I liked Ole as a Horseman. Didnt get to see the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Gene / Lars. Definitely appreciated this interview popping on the feed. Ole was definitely a straight shooter like Harley Race.
From the first time seeing Ole & Gene, I was a fan. As a teen, I was behind the curtain and trying to glean training info from Scott McGhee when Ole came past and started screaming for Mark Kayfabe. When he left, I asked McGhee, “Who’s Mark Kayfabe? I know all the wrestlers and never heard of him.” McGhee said, “He’s talking about you, kid.”
Always love hearing Lou Thesz anecdotes. The autobiography (Hooker) is a great read and his wife's intro is very likeable. RUclipss show he lived on the edge of contradiction as a lover of authentic skills, yet happy to put on a show with the usual pounding, gouging and bad-guy tactics (often playing face and heel in the same match). Anderson may have his dates off a little here, if Wikipedia is right that Lou died a few days after his 86th birthday after surgery. Well, let's say it is set in his "mid 80s." Still very impressive. A real character as well as a tough character!
This is closer to what old-days Ole Anderson was like. Alot of people have seen certain later interviews that were done and I think it can be said now that at the time of those interviews Ole was starting to have issues with dementia. When he was at his best, Ole was one of the great storytellers in pro wrestling.
Would love seen that people always talk about Kurt being greatest amateur wrestler but isn't level as Lou Thesz and Vern Gonya but would been great seen all them wrestled my type dream matches wish happened
It's 2 different styles of wrestling. Kurt is the greatest in Pro Wrestling because he's an Olympian in Freestyle Wrestling, the highest level in that sport. Lou Thesz was a catch wrestler who knew how to hook guys with submission holds. Catch and Freestyle are not the same. You can't expect a Freestyle Wrestler to go up against another Wrestler who knows submission holds to beat him at his own game. Kurt never trained in holds. That's not Freestyle Wrestling. If the 2 of them had a Freestyle Wrestling match, Kurt easily wins. He'd out point Thesz or pin him. If it was a Catch Wrestling match, Thesz wins because Kurt wouldn't know how to defend against a hold.
Maybe Thesz was 85 when Ole Anderson wrestled him. Anderson said he was 59 when he wrestled Thesz. Anderson was born Sept 22 1942. On Sepr 22, 2001 Anderson would have been 59. Thesz had triple bypass surgery April 9, 2002. So there was a 6 month window where they could have wrestled. Still amazing to wrestle for 45 minutes at age 85 just before having triple bypass surgery.
Lou Thez wrestled in 7 different decades, I believe Mae Young and Abdulla The Butcher are both in that club. Lou dies at age 86, he had his last match in Japan at age 74 in 1990. Wrestling was for real tough bastards back in the days. Fans would try to kill the heels. Tough guys would try the wrestlers in public. Back then if you got a public a$$ whipping you might as well pack your bags and go to a different territory.
I think Ole wrote in his book that this happened about a year before Lou died. Lou was absolutely still working out even more recently than that before he died; the whole reason he had the open-heart surgery that killed him was because his doctor told him that he could avoid that risky surgery if he stopped exerting himself so hard at his age and became basically sedentary, and Lou took the gamble because he felt that he was already dead anyway if he had to live like that. So what's more plausible: A. Ole didn't have Lou's exact birthdate memorized and he was off by about a year B. Ole made up a story about getting his ass kicked by an 86-ish year-old man for some reason
Ole being so gregarious (relatively) and complimentary of any other human is definitely oddly refreshing. R.I.P. Ole.
I guess Lou must have been one of the few people he respected and liked.
@@tritchie6272 also Danny Hodge
Not to mention "rare".
Couldn't have booked a better guy to admit to an ass kicking from an 86 year old legend
I watched Lou Thesz wrestle Mike George in 79 or 80. Skandar was in Mike George's corner. Shrine Mosque in Springfield, MO.
I liked Ole as a Horseman. Didnt get to see the original Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Gene / Lars. Definitely appreciated this interview popping on the feed. Ole was definitely a straight shooter like Harley Race.
