10 Olympic Wrestlers Turned Pros Who Show the Value of Olympic Wrestling

Although pro wrestling is a different species than the Olympic version, the two will forever be interconnected.

WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor fans may wonder how the recent discussion of removing wrestling from the Olympics might affect the product they watch, but having the Olympics as a goal for amateur wrestlers both improves the quality of that sport and indirectly improves pro wrestling as well.

Karolos Grohmann of Reuters.com wrote in February that the International Wrestling Committee (IOC) recommended dropping wrestling from the 2020 games. Wrestling joined "seven other candidate sports battling for one spot in a revamped programme."

The news stirred up passionate responses in the pro wrestling world. Former TNX X Division champ Kazarian summed up the connection between Olympic wrestling and the blend of entertainment and athleticism that is pro wrestling.

"

We as pro wrestlers have evolved from the pure form and sport of wrestling. Without it, there would be NO us. Period. #SaveOlympicWrestling

— Frankie Kazarian (@FrankieKazarian) February 12, 2013"

ESPN.com reported more recently that wrestling "made the IOC short list for inclusion in the games" along with squash and baseball/softball. There is hope then that the tradition of wrestling dating back to the ancient versions of the Olympics can continue.

"

Looks like the IOC needs to get a little visit from @theshieldwwe #SaveOlympicWrestling

— Robert Flores (@RoFloESPN) February 12, 2013"

The following are men who made the journey from Olympic wrestling to pro wrestling and whose success and influence serve as testaments to the former's importance to the latter. They built on what they learned from the Games and used it to elevate the pro ranks. 

Honorable Mention

Bob Roop competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics before going on to win several titles in various territories. Chris Taylor followed his bronze medal performance in the 1972 Games with his professional debut just two years later.

Japanese great Hiroshi Hase competed in the1984 Olympic Games.

Other Olympians who made an impact in the pro wrestling scene include former WWA World Heavyweight champ the Great Wojo and also Yoshiaki Yatsu, who once battled Hulk Hogan.

More recently, Tamon Honda and Manabu Nakanishi have had success in Japan as pros after competing in the Olympics.

Iron Sheik was an assistant for the U.S. during the 1972 Games, but he didn't represent Iran in the Olympics as WWE has claimed. People still believing in his Olympic record is a testament to the power of kayfabe.

Ed Don George: The 1928 Olympic Games

Pro wrestling's ties with the Olympics began in the days of the industry's pioneers.

Ed Don George, a world champ in the pros in the '30s, was first a college star at the University of Michigan. He followed up two Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships with a fourth-place showing at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.

His Olympic performance raised his profile and helped give him buzz before he even made his professional debut. Having an Olympian in the pro rings gave the sport more clout.

Fans flocked to see George put his foes in the hammerlock or airplane spin on his way to three world titles. He later became a promoter in Buffalo for the National Wrestling Federation and eventually a member of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame.

Verne Gagne: The 1948 Olympic Games

A member of every wrestling Hall of Fame you can imagine, Verne Gagne built a career as a multi-time world champ largely on the strength of his amateur background.

Gagne won two NCAA wrestling championships at the University of Minnesota and was chosen as a member of the 1948 Olympic Games, although he didn't get a chance to compete.

As he said in an interview with Slam! Sports, he was told, "We don't think you guys know enough about Greco-Roman wrestling.' This is '48, right after the War, and we really didn't, but we sure as heck trained hard and wanted to wrestle."

In addition to his in-ring career as a pro and his time as the head man for AWA, Gagne's impact on pro wrestling can be felt by the men he trained (h/t Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum) a list that includes Ricky Steamboat, Curt Hennig, Ken Patera and Ric Flair.

Mad Dog Vachon: The 1948 Olympic Games

Given the brutality of his style and how often he bit his NWA and AWA opponents, it's difficult to imagine Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon as an amateur.

In his youth, Vachon made a name for himself in Canada as a tenacious grappler. He wrestled in the 1948 Olympics where as WWE.com writes, "he finished 7th overall" and also placed first in his weight class (h/t Slam! Sports) at the 1950 British Empire Games.

Vachon is proof of how an amateur and Olympic background can be the foundation on which to build a great character.

His intensity and bulldog demeanor may have been enough to garner some success, but having that amateur experience and skill set to work with made him much more well-rounded. This eventually led to him winning the AWA world title and earning his way into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Karl Gotch: The 1948 Olympic Games

In Japan, Karl Gotch was known the "God of Professional Wrestling."

His influence is felt more directly in Japan where he inspired a stiff, shoot-fighting style as well as trained big names such as Tatsumi Fujinami and the original Tiger Mask. Before he achieved legendary status in Japan or won any championships, he was Karl Istaz, Olympic wrestler.

Gotch competed for Belgium in both the Greco-Roman and Freestyle events in the 1948 games in London as listed by Sports-Reference.com.

His Olympic experience not only led to a successful career of his own, but helped to create a subgenre of the sport. It's hard to imagine shoot-style promotions like UWF in Japan forming without Gotch's influence. In fact, the current Japanese pro wrestling product as a whole would look a lot different without Gotch building on his Olympic and amateur skills.

Danny Hodge: The 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games

Danny Hodge may not be as famous as many of the men on this list, but his Olympic achievements and tough reputation have helped legitimize pro wrestling in the eyes of doubters.

