Karl Gotch: Kamisama - By Fumi Saito (Original Version)

The full, unedited version of this documentary directed and produced by Fumi Saito.
Fumi requested the Pro-Wrestling Historical Society upload this video on his behalf so everyone has access to the documentary he created on Karl Gotch. Here is a message from Fumi:
"The title Kamisama means 'God' in Japanese, as Karl Gotch's nickname is 'God of Wrestling' in Japan. It's a famous nickname but Gotch himself NEVER called himself that. It's important, whenever somebody referred to him as 'God of Wrestling,' he always said 'No, I'm not a god, I am just a crippled old man from water front.'
By water front he meant his home town of Antwerp, Belgium. The video was filmed in Odesa, Florida, during the summer of 1992."
Jimmy Wheeler of the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.

[@masonictrucker8031]

I've just quit traditional bodybuilding, sold all my home gym and am kitting it out with pull up bars,dipping bars, steel mace's and my main exercises are hindu squats, hindu push up's and bridges, thank you Karl Gotch for inspiring me to seek out my first upcoming catch as catch can lesson at the snake pit!

[@sychophantt]

Are you still at it?

[@harvestblades]

Allright Nicholas it has been about three years or so. Did you ever have a match & are you still training?

[@Bootsharmonica]

How's that going for you man?

[@JoshBruin77]

@@harvestblades Masonictrucker, We need answers! Answer us, dammit! Lol

[@exspiravit6920]

​@@JoshBruin77Dude this might be a long-winded comment but, my dad happened to have an old grizzled wild-man for an Uncle on his Mom's side, who had the very awesome trait of being absolutely crazy about, feeling responsible for, and giving all life-lessons (basically just giving his "best" at all times) to not only his Son (he and his wife could only have one child and that birth almost killed her as she had some female conditions that made giving birth very risky) but all his nieces/nephews and even like his 1st cousin's kids and was like an uncle & mentor to several of his closest friend's kids. Im not aware of his Pedigree, but he was once highly involved in catch-wrestling and had been trained by some high level Judokas in his world travels (military guy, had lived in Japan, Okinawa, was in Europe somewhere for years, and even had a couple burly Russian WW2 era/ Cold war era guys who loved him and they all kept in touch. He had dabbled in Power Lifting too LOL at one point and looked like an NFL offensive lineman with those Icelandic/Scandinavian physical traits that you see sometimes where you know the guy could break bones in your body with little effort. Now i got all that aside, he knew of the Snake Pit and made a comment once about the levels of even the Featherweight sized guys there who had grip strength so powerful rhey could do crazy things that seemed impossible. What im getting at is this Tough as Nails, Humble, Hardworking, and well-liked guy made it clear he was IN NO WAY even capable of surviving that breaking in process and becoming a real respected trainee guy there, so it wouldnt be hard to believe that the original poster of this comment didnt make it too far L OLOLOLOL

[@Damnationization]

"The truth only hurts a fool." Today this rings true more than ever.

[@ggremlin]

I literally watch this twice a week. I have been for years now. He motivates me so much in catch wrestling/grappling. His spirit definately lives within me when it comes to the grappling lifestyle

[@1Patrick]

For those wondering Gotch did almost 100 squats in this video. The video cut off so maybe he did even more and add those to everything else he did that day + he was 68 years old at the time. This guy is an inspiration.

[@mda1218]

still 100% male at 68 … 👊🏼

[@イエガー]

実は、この年齢でスクワットを2000回やったそうです！！ パンクラスの船木誠勝と藤原喜明が証言してます。 化け物みたいに凄い😨

[@tibetyowa6684]

Almost all students of Inoki studied under Gotch to get fundamentals down while Baba's fresh prospects were sent to Texas to train under the Funks. The difference was Gotch's students stayed with the teacher's principles and remained a well tamed disciple while Baba's guys expanded acquired skills into unique arrangements using their own creativity. Inoki scornfully compared Baba's "entertainment oriented" Pro-Wrestling to his New Japan's "strong style" based on real fighting effectiveness.

