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Former AWA World champion and Catch Wrestling Association promoter Otto Wanz passed away overnight at the age of 74, according to reports out of Austria. Wanz had been dealing with an illness leading up to his passing.
Breaking into the business in Austria following a boxing career, Wanz began touring for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the early '70s. He was a powerhouse wrestler, known for ripping phone books as a feat of strength and was used as an opponent for Antonio Inoki.
Wanz was the biggest pro wrestling star to ever come out of Austria and was even mentioned as an inspiration by Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 2015 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Wanz formed the Catch Wrestling Association in 1973 and was a four-time holder of the promotion's championship. Until the modern day independent scene explosion, CWA was the definitive European promotion, using the rounds system for matches. Unlike other promotions, in many cases, the CWA tours would run the same venue or city for weeks at a time.
The promotion was a regular stop for wrestlers building their name internationally as they gained experience with names such as John Layfield, Owen Hart, Jushin Liger, Steve (William) Regal, Franz Schumann, Dave Finlay, Kensuke Sasaki, Road Warrior Hawk, Terry Funk, Ulf Hermann, Giant Haystacks, Fred Ottman and Joe E. Legend, among others working for the promotion. It's year would peak with the Euro Catch Festival event, usually held in Bremen, Germany or Graz, Austria. The promotion would shudder in 1999.
Wanz was the centerpiece of the promotion for much of its run before moving back into simply promoting in the '1990s. As a wrestler, he was often facing off with larger monsters in the ring including Don Leo Jonathan, Andre the Giant (who he did bodyslam during an era where that was not common), the future Yokozuna, and towards the end of his career, Bull Power aka Big Van Vader.
In 1982, Wanz defeated Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World championship, having a short run of 6 weeks with the belt in a move that was obviously made to reinforce his importance in Europe as a star. For decades, the rumor and innuendo has been that Wanz paid AWA owner Verne Gagne for the run.
After retiring, Wanz had a number of acting roles on TV and theater locally.
On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, we'd like to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of Otto Wanz.
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