you don't actually believe that thesz was pre-kayfabe. i've followed pro wrestling for over sixty years, but not watched an hour of american pro in ten years. the style has changed, not that it's been athletic theater for nearly 100 years. i enjoy a well executed match for being well executed as much as i would a 'real' match. i respect the wrestlers for subjecting themselves to pain and the risk of injurytus injury for our entertainment - and the rush it gives them.
Lou Thesz was among the last of the legitimate wrestlers who could really cripple and main their opponents inside and outside the ring. Verne Gagne is another one.
Thesz took wrestling seriously and, like Bruno Sammartino, he hated seeing wrestling degrade into a scripted, choreographed circus in which the fans were led to believe that guys like Hulk Hogan, Edge, The Undertaker, Kane, Shawn Michaels,......... could really wrestle. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Thanks for posting this. Please post any other footage of Vic. He had a brother Ted Christy, also a well known wrestler. Would love to see more of both. Both brothers continued stunt work for the movies in their later years.
Notice how he beat him with a simple Hammerlock? THIS is when the business had true prominance! You didn't need a cheesy finisher like guys need today (speaking as a wrestler and a fan), back then it just took a good, legitimate hold for the tapout! I just wish our business today was a mere image of how great it used to be yesterday!
@Takerfanatic93 are you out of your fucking mind you think lou tesz n his worst day could beat angle on is best. do you realise that angle is the only olympic gold medalist in proffesional wrestling history he is probably the best wrestler today and you say tat bullsit
@Takerfanatic93 are you out of your fucking mind you think lou tesz n his worst day could beat angle on is best. do you realise that angle is the only olympic gold medalist in proffesional wrestling history he is probably the best wrestler today and you say tat bullshit and under te time e won is gold medal e ad a neck surgery and ad to wrestle while he was under recovery. in addition he has had two more neck surgerys wrestling under full time so e as had tree neck surgerys
@jeman47 uhhh dude, angle is a freestyle wrestler, lou thesz is a catch wrestler (aka submission wrestler) there's no comparison. as good as angle is, what else can he do but pin a guy? lou has all the submissions as well as being a good grappler. takerfanatic is right, Thesz would destroy kurt
@temperex ...uuuu dude, only a TOTAL FAG would cum all over himself watchin ths shite, lol. so how often 'pin' ur twin boyfriends b4 u yank 'em off? LMAO!!!
@temperex ...listen 2 u talk abot ur man crush on kurt angle, lol. just how GAY are u, tamponrex? lmao!!! i bet ur grandpa taught u everthing abot bein a 'grappler', u little twink, lol
Vic Christy trained with Judo Gene Lebell,, Judo Gene Lebell trained with Ed Strangler Lewis,, Gene trained Rowdy Piper,so he is legite Catch Wrestler,,so he training with Bruce Lee Makes Bruce Lee Legit in MMA
My question is not whether there are submission holds used today, but whether a pro wrestler today ever secures a win by tapout using one. Sorry if my previous post did not make that clear.
The answer is still yes. Kurt Angle scores many wins w/ his anklelock submission hold & John Cena has scored a few w/ the STF, a hold created by none other then Lou Thesz.
Thanks for setting me straight Lfdjake91. So it does happen. However, unless you can point to more than two wrestlers in all of today's pro wrestling, it would seem that win by submission is at least a pretty rare event.
Quite a few of these older videos were either collected &\or owned by Tricki Ricki (Flair) & he's released them out of love for the sport as-well as the show so way to go Rick... Definitely a pioneer & by the way Rick if you make the real Christ (Not religion) your true friend & don't lie there's no spiritual contract creating a soul-debt that you can't break with his help... Just avoid religion or you'd only get into the darkness & Satanic quicksand deeper...
can anybody tell me whats the name of the reversal at 7:15 done by lou thesz. ive beent trying to use that move but cant get it done right. ive seen it done in mma.
Very true about standing side headlock. Only a mark would use that. If Lou was in a competitive environment he would have taken the arm and thrown his hips in and executed a cowboy head toss. I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Thesz today for our book and the site so I wanted to check out some of Lou's old matches. He was truly a great man.
