Lou Thesz vs. Rikidozan

[jimmychuang]

Rikidozan maybe better than Inoki

[Fredwoode]

This was as real as wrestling got, back in these days you didn't have the same promotion styles that you do today, it was all territories and the larger promotions traveled to the territories where people came to see their local guy take on the champion. The larger promotion typically had a hooker as champion, to prevent a loss to the local guy in case he didn't follow script. These guys could legit hurt you, thats why guys like Sammartino, and Thesz held championships for so long.

[OVERCAPITALIZE]

@MrRaceboy04

Wtf... " mean its partially real (techniques etc) but the fighting looks fake.." fail to read?

[jimmychuang]

@OVERCAPITALIZE Today's WWE indeed looks fake all the time.

[OVERCAPITALIZE]

@MrRaceboy04

Wtf... " mean its partially real (techniques etc) but the fighting looks fake.." fail to read?

[iHIM911]

the most watched match in wrestling history!

[bigfloridapimp]

I dont wanna seem like a jackass or anything but was this 2 out of three falls or was this standard for this compnay/back then? I watched Giant Baba vs Billy Robinson the other day and the match went the same way.

[gab1280gh]

Was this wrestling real? It looks real

[MultiMasterflash]

@gab1280gh Hell yeah this is real! It's that pioneer era wrestling from back in 1957

Where were you when this match aired?

[gab1280gh]

@MultiMasterflash I was still in my dad's balls dude xD

[OVERCAPITALIZE]

@MultiMasterflash

looks pretty fake to me.. I mean its partially real (techniques etc) but the fighting looks fake..

[MultiMasterflash]

@OVERCAPITALIZE Look I'll admit that the moves that pro wrestlers use are difficult and improbable to use in a real fight but it's not like these guys aren't really getting hurt, because they are...they're just not killing each other though.

[OVERCAPITALIZE]

@MultiMasterflash

Hmm.. i'll see if the pile diver works. BRB. Lol jk. But yeah kinda difficult to do but some of the moves are token from actual martial arts (referring to all of them).

[MultiMasterflash]

@OVERCAPITALIZE Not exactly. Not all professional wrestling attacks are taken from martial arts.

[Rorshach1004]

These two guys made everything look so real. How different it is today.

[Sanguiluna]

Apparently, according to RKO4EVER15, this isn't considered wrestling, since it doesn't have chairshots and blood and sex. lol

[JoshRA]

great match but what the hell is up with that ending? i have no idea what just happened.

[TheExposeTube]

@JoshRA I think all their matches were 1 hour draws

[musicalrich1]

This was quite a match, but just for the record, the most important, and controversial matches were between Frank Gotch & Georg Hackenschmidt, 1908-11...

[puffykilled2pac]

This video is great quality. Thanks for the upload

[MILLERSI81]

AT 3:00 IS THE SCENE FROM COLISEUM VIDEO INTRO

[RkoWrestlingfan228]

Vince McMahons father and grandfather built the WWE to its finest(1952-1979) and Vince did greater in 80s and 90s and slowly killed it.

[reubs1982]

awesome this is actually fun to watch unlike wrestling these days. WWE WWF and all those others ones suck so hard. there pathetic

[LaVitaNouva]

Yes i care.

Those guys are the innovators of today wrestling.

[ECWExtremeMoments]

@LaVitaNouva Noooo if they were they would do a bunch a fake moves.

[Takerfanatic93]

Thesz was the man.If you dont like him,you not understood Wrestling,plain and simple.Every Match of his is topnotch.

[32alltheway]

this is a great video. the old days where everyone could work to some degree, but co-operated for the kayfabe of the business. lou still had it well into his 50's, and opponents knew not to fuck with him

[mshefik1]

Rock and Hogan dont deserve to be mentioned in the same sentance as these two.

Thesz and Rikidozan could wrestle unlike those sport entertainment tosser's

[Violencedefined666]

I'm so glad I found this video, lol. Words can't describe the legend that is Lou Thez.

[i9520083]

Rikidozan=Korean

[aglewi41]

can anyone tell me a match where lou thesz uses a powerbomb

[snoopyp00ns]

Not even a full match..

