Karl Gotch (Istaz) was of German and Belgian ancestry and a Holocaust survivor. He played a MAJOR role in shaping the Japanese professional wrestling style.
Excelling in amateur wrestling, Gotch competed for Belgium in the 1948 Olympics in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Gotch also trained in the Indian martial art of Pehlwani. This training led to Gotch's regime of calisthenic bodyweight exercise, which were used by Indian wrestlers and other athletes to build leg endurance and strength.
Karl's pro wrestling career began after training in the "Snake Pit" run by the renowned catch wrestler Billy Riley
(Dynamite Kid trained there for a very brief time as a young kid). Gotch made his pro debut in 1955 under the ring name Karl Krauser in Europe. After establishing himself as arguably the best wrestler in Europe, Gotch ventured to the United States in 1959.
In 1961, he took the name Karl Gotch
(after Frank Gotch). He captured his first major championship, the American Wrestling Alliance
(Ohio) World Heavyweight Title in 1962 by defeating Don Leo Jonathan. Gotch held the belt for two years before dropping the title to Lou Thesz, one of the few American wrestlers he respected because of the similarities of their styles
(the two also share a common German/Hungarian heritage). A backstage feud with “Nature Boy” Buddy Rodgers - culminating with Gotch breaking Rogers' hand - further removed Gotch from favor with the American promoters, who already felt there was no place for his style in the world of American pro wrestling.
During the early 1970s, Gotch had a brief run in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He won the WWWF Tag Team Championship with Rene Goulet on December 6, 1971.
***Gotch then left the US for Japan, where he enjoyed his best and most success. He wrestled in the main event of the very first show held by New Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Antonio Inoki. His more athletic, less entertainment-based wrestling style was passed on to Inoki, who further developed it into the strong style that became the norm in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
After retiring, Gotch went on to train other wrestlers, including Fujinami, Matsuda, Sayama, Fujiwara, and Boris Malenko’s sons Joe & Dean. Some of these students, including Sayama and Fujiwara, formed the original Japanese UWF, where the matches were entirely shoot wrestling.***Karl Gotch died on July 28, 2007 in Tampa, Florida.