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-American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, catch wrestler, and trainer.

He represented Belgium at the 1948 Summer Olympics in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.[1][2] In Japan, Gotch is known as the "God of Wrestling" due to his influence on Japanese professional wrestling.[9][8] He significantly influenced the development of modern mixed martial arts (MMA). His students established pioneering MMA promotions and training schools to transmit Gotch's training. These include Shooto and Pancrase (both of which predate the UFC), RINGS, and PRIDE, one of the most popular MMA promotions in history.[10][11][12][13][14]

He was given the ringname "Gotch" by Ohio promoter Al Haft in honor of American wrestler Frank Gotch.[15]

  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. ^ Schramm, Chris (2007-06-29). "Legacy of 'God of Wrestling' Gotch may be forever". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  10. ^ Martinez, Stephen (Sep 4, 2007). "Kitaoka Headlines Pancrase's Karl Gotch Memorial". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  11. ^ Grant, T.P. (2012-02-12). "MMA Origins: Catch Wrestling Travels to Japan". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  12. ^ Grant, T.P. (2012-07-23). "MMA Origins: Birth of Japanese MMA". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  13. ^ Gould, KJ (2012-07-24). "Karl Gotch Week: Satoru Sayama, Shooto And The Style Of Japanese Catch Wrestling". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  14. ^ Gould, KJ (2012-07-28). "Karl Gotch Week: Rest In Peace Kamisama, 'God Of Wrestling' 1924 – 2007". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  15. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (June 2012). Shooters: The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. p. 133. ISBN 9781770410404.

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