Line #65 Wrestling/KarlGotch


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gotch.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:The master.]]
3	->''"He could hook you and do things with you from any angle, whether he was on top, underneath, standing up or laying down. He was just phenomenal."''
4	-->-- '''Roger "Nature Boy" Kirby''' about Karl Gotch
5
6	->''"I was so glad when Karl quit going to judo and jiu-jitsu. It was so hard washing everyone else’s blood from his gi every night."''
7	-->-- Attributed to '''Ella Istaz''', Gotch's wife
8
9	Karl Gotch (August 3, 1924 – July 28, 2007) was a German {{Professional Wrestl\|ing}}er, known for his role in the development of UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts in Japan. He was a former Greco-Roman and freestyle champion in Germany before moving to England to train UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling in Billy Riley's Wigan Snakepit. Initially as Karl Krauser, he won several championships in Europe and toured in Canada and United States. His career was extensive in America, but he never got over due to his lack of showmanship, and ended leaving for Japan after an incident in which he and Bill Miller attacked Wrestling/BuddyRogers backstage. In the land of the rising sun, however, Gotch turned out very popular thanks to his amazing skills, and over time was nicknamed "The God of Pro Wrestling". He worked in Japan Pro Wrestling training wrestlers in the art of catch wrestling, and also helped to establish Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling and Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation, tutoring names like Wrestling/AntonioInoki, Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara and Wrestling/SatoruSayama. Always a defender of realistic wrestling, he was very influential on the Japanese MMA, assisting to the creation of shootboxing, the Super Tiger Gym and Pancrase, as well as Muga Pro Wrestling. Gotch spent his last years in the "Gotch Dojo" in Tampa, Florida, where he passed away in 2007.
10	----
11	!! "The Godly Tropes of Pro Wrestling":
12	* AFatherToHisMen: He was very close to his trainees, especially Osamu Kido and Masami Soranaka, who was also his son-in-law. Ironically enough, his most famous apprentices are precisely the ones he ended up looking down by a number of reasons, namely Inoki, Sayama and Maeda, as well as the Pancrase staff.
13	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
14	** According to Gotch and Wrestling/BillyRobinson, their friend and trainer Billy Joyce was this to both of them. He was considered the best of the Snakepit in his prime, and the only reason they ever beat him in matches was because he was getting old. They also considered another Snakepit senior student, George Gregory as this as well.
15	** There were talks about a match between Gotch and vale tudo legend Ivan Gomes when Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling was touring Brazil, but it never happened, according to Brazilian press because Gotch backed down upon hearing Gomes's fame. The conditions of the affair are unknown, but some believe Gotch might have refused simply because he wanted wrestling rules for the bout while Iván wanted full vale tudo, which were their respective fields. Another source has it as actually a confusion (see TheDreaded below).
16	* AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter: He once heard about an Indian wrestler who claimed the he once did 9000 Hindu squats (some believe it was probably the Great Gama). Gotch decided one day to beat that, and he did, though he said it almost killed him and took over four hours and half. Working out was SeriousBusiness for him indeed.
17	* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/LouThesz was considered Gotch's biggest enemy both in kayfabe and out of it. They tended to badmouth each other, had different philosophies about pro wrestling and often clashed for them, and supposedly featured a legit shoot during a match. However, their relationship seemed to be more akin to VitriolicBestBuds, as despite all the hate they deep down respected each other and stayed in contact and good terms (excepting the occasional public verbal brawl) until their deaths.
18	* ArrogantKungFuGuy:
19	** He was the kind of guy who did not care about brutalizing his opponent if he felt he had to do it, especially in order to prove who was the best or to shut up an impertinent mouth. Naturally, this did not help him make friends.
20	* DoWrongRight: After his apprentice Minoru Suzuki had his infamous match with Apollo Sugawara, where Sugawara started hitting him for real and Suzuki responded by beating Sugawara up until making him flee, Suzuki broke down backstage believing he would be blacklisted from pro wrestling for having caused a match to be cancelled. Then Gotch came to him... to berate him for not having wrecked Sugawara enough.
21	* BadassTeacher: He trained Wrestling/AntonioInoki, Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara, Wrestling/SatoruSayama, Wrestling/TatsumiFujinami, Osamu Kido, Masami Soranaka, Wrestling/AkiraMaeda, Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada, Hidetaka Aso, Caesar Takeshi, Wrestling/MasakatsuFunaki, Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki, Wrestling/GeneLebell and many others. Basically anyone who has training in strong-style pro wrestling, UWF-style shoot wrestling, shootfighting, Shooto, Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling, Seikendo, Submission Arts Wrestling, shootboxing, Combat Wrestling Japan, Combat Submission Wrestling, Hayastan Grappling System, and Shinsenjutsu Japanese Fighting Arts comes from a lineage where someone has trained with Gotch.
