10 BIGGEST Wrestling Events Ever

How much do you know about wrestling in Greece in the 1930s?

With a number estimated to be 80,000 in attendance at the Panathenaic Stadium, Jim Londos faced Kola Kwariani in the most fitting venue for a wrestling match ever. The marble stadium opened in the 6th century BC as a racecourse, before it was abandoned and left to fall into disrepair. When the modern Olympic Games returned in 1896, the venue was restored to its former glory; it hosted wrestling for the first time that year, with Carl Schuhmann taking the inaugural gold medal.

Over 30 years later the biggest wrestling event in Europe happened there.

If you think technical masterclasses go on for way too long in 2023 then brace yourself, Londos-Kwariani lasted 47 minutes and ended with an airplane spin and a slam. Thankfully, the open-air venue stayed dry for the entire event, as fans had to squint to see the tiny ring from the rows of seats; they hadn't invented the steel chair just yet, so the crowd wasn't anywhere near the two grapplers.

A number of other wrestling events would take place at the same venue over the years, but none was bigger than this. Eat your heart out Vince McMahon; you've been close, but this is a record you can't beat.

Pre-National Wrestling Alliance booker John Contos, born and raised in Greece, flew over from his new home of St. Louis, Missouri for the event. Eventually, his territory was sold to a company led by Lou Thesz and the rest is history...