[h88kaiser]

This Match had the highest rating ever for wrestling...I read this match got a 87.0 Rating

[Motownbrother]

This was very interesting to see, especially a judo guy from the 'old school of judoka in action like this. Thank you for the post of this match. Props to Lou Thesz as well.

[jetrini]

Hey even The Greatest Wrestler( IMO) Bret 'Hitman" Hart wrote in his book about The Great Lou Thesz. Thank you for the post. I'm reading the " HITMAN" book and it's awsome. I feel like i t takes me back in time. This post just makes it even more real. There will never really be any appreciation for the true legends. I'ts all about "gimmiks" now, not actual wrestling. And although there are some good wrestlers today. They are not in the top SPOTS.

[jamexxxxxx]

i was hoping to see 630 splash there or at least ssp and these are called legends

[MrPhenomenal7]

ok listen man im not gonna bash you or anything but all those premadonnas in the ring today doin there triple axels of the top rope and doin cartwheels in the rings for absolutly no reason all owe their careers to lou thesz! the man who made wrestling what it is today! so if you wanna see guys spinning around go whatch figure skating....i mean seriously its ok to say you like todays wrestling more but dont insult one of the greatest wrestlers ever to step into a ring....

[MrPhenomenal7]

ok then man no harm done :)

it just annoys me when you see what wrestling use to be with body slams and headlocks then you see wrestlers like Primo Colon doin cartwheels fow absolutly no reason. ITS RIDICULOUS! lol

but like i said no harm done!

[SadisticScott]

Hey now, just don't credit Lou Thesz. Yes Thesz did a lot for the business, but so did Frank Gotch, Verne Gagne, and don't forget Danny Hodge.

[MrPhenomenal7]

i agree that theyve all played major roles in making wrestling what it is today but i still wouldnt say theyve done as much as Thesz and thats just my opinion. i think as far as makin wrestling the flashy show that it is today to pave the way for wrestlers like The Rock and Hulk Hogan, all credit goes to Gorgeous George

[RSXemperor]

You are correct about The Rock and Hogan just like guys like Karl Gotch and Thesz paved the way for today's best like Kurt Angle (who maybe the Lou Thesz of today) and Bryan Danielson.

[MrPhenomenal7]

110% agree! certain wrestlers were made by certain legends whether they realise it or not.

[TheRagev3]

@MrPhenomenal7 Catch wrestling is great and people like lou thesz, frank gotch, jackie fargo, rikodozan should be honored way much more then they are right now dont get me wrong but dont disrespect lucha libre that's not cool

[MrPhenomenal7]

@TheRagev3 bro!! bro!! u misunderstand! i completely respect lucha libre!!! i love it! but theres a difference in Lucha Libre and a guy doing a pointless somersault lol. ill watch lucha libre on sunday afternoons even tho i cant understand the commentators lol i love it. its the ridiculous....dare i say..."make-shift lucha libre" that i disrespect! no talents trying to be athletic and being put over because of their look....i just dont like it....just my opinion

[littlenipper8u]

Enjoy this for what it is, 2 true legends in there prime, and this is wraslin in the 1950s, thanks for this great post...

[AmericanCombatAssoc]

I don't know. This was a pro wrestling match. It was worked. You can't really judge his submission ability by that. Lou did work out with top university wrestling teams and regularly submit guys. One could argue that amateur wrestlers aren't versed in submissions but if he didn't have atleast a descent arsenal himself he wouldn't have been able to do that. He also trained judo and jujitsu guys @ his school in Va. I've heard varying reports but everyone agrees he had some degree of skill.

[5starwrestlingradio]

@cerebralassassin78 lick an asshole

[cerebralassassin78]

@5starwrestlingradio Ok. I should clarify. Not that he wasn't a REAL wrestler, but that WHEN IT WAS TIME he would fake it like the rest of them.

[5starwrestlingradio]

@cerebralassassin78 You are just a flaming idiot. Thesz was a legit amateur wrestler. He then entered pro wrestling when it was a sport and not a showcase of soap opera. Seriously go piss off.

[cerebralassassin78]

@5starwrestlingradio Actually, they say that in the history of wrestling in America, matches started to be fixed as early as the early 1900's around the time of Hacenschmidt v. Gotch. Not to say that all matches were fixed at that time or even decades later. I recognize that Theze was actually a great wrestler because that's the consensus, but for you, or anyone else to say that they know all of the matches that were fixed and all that were legit is unrealistic. There's some "work" in this match

[Rockwildon]

lou thesz 10 year world champion!