22	* BashBrothers: With Bill Miller, Rene Goulet and Mike Dibiase. He was also friends with Boris Malenko, father of Joe and Wrestling/DeanMalenko and the adopted father of Carl Ognibene. Karl and Boris trained a lot of people in the Malenko's gym.
23	* BodyguardingABadass: He cornered Wrestling/AntonioInoki in his legendary fight against UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli.
24	* BoringButPractical: The main reason he didn't succeed in the US. He was against gimmicks and theatrical elements, and his simple submission style was seen as boring by the crowd.
25	* BullyingADragon:
26	** Wrestling/RikiChoshu learned it the hard way when he went to United States to train with Gotch and tried to shoot on him. The German wrestler swiftly reversed the lock and held it in a neck crack until he heard his vertebrae crack. After that, it's said that Choshu [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere got the first plane to Japan and didn't return.]]
27	** Gotch supposedly had a reverse one in a match against Wrestling/LouThesz, in which he blocked a suplex by Thesz and broke several of his ribs, making Thesz go ballistic with him until tapping Gotch out with a wrist lock. WordOfGod has been inconsistent through the years about whether it was a true shoot or not; Gotch denied any claims of shoot, and while Thesz did believe that Gotch went momentarily off-script, he believed it had been just a botched attempt to show off rather than a true attempt to disrupt the match. Considering that they later worked together a lot (and [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple badmouthed each other a lot]]), whatever it was, they did not care.
28	* CaptainErsatz: ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' had these of him, as to be expected, along with Wrestling/LouThesz and many of Gotch's students.
29	* CatchPhrase: "Bulls get killed on the floor," which he uses when explaining that most submissions can only be done on the ground.
30	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Gotch's pehlwani training regime could make a high-level athlete throw up, but for him, it was what enabled him to do German suplexes on Wrestling/AndreTheGiant.
31	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Apparently what he had with his wife Ella.
32	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: According to his apprentice Fujiwara, Gotch could be an exceedingly strange gentleman.
33	-->'''Fujiwara:''' He would go to the zoo, and he would stare for hours, at like a bear or a lion, and he would ask himself why is a bear strong, why are lions strong. He would just stand and watch and think. The lion would move like this ''[gestures a Hindu push-up]'' and he would think "Ah ha, that's it." Push-up. Gotch was that kind of person.
34	* CombatPragmatist: Was described as a ripper, a wrestler who knew how to brutalize people if he wanted to. Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara said that techniques like fish hooks and eye gouges were part of what Gotch taught him in case of a real fight, while Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki remembers Gotch told him to elbow his opponent in the nose whenever he had the chance even if it was supposed to be a wrestling match.
35	* CulturedBadass: He liked UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi's writings.
36	* DarkAndTroubledPast: According to his daughter Janine Soranaka, Karl was imprisoned in Nazi work camps twice with his father in 1943 and 1944. His father, Edward, was anti-Nazi and each time they were caught, they were made to work on the railway in the camp and given very little food.
37	* DefeatMeansFriendship:
38	** Wrestling/AntonioInoki became Gotch's student after getting turned into a bloody pretzel by Karl in a live training.
39	** His defeat to Bert Assirati led to their friendship. Bert was also the one who told him about the Snakepit in Wigan.
40	* DontThinkFeel: Inverted. He, like most catch wrestlers of his time, believed that wrestling is like physical chess, where you have to think moves ahead to have an advantage against opponents.
41	* TheDreaded:
42	** He was so strong that American wrestling promoters seldom booked him because he was difficult to control on the ring, and few could aspire to handle him if he felt like shooting on his opponent. However, despite what rumors might try to make you believe, Karl is regarded as a fine worker and never went out of his way to crash a match.
43	** Some people view the rumour about the challenge from Iván Gomes was a mistranslation - instead of Gotch backing out, they say it was that when Gomes heard of Gotch's reputation, Gomes backed out and this is why he accepted the invitation from Inoki to train with them.
44	* {{Fingore}}: Gotch lacked the pinky of his left hand due to an accident when he was young.
45	* FinishingMove: Atomic Suplex (a bridging German suplex - he innovated the "bridging" part, by the way), Gotch-Style Piledriver (a cradle piledriver) and Gotch Special (a double top wrist lock with neckscissors).
