Lou Thesz

[10.0] "One of the greatest of all time without a doubt. Lou invented and popularized so many common moves in wrestling today that were the foundation of the technical style. The chain wrestling that he was able to pull off with amazing dance partners like Buddy Rogers looks amazing to watch even now. What really sells him as a great is his dedication to the sport, working on the in ring aspect of it and creating a great show from the work itself. Unfortunately most of his career is lost to time at this point, but watching any match that you can get your hands on it makes it look like he's 2 decades ahead of his time."

[8.0] "An incredible career and the most famous wrestler from his era, the greatest NWA World champion of his era and his influence on professional wrestling is clear and obvious. Thesz was an incredible technical wrestler who's reversals and mat ability were unbelievable. Some of his matches aren't my thing as they look closer to a NCAA match than what I come to professional wrestling for, but I do enjoy his grappling."

[9.0] "Undoubtedly the best professional wrestler of his era, and certainly the biggest name of it. Incredibly technical worker with a strong ground game, who is very strong as a heel even though he was mostly a face, and has possibly the last "true" world championship reign depending on how seriously you take territorial lineage. Really, the only difficult part with Lou Thesz's goat argument is due to the fact that he was stuck in a wildly different era. No basketball player was more dominant than George Mikan, but you'll usually see him at 50 rather than 1, and I think that same example sort of applies to Lou, especially considering wrestling's evolution over time. Matches in the 1950s were often slow-paced and methodical, that could seem outdated and even boring to the average viewer. While I think his hour long bouts, more specifically, the ones with less talented workers against him, suffered from this, he was surprisingly compelling given his conditions. With his legacy and his in-ring work that holds up fairly well even now, he's certainly on a Greatest Wrestler Ever watchlist."

"When you discuss the pantheon of professional wrestling, one name consistently rises above the rest as the undisputed GOAT: Lou Thesz. His career, spanning an astonishing six decades, was not merely long, it was a testament to unparalleled skill, unwavering dedication, and a profound understanding of the wrestling craft. Thesz's influence shaped the very foundation of professional wrestling, and his biography, "Hooker, " stands as the definitive account of his remarkable life. Thesz's impact extended far beyond his individual matches. As a multi-time World Champion, he was the standard-bearer for professional wrestling during its golden age. He defended the prestigious world title against all comers, traveling the globe and elevating the sport's profile internationally. More importantly, Thesz was a master of ring psychology and a pioneer of many moves that are now commonplace. His technical precision, seamless transitions, and ability to tell a story within the confines of a match laid the groundwork for future generations of wrestlers. Moves like the Lou Thesz Press, the Powerbomb and the STF are direct tributes to his innovative style. He set the bar for what a professional wrestler could be, embodying strength, skill, and an undeniable aura of authenticity. For anyone seeking to understand the roots of professional wrestling and the true meaning of "greatest of all time, " Lou Thesz's career, i highly reccomend his biography Hooker."

[10.0] "Unbelievable! 58 years (1932-1990) of in-ring experience. 3210 wins in a total of 4347 matches. This means he has won most pro-wrestling matches in the recorded history. If this is his real match statistics then only four letters can describe "Iron Man" Lou Thesz as a pro-wrestler. GOAT!"

[9.0] "I don't really like "Old wrestling style." To me, It's boring but a lot of those guys back then could really kick your behind. Lou Thesz was legitimate. He legitimately could fight. Not only this his accomplishments add to his rating I mean the guy held the top title in America for what? 7 years? That's mind-boggling! And he had more reigns where he held the belt for 4+ years after that I believe. I don't personally like the classic wrestling style of the 50s, 60s but he was legitimate and he had unreal accomplishments."

[10.0] "A 4.25 average for this year on Lou Thesz is pretty bewildering. He was THE pioneer for standard wrestling techniques and movesets today, with people like Steve Austin, John Cena, Batista etc. bringing the moves he provided into Wrestling stardom. "The Iron Man" was undoubtably the reason why pro-wrestling was such a major attraction in the mid-20th century, paving the way for stars like Hulk Hogan to carry the metaphorical torch on. His multi-decade long rivalry with Buddy Rogers is majorly unknown for how long ago it was, but still, with research, extremely innovative and important."

[10.0] "One of the best to ever do it. Lou Thesz was classically trained in catch wrestling and was able to translate those abilities quite well to a pro-wrestling setting. Along with Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, he had a tremendous impact on the development of Japanese wrestling and his matches with Rikidozan were probably one of the reasons why wrestling in Japan went from focusing on brawls to more technical bouts, which would later inspire the likes of Antonio Inoki. He influenced the American scene in a variety of ways and had matches with Edouard Carpentier that were incredibly influential in how North American wrestling evolved. An all-time great and a real thoroughbred as a wrestler and a person."

[10.0] "Named at birth, Aloysius Martin Thesz bridged his life into the art of modern technical pro wrestling and with universal rejoice for his career that began in the 1930s in Collinsville, Illinois USA & ended in 1990 officially in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. Excellent world champion calibre grappler to becoming a larger than life, hall of famer calibre wrestler!"

