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Thursday, 1 August 2019

Wrestler

Milo of Croton: (6th-c BC) was a legendary Greek wrestler from the Greek colony of Croton in South Italy. An athlete of extraordinary strength, he was six times victor in wrestling at the Olympics, and six times at the Pythian Games.

A man of huge stature, Milo boasted that no one had ever brought him to his knees. It is said that he carried a live ox upon his shoulders through the stadium at Olympia, then ate it all in a single day. He played a leading part in the military defeat of Sybaris in 511 BC.

Milo of Croton by Joseph-Benoît Suvée (18th century, oil on canvas)

Ancient Greek Wrestlers used to oil their bodies before starting a match. The suggestion that its purpose was to render the body so slippery that the opponent should be unable properly to get a hold is incorrect. It was done for hygienic reasons: to cover the pores of the skin lest the sand and dust of the arena clog them. This view is confirmed by the additional practice after oiling the body to rub it in with fine powdered clay, which certainly helped the wrestlers to gain a better grip.

Aristophanes alludes to some cunning and unsportsmanlike wrestler who, apparently unobserved, rubbed off the dust from his shoulders so that his adversary should not be able to get a grip on this vulnerable part of the body.

The Black Knight from Monty Python was based on a real person: Arrichion of Phigalia, a Greek wrestler who famously refused to give up during a particularly tough wrestling match. He died during the match, but still won because his opponent surrendered, not realizing he was dead.

Khutulun, the great-great-great granddaughter of Genghis Khan, was a fearsome warrior and a superb wrestler. It was said that she refused to marry unless her suitor beat her in a wrestling match, and that if she won, she would gain a horse from the loser. She accumulated a herd of 10,000.

In his younger days, Abraham Lincoln was famed for his wrestling ability earning his county's wrestling championship. Lincoln was touted as being defeated only once in roughly 300 matches and has been inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Local gang leader Jack Armstrong challenged Lincoln to a wrestling match. It ended with Abe grabbing him by the throat, hoisting him up, giving a little shake, then throwing him to the dirt. It was the first chokeslam used in wrestling.

The actor Kevin James was the number one spot on his high school wrestling team, until he had a season ending back injury. His friend took over his place and became WWE star Mick Foley.

Sputnik Monroe was a Memphis wrestler who fought between 1945 and 1968. As part of his villainous act, he fought against segregation and frequented black neighborhoods. Monroe succeeded in ending segregation in wrestling arenas and became one of the biggest draws in wrestling history

Aleksandr Karelin (born September 19, 1967) was the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. He won three Olympic golds, twelve European Championships and nine World Championships. His PhD was devoted to countermeasures against suplex throws. Karelin suffered two losses, one of which was against a Wyomingite farmer who wrestled cows.


Marvel collected royalties from Hulk Hogan for 20 years and it all stems from originally being introduced as "The Incredible Hulk Hogan." Once the WWF used it, they couldn't just drop "The Incredible" to avoid infringement. Had he been "Hulk Hogan" from the start, there wouldn't have been an issue.

Source Europress Encyclopedia

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