| Lou Thesz | |
|---|---|
 Thesz in 1953 | |
| Birth name | Aloysius Martin Thesz |
| Born | April 24, 1916 Banat, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | April 28, 2002 (aged 86) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications caused by Triple bypass surgery |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lou Thesz |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | St. Louis, Missouri[1] |
| Trained by | Ad Santel[1] Ed Lewis[1] George Tragos[1] Ray Steele[1] |
| Debut | 1932[2] |
| Retired | 1990 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Lou Thesz | |
|---|---|
| 3rd President of the Cauliflower Alley Club | |
| In office 1992–2000 | |
| Preceded by | Archie Moore |
| Succeeded by | Red Bastien |
| Part of a series on |
| Professional wrestling |
|---|
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Aloysius Martin Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002), known by the ring name Lou Thesz, was an American professional wrestler. Considered to be one of the last true shooters (legitimate wrestlers) in professional wrestling[2][3] and described as the "quintessential athlete" and a "polished warrior who could break a man in two if pushed the wrong way",[4] Thesz is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers and wrestling world champions in history, and possibly the last globally accepted world champion.[5][6]
Thesz won various version of the World Heavyweight Championship seven times, including three reigns as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, which he held for a combined total of ten years, three months and nine days (3,749 days) – longer than anyone else in history. In Japan, Thesz was known as the "God of Wrestling'" (like his Belgian counterpart, Karl Gotch) and was called "Tetsujin", which means "Ironman", in respect for his speed, conditioning and expertise in catch wrestling.[7] Alongside Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, Thesz later helped train young Japanese wrestlers and mixed martial artists in catch wrestling.[8]
A successful amateur wrestler in his youth and an ardent supporter of the sport in his later years, he helped establish, in addition to being a member of its inaugural class, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, which honors successful professional wrestlers with a strong amateur wrestling background, and is a charter member of several other halls of fame, including: WCW, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Professional Wrestling and WWE's Legacy Wing.
- ^ a b c d e f g Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ^ a b Litsky, Frank (May 8, 2002). "Lou Thesz, 86, Skilled Pro Wrestler, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ Chapman, Mike (November 16, 2018). Wrestling Tough (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics. p. 221. ISBN 978-1492567912.
- ^ Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-1550227413.
- ^ Mooneyham, Mike (March 31, 2013). "Pro wrestling books worth reading; 'The Voice of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling'". The Post and Courier. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
- ^ "Wrestling History: 2002". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ "Lou Thesz lives on in the minds of Japanese - May 2, 2002". Puroresu.com. May 2, 2002. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
- ^ Wilcox, Nate (August 9, 2007). "MMA History Part III: Proto MMA Evolves Out of Worked Pro Wrestling in Japan". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved October 5, 2020.