the National Wrestling Alliance The NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship is a Professional wrestling title for lighter wrestlers board-controlled by the National Wrestling Alliance The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a Professional wrestling Tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a Professional wrestling Tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s Henry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National The National Wrestling Association was an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association, formed to sanction Professional wrestling. The National Wrestling Association version of the World Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association The National Wrestling Association version of the World Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Association The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Amsterdam New York and was previously located in Schenectady New York. The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Amsterdam New York and was previously located in Schenectady New York. World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW was a popular regional Professional wrestling promotion run out of Dallas and Fort Worth Texas. The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a title that has existed since the 1930s and has had several different names The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a title that has existed since the 1930s and has had several different names Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian Professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian Professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions The St Louis Wrestling Club was a Professional wrestling promotion based in St The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA World Heavyweight Championship is the primary Professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance The NWA World Heavyweight Championship is a Professional wrestling title and is the highest ranked championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. The St Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in St Louis Missouri at the Pro Wrestling Shirt Shop at South County Mall The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA was a Mexican Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan from 1975 until 1995 The UWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top title contested for in the Mexican Lucha libre promotion the Universal Wrestling Association The UWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top title contested for in the Mexican Lucha libre promotion the Universal Wrestling Association The WCW Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honor some of the wrestling greats of the past (most of them appearing in the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions before The WCW Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honor some of the wrestling greats of the past (most of them appearing in the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions before The WWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the Los Angeles -based World Wrestling Association The WWA World Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the Los Angeles -based World Wrestling Association David Allan Meltzer (born October 24 1961 is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ("WON HOF" for short is a professional wrestling hall of fame that exists only on paper The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ("WON HOF" for short is a professional wrestling hall of fame that exists only on paper [2]
2The World Heavyweight Championship of the National Wrestling Association is not the same championship nor does it have any connection to the world championship recognized and used by the National Wrestling Alliance.
3Thesz reigns with the title occurred prior to the NWA assuming control of it. In fact, he won the title before the NWA was created.
4Thesz also has two reigns with the title before the formation of the NWA and the title being renamed the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Post-wrestling career

After retiring, Thesz became a promoter, manager, color commentator, trainer and occasionally, a referee for important matches. A professional wrestling promotion (also federation or fed) is a company or Business that performs regular shows involving Professional A color commentator, sometimes known as a color analyst, is a member of the Broadcasting team for a sporting event who assists the Play-by-play A referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many Sports Officials in various sports are known by a variety of titles including referee Some famous matches he refereed include:

Thesz became the president of the Cauliflower Alley Club in 1992, an organization for retired pro wrestlers; a position he held until 2000. Virgil Riley Runnels Jr (born on October 12 1945) better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA He became a trainer for the Union of Wrestling Force International, and lent the promotion one of his old NWA Title belts, which they recognized as their own World Title. Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot-style Professional As an announcer, Thesz was the color commentator for International World Class Championship Wrestling's weekly television show. In 1999, he opened the Thesz-Tragos Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame for professional wrestling stars with a successful amateur background at the International Wrestling Institute & Museum in Newton, Iowa, where he was an inaugural inductee. Newton is the County seat of Jasper County, Iowa, United States. Thesz was honored by a ceremony at a WWF's Badd Blood 1997 as being both the youngest and oldest World Heavyweight Champion at ages 21 and 50, respectively. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, WWE Bad Blood (originally Badd Blood) was a World Wrestling Entertainment Professional wrestling Pay-per-view event that was held in 1997 2003 Although Verne Gagne had actually broken this record in 1980, when he held the AWA Championship at 54. Verne Gagne (born February 26 1926) is a former American Professional wrestler, football player Pro wrestling Trainer, and

Thesz wrote an autobiography, Hooker, considered to be one of the best books written on the subject of professional wrestling; privately published, the book is currently out-of-print. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write"

Thesz underwent a successful triple bypass surgery for an aortic valve replacement on April 9, 2002, but died due to complications on April 28, 2002 in Orlando, Florida. Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. [4]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990). Puroresu Dojo (2003).
  2. ^ N.W.A. World Heavyweight Title
  3. ^ The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham
  4. ^ Alvarez, Bryan: "Figure Four Weekly Newsletter #358", page 1. Bryan Alki Alvarez (born June 12 1975 in Bothell Washington) is a professional wrestler and the editor of Figure Four Weekly Cover date May 6, 2002

External links

Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.
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