Oh, by the way...you can tell that it isn't a real, competitive match, they both use the standing side headlock, and that's not a legitimate wrestling hold. It enables your opponent to get behind you, and a you would never do that in a competitive bout, according to Lou Thesz's autobiography.
Hm. The ring announcer pronounces his name wrong. Thesz's, I mean.
...Yes, it does look like legitimate fucking wrestling ;-) But I'll bet it isn't; they were just better at making it look legit back then, because a lot of guys actually knew how to wrestle for real. Today it has to be all high spots and "bumps" and silly stunts.
I would love to see more of Vic Christy. Please post should you have any. He and his brother Ted were top notch wrestlers. They has two nephews Bobby and Jerry Chrisy who also wrestled, often as a tag team.
Thesz had a good head for business, also. He knew how to keep from being cheated. He made friends with the athletic commissioners in the places he appeared. They gave him the exact number of tickets that were sold and he got 10% of the money for each show. Some wrestlers were lucky to get a paycheck back then. He also reserved another 3% for his idol, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, a big star from the 1920s.
I met and got to talk with Lou Thesz several times. He was an articulate man and was a nice guy too. Fact is, Lou was what was called a "hooker" in those days and there was nobody that could beat him in a legit contest. Lou knew more holds than anyone in those days, having studied under such great hookers as Ad Santel and Strangler Lewis. Lou could snap a leg or arm anytime he wished, and a few times did just that. RIP Lou.
Indian death lock- what a dope move from half guard! I bet i can catch an unsuspecting purple belt in class with that one....
Also, the ref reminded me of the ref at UFC 1 shamrock vs gracie; taps right in front of him, but just can't see it. Precious. The old school shit is amazing to watch. Who's the heel and face here? They're both so gentlemanly....
Whenever I do half-guard, I always cross my legs in a form so I don't get caught. LOL. I have caught out a good grappler on that move. However, at that time he still beat me. LOL. He tapped me out about 10 times to my 2 or 3. Still I learned at lot and improved heavily since then. Then again, I wasn't good with the jacket/Gi, and was always chocking me. LOL. I rarely get chocked now, well, once you learn how to use it. ;-)
I like this old style of wrestling better than the WWE stuff that's on today. No steroid freaks and soap opera type crap. It was more sport oriented for sure. These guys knew their stuff. Christy went for what appeared to be a twister attempt (5:49) and he also ended up in what they call an X Guard (6:24) in BJJ today, but he didn't capitalize on it. Man I wish those types of wrestlers were still around.
You have to remember that lou and others would mainly do shoots behind closed doors in gyms. real grappling matches are just to 'boring' for many people and it is understandable to have predetermined matches back then to add more interest for the sport. Lou Thesz puts on awesome worked matches and stuck to basic yet good looking moves for the crowed to enjoy. They knew their stuff with arm bars, leg locks, etc. WWE has killed many elements of pro wrestling.
Fantastic match!!! Lou Thesz is amongst the greatest you will ever get. His style, Catch Wrestling is an art people SHOULD NOT ignore in the world of martial arts or MMA.
I also hope that future Pro Wrestlers look up to the likes of Lou Thesz, rather than the flying, atletic, fake styles that we see today!!
they say Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler of all time, they are wrong...the great Lou Thesz would have twisted Flair inside out, no doubt about it. I was a legit tough guy and the reason why the AWA and WWWF broke away from the NWA. RIP Lou.
No, Lou was a face, but he got po'ed over somethin' and tapped Vic for real. Thesz was a master of real sub; they called it catchwrestling or lanchester style. Lou also tapped Paul Bosch for real.
you don't actually believe that thesz was pre-kayfabe. i've followed pro wrestling for over sixty years, but not watched an hour of american pro in ten years. the style has changed, not that it's been athletic theater for nearly 100 years. i enjoy a well executed match for being well executed as much as i would a 'real' match. i respect the wrestlers for subjecting themselves to pain and the risk of injurytus injury for our entertainment - and the rush it gives them.
japanpro1 4 months ago
Lou Thesz was among the last of the legitimate wrestlers who could really cripple and main their opponents inside and outside the ring. Verne Gagne is another one.