[zohar5150]

EVER HEAR OF PRIDE UFC AFFLICTION

[robbystlace]

I think they all lost their ways, period! Today, wrestling stinks to say the least. Vinny McMahon played a great part in destroying that great American past-time. That money hungry animal dismanteled all his father and other promoters built.

[novusmundi]

Perfectly said

[LJVC91]

yeah but we still have puroresu and the indies...WWE can go and entertain the children....

[TheRagev3]

@robbystlace Can you blame him? he didn't do it on purpose he was trying to make a living

[assas1n101]

@robbystlace thank you capitalism

[yardape99]

Ahh. I remember this match like it was yesterday.

[JackoLantern007]

Thesz is the Heel here. But this is Wrestling. Thesz was trying to help get Wrestling over in Japan, He put Rikidozan over by doing what he did bringing it to a draw.

[alcorderyjr]

I hope the Japanese are grateful to Lou Thesz for what he did for pro wrestling in "The Land of the Rising Sun", because it's so obvious that Thesz is a better wrestler than Rikidozan that it's laughable! This is why I have a problem with wrestlers who don't put others over for the sake of the business, because Thesz could put people over, NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE should have a problem with putting another wrestler over for the sake of helping the business! Uh hello Hogan, Flair and Austin?

[kingnek]

the korean japanese was killed by the yakuza

[mkl62]

I saw Thesz only 1 time. It was December 1989 in Norfolk, VA at the old City Auditorium at Granby St. & Virginia Beach Blvd. It was a Virginia Championship Wrestling card & Thesz was special referee in a title match between Ivan Koloff (champ) & Mark Fleming. Fleming won the match & the belt, but it was later held up due to "irregularities" in the match. I don't know what those "irregularities" were. Maybe someone out there does.

[alcorderyjr]

Believe it or not, Thesz was a great showman too! He played a heel a well as anyone ever, I've seen some matches with him against Antonino Rocca and this one, he could play the part of a villain as well as Flair, Race, the Funks, Kiniski and Rogers! He did what was best for the business of pro wrestling, putting guys over, etc.

[crackhead2006]

Where is Jeff Hardy?

[NathanArnoldCharging]

... a sperm speciman, logded in your grandfather's colon.

[FatsoFatman]

Holy crap 1957

[cyd13]

the real stuff

no wwe crap no stupid story lines no retarted

Custom and such just striat up skill and hart thanks great video

[ReplicantJAI]

Actually, the winners were predetermined so it's not exactly the real stuff but still entertaining nonetheless.

[wrestler50000]

I would happily jump back into Pro Wrestling if it was like this. To work with people like Thesz would be an honor.

Unfortunately, Pro Wrestling is not really Pro Wrestling anymore and I don't feel 'Sports Entertainment' is right either. It is really soap opera within a circus and a so-called wrestling ring.

I do respect Pro Wrestling today as some promotions like in Japan still do good stuff but I have no interest going back. Shall stick with REAL wrestling and submission... and MMA. LOL.

[flakyjon]

Ever heard of Ring of Honor?

[wrestler50000]

I admit I should include ROH along with Japan, etc. If I was to go back to Pro Wrestling I would have to work my way up to be in ROH, etc. A number of promotions I have witnessed follow the more WWE crap matches and similar in-ring storylines. Sure there are few holds involved but most of it isn't wrestling.

When I did matches, I kept it wrestling and told a story but it isn't long before they want to start flying. There is to much heavy bumps and flying now, and it kills to realism, imo.

[wrestler50000]

Part 2 -

Dont get me wrong, I think a wrestling show should have a nice mixture of sorts. However, once you've seem one match at these lower end promotions, you pretty much have an idea of all of them. Top ropes, flying, similar selling style, similar character behavior, etc.

I just wanted to come in and give an wrestling style match, a bit of a refreshment. Do something that is a mixture of Lou Thesz, Pancrase, etc. Sure, add the odd flying move is fine, but to much destroys it!

