The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from France

This page contains a list of the greatest French Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 20 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 7th most number of Wrestlers behind Georgia, and Sweden.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous French Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Wrestlers.

1. André the Giant (1946 - 1993)

With an HPI of 66.46, André the Giant is the most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages on wikipedia.

André René Roussimoff (French: [ɑ̃dʁe ʁəne ʁusimɔf]; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess human growth hormone. Beginning his career in 1966, Roussimoff relocated to North America in 1971. From 1973 to the mid-1980s, Roussimoff was booked by World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) promoter Vincent J. McMahon as a roving "special attraction" who wrestled for promotions throughout the United States, as well as in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. During the 1980s wrestling boom, Roussimoff became a mainstay of the WWWF (by then renamed the World Wrestling Federation), being paired with the villainous manager Bobby Heenan and feuding with Hulk Hogan. The two headlined WrestleMania III in 1987, and in 1988, he defeated Hogan to win the WWF Championship, his sole world heavyweight championship, on the first episode of The Main Event. As his WWF career wound down after WrestleMania VI in 1990, Roussimoff wrestled primarily for All Japan Pro-Wrestling, usually alongside Giant Baba, until his sudden death. After his death in 1993, Roussimoff became the inaugural inductee into the newly created WWF Hall of Fame. He was later a charter member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; the latter describes him as being "one of the most recognizable figures in the world both as a professional wrestler and as a pop culture icon." Outside of wrestling, Roussimoff is best known for appearing as Fezzik, the giant in the 1987 film The Princess Bride.

2. Joseph Olivier (1874 - 1901)

With an HPI of 46.46, Joseph Olivier is the 2nd most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Joseph Adolphe Théophile Olivier (2 December 1874 in Paris – 21 May 1901 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French rugby union player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the French rugby union team, which won the gold medal.

3. Daniel Robin (1943 - 2018)

With an HPI of 45.35, Daniel Robin is the 3rd most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Daniel Robin (31 May 1943 – 23 May 2018) was a French wrestler who was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. Robin was born in Bron, Rhône. He was Olympic silver medalist in both Freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in 1968, making a record as the first wrestler winning two silver medals at the same Olympic Games. Also competing at the 1972 Olympics, he won a gold medal at the 1967 World Wrestling Championships. Robin continued his career among the wrestling circle and became the head coach for French national team, then vice-president of the French Wrestling Federation, and shifted to become a technical delegate for FILA and United World Wrestling. For the 2012 London Olympics organizing committee, Robin was named the director of the wrestling operations in 2010. Daniel Robin died on 23 May 2018 in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada at the age of 74.

4. David Douillet (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 40.94, David Douillet is the 4th most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

David Donald Hubert Roger Douillet (French pronunciation: [david dɔnald ybɛʁ ʁɔʒe dujɛ]; born 17 February 1969 in Rouen) is a French politician and retired judoka. Douillet won two consecutive gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney competing in the heavyweight division. He is also a four-time judo world champion and one-time European champion. These achievements make him one of the most decorated judoka in history. After his sporting career, he was involved alongside Bernadette Chirac in the charity Opération Pièces Jaunes. He also became a consulting sportsman for Canal+. He was elected deputy to the French National Assembly on 18 October 2009 and on 26 September 2011 became the new Sports Minister until May 2012.

5. Marc Alexandre (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 39.79, Marc Alexandre is the 5th most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Marc Alexandre (born 30 October 1959) is a retired judoka from France, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1984 and 1988). He was born in Paris. Alexandre won the bronze medal in the men's half-lightweight division (‍–‍65 kg), alongside Austria's Josef Reiter, at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, followed by the gold medal, four years later in Seoul, South Korea in the lightweight category (‍–‍71 kg) by defeating East Germany's Sven Loll in the final.

6. Cécile Nowak (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 36.27, Cécile Nowak is the 6th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Cécile Nowak (born 22 April 1967 in Valenciennes) is a French judoka, world and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal in the extra lightweight division at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Nowak won a gold medal at the 1991 World Judo Championships.

7. Christine Cicot (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 35.10, Christine Cicot is the 7th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Christine Cicot (born 10 September 1964 in Libourne, Gironde) is a French judoka, Olympic medalist and world champion. She won a bronze medal in the heavyweight (+72 kg) division at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She became world champion in Paris 1997.

8. Catherine Fleury-Vachon (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 34.79, Catherine Fleury-Vachon is the 8th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Catherine Fleury (born 18 June 1966 in Paris) is a French judoka, world and Olympic champion. She won the gold medal in the half middleweight division at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She won a gold medal at the 1989 World Judo Championships and bronze medals at the 1991 and at the 1995 World Judo Championships. She was the first french woman in history winning the gold medal at the Olympics

9. Djamel Bouras (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 32.83, Djamel Bouras is the 9th most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Djamel Bouras (born 11 August 1971 in Givors, Rhône) is a French judoka of Algerian origin. He won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

10. Marie-Claire Restoux (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 30.93, Marie-Claire Restoux is the 10th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Marie-Claire Restoux (born 9 April 1968 in La Rochefoucauld, Charente) is a French judoka, world champion and Olympic champion. She won the gold medal in the half lightweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She received a gold medal at the 1995 World Judo Championships, and again in 1997, and a bronