Pro Wrestler Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Yussif Mahmout

Posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 by John Wood

Yussif Mahmout was a great turn-of-the-century catch wrestler who methodically made his way through wrestler of prominence in America until he could at last face Frank Gotch at Dexter Park Pavilion in Chicago on April 14th, 1909.

Mahmout caused an uproar when he entered the ring barefoot as was the custom in his native Bulgaria. The Gotch camp protested, believing it was a ploy to avoid Gotch’s vicious toe hold. The referee ruled in Mahmout’s favor and the match commenced as originally intended… it turned out to be a moot point with the American champion throwing the Bulgarian twice inside of seventeen minutes.

Inoki vs. Gotch

Posted on Sunday, April 8th, 2018 by John Wood

You know you’ve made it once you get your own action figure. This set came out in 2002 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Antonio Inoki and Karl Gotch’s famous match. This match, which took place through the New Japan promotion on March 6, 1972 at Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan is thought of as the birth of the “Strong” Style of Japanese Pro-Wrestling. Inoki fought valiantly but Gotch won with his signature move, the German Suplex.

Antonino “Argentina” Rocca

Posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 by John Wood

Antonino “Argentina” Rocca was one of the greatest pure athletes to ever enter the squared circle. His incredible jumping feats and aerial maneuvers left an indelible mark on the world of pro-wrestling. His signature move was the “Argentine Backbreaker” although it was flying dropkick after flying dropkick which often put his foes down for good. Rocca was trained by Stanislaus Zbyszko. It should also be noted that this magazine was published by none other than Joe Weider.

Art Walge

Posted on Monday, March 5th, 2018 by John Wood

Art Walge was a great strength athlete out of Philadelphia in the 1950’s and George Eiferman’s sometimes training partner. Art appeared in the 1951 feature film ‘Quo Vadis’ in the part of Croton and also did a bit of pro wrestling as “The Cardiff Giant.” Big Art had a pretty strong pair of mitts as evident by this 400 pound one-arm deadlift.

Harold Sakata

Posted on Friday, November 10th, 2017 by John Wood

You might recognize him by his most famous movie role as the villain ‘Odd Job’ in the James Bond movie ‘Gold Finger”, but Harold Sakata was also a great Olympic weightlifter, sometimes-bodybuilder and professional wrestler. Sakata got his start reading Strength and Health Magazine and, as a teenager, won many local lifting contests on his native Hawaii. After a stint in the Army, Sakata had a chance to focus on his training and he set a Hawaiian record in the clean and jerk as well as won the Mr. Hawaii bodybuilding title. His weightlifting totals were such that he was able to compete in the Senior Nationals, where he finished second to Stan Stanczyk at the 1948 Senior Nationals. His finish at the Nationals qualified him for a spot at the 1948 Summer Olympics (above) where he finished second, winning the Silver Medal, again, to the eventual champion Stanczyk. The two would go on to become lifelong friends. After his weightlifting career, Sakata traveled the country as the pro-wrestler Tosh Togo.