Thesz took wrestling seriously and, like Bruno Sammartino, he hated seeing wrestling degrade into a scripted, choreographed circus in which the fans were led to believe that guys like Hulk Hogan, Edge, The Undertaker, Kane, Shawn Michaels,......... could really wrestle. Nothing could be further from the truth.
harley55100 5 months ago
fUCKING tough solid wrestlers
OBERHAUSEN21 5 months ago
Thanks for posting this. Please post any other footage of Vic. He had a brother Ted Christy, also a well known wrestler. Would love to see more of both. Both brothers continued stunt work for the movies in their later years.
4oldstuff 7 months ago
Thanks for posting this. Please post any other footage of Vic.
4oldstuff 7 months ago
Notice how he beat him with a simple Hammerlock? THIS is when the business had true prominance! You didn't need a cheesy finisher like guys need today (speaking as a wrestler and a fan), back then it just took a good, legitimate hold for the tapout! I just wish our business today was a mere image of how great it used to be yesterday!
NathanArnoldCharging 1 year ago
Great clip! its cool to go back and look at what wrestling was back then thanks for posting :)
iskateandpray 1 year ago
lou thesz, an inspiration to mma fighters and legitimate wrestlers alike. the man, god rest his soul, could really kick your ass
showstopper316 1 year ago
Thesz was a better wrestler on his worst day than Angle is on his best.. LOL.
Thesz beat countless guys in shoots in the real matches. Hes one of the greatest guys this business has ever seen.
Takerfanatic93 1 year ago
@Takerfanatic93 are you out of your fucking mind you think lou tesz n his worst day could beat angle on is best. do you realise that angle is the only olympic gold medalist in proffesional wrestling history he is probably the best wrestler today and you say tat bullsit
jeman47 1 year ago
@Takerfanatic93 are you out of your fucking mind you think lou tesz n his worst day could beat angle on is best. do you realise that angle is the only olympic gold medalist in proffesional wrestling history he is probably the best wrestler today and you say tat bullshit and under te time e won is gold medal e ad a neck surgery and ad to wrestle while he was under recovery. in addition he has had two more neck surgerys wrestling under full time so e as had tree neck surgerys
jeman47 1 year ago
@jeman47 uhhh dude, angle is a freestyle wrestler, lou thesz is a catch wrestler (aka submission wrestler) there's no comparison. as good as angle is, what else can he do but pin a guy? lou has all the submissions as well as being a good grappler. takerfanatic is right, Thesz would destroy kurt
temperex 11 months ago
@temperex ...uuuu dude, only a TOTAL FAG would cum all over himself watchin ths shite, lol. so how often 'pin' ur twin boyfriends b4 u yank 'em off? LMAO!!!
damygeebo 11 months ago
@damygeebo apparently not as gay as you nature boy. you following me around? seems like you got a little crush on me or something.....
temperex 11 months ago
@temperex ...tamponrex!!!
damygeebo 11 months ago
@temperex ...listen 2 u talk abot ur man crush on kurt angle, lol. just how GAY are u, tamponrex? lmao!!! i bet ur grandpa taught u everthing abot bein a 'grappler', u little twink, lol
damygeebo 11 months ago
That dude that is the interviewer, looks like Jackie Gleason.
phoneix91 1 year ago
Vic Christy trained with Judo Gene Lebell,, Judo Gene Lebell trained with Ed Strangler Lewis,, Gene trained Rowdy Piper,so he is legite Catch Wrestler,,so he training with Bruce Lee Makes Bruce Lee Legit in MMA
Ibalon2012 1 year ago
I think this was on the undercard of Randy Couture's first fight.
MontrealMMA 2 years ago
The interviewer is Jules Strongbow; the referee is Johnny 'Red Shoes' Dugan.
hookalakah 2 years ago
who's the interviewer?
GentileReadingList 2 years ago
Interesting that Lou wins by something like a submission hold instead of by pin. I don't think you can like that in pro wrestling today, can you?
riverpotato 2 years ago
@riverpotato Absolutely there are stll plenty of submission holds used today in pro wrestling.