"Quite literally the greatest wrestler of all time. Statistically the greatest wrestler to ever hold a major championship, with 40% of his incredibly long title reign as NWA Champion being taken up by title defences - more than anybody else to hold any major championship (yes, I did actually do the math on this)"

[10.0] "I have no clue how I didnt do Lou sooner. The absolute greatest wrestler in history. You can take into consideration everything going on in the world of wrestling during the 70s, 90s, early 2000s, now, even back in the 80s with figures like Bret Hart and HBK getting their starts, Hulk Hogan and Flair bringing new life to the sport, even back with Gorgeous George and Frank Gotch, none of them compare to the level of pure skill, and class of Lou Thesz. This man raised the entire bar of what professional wresting can and should be with a single hand in a way that hasnt been matched since or by any others than the Gold Dust Trio. Absolutely perfect. Thank you Lou."

[10.0] "A wrestling machine, an Olympic level shooter and the last man in the history of pro wrestling Id want to mess with (and that includes Lesnar and Haku) Lou Thesz is one of the most influential wrestlers of all time and the greatest technician to ever grace the ring. The guy has provided us so many moves and is a pioneer of Shoot Style."

[7.0] "Lou Thesz is very important figure in professional wrestling and he was good but I believe he's a 7 at best."

[10.0] "Mount Rushmore of Professional Wrestling-level GOAT. In the top 5 of all-time no doubt. 'Nuff said..."

[10.0] "I only know him from Youtube, VHS, magazines, and his biography. All of which make him one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. I can watch any of his 1950's matches, and just marvel at how smart he was. How well he worked the crowd. How utterly in control he was. He's on my Mount Rushmore certainly."

[10.0] "You can not deny how rad it is seeing him POWERBOMB people in black & white. Lou Thesz was possibly THE most important thing to ever happen to professional wrestling in regards to the bell to bell stuff. While he was 100% a trailblazing, innovative architect of the sport, it might help to give him some somewhat modern comparisons: It's like this crazy Bret Hart/Vader hybrid before color television was even a conversation. WAY ahead of the curve. It's a CRIME that more footage of him doesn't exist. The biggest flaw we have here is almost no one was remotely close to his level, so you get a bulk of "Lou just absolutely destroying the poor guy"."

[10.0] "Revolutionary wrestler, anything you see in pro wrestling nowadays, he has something to do with it, he just GOT the business."

[10.0] "What else is there to say? If there is a Mount Rushmore, I believe that Lou Thesz belongs there. In fact, he'd be the first name on it for me. His legacy as the last hooker, in a career that span from the 30s to the 80s (90s if you want to be anal about it), is legendary. And, unlike most of his peers, it was worth its name in gold. He was a true icon, a fantastic worker by the tons of matches we have in existence and a big draw for decades. So big that he was asked to hold the title while semi-retired. While they tried, the NWA never truly replaced him in terms of what he did for them. His longevity, impact and skill will forever be unmatched"

[10.0] "The single most important professional wrestler to ever exist. May be the #1 greatest professional wrestler of all time (in contention with Ric Flair). One of the greatest in-ring performers of all time. One of the greatest World Heavyweight Champions in pro wrestling history. Most likely is the greatest NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time (in contention with Ric Flair). Set many untouchable records. Achieved INSANE career longevity. Innovated moves that are still being used to this very day: The Powerbomb, STF, Backdrop Driver, & the move that bears his own name, The Lou Thesz Press. Was the original "Wrestling Machine" who was well known for wrestling incredibly long matches that was sometimes spanned over 2 hours. Feuds with Buddy Rogers, Rikidozan, Everett Marshall, & "Wild" Bill Longson are legendary. Wrestled and defeated nearly every wrestler that existed between the 1930's-1970's. One of the main guys that helped build Japanese Wrestling into the international sensation that it became and still is to this very day. Was one of the top draws in pro wrestling between the 1930's-1960's. Is universally respected around the world, and his name carries MASSIVE weight. One of the greatest workhorses in pro wrestling history. Had the aura of being the "ACE". He WAS the NWA. Held championships around the world. Is a serious measuring stick for true greatness in professional wrestling. RIP to the legendary Lou Thesz."

[10.0] "10 out of 10 for me, he's a legend started, wrestling in 1932 and retired in 1990, he is one of many icons that have stepped into the ring and I want to thank him."

[10.0] "He's a fantastic wrestler, his matches have actually aged very well, he was easily the best wrestler of his era, in-ring master whose work will always be great, a master mat technician, he was also a great champion and was the face of an era, he's one of the best ever and anything under a 10 would be disrespectful"

"I'm not putting a rating here because this is solely in response to SchoolgirlQ, rather than a statement of my opinion on the wrestler. But regarding my so-called "Quip", as it were. That was not a Quip, it was a genuine question. Due to the number of people (Yourself NOT included, for the record, I think you gave solid reasons for your rating) giving ratings with zero context or reasoning beyond "He's a legend", or outright saying they hadn't watched him."

[10.0] "A truly iconic figure in the business. Thesz, was a true technician that could go two hours most nights and adapt to anyone else's in ring style. Lou Thesz is in the top 10 all time, anywhere."

[10.0] "Excellent wrestler! A legend for sure. You wouldn't see a wrestler like him anymore. His wrestling style and moves were excellent and natural. He influenced many wrestlers over the years. It was impressive of him to wrestle at he age of 74. I wish I could have watch him on TV or live back then."

[10.0] "Lou Thesz is a genuine legend of the business, as nailed on a Hall of Famer as you can possibly get, and there is no credible reason for anyone to give him any rating other than a 10."