Back كارل جوتش ARZ Karl Istaz German Karl Gotch Spanish Karl Gotch French Karl Gotch Italian カール・ゴッチ Japanese Karl Istaz Dutch Karl Gotch Polish Karl Gotch Portuguese Готч, Карл Russian

Karl Gotch

Karl Gotch
Birth nameKarel Istaz[1][2]
Born(1924-08-03)August 3, 1924[3]
Antwerp, Belgium[4]
DiedJuly 28, 2007(2007-07-28) (aged 82)[5]
Tampa, Florida, U.S.[6]
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Karl Gotch[4]
Karl Krauser[4]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[7]
Billed weight245 lb (111 kg)[7]
Billed fromHamburg, Germany
Trained byBilly Riley[4]
The Snake Pit
Debut1950
RetiredJanuary 1, 1982[8]

Karel Istaz[1][2] (August 3, 1924 – July 28, 2007), best known by his ring name Karl Gotch, was a Belgian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, catch wrestler, and trainer.

Gotch represented Belgium at the 1948 Summer Olympics in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling before learning catch wrestling at Riley's Gym, better known as "The Snake Pit."[1][2] He was given the ringname "Gotch" by Ohio promoter Al Haft in honor of American wrestler Frank Gotch.[9] In Japan, he became known as a "God of Wrestling" (神様, Kamisama) alongside Billy Robinson and Lou Thesz, due to their collective influence on Japanese professional wrestling.[10][8]

Gotch had significantly influenced the development of modern mixed martial arts (MMA), especially in Japan. Several of Gotch's students, which included Satoru Sayama,[11] Masakatsu Funaki,[12][13] Minoru Suzuki[13][14] Akira Maeda,[15] and Nobuhiko Takada, established pioneering MMA promotions and training schools to transmit Gotch's training. These include Shooto and Pancrase, both of which predate the UFC, along with Fighting Network RINGS, and PRIDE, one of the most popular promotions of all time.[16][17][18][19][20]

  1. ^ a b c "Karel ISTAZ". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  2. ^ a b c "Olympedia – Karel Istaz". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  3. ^ "Karl Gotch". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference PWHoF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ObitPWT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference PWT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Schramm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (June 2012). Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. p. 133. ISBN 9781770410404.
  10. ^ Schramm, Chris (2007-06-29). "Legacy of 'God of Wrestling' Gotch may be forever". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  11. ^ "Karl Gotch Week: Satoru Sayama, Shooto And The Style Of Japanese Catch Wrestling". bloodyelbow.com. 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  12. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (2023-09-21). "Pancrase: Ken Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki Launch a Wrestling Revolution 30 Years Ago Today". Hybrid Shoot. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ^ a b Djeljosevic, Danny (2022-02-20). "10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About Karl Gotch". TheSportster. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  14. ^ "The Snake Pit: Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, Catch Wrestling and Puroresu". Monthly Puroresu. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  15. ^ Dilbert, Ryan. "Andre the Giant vs. Akira Maeda; History of Pro Wrestling Shoots, Part 2". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  16. ^ Martinez, Stephen (Sep 4, 2007). "Kitaoka Headlines Pancrase's Karl Gotch Memorial". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  17. ^ Grant, T.P. (2012-02-12). "MMA Origins: Catch Wrestling Travels to Japan". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ^ Grant, T.P. (2012-07-23). "MMA Origins: Birth of Japanese MMA". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  19. ^ Gould, KJ (2012-07-24). "Karl Gotch Week: Satoru Sayama, Shooto And The Style Of Japanese Catch Wrestling". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  20. ^ Gould, KJ (2012-07-28). "Karl Gotch Week: Rest In Peace Kamisama, 'God Of Wrestling' 1924 – 2007". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.

Developed by StudentB