Lfdjake91 2 years ago
My question is not whether there are submission holds used today, but whether a pro wrestler today ever secures a win by tapout using one. Sorry if my previous post did not make that clear.
riverpotato 2 years ago
The answer is still yes. Kurt Angle scores many wins w/ his anklelock submission hold & John Cena has scored a few w/ the STF, a hold created by none other then Lou Thesz.
Lfdjake91 2 years ago
Thanks for setting me straight Lfdjake91. So it does happen. However, unless you can point to more than two wrestlers in all of today's pro wrestling, it would seem that win by submission is at least a pretty rare event.
riverpotato 2 years ago
Quite a few of these older videos were either collected &\or owned by Tricki Ricki (Flair) & he's released them out of love for the sport as-well as the show so way to go Rick... Definitely a pioneer & by the way Rick if you make the real Christ (Not religion) your true friend & don't lie there's no spiritual contract creating a soul-debt that you can't break with his help... Just avoid religion or you'd only get into the darkness & Satanic quicksand deeper...
BOREDUMBAS 2 years ago
can anybody tell me whats the name of the reversal at 7:15 done by lou thesz. ive beent trying to use that move but cant get it done right. ive seen it done in mma.
jordancaz28 2 years ago
@jordancaz28 I don't think that there is an actual name for it I think it is just a reversal.
Lfdjake91 2 years ago
Ahhh the classics
DeidaraXL 2 years ago
Very true about standing side headlock. Only a mark would use that. If Lou was in a competitive environment he would have taken the arm and thrown his hips in and executed a cowboy head toss. I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Thesz today for our book and the site so I wanted to check out some of Lou's old matches. He was truly a great man.
AmericanCombatAssoc 2 years ago
Comment removed
AmericanCombatAssoc 2 years ago
Oh, by the way...you can tell that it isn't a real, competitive match, they both use the standing side headlock, and that's not a legitimate wrestling hold. It enables your opponent to get behind you, and a you would never do that in a competitive bout, according to Lou Thesz's autobiography.
Drumshanbohustle 3 years ago 3
Hm. The ring announcer pronounces his name wrong. Thesz's, I mean.
...Yes, it does look like legitimate fucking wrestling ;-) But I'll bet it isn't; they were just better at making it look legit back then, because a lot of guys actually knew how to wrestle for real. Today it has to be all high spots and "bumps" and silly stunts.
Drumshanbohustle 3 years ago
I would love to see more of Vic Christy. Please post should you have any. He and his brother Ted were top notch wrestlers. They has two nephews Bobby and Jerry Chrisy who also wrestled, often as a tag team.
4oldstuff 3 years ago
Lou Thesz wow.
MrK623 3 years ago
one of the best workers of all time ;)
boshank69 3 years ago
What a great man he was.
tubeindividual 3 years ago
Wow............this is classic material. Great condition. RIP Lou Thesz
lildwayne21 3 years ago
Lou Thez=one of da best ever
Y2JROCKFAN 3 years ago
wow that looks like legitimate fucking wrestling. cool to watch
stupdworld 4 years ago
Thesz had a good head for business, also. He knew how to keep from being cheated. He made friends with the athletic commissioners in the places he appeared. They gave him the exact number of tickets that were sold and he got 10% of the money for each show. Some wrestlers were lucky to get a paycheck back then. He also reserved another 3% for his idol, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, a big star from the 1920s.
mkl62 4 years ago
The transitions in this match were simply beautiful! I'm adding a couple of them to my arsinal! THESZ4EVER!!!!
NathanArnoldCharging 4 years ago
I met and got to talk with Lou Thesz several times. He was an articulate man and was a nice guy too. Fact is, Lou was what was called a "hooker" in those days and there was nobody that could beat him in a legit contest. Lou knew more holds than anyone in those days, having studied under such great hookers as Ad Santel and Strangler Lewis. Lou could snap a leg or arm anytime he wished, and a few times did just that. RIP Lou.
pikeman1952 4 years ago 4
amagine stone cold back then
andretheking86 4 years ago
lol dat would be funny
Y2JROCKFAN 3 years ago
lol dat would be funny
Y2JROCKFAN 3 years ago
They had their won Stone Cold Steve Austin back thenhis name was the Crusher.