46	* ForceAndFinesse: According to UWFI wrestlers like Wrestling/YojiAnjo and Yuko Miyato, who had experience training under both Gotch and Wrestling/BillyRobinson, they compare as such. Gotch was the force, as he focused more on conditioning and a more strength based approach to grappling (and according to Hidetaka Aso, focused more on upper body submissions), while Robinson’s teachings were the more technical and all rounded of the two.
47	* HeroicBSOD: Had one after being defeated by Bert Assirati, which moved him to train even harder.
48	* HeroesLoveDogs: He owned a pitbull (named Django) which he got after a suggestion from Wrestling/BillyRobinson. He also stated in his last will that all the money he had, with approval from his daughter, would go to pitbull rescue charities.
49	* HiredGuns: It is believed that after his disastrous match against The Great Antonio in 1977, Wrestling/AntonioInoki sent Gotch and Bill Miller to teach him a lesson backstage. One can guess [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge what]] [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown happened]].
50	* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Learned at the Snakepit at Wigan, England. Also, not only he was skilled Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestler (and was a Belgian representative in the 1948 Olympics, and had competed in both the freestyle and Greco Roman styles in the light heavyweight division, although eliminated in the third round of both competitions), in India he learned pehlwani, in Japan he studied UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and SumoWrestling, and it is also said he learned a bit of boxing, UsefulNotes/{{Sambo}}, savate and purring (a British sport of shin-kicking). Wrestling/GeneLeBell has said that Karl even went to China, though to study what is anyone's guess.
51	* InstantExpert: When Gotch was invited to Wrestling/MasahikoKimura's judo school, he cleaned house and made many judoka cry for mercy, so Masahiko gave him a honorary black belt (which Gotch never learned how to tie, hilariously enough).
52	* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: It was believed Gotch lacked social skills more than he possessed true malice.
53	* LightningBruiser: Gotch moved with speed and finesse of a lightweight, but was amazingly strong.
54	* LifeOrLimbDecision: A downplayed, but still quite brutal example. After he experienced a deep discomfort during training due to a bad toothache, he went to a dentist and made him pull ''all'' his teeth to avoid having toothaches in the future. Now that's living for the art.
55	* TheNicknamer: He nicknamed his catch wrestling school (Riley's Gym) in Wigan, England "The Snake Pit". It eventually became so popular that the school officially renamed itself "The Snake Pit Wigan" and even now has offshoots like the UWF Snake Pit and Snake Pit USA. He also gave nicknames to people he doesn’t like, for example he refers to Wrestling/AntonioInoki as "Old Shovel Face".
56	* NoodleIncident: The backstage incident with Wrestling/BuddyRogers on August 31, 1962 is a highly debated matter, and its details remain unknown. The known facts are that Rogers refused to have a title match against Gotch or Bill Miller, as Buddy was not a legitimate wrestler like them and feared they would attempt to shoot on him, and instead [[TooDumbToLive insulted them]] and attempted to leave. Gotch and Miller weren't amused, so they cornered and attacked him, resulting in police charges for them. There are several versions about the fight itself: Rogers claimed they punched him and broke his arm by [[TheDoorSlamsYou slamming a door on it]]; Miller and Gotch said they only slapped him around a bit and that the whole injury was a lie; and a much more dramatic telling by Ed Garea claims that Miller blocked the locker's door while Gotch savagely hit [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown ground and pound]] on Rogers on the floor for minutes. [[OverlyLongGag And even then]], Johnny Barend's version says that the scuffle was actually three on one as Art Neilson [[EveryoneJoinTheParty joined the party]] because he hated Rogers as well, but that Rogers miraculously escaped more or less unscathed because he managed to run away before being beaten up.
57	* NoSocialSkills: According to Carl Malenko, Gotch was simply not good with people. He would rather stretch them out.
58	* OddFriendship:
59	** Karl was [[http://www.scientificwrestling.com/public/images/gallery/Karl_&FAE5207B8E9766.jpg close friends]] with Wrestling/MasahikoKimura, and they used to train and spar together. An apprentice of Kimura, Kiyotaka "Hishakaku" Otsubo, would even become Gotch's training assistant. The oddity of their friendship was merely stylistic, though, as they both shared a power-based approach to grappling and a love for brutal training regimes.
60	** More of an odd [[MasterApprenticeChain Master-Apprentice relationship]], he had this with Masanobu Fuchi, a firm long time Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling wrestler. Some articles also list Wrestling/BarryDarsow of all people as a student of his, though it is never explained to what extent their relationship was, nor did Darsow ever display anything that would indicate he was a Gotch trainee.
