Henri Deglane
Deglane in 1924
Born(1902-06-22)22 June 1902
Limoges, France
Died7 July 1975(1975-07-07) (aged 73)
Chamalières, France
Henri Deglane
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1924 Paris Heavyweight

Henri Deglane (22 June 1902 – 7 July 1975) was a French wrestler. He was an Olympic Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and AWA World Champion.[1]

In May 1931, Deglane faced Ed "Strangler" Lewis for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in Montreal in a two-out-of-three falls match. After two falls, Deglane had feigned being bitten by Lewis, when in reality he had been bitten in the locker room. This led to Deglane being awarded the title via disqualification and a dispute over who was actually acknowledged as champion over the next two years.[2][3]

In 1933, Raoul Paoli, a French rugby player and all-round athlete, helped Deglane, his friend, to popularize professional wrestling in France.[4][5] In 1933 the two men co-founded the FFCP.[4]

In July 1937 in Paris, France, Deglane lost his European Heavyweight Championship title to American Al Pereira.[6]

He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2013 for his accomplishments in professional wrestling.[7]

Olympics

Deglane competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, the heavyweight class.[8]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ "Henri Deglane". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ Solomon, Brian (2015). Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Most Entertaining Spectacle. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 408. ISBN 9781617136276.
  3. ^ Matysik, Larry (2013). 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time: The Definitive Shoot. ECW Press. p. 320. ISBN 9781770903050.
  4. ^ a b John Grasso (6 March 2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8108-7926-3. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ Gaillard, Barthélémy (13 June 2017). "Le catch français tente de ressusciter" [French wrestling tries to resuscitate]. Vice.com (in French). Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". www.wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  7. ^ Meltzer, Dave (6 November 2013). "Nov 6 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2013 Hall of Fame issue with several new inductees". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 1. ISSN 1083-9593.
  8. ^ "Profile: Henri Deglane". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  9. ^ Meltzer, Dave (6 November 2013). "Nov 6 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2013 Hall of Fame issue with several new inductees". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 1. ISSN 1083-9593.

External links

Olympic Champions in Greco-Roman heavyweight
Authority control databases
Categories