1916/04/24 in Banat, Michigan * He had been telling that he was from St. Louis, Missouri where his family moved to when he was three years old. However, it was because of the tough life his parents had to go through in a Michigan small town and Thesz wanted to forget that.
Debut:
1932/09 in East St. Louis, Illinois
First Match in Japan:
61min time limit draw against Rikidōzan on 1957/10/07
Last Match:
defeated by Masahiro Chono on 1990/12/26 in Hamamatsu, Japan at the age of 74
After being trained by the wrestling legends such as George Tragos, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, and Ad Santel, Lou Thesz became the greatest wrestler of this century. As the Unified World Heavyweight champion, he made a record of 936 consecutive wins between 1948 and 1955 when pro-wrestling was respected as a professional sport in the United States. He was the first world heavyweight champion to step on the Japanese soil when "World Heavyweight Title" meant a lot in the sport. He was one of the greatest rivals of Rikidōzan, and many wrestlers who would later become big stars in Japan, including the stars like Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, aimed to be like Thesz. There has not been any undisputed world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling since Lou Thesz.