[@jamie.777]

Well said. It's fascinating history

[@nrxmonk]

Everyone that went to Baba, wanted to be Terry Funk. Everyone that went to Inoki, wanted to be Inoki.

[@jonlaver6014]

Great video to share of karl gotch, old school, hard worker , intelligent wrestler!

[@KP-wi6in]

The God of Wrestling..... Rest in Power!

[@NilsMcCloud]

I love that tidbit from the description: 'No, I'm not a god, I am just a crippled old man from water front.' Sad thing is, I live half an hour from Antwerp, and I don't know anyone in this country who has even heard of Karl Gotch. Shame, really.

[@robgnar316]

Being a life long wrestling fan, I've always found that I prefer the past than contemporary wrestling. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great modern wrestlers but they often don't make them like they used to. This is a great documentary and hope to hear Fumi again on the 605 podcast.

[@nrxmonk]

@13:30ish Gotch talks about the generals and soldiers and undercard and main having similar importance but different roles. Which reminds of Shane Douglas on Bill Watts yelling at him for not having a proper undercard match.

[@dave-oh3549]

One of my favorite comic books is "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns". Early in it, some thugs try to mug Bruce Wayne (who's now much older), after attacking him Bruce starts beating the crap out of them, and the thug's friend says something along the lines of "I told you, he's too big (implying he's too strong)". When I look at Karl Gotch, despite his age, I say to myself "He's Bruce Wayne from the comic book". Despite his age, he looks like the friendly guy you don't want to mess with.

[@allanmunoz3250]

If yoshiaki fujiwara and Karl gotch were younger and formed a tag team, dear God in heaven... imagine all the dream ( in this case fantasy) matches

[@Gotchism4Life]

I've seen this in the past but it was taken down. I am glad you uploaded. I wish there was more footage of Gotch. Magnificent wrestler who never got his due.

[@maddepth1988]

We put it up previously for Fumi in three parts. Someone else then took our parts and made it into one full video. We figured as long as it's out there may as well leave the one full video up, however, we later found out the idiot who put it up and did not credit Fumo or anyone for where he got it from, had edited the video and changed some of the content in it, so we re-uploaded the original version for Fumi.

[@Gotchism4Life]

Pro-Wrestling Historical Society I'm glad you all did. I gave it a like in the first 10 seconds.

[@Moodymongul]

9:08 - turn the subtitles on for a giggle :)

[@ljd8557]

That was brilliant

[@gatkaonlinetrainer9156]

I found no words for his appreciations

[@TheTaoofEternalWar]

I have this funny feeling that Gotch was the baddest man who ever walked the face of the earth.

[@GulfCoastSportsLLC]

Between him and Billy Robinson, it's a toss up!

[@chrisruth7057]

@@GulfCoastSportsLLC Don't forget about Danny Hodge he was an unbelievable shooter

[@kikekike7336]

He’s not dead, he’s walking till this day.

[@昌志遠藤]

This is very rare video.

[@maddepth1988]

Yes, it is. Very generous of Fumi to ask us to share it for free.

[@tibetyowa6684]

Gotch along with Robinson and the Funks are the most influential wrestlers for the development of Japanese Pro-Wrestling. Japanese who learned from the elegant Euro stylists were able to exceed the skill level of American Pro-Wrestling before the arrival of 1980's.

[@Gotchism4Life]

@Jonathan Renaud Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. Their father ran a territory out of Amarillo, Texas. Both Funks were former NWA champions. I think Dory was more technically sound. Terry was a wildman. Terry gained notoriety in the 1990s for his work with ECW and IWA in Japan where he and Mick Foley were finalists in the King of the Deathmatch tournament.

[@Yubayasun]

Karl Gotch's professional wrestling has been handed over to Asuka through Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Asuka studied professional wrestling under Yoshiaki Fujiwara in japan.