Lfdjake91 2 years ago
when was this?
ganja0906 4 years ago
thats what i call real wrestling, not like the garbage we see today.
goodfella8707 4 years ago
Indian death lock- what a dope move from half guard! I bet i can catch an unsuspecting purple belt in class with that one....
Also, the ref reminded me of the ref at UFC 1 shamrock vs gracie; taps right in front of him, but just can't see it. Precious. The old school shit is amazing to watch. Who's the heel and face here? They're both so gentlemanly....
bitchslap666 4 years ago
Heel and Face doesn't really matter, this is just 2 "hookers" going at it... Classic!
eternaltoffee 4 years ago
Whenever I do half-guard, I always cross my legs in a form so I don't get caught. LOL. I have caught out a good grappler on that move. However, at that time he still beat me. LOL. He tapped me out about 10 times to my 2 or 3. Still I learned at lot and improved heavily since then. Then again, I wasn't good with the jacket/Gi, and was always chocking me. LOL. I rarely get chocked now, well, once you learn how to use it. ;-)
wrestler50000 4 years ago
chocking... ?? LOL. I meant Choking. ;-)
wrestler50000 4 years ago
Zzzzz.... yeah right, lou thesz has more in-ring charisma than flair? if your a retard.....
davidofdanica 4 years ago
before i watch this match, i bet it's boring as fuck! i'll let you know my opinion afterwards......
davidofdanica 4 years ago
Lou Thesz is the Greatest of All Time, not Misawa, not Flair, not Race, not Kobashi. Lou Thesz is better than everyone.
gottheyayo 4 years ago
except bruno sammartino.
mferg240 4 years ago
I like this old style of wrestling better than the WWE stuff that's on today. No steroid freaks and soap opera type crap. It was more sport oriented for sure. These guys knew their stuff. Christy went for what appeared to be a twister attempt (5:49) and he also ended up in what they call an X Guard (6:24) in BJJ today, but he didn't capitalize on it. Man I wish those types of wrestlers were still around.
stargazer3k 4 years ago
You have to remember that lou and others would mainly do shoots behind closed doors in gyms. real grappling matches are just to 'boring' for many people and it is understandable to have predetermined matches back then to add more interest for the sport. Lou Thesz puts on awesome worked matches and stuck to basic yet good looking moves for the crowed to enjoy. They knew their stuff with arm bars, leg locks, etc. WWE has killed many elements of pro wrestling.
wrestler50000 4 years ago
actually that was the lock down. in traditional grappling its called grapevine or scorpion lock thats why the reversal is the scorpion death lock/
jordancaz28 2 years ago
Awesome video. Please post some more of these old catch style wrestling matches if you have any. 5 star rating. Thanks for posting it.
stargazer3k 4 years ago
Nice hip heist at the end
swf12 4 years ago
very good!
jjin1994 5 years ago
Great match. Good commentator. I'd love to see some footage of Lou vs. Rikidozan
jackbox1971 5 years ago
Fantastic match!!! Lou Thesz is amongst the greatest you will ever get. His style, Catch Wrestling is an art people SHOULD NOT ignore in the world of martial arts or MMA.
I also hope that future Pro Wrestlers look up to the likes of Lou Thesz, rather than the flying, atletic, fake styles that we see today!!
RIP Lou
masterMas2006 5 years ago
catch wrestling superior to hat they call bjj.josh barnett is a great example of that.
florand 5 years ago
they say Ric Flair is the greatest wrestler of all time, they are wrong...the great Lou Thesz would have twisted Flair inside out, no doubt about it. I was a legit tough guy and the reason why the AWA and WWWF broke away from the NWA. RIP Lou.
odf14 5 years ago
you are all wrong! bruno sammartino is!
mferg240 4 years ago
Good match!
JCCROYAL 5 years ago
No, Lou was a face, but he got po'ed over somethin' and tapped Vic for real. Thesz was a master of real sub; they called it catchwrestling or lanchester style. Lou also tapped Paul Bosch for real.
fbcbjm79 5 years ago
Was Lou a heel?
worthythorn 5 years ago
never thought id get to see lou wrestling. it was mostly mat wrestling as expected but pretty good mat work nonetheless
dudeslove 5 years ago