Top 10 Wrestlers who were in the Olympics

#8 Karl Gotch

Karl Gotch, Andre the Giant, and Billy Robinson take a picture in the ring

There are very few wrestlers that leave a mark on the industry, and are remembered long after they’re gone. Karl Gotch was one such performer, who not only made a massive impact, but also revolutionised the wrestling business in Japan. He was one of the greatest professional wrestlers to have competed in Japan, and was apotheosised in the country - quite literally. The Japanese wrestling fans referred to him as ‘Kamisama’, which literally translates to ‘God (of wrestling)’.

But before he stepped inside the squared circle, Karl Gotch represented Belgium at the 1948 Summer Olympics, competing in both freestyle and Greco - Roman tournaments. Gotch’s wrestling style inspired the likes of Antonio Inoki, and the German suplex, which he used as his finisher, was named after him.

Karl also competed in the WWE for a very brief period, from 1971 to 1972, where he won the tag team titles. He had also trained some of the biggest names in Japanese wrestling, including the likes of Minoru Suzuki and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. WWE also paid homage to Karl Gotch by giving his last name to Simon Grimme, who competed in WWE as Simon Gotch - one half of The Vaudevillains.