[@devriestown]

Man he reminds me of my grandfather who was Dutch he came over to new Zealand after world war2. I remember as a little kid I used to think he was a little mean but I knew he loved me. It was his hard life haveing absolutely nothing not even enough to eat as a kid.

[@leocardosobr]

Today marks the 100th birthday of Karl Gotch! Gone but never forgotten 🙏

[@papipooh3]

藤原組長の登場の仕方…笑

[@yabou7098]

日本のレスラー育成に重責を果たされたゴッチさん 道を極めた方のお姿は神々しい✨

[@ミヤザキマコト-e3h]

ゴッチ式トレーニング昨日届いて読了しました。

[@昌志遠藤]

Thank you!

[@GulfCoastSportsLLC]

10:02 Anyone of you happen to know who Fujiwara was asking for directions from? I know, but wondering if it crossed anyone's mind since I'm the only one who asked! 😎

[@HAM-sb2ns]

Who

[@rightyleftable]

Medusa

[@yus846]

あらんどらぶれいず

[@stefanhood]

MEDUSA!!!

[@tansurrent8953]

Thanks for uploading. Curious way I came about learning about Karl Gotch. Interest in fighting --> read the manga Kengan Ashura --> learn some jiu-jitsu --> watch Joe rogan podcast with Gene LeBell --> hear him mention Karl Gotch as a mentor ---> realize that if LeBell was badass then him Karl Gotch must be badass too. He's also fictionalized in Kengan Ashura as the wrestler Karugo Kurachi. Similar kind of face.

[@pd7608]

23:50 Wow.

[@TTyger]

p d whoa! That’s some Rickson Gracie stuff!

[@superlyger]

And they were doing it in India and Persia thousands of years before them.

[@artistak1]

ヒクソン・グレイシーに同じく🎉

[@masssa767]

10:30 ゴッチさんがこの茶番、寸劇にちゃんと付き合ってくれてるのが驚異的すぎるんだがwww

[@dreampopwavestudiob7282]

SUCH A SIMPLE HOUSE IN WARM WEATHER STATE. NOTHING FLASHY. KOTCH SAVED HIS MONEY.

[@長い物には巻き付け]

しょっぱなすげ〜フォームのヒンズースクワット‼️

[@nrxmonk]

LOL 10:02... random Madusa appearance, like ppl in America just understand Japanese.

[@nyarome3]

One thing I can say with certainty is that if Karl Gotch hadn't come to Japan, there would have been no rise in pro wrestling in Japan. Antonio Inoki, Shinnipon pro, and maybe even Baba and All Nippon Pro would never have existed. Even if Inoki and Baba had parted ways, Inoki had no backbone to build on, and I can't imagine what would have happened to what would become mixed martial arts. Pro-wrestling is not just a transitory show, but a huge part of Japan's martial arts culture that has taken root to this day. Therefore, there is no arguing with the fact that it is called both a great and a god.

[@user-fn1vy9ue2i]

カールゴーチ、ルーテーズ、アントニオ、ロッカの試合は、ほぼ全部観ています！

[@billcol]

I'm wondering if this was actually the summer of 1993, not 1992? Ishikawa is with Fujiwara in Florida here (20:47). The summer of 1992, Ishikawa was indeed part of Fujiwara-Gumi but he literally just debuted that April, and he had a brush cut. In December 1992 Funaki, Suzuki, and all the Japanese Fujiwara-Gumi wrestlers with the exception of Ishikawa left the fold to create Pancrase. Fujiwara-Gumi went on hiatus after February 1993, and when the show came back in June 1993 Ishikawa was second to Fujiwara, as he was the only Japanese wrestler left.

[@maddepth1988]

All the video information was given to use by Fumi, the guy who made the documentary. It's possible his memory was off when he gave us the date, however, he is normally spot on.

[@marrakechsportracer4170]

After Sami Soranaka's passing in early spring of ''92 ,Karl's daughter was married to Sam and had children as seen in the film.Boris Malenko is also shown training some japanese talent.Much of the training footage was unreleased private club only, for the purposes of what would be come Pancrase,UWF-I and Ring's fighting network.

