Tony Khan mentioned during Thursday’s AEW WrestleDream media call that he hoped Charlie Thesz, the wdow of the late Lou Thesz, would attend Saturday’s pay-per-view in St. Louis, Missouri.
That hope became a reality as she was in attendance at the show, taking a picture with Khan backstage and later being interviewed by Tony Schiavone during the pay-per-view (seen below). She even offered a hand to Thekla during the PPV opener, but the heel pulled her hand away instead.
On the aforementioned call, Khan said he was AOL chat friends with Lou as a 12-year-old and would talk wrestling with him.
In April 2002, Lou passed away at the age of 86 in Orlando, Florida, due to complications from triple bypass surgery. He and Charlie first met more than 50 years ago and she was his third wife. They settled down in Norfolk, Virginia, before eventually moving to Florida.
Lou’s final match came in 1999 against Masahiro Chono in NJPW.
Tonight we're joined by the wife of St. Louis wrestling legend Lou Thesz, Charlie Thesz!
The next match in the ongoing Greatest Kayfabe Tournament has been voted on by you, the listener.
In this episode, we look at one of the greatest wrestlers in history in Lou Thesz and one of the greatest brawlers and wildmen in history in Bruiser Brody.
The two have some history together, but Thesz was from a generation earlier. How did you think Thesz’s mat skill would hold up against the sheer chaos of Brody? Plus, I give you some interesting background bits on both, and the two times they actually shared the ring together.
In the end, the real man born Lajos Tiza replaced the mythological wrestling figure named Lou Thesz, a man who had a unique aura in the business and someone whose exploits in their own way will never be equalled.
For the past 15 years or so, Lou Thesz, at least the American version, was mainly a retiree, first living in Virginia Beach, VA and for the last two years in Winter Haven, FL. While he was a celebrity at public functions and a legend in almost every country where pro wrestling was something other than a new fad, he didn’t wear his life story on his sleeve.
“Our neighbors, they never knew him as Lou Thesz,” said his wife Charlie. “They had no clue until after he died. I think it was really healthy for me to sit in the afternoon (after his death last week) with them and show them all the books. They didn’t even know what he’d done. But they just loved him because he was Lou.”
Of the tens of thousands of names that have graced this profession over the past 100 plus years, there have been stars too numerous to mention. There have been local and even national legends. There have been Hall of Famers and even a few true icons. But in every generation, there is only one immortal, someone who not only changed history, but in many ways, was history.
For most of the period from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s, that man was Lou Thesz. Some people were bigger television stars over a shorter period of time. A few were bigger drawing cards. Some were more famous in specific countries. But looking back, no one was bigger on a world wide stage.
Lou Thesz passed away at about 7:35 a.m. on 4/28, 19 days after undergoing open heart surgery in Orlando, FL, and four days after his 86th birthday. His wife, Charlie updated people regularly, using terms Lou lived his life with.
Content highlighting professional wrestling’s shooters is coming to the WWE Network tomorrow.
WWE Network News reports that this week’s WWE Hidden Gems content relates to professional wrestling’s shooters. These matches will feature shoot wrestlers/athletes such as Lou Thesz, Karl Gotch, Danny Hodge, Nobuhiko Takada and Billy Robinson. These matches span several decades in multiple promotions, including Stampede Wrestling, AWA, WWE and the Florida and Texas territories.
The matches that will be uploaded include:
Lou Thesz vs. Wild Bill Longson (Texas Rasslin’, 6/17/52)
Karl Gotch and Rene Goulet vs. The Rugged Russians (WWE MSG event, 1/31/72)
Danny Hodge and Jos Leduc vs. Pak Song and Toru Tanaka (Championship Wrestling from Florida, 11/12/74)
Nobuhiko Takada vs. Athol Foley (Stampede, 8/12/83)
Billy Robinson vs. Rick Martel (AWA, 10/18/84)
Most recently, WWE has uploaded themed content to the collection including rare Undertaker/Triple H bouts, matches featuring Hispanic wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio and Pedro Morales and matches featuring Mae Young Classic talent.
On the latest edition of the longform history of pro wrestling series, we journey into the first years of Lou Thesz as NWA World Champion.
The NWA is beginning to flex its promotional muscle nationally, and Thesz is out there sweeping up the numerous off-shoot World Championships as promoters fall in line with the NWA. Mexico continues to get bigger behind El Santo and company. Plus, a letter from a listener explaining the trouble between Thesz and Orville Brown and an amazing newspaper article on what happened to the Civil War era pioneers later in life.
