The Professional Wrestling Legend Lou Thesz Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. From what city was Lou Thesz billed?

Answer: Saint Louis, Missouri

Lou Thesz was born Lajos Tiza on April 24, 1916 in Banat, Michigan. He moved with his family to Saint Louis, Missouri in 1919. He was billed as hailing from Saint Louis, Missouri during his career as a professional wrestler.

2. Who trained Lou Thesz for his career in professional wrestling?

Answer: Ad Santel and Ed "Strangler" Lewis

Ad Santel trained the teenage Lou Thesz in amateur wrestling. Ed "Strangler" Lewis taught Lou Thesz how to perform as a professional wrestler by using the art of "hooking". "Hooking" is a form of wrestling using the ability to stretch an opponent using painful submission holds.

3. The National Wrestling Association was a governing body which sanctioned professional wrestling in the United States of America from 1929 through 1949. Lou Thesz held the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title on multiple occasions. On February 23, 1939, who did Lou Thesz defeat for his first official National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship?

Answer: Everett Marshall

Lou Thesz defeated Everett Marshall on February 23, 1939 in Saint Louis, Missouri for his first official National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship. Lou Thesz officially held the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship on three occasions until the title was unified with the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship on November 27, 1949.

4. Lou Thesz invented multiple moves and holds used in professional wrestling matches. Which of the moves or holds was NOT invented by Lou Thesz?

Answer: The figure-four leglock

The figure-four leglock is a submission move invented by "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers and has been used by such wrestlers as Greg "the Hammer" Valentine, "the American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Tito Santana, AJ Styles, Ric Flair, the Miz and Jeff Jarrett.

Lou Thesz invented many professional moves and holds including the stepover toehold facelock known as the STF, the powerbomb, the belly to back waistlock suplex or German suplex and the Lou Thesz press.

5. The National Wrestling Alliance formed in 1948 as a worldwide professional wrestling governing body. The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion would travel all over the world to defend their title against the top star in each territory. Was Lou Thesz named the first National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion in 1948?

Answer: no

Orville Brown was recognized as the first official National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion in July of 1948. Lou Thesz was awarded his first National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship on November 27, 1949 after Orville Brown suffered career-ending injuries in an automobile accident.

The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion was unified with Lou Thesz's National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title. Lou Thesz officially held the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship three times for a cumulative total of over three thousand days.

6. On June 14, 1957, Lou Thesz's National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship reign became tainted during one of his title defenses. The championship match was tied when Thesz forfeited the final fall due a back injury. Since Thesz did not lose the final fall by pinfall or submission, the National Wrestling Alliance chose not to recognize a title change. Who did Lou Thesz wrestle that night?

Answer: Edouard Carpentier

On June 14, 1957, Edouard Carpentier defeated Lou Thesz in a National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship match with the final fall being an injury forfiet. At the time, the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship could only change hands via pinfall or submission on the deciding fall.

The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship could not change hands on an injury forfeit. While National Wrestling Alliance governing board did not acknowledge the title change due to this match, several promoters believed that Edouard Carpentier should be the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion.

7. Beginning in 1957, Thesz became the first professional wrestler to defend the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship in Japan. Against which Japanese wrestler did Lou Thesz compete in these matches?

Answer: Rikidōzan

Beginning in 1957, Lou Thesz wrestled Rikidōzan in a series of sixty minute draws in Japan. These matches popularized the sport of pro wrestling in Japan allowing the sport to gain sport mainstream acceptance. Lou Thesz realized he could make money Japan, thus he petitioned to the National Wrestling Alliance to regularly allow him to defend National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship in Japan.

The culmination of this series of matches occurred on on August 27, 1958 when Rikidōzan defeated Lou Thesz in Japan in a non-title match.

8. In 1963, Lou Thesz, at the age of 46, defeated which star in a one fall match to win the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship?

Answer: Buddy Rogers

On January 24, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lou Thesz defeated Buddy Rogers for the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship. This was a one fall match instead of the traditional best-of-three fall format for National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship matches.

The Capitol Wrestling Corporation promotion protested the title change, left the National Wrestling Alliance and evolved into what is currently known as the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion.

9. On December 26, 1990, seventy-four year old Lou Thesz lost his final match to his former prot�g�. Who was this Japanese wrestler?

Answer: Masahiro Chono

On December 26, 1990 in Hamamatsu, Japan, Masahiro Chono defeated his mentor, Lou Thesz, by submission using the Stepover Toehold Facelock move. This match made Lou Thesz the only male wrestler to wrestle in seven different decades.

10. What was of 2001 Lou Thesz's autobiographical novel?

Answer: Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling

The autobiographical novel "Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling" was written by Lou Thesz and Kit Bauman. The novel was released on paperback on February 6, 2001.

Source: Author workisboring

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This quiz is about the legendary professional wrestler Lou Thesz. Lou Thesz held the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship for over ten years and created many moves used by professional wrestlers ever since.

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