39 Best Wrestlers From 39 Different Countries

36. Belgium: Karl Gotch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CreCOrf9ExM

Birthplace: Antwerp, Belgium

Often billed as being from Germany (which is where he grew up), the legendary Karl Gotch was actually born in Belgium. And there was me having penned a previous entry looking at uber-jobber Salvatore Bellomo as being Belgium’s greatest wrestling talent…

Such is Gotch’s reach and legend, he’s affectionately referred to in Japan as the “God of Wrestling” for the influence he had on developing the strong style that is so often used in Japanese wrestling.

As well as being one of the legit strongest wrestlers of all time and famed for his iron grip, Gotch also revolutionised the way in which wrestlers trained and the way the final in-ring product was delivered, with the emphasis being firmly on making bouts look as real and as hard-hitting as possible.

Already a part of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, one has to think that it’s only a matter of time before Gotch becomes a member of the WWE Hall of Fame too.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.