August 6, 2007 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Karl Gotch passes away, Congress launches pro wrestling investigation
Karl Gotch, a very controversial figure who was far more myth than man in Japan where he was nicknamed “The God of Wrestling,” passed away at 9:45 p.m. on 7/28 at a hospital in Tampa, six days before what would have been his 83rd birthday.
Through both his training and his guidance, Gotch was a significant figure in both pro wrestling and MMA in Japan, dating back to his training Antonio Inoki in 1968. He trained many of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era, and was a strong catalyst behind the direction of Akira Maeda in making pro wrestling matches look more legitimate, and of Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki in actually making them legitimate. When it comes to Japanese pro wrestling, he was right near the top of the most influential wrestlers of all-time, both when it comes to the moves and the mind set of two generations of wrestlers who would change the business.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.