61	* OldMaster: Regarded as one by his students and generally everybody in the pro wrestling business.
62	* OpposingCombatPhilosophies:
63	** Very much like Kimura, Gotch disliked [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianJiuJitsu Gracie Jiu-Jitsu]] and the passive nature of its strategy, comparing its practitioners to "[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything old whores waiting for a customer]]." He believed if a jiu-jitsu guy had you in his guard and you didn't break his leg with a leglock, you should quit catch wrestling forever.
64	** Though he knew both were necessary for a wrestler, Gotch preferred grappling over striking. He criticized his former apprentices Wrestling/AkiraMaeda and Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada for indulging too much in kicking during their matches, calling them "kick-boys". He was also involved in developing early Shooto with Sayama, but left to go train to the UWF guys feeling that there was too much stand-up fighting.
65	** According to Wrestling/BillyRobinson, both they and other old shooters disagreed with the decision to take pinfalls out of shoot-style wrestling, as they believe that pins make up about 50 percent (at the least) of wrestling.
66	** He once talked with Wrestling/GeneLeBell about gi grappling, and declared that he only put on pajamas when he went to bed.
67	* PersonAsVerb: He has a toehold named after him by modern catch wrestlers.
68	* RedBaron: "Puroresu no Kamisama" ("The God of Pro Wrestling"), "Sen no Waza o Motsu Otoko" ("The Man of 1000 Holds"), "Mukan no Teioh" ("The Crownless Emperor") and "Byo no Koroshiya" ("The Instant Killer").
69	* RingOldies: He was active until January 1, 1982 at the age of 55.
70	* SadistTeacher: His training was wild, and many a Gotch apprentice recalls being taught 250 submissions in ten minutes or something alike.
71	* ShoutOut: His ring name Gotch is seen as a tribute to another catch wrestling legend Frank Gotch. Karl, himself, however, claimed he took it from a someone on his mother’s side of the family.
72	* SignatureMove: He favored the ankle lock, as he believed the ankle was the most vulnerable part of the body.
73	* SirSwearsALot: Was said to be this by people who were close to him. According to Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara, this is because he first learnt English from navy sailors.
74	* SoreLoser: When he first started training at the Snakepit in Wigan, he had no experience in submissions, as he was only an amateur wrestler. But when he lost a sparring match due to a leg submission, he asked to go again, and immediately ''[[UseYourHead headbutted]]'' his sparring partner, breaking the guy's nose.
75	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: He is listed on the Olympics website as "Karel Istaz".
76	* SuplexFinisher: The bridging German suplex, which in his time was called the Atomic Suplex.
77	* TakeThat: Gotch was friends with fellow gaijin legend Wrestling/BillyRobinson, but according to Wrestling/TatsumiFujinami, Karl used to make his apprentices work out the German suplex on heavy bags that had photos of Robinson glued in. Whether it was just Gotch's twisted sense of humor or there was a true enmity between them is debatable. Karl mentioned once that he believed Billy was his own worst enemy, so make of that what you will.
78	* TrainingFromHell: Passed one under Billy Riley and liked to dispense another to his own trainees.
79	* UrExample:
80	** Innovated the bridging German suplex (though not the German suplex itself, which was innovated by Finnish wrestlers and introduced to pro wrestling by Wrestling/LouThesz) with the bridge techniques he learned in India.
81	** Innovated the cradle piledriver, both the standard and tombstone variants. Contrary to popular belief, although the former is the one who has become truly associated to Gotch (to the point every comedy wrestler doing a parody of strong-style will inevitably try it), he actually preferred the latter.
82	** He is credited with creating the Dragon Sleeper and the Dragon Screw, made famous by his disciple Wrestling/TatsumiFujinami.
83	** He is also credited with creating the Sasori-gatame used by Wrestling/RikiChoshu, better known as the [[Wrestling/BretHart the Sharpshooter]] and/or [[Wrestling/{{Sting}} Scorpion Deathlock]].
84	** Some believe that it was Gotch who taught the double wrist lock to Kimura, who later popularized it as the famous Kimura hold. However, this has been proven false, as the move already existed in judo under the name of gyaku-ude-garami, and in fact Kimura used it on Hélio Gracie before he met Karl.
85	** Gotch also came with the name of Pancrase, and helped Caesar Takeshi to found shootboxing and Hidetaka Aso to create Submission Arts Wrestling.
86	** He also came up with the rules for Jake Shannon's Scientific Wrestling matches.

Context Wrestling / KarlGotch