7 Times Wrestlers Lost Real-Life Fights With Non-Wrestlers

7. Lou Thesz Goes Down To Amateur

In the early 20th century, the legendary Lou Thesz arrived on planet Earth as a grizzled, forty-something veteran, all sinuous brawn and an insuperably hard bastard to boot. Thesz went on to break records as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, keeping his vice-like grip on the sport's most prestigious prize for a colossal 3749 days.

The Michigan could back up his professional exploits with an impressive amateur background, but sometimes, his confidence got the better of him. Whilst being followed by a local TV station during a tour of Buffalo, NY, the local university's freestyle wrestling team were invited to try their hardest against the canescent master. The lightweights were, as expected, peremptorily dispatched.

Ego burgeoning, Thesz challenged the team's heavyweight. The rolling cameras caught the perennial champ thrown almost immediately to the floor, as his manager Ed 'Strangler' Lewis quickly dived in to block the embarrassment being caught on film. Thesz was left with no option but to grab his opponent's wrist and wrench it so hard that it nearly snapped.

The foul move cased a considerable kerfuffle, and real fisticuffs weren't far off. Thankfully, things settled down, and the heavyweight in question was ultimately inspired by the experience to become a pro himself. Don Curtis eventually blossomed into a decorated wrestler - and a close personal friend of Thesz.