[wrestler50000]

Part 3-

WWE matches are just crap. However, only a few seemed to be able to add that spark in sports entertainment format. One of the main modern examples I can think of is Eddie Guerrero. He added wrestling in his later years, and told a story. He stopped doing to many high flying and kept it simple. If he was able to achieve that in a WWE ring imagine the sort of matches he could pull off outside of it, less restrictions? Same with other performers, but WWE really have lost their ways

Peace.

[creaverse]

why don't you start your own wrestling promotion, i share your views on what pro wrestling should be and i'm sure a lot of fans would get into it. From what i've read from you, you're into mma and the real grappling game and i'm sure you have a great idea of what pro wrestling could borrow from mma to be more realistic by today's standards. You can train your own wrestlers, get them from your local mma gym and put on shows. Why not, i mean the world is a place full of opportunities...

[wrestler50000]

Hi creaverse,

Ive looked for people interested. Some fans would like to try pro wrestling and wouldn't mind doing stonecold stunners, dropkicks, irish whips, etc, but as for wrestling itself (getting on a mat doing some freestyle of submission/bjj style) it doesn't appeal to many today.

I know someone whos setting a promotion up and hes old-school and has FAR better connections in the business than me. I can learn much from him, and hope I will cater to better quality wrestling there.

Peace.

[roastybeer]

Watch him in ECW against Malenko.

[flakyjon]

I love all forms of pro wrestling when they are done right even comedy matches and complex storylines. I can watch an 80's NWA match and a Dragon Gate match back to back and enjoy both of them. I am really attracted to innovation, which is why I also hate WWE's boring style. I've watched some MMA and can honestly say that I don't enjoy it at all because it's so limited compared to pro wrestling.

[asmilesa]

> I've watched some MMA and can honestly say that I don't enjoy it at all because it's so limited compared to pro wrestling

Nonfiction IS limited compared to fiction, that's correct. But nonfiction is the only option for those who are grounded in reality.

[flakyjon]

Great point. It fits in with my personality too. I've been accused of living in my own world many times.

[LJVC91]

i would add that a lot of people agree with you noth

[HugoRune1976]

"There is to much heavy bumps and flying now, and it kills to realism, imo. "

It kills the workers as well.

:(

[Sargebri]

Amen to that. Most of today's workers don't even take time to work holds or sell for their opponents. I would rather watch Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat than watch all these matches that are nothing but high spots.

[RawwestHide]

I know, it's like a circus. It's like " we know you know it's not real, so we're not going to try to get you to suspend you disbelief anymore". I love all wreslting, but even most Ring of Honor and puroresu sucks right now because guys just imitate and don't innovate. Same spots each match, no selling which makes it hard for you to give a shit about them AND the matches are too damned long with clearly a ton of filler.

[BOX5]

i agree can't leave out the greatest tag team of selling adrian adonis and dicc murdocc yell

[32alltheway]

so true.  adrian and murdock were underrated

[LumpingRighteous]

@wrestler50000: When you wrestled? Bitch, please.

[wrestler50000]

@LumpingRighteous

Are you saying that I am lying over the fact that I did some Pro Wrestling?

I worked for a local Promotion, but decided to leave because I don't like the direction Pro Wrestling is going. Is that so wrong? My views on Pro Wrestling are more along the lines of the match above.

I don't do Pro Wrestling anymore. I don't enjoy it as much as I did. I love grappling, though. Nothing wrong with some BJJ, Judo, etc, lessons.

[LumpingRighteous]

@wrestler50000: Yes, I am saying that you're lying about ever being a wrestler, since you didn't even offer the name of the promotion you worked for.

[moshpitmayhem88]

i think this shit is pretty boring

[Jpwn3r]

apparently 6 people think you're gay

[biged004552]

Damn never thought id see this, probly the two most important wrestlers ever.

WOW

[p1234566]

rikidozan and lou thesz is the greatest pro wrestling match of all time! followed by rikidozan vs the destroyer! but so many to name! LOU THESZ IS NO.1!

[MosesJesusFriends4ev]

Probably the most important match in puroresu history.

[siemr3]

rikidozan is the best!!

awesome video!!

[HungreyBoi05]

Where did you get this match from? what a classic!

[brocklock09]

Thank you dude!

[SebastianWM]

No problem, homie.