History of Catch Wrestling - The Ultimate Submission Fighting Art
*Information courtesty of Matt Furey
Table of Contents
Karl Gotch & Modern Day Catch
Despite the demise of professional catch wrestling, there were some wrestlers who continued to be trained in the real pro method. These men may have never had a professional shoot, but they were known as "shooters" because they could and would go to the post at any time, if someone wanted to try them. Additionally, these men were known to train for real during the day, so their skills were always razor sharp.
One such man is Karl Gotch, known in Japan as "Kamisama" (god of wrestling) for his amazing knowledge and skills in the art of submission wrestling, a tradition which continues to this day in such organizations as Pancrase and Pride. He competed in the 1948 Olympics for his native Belgium in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and turned pro in 1950. For eight years (1950-58) Gotch trained at the famous Billy Riley Gym in Wigan, England (one of only two schools left in the world where the real professional style of catch wrestling was being taught), honing his skills to become the greatest living master of this brutal yet highly refined "lost" art of catch wrestling.
Not only could the 6'3”, 250 pound Gotch throw with the grace, speed and finesse of a lightweight, but on the mat he was an unstoppable force. In workouts with Japan's top judo and jiu-jitsu men, he beat them so badly, even with a gi on, that they cried for mercy. Without Gotch’s knowledge and legacy, all we'd have about catch wrestling is highly suspect videos, teaching show holds masquerading as the real thing.