1941 Waterloo, Iowa: – Orville Brown defeated Joe Dusek
1943 Wichita, Kansas: – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ede Virag beat Jack Nasworthy in 2 out of 3 falls
1945 St. Joseph, Missouri: Orville Brown beat Cowboy Roy Graham
1951 St. Louis, Missouri: – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz defeated Yukon Eric
1972 Chattanooga, Tennessee: – The Interns (Tom Andrews & Jim Starr), managed by Dr. Ken Ramey, defeated Ken Lucas & Ox the Ripper (Ox Baker), managed by Dennis Hall with the Interns’ Masks at stake in a no time limit and No DQ match – Dennis Hall & Kevin Sullivan, managed by Joey Rossi, defeated Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente, managed by Don Duffy – Danny Dusek defeated Jimmy Kent – Roy Lee Welch defeated Gene Morton
Amarillo, Texas: – Terry Funk & Ricky Romero beat Black Gordman & Tapia (substituting for Great Goliath) in 2 out of 3 falls – In a Loser Must Unmask match, Mr. Wrestling beat Red Devil. Red Devil was unmasked as Dick Beyer (The Destroyer) – Hank James beat Dory Funk Sr
1973 Denver, Colorado: – AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat The Crusher & Red Bastien in 2 out of 3 falls – Pepper Gomez beat Buddy Wolff dq – Geoff Portz beat Tokyo Joe – Ric Flair drew Tony Rocco
1976 Macon, Georgia: – Andre The Giant won a Battle Royal – Non Title Match; Jos Leduc beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel – Mongolian Stomper beat Rick McGraw – Roberto Soto beat Stan Stasiak – Paul Orndorff beat Jim Lancaster
1979 Knoxville, Tennessee: – Dick Slater beat Toru Tanaka (substituting for Jack Brisco) in a No DQ match – Jimmy Golden beat Robert Fuller – Mongolian Stomper beat Alexis Smirnoff – Norvell Austin & The Angel beat Ron Fuller & Paul Orndorff
1980 St. Paul, Minnesota: – Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon beat AWA Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura dq – Ray Stevens & Pat Patterson & Nick Bockwinkel beat Greg Gagne & Dino Bravo & Super Destroyer Mark II – The Crusher beat Jerry Blackwell to win World Brass Knucks Title – Buck Zumhofe drew Steve Regal – Tito Santana beat Chris Markoff
1981 Atlanta, Georgia: – Terry Gordy defeated Michael Hayes in a taped fist match
Greenville, South Carolina: – Buddy Landell beat Charlie Fulton – The Grappler & Super Destroyer beat Paul Jones & Jake Roberts – NWA U.S. Champion Sgt. Slaughter beat Sweet Ebony Diamond (Rocky Johnson) – Ivan Koloff beat Ricky Steamboat
Memphis, Tennessee: – Stan Lane fought Steve Keirn to a no contest – Bill Dundee beat Chick Donovan – Ricky & Robert Gibson beat The Nightmare & Speed via DQ in a “Hospital Elimination” match – Southern Champ Dream Machine beat Dutch Mantel – Sweet Brown Sugar beat Jerry Lawler in a No DQ match
1984 Houston, Texas: – Cage match: Jose Lothario beat Buddy Landel – The Rock N’ Roll Express beat The Midnight Express with Jim Cornette – Steve Williams & Hercules Hernandez beat Hacksaw Duggan & Bill Dundee – George Wells beat Ernie Ladd – Hector & Chavo Guerrero beat The Fantastics
1985 Nashville, Tennessee: – AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Jerry Lawler dq – Rock & Roll Express beat Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff – Hospital Elimination Match; Fabulous Ones beat Sheepherders – Bill Dundee beat Mongolian Stomper – Ron Garvin beat Black Bart
1986 Orlando, Florida: – Kendall Windham beat Kendo Nagasaki in a kendo stick on a pole match – The Fabulous Ones drew the Sheepherders – Southern champ Lex Luger beat Hacksaw Higgins – Barry Windham drew Ron Bass
1987 Memphis, Tennessee: – Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee beat Soldat Ustinov & Doug Somers to win AWA Tag Title – Carl Fergie & Black Prince & Don Bass beat Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee & Steve Keirn – Nasty Boys beat Lord Humongous & Big Bubba – Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka beat Tracy Smothers & John Paul – Bobby Jaggers beat Rocky Johnson – RPMS beat Jeff Jarrett & Billy Travis
1991 Atlanta, Georgia: – Big Josh (Matt Borne) & Dustin Rhodes, & Tom Zenk defeated Richard Morton, Thomas Rich & Terrance Taylor – WCW World TV Champion Steve Austin pinned Steve Armstrong – WCW World Tag Team champions The Enforcers, Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyzsko defeated The Freebirds, Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin – WCW U.S. champion Sting & Rick Steiner defeated Cactus Jack & Abdullah the Butcher in a steel cage match
1992 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada: – Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair to win the WWF World Heavyweight Title
1992 Memphis, Tennessee: – Butch Reed defeated Junkyard Dog for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title
1998 Uniondale, Long Island: – Ken Shamrock defeated X-Pac in a tournament final to win the WWF Intercontinental Title
1999 Birmingham, Alabama: – Mankind & the Rock defeated The New Age Outlaws to win the WWF World Tag Team Title
2002 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: – WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar pinned Chris Benoit – Lance Storm pinned John Cena – Chris Jericho defeated Matt Hardy via submission – No DQ match: Edge pinned Eddie Guerrero
2008 Chicago, Illinois: – Sting defeated Samoa Joe to win the TNA World Title – Booker T defeated AJ Styles and Christian Cage – Jeff Jarrett defeated Kurt Angle
