Istaz was born in Antwrep, Belgium to a Hungarian father and German mother. He grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He learned Greco-Roman wrestling in his early years and from the beginning he was a very well known sportsman. He wrestled in "The Hippodroom", a notable sports center in Antwerp, where amateur fights like boxing matches, savate matches and wrestling matches were fought.
Istaz's professional wrestling career began after training in the "Snake Pit", run by the renowned catch wrestler Billy Riley. He debuted in the 1950s, wrestling throughout Europe under the ring name Karl Krauser, and winning various titles including the German Heavyweight Championship and the European Championship.
In the late 1950s, Istaz moved to the United Sates and began wrestling as Karl Gotch. In 1961, he won the American Wrestling Alliance (Ohio) World Heavyweight Championship, and wrestledin the World Wide Wrestling Federation from August 1971 to February 1972.
Gotch became known as "Kamisama" in Japan. Gotch's wrestling style had a big impact on Inoki, who adopted and popularized his submission-based style. Some of Istaz's trainees founded the Universal Wrestling Federation in Japan in 1984, which showcased the shoot-style of professional wrestling. The success of UWF and similar promotions influenced Japanese wrestling in subsequent decades, and changed the style of matches in NJPW and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
The German suplex is named after Gotch. Gotch was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 1996. In 2007, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. He Innovated the Cradle Piledriver and the kneeling belly-belly piledriver.
Istaz was married and had a daughter. He died on July 28, 2007 in Tampa, Florida at the age of 82.
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