Pro wrestling has long been the victim of scorn and distrust. Hodge is one of the men wrestling fans could point to as examples of wrestlers' grit and physical ability.

Jim Ross told PostandCourier.com, "As far as skills, toughness and the ability to totally dominate an opponent, no human being that ever earned a living in pro wrestling could have ever tied Danny Hodge's boots."

Long before Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had their buzzworthy WWE debuts, Hodge brought amateur-based star power to pro wrestling. He competed in both the '52 and '56 Olympics and earned a silver medal in the latter. Hodge is also the first wrestler to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Should Olympic wrestling continue, pro wrestling leaves the doors open for another Olympic star and bonafide tough guy to make the jump.

Masa Saito: The 1964 Olympic Games

Mr. Fuji's former tag partner wrestled for Japan in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Had wrestling not been an Olympic sport back then, perhaps Masa Saito (or Mr. Saito) would have trained in a different sport and the WWE tag team scene in the early '80s would have looked far different.

Saito used his powerful build and tenacity to transition from a successful career in the amateurs to later becoming one half of the hated tag team champions.

An underrated performer, Saito was one of the business' best technical wrestlers. His influence is felt today when wrestlers used the Saito Suplex, a move that he innovated.

Baron Von Raschke: The 1964 Olympic Games

Seeing him as the predatory, animalistic heel he played in the '70s and '80s, amateur wrestling doesn't likely come to mind first when one thinks of Baron Von Raschke. However, Raschke was one of the most accomplished amateur wrestlers to ever transition to the pros.

In addition to his bronze medal at the 1963 World Games, Raschke racked up medals in the Army Wrestling Championships and won AAU National Championships in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman. Raschke's Olympic dreams didn't materialize in spite of him making the 1964 team.

Raschke told David Chappell in an interview on MidAtlanticGateway.com, "I got a hyper-extended elbow two days before the plane was to leave for Tokyo …so, I didn't get to go."

Like Maurice Vachon, Raschke is proof of how successful one can be in the pros when working with a gimmick and a great amateur background. His exuberance and acting skills helped make him a hated heel, but his technical skills born from his amateur experience elevated his work.

Promoters today would be wise to use Raschke as an example of how to channel entertaining pro wrestling from Olympic-style beginnings.

Riki Choshu: The 1972 Olympic Games

As a promoter, a wrestler and an influential figure, Riki Choshu has made a major impact on pro wrestling in Japan.

Before he had his classic matches in the '80s against Tatsumi Fujinami, Antonio Inoki and Jumbo Tsuruta, and before he amassed a mountain of championships in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Choshu wrestled for South Korea at the 1972 Olympics.

Choshu didn't medal or take that tournament by storm, but his time as an amateur certainly affected how great he would become as a pro.

Would Choshu have invented the Sharpshooter had it not been for extensive amateur experience? Would he achieved the same level of popularity had he not first been tossing foes on an amateur-style mat?

Jumbo Tsuruta: The 1972 Olympic Games

Jumbo Tsuruta is a former All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown champ and a performer with an impressive collection of five-star matches. He has battled some of the industry's biggest names from Ric Flair to Harley Race, Terry Funk to Nick Bockwinkel.

Before he was suplexing and piledriving foes in AJPW, Tsuruta competed in the same Olympics as Riki Choshu. He and Choshu would later meet in the pros, including a classic match in 1985.

Their matches were no doubt improved by their amateur and Olympic experience, even if it turned out unsuccessful.

Kurt Angle: The 1996 Olympic Games

Kurt Angle is the ultimate example of Olympic wrestling's influence on the professional version.

Angle wouldn't have been half as great in WWE and TNA had he not come to the pro ranks so well-prepared because of his amateur experience. From the fluidity of his moves in the ring to his devastating suplexes, his amateur skills helped elevate many of his matches to classic status. 

What would the Ruthless Aggression Era have looked like minus Angle? What would TNA have looked like without Angle's contributions?

Angle talked about the importance of the Olympics compared to other amateur competitions in an interview with BANG Showbiz (via YardBarker.com)

"

I won the World Championships in 1995, and nobody heard about it. In amateur wrestling, that’s just as big as winning an Olympic gold medal. It doesn't mean nearly as much, because the Olympics is the pinnacle of sport. So, the value of Kurt Angle and my brand went up when I won the Olympics.

"

Angle represents the ideal bridge from the differing worlds of pro wrestling and Olympics. He amplified and morphed his amateur skills into a Hall of Fame career in sports entertainment.

Not surprisingly, Angle has been extremely vocal about the IOC considering removing wrestling from the 2020 Games.

"

You take Olympic Wrestling Out Of Olympics, You take the Olympic tradition from Olympics. #saveolympicwrestling

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) February 14, 2013"

Many of the names on this list may be from the past, but who knows which Olympic wrestlers-turned-pros will be building blocks for promotions in the future. As important as being able to talk, act and showboat is to what WWE and TNA stars do, the entertainment is best built on a base of wrestling.

The Olympics provide a training ground, a proving ground and a reason for young athletes to continue to wrestle and not abandon the mat game for another sport. Here's hoping the IOC votes to keep the tradition alive.