No, Lou Thesz wasn't some over-the-top character from the Attitude Era, nor was he a larger-than-life character from the days of Hulkamania, but his impact on the wrestling business has been incredible. From the moves he is credited with creating (Lou Thesz Press being the most obvious, but also the Powerbomb, early version of the German Suplex, and the STF) to his record-breaking title reigns (holding the NWA World Title for 3,749 combined days, which is longer than any man in history) to his achievements (being the youngest World Champion in history at the age of 21, and in 1952, becoming the first Unified World Champion for the NWA since Georg Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch in the early-1900's)... he is the "father" to a lot of the wrestling we still see today, as well as continuing to be viewed as one of the best in-ring performers to ever wear a pair of boots. He was "shoot" before it was considered cool to be. He was well-versed in Greco-Roman and freestyle amateur wrestling, having trained in it for years before turning pro, where he then learned the art of "hooking" (having painful submission holds in your arsenal, which were basically career-threatening when you "hooked" them in), taking him to the next level. Once he won that first World Title in 1937, he didn't look back for the next few decades of performing. His final match came in 1990, wrestling his protégé, Masahiro Chono (of nWo fame). That allowed him to wrestle a match in seven different decades, and he remains the only man to ever be able to do that. His story is incredible, and it deserves to be told. However, someone else will have to tell it, as Thesz died in 2002 at the age of 86.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
