May 13, 2002 Observer Newsletter: Career of Lou Thesz, WWF becomes WWE, more

In the end, the real man born Lajos Tiza replaced the mythological wrestling figure named Lou Thesz, a man who had a unique aura in the business and someone whose exploits in their own way will never be equalled.

For the past 15 years or so, Lou Thesz, at least the American version, was mainly a retiree, first living in Virginia Beach, VA and for the last two years in Winter Haven, FL. While he was a celebrity at public functions and a legend in almost every country where pro wrestling was something other than a new fad, he didn’t wear his life story on his sleeve.

“Our neighbors, they never knew him as Lou Thesz,” said his wife Charlie. “They had no clue until after he died. I think it was really healthy for me to sit in the afternoon (after his death last week) with them and show them all the books. They didn’t even know what he’d done. But they just loved him because he was Lou.”

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