From the first time seeing Ole & Gene, I was a fan. As a teen, I was behind the curtain and trying to glean training info from Scott McGhee when Ole came past and started screaming for Mark Kayfabe. When he left, I asked McGhee, “Who’s Mark Kayfabe? I know all the wrestlers and never heard of him.” McGhee said, “He’s talking about you, kid.”
i like ole's story about sparring with lou
Always love hearing Lou Thesz anecdotes. The autobiography (Hooker) is a great read and his wife's intro is very likeable. RUclipss show he lived on the edge of contradiction as a lover of authentic skills, yet happy to put on a show with the usual pounding, gouging and bad-guy tactics (often playing face and heel in the same match). Anderson may have his dates off a little here, if Wikipedia is right that Lou died a few days after his 86th birthday after surgery. Well, let's say it is set in his "mid 80s." Still very impressive. A real character as well as a tough character!
This is closer to what old-days Ole Anderson was like. Alot of people have seen certain later interviews that were done and I think it can be said now that at the time of those interviews Ole was starting to have issues with dementia.
When he was at his best, Ole was one of the great storytellers in pro wrestling.
This has to be one of the best OLE interviews I've ever seen...
My dream shoot match would've been Lou Thesz vs. Danny Hodge.
That would be something! Ole's autobiography gives me the impression he'd think Danny Hodge would win, but who knows?
They did face a few times....and there was mutual respect between them
Either one would have handled Brock.
Thesz really was the man
REST IN PEACE 🙏 🪦 WWE LEGEND PAUL THE BUTCHER VACHON PASS AWAY AGE 86
Would love seen that people always talk about Kurt being greatest amateur wrestler but isn't level as Lou Thesz and Vern Gonya but would been great seen all them wrestled my type dream matches wish happened
It's 2 different styles of wrestling. Kurt is the greatest in Pro Wrestling because he's an Olympian in Freestyle Wrestling, the highest level in that sport. Lou Thesz was a catch wrestler who knew how to hook guys with submission holds. Catch and Freestyle are not the same. You can't expect a Freestyle Wrestler to go up against another Wrestler who knows submission holds to beat him at his own game. Kurt never trained in holds. That's not Freestyle Wrestling. If the 2 of them had a Freestyle Wrestling match, Kurt easily wins. He'd out point Thesz or pin him. If it was a Catch Wrestling match, Thesz wins because Kurt wouldn't know how to defend against a hold.
Gagne.
ruclips.net/video/yvv1wvegguA/видео.htmlsi=9KL9Gz9cXP4eiWqV
Sorry but Danny Hodge would smoke all 3 of them
@@pikkon899but Catch and Freestyle are the same, in fact freestyle is catch without the hooks so it would be acceptable at the Olympics
Lou Thesz died for days after his 86th birthday.
Born April 24, 1916
Died April 28, 2002
Maybe Thesz was 85 when Ole Anderson wrestled him.
Anderson said he was 59 when he wrestled Thesz. Anderson was born Sept 22 1942.
On Sepr 22, 2001 Anderson would have been 59.
Thesz had triple bypass surgery April 9, 2002. So there was a 6 month window where they could have wrestled.
Still amazing to wrestle for 45 minutes at age 85 just before having triple bypass surgery.
When ole puts someone over you know they were damn good.
Great video.
This guy was way too articulate to be a wrestler.
rip ole we miss you
no matter how he characterizes it, a competitive and a non competitive match are completely different
would have loved to been a fly on the wall
Would you look at that? He actually HAD humility. Or was this a work?
Lou Thez wrestled in 7 different decades, I believe Mae Young and Abdulla The Butcher are both in that club.
Lou dies at age 86, he had his last match in Japan at age 74 in 1990.
Wrestling was for real tough bastards back in the days. Fans would try to kill the heels. Tough guys would try the wrestlers in public. Back then if you got a public a$$ whipping you might as well pack your bags and go to a different territory.
Croak & world of hurt Lol😂😂❤❤❤❤
We bullshitted, went to sleep. 🤣
Great story. Something vaguely President Trumpian in Ole's way of speaking here, but I can't put my finger on it.
This was a total education in 5 and a half minutes.
What a liar. Lou Thez was dead by age 86
I think Ole wrote in his book that this happened about a year before Lou died.
Lou was absolutely still working out even more recently than that before he died; the whole reason he had the open-heart surgery that killed him was because his doctor told him that he could avoid that risky surgery if he stopped exerting himself so hard at his age and became basically sedentary, and Lou took the gamble because he felt that he was already dead anyway if he had to live like that.
So what's more plausible:
A. Ole didn't have Lou's exact birthdate memorized and he was off by about a year
B. Ole made up a story about getting his ass kicked by an 86-ish year-old man for some reason