Competing from the 1950s all the way to 1982, Karl Gotch is a name modern fans may have heard, but may not know about, as he was never a major North American star in WWE or the National Wrestling Alliance. However, the technical master Gotch can easily be regarded as one of the most influential of all time alongside greats like a similar (but more successful) performer like Lou Thesz.
That said, Karl Gotch made an impact on combat sports — not just pro wrestling — in an interesting roundabout way, gaining a foothold in Japan, working with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and helping innovate what would eventually become mixed martial arts. Here’s what you need to know about the legend.
10 An Olympian
Like many wrestlers of his era, Karl Gotch would enter the business with an amateur background. Born Charles Isatz in Belgium, Gotch trained in Greco-Roman wrestling and other forms of amateur wrestling, regularly competing in his home country. Eventually, Isatz would find himself representing Belgium by competing in wrestling for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. While Belgium would score seven medals in the Olympics, none of them would be in wrestling.
9 Wrestling In The West
Following a stint training in catch wrestling in Billy Riley’s Snake Pit in the UK, Karl Gotch debuted in the 1950s in Europe, wrestling under the name Karl Krauser before moving on to the US later in the decade. There, he’d start wrestling as Karl Gotch — a tribute to legendary World Champion Frank Gotch — and capture the World Heavyweight Championship for the Ohio-based American Wrestling Alliance. Gotch would hold the belt for nearly two years before dropping it to Lou Thesz in a title unification match with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
8 The Backstage Fight That Changed His Career
More of a technician than a showman, Karl Gotch never had much success in North America, and his fate was sealed due to a backstage altercation with NWA World Champion “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. The theatrical Rogers reportedly held a grudge against “shooters” thanks to legendary shooter Lou Thesz refusing to drop the belt to him — a grudge that carried over to Goth.
This enmity resulted in an incident where Gotch attacked Rogers in a locker room, breaking Roger’s arm in the process. As a result, Karl Gotch torpedoed his reputation with the NWA and struggled to find work in the US.
7 God Of Wrestling In Japan
While Gotch failed to gain much traction in America, he found great success in Japan. There, he wrestled for legendary promotion Japan Wrestling Association as well as International Wrestling Enterprise, a promotion that lasted from 1966 to 1981. His time with IWE is of particular note, as Gotch had matches with fellow legends like Billy Robinson, and Andre the Giant. Because of his accomplishments in Japan as well as his influence (see below), Karl Gotch would be nicknamed “Kami-sama,” which translates to “god.”
6 Brief Run In WWE
Karl Gotch had a brief run wrestling for WWE in 1960, but returned to the company in 1971, back when it was known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation. During this run, he’d have singles bouts with notable names like Jimmy Valiant and future WWE Champion Stan Stasiak, but would also form a tag team with Rene Goulet. Together, the two would capture the World Tag Team Championship, becoming the second-ever champions and holding the belts for a 57-day reign.
5 Special Workout
Karl Gotch’s studies also included Pehlwani, a martial art style from India. As part of this study, Gotch incorporated many exercises in his training, like Hindu squats and the bridge, which he taught to his students. As part of this training, Gotch developed a special workout, commonly referred to as the Gotch Bible. The workout involves shuffling a deck of cards, and doing one of several exercises based on the card color and/or suit, with numerical value determining the number of repetitions.
4 Innovator Of Moves
Karl Gotch’s “God of Wrestling” moniker doesn’t just extend to his technical skill and success and influence in Japan. Gotch also innovated a number of maneuvers that fans still see today, like the Cradle Piledriver (now known as the Gotch-Style Piledriver) as well as the Tombstone Piledriver. On top of that, he also made an important contribution to the German Suplex.
Many credit Lou Thesz for inventing the German Suplex, but Karl Gotch is reportedly the one who introduced the bridging hold, which allowed for an impressive-looking pin.
3 Worked For New Japan
As established, Karl Gotch’s technical style proved popular in Japan, making a particular impression on New Japan Pro-Wrestling founder Antonio Inoki, who wrestled Gotch in NJPW’s first-ever main event. In the years that followed, Gotch continued to wrestle for NJPW until his final match in 1982, having notable rematches with Inoki as well as a must-watch tag match alongside Lou Thesz. During this run, Gotch also became a prominent figure backstage, working as a booker as well as training Young Lions in the NJPW dojo.
2 Trained Notable Japanese Wrestlers
During his time working for NJPW, Karl Gotch had a hand in training a number of Young Lions who would themselves become major figures in the pro wrestling world. Wrestlers who came through the NJPW Dojo under Gotch include Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask), Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Minoru Suzuki, many of whom would follow in Gotch’s footsteps to specialize in shoot-style matches. Gotch also trained Hiro Matsuda, who’d go on to train American stars like Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff.
1 Influenced MMA
Karl Gotch’s influence on mixed martial arts can’t be understated. Gotch’s influence on Antonio Inoki would involve not only training but also being Inoki’s cornerman for his landmark proto-MMA match with Muhammad Ali. Gotch also trained pro wrestler, martial artist, and MMA pioneer Gene LeBell, and reportedly taught Masahiko Kimura his famous Kimura Lock, which defeated Helio Gracie and became a staple of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On top of all that, two of Gotch’s trainees, Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki, went on to found the influential Japanese MMA promotion Pancrase.