[@harry_hurler]

圧倒的強者感

[@superlyger]

How good was Inoki? I understand he was shooting and getting the best of Brock Lesnar .

[@riffmcdude9830]

Even Frye said Inoki is good

[@GentlemansCombatives]

Why does Fujiwara meet the only woman in Florida who speaks Japanese?

[@freddiehall6433]

10:03 is that Madus?

[@masanobukatafuchi]

コレは貴重な映像😲 ゴッチさんはやっぱり神様やな🤔

[@ゆめまぼろし]

🌟

[@brother.love143]

10:00 Is that Madusa?

[@pugpug2265]

やっぱり神様やなぁ！

[@ny4433]

坂口憲二と坂口がテレビでゴッチを訪れた時は、西村が世話役として居てたけど。坂口は逃げたけど憲二はゴッチのトレーニングに2時間ほど付き合って、汗ドロドロで戻ってきた。坂口思わず、バカだなぁ、と。憲二も凄いわ、ゴッチ式トレーニングについて行けるんやから。

[@Dr.Ks_Labo]

メドゥーサ！

[@lll55lllgj]

メデューサだ

[@duckduck168]

He reminds me a lot of Bruno.

[@chuckgreen3629]

Any way to get subtitles? I feel like non-Japanese speakers missed a lot and the auto-generate isn't working.

[@lcx7313]

👈 Discovery Japan

[@tichtran664]

The blond lady look like Debbie Malenko A STUDENT OF GOTCH who later went onto japanese pro wrestling.

[@carljacobson7156]

I saw the Japanese Wrestler featured in this video, in a Japanese Samurai Movie named GOHATTO! He didn't have any dialogue - but he played one of the Samurai Captains

[@salmanalfa6192]

kesini gergara nonton Great teacher Onizuka anjirrr

[@inuneco724]

23:48 yoga?

[@superlyger]

inuneco724 maxick muscle control. Aka German yoga.

[@MrMarioski]

Damn the only other person I’ve seen do this Rickson Gracie! Legends!

[@東亭十楽]

たしか カールゴッチはヨガの研究もしてたらしい

[@Николавасев-д7ч]

Very Big...

[@夢見るおじさん-d4o]

藤原さん 性格とアタマの良さ パンピーも見習おう❤🎉

[@RAPEDBYBLACKS]

lol at the sexy white girl speaking japanese

[@schooner2525]

Alundra Blayze

[@軍鶏しゃも]

冒頭からダンベル使ったスクワットとバーベル写してるww

[@一雄中西-z8u]

893に、指詰めをされたのか？

[@user-gx9xf2zb6o]

ゴッチも凄いけどアメリカは土地が広いな（笑

[@japan8703]

ゴッチ先生　競い合う仲間が、居ない中での　このトレーニングは、凄過ぎる。 単独練習で、このメニューをやれるなら、マイクアピールしても良いけど、出来ないレスラー達はマイクとか辞めて欲しいね。 ゴッチさん以上の練習が出来ないから、当時の新日レスラーは、みんな黙って練習して、試合後も黙って居たんだね。 昭和57年だか、知らんけど小さいレスラーの中での事にしか過ぎ無いね。 規模も身体も小さ過ぎでしょ。 仕方がないのかな。

[@MrRealWrestling637]

10:36 Karl Gotch is truly a terrible pro wrestler...the guy can't know how to act. but the Medusa part is the best HAHAHA

[@DemetriB0329]

.....

[@honorjj]

なんだこれ？ｗ

[@羅斗統呼]

かつてプロレスの神様と言われたカール・ゴッチのどうがやな

[@moehoward8691]

Non of this should be done...the only thing you will get is spinal injuries. Terrible exercises! And his diet is rediculous. He would not be so overweight if he just focused on aerobics and eating normal meals.

[@MegaOnlyking]

U dont know what ur talkin about...

[@elmaquiavelico5709]

No

[@amspo8518]

no lol

[@DemetriB0329]

Dumbass