"God Of Wrestling" Passes Away

Lemme show Casey how this is should be done:

No, I'm not talking about JBL. I'm talking about shooter-extraordinaire Karl Gotch.

I don't know why, but do know Gotch (born Karl Istaz, but adopted the surname from Frank, and was a far-bigger name in Japan, than in the US) had recently been hospitalized, which, I'm assuming, is also where he died.

Here's more, courtesy of Jake Shannon:

Karl Gotch died today, among his family and closest friends. Karl was a devoted husband, father, mentor, animal advocate, Holocaust concentration camp survivor, and one of the greatest Professional and Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestlers in the 20th century, but Karl would have described himself as "just a kid from the waterfront". He would have been 83 years old in a few days.

He died in Tampa, Florida at 9:45pm EST on July 28th, 2007. Karl was fiercely independent and private and truly lived life on his own terms, ask anyone that knew him.

Karl's estate wishes he be granted privacy post-mortem. Anyone seeking to pay their respects is encouraged to donate to animal rescue, in particular Pit Bull terrier rescue. The Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit organization and has already set up a rescue fund in Karl's name. All donations and contributions are tax deductible. These can be sent to:

Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 6564
Burbank, California 91510-6564
Alternatively, donations can be accepted at their website:

Paw'd Squad Animal Rescue

Karl was a true friend and a personal hero and I will miss him sorely.

Per Karl's wishes, all proceeds from the sale of his Conditioning For Combat Sports DVD will now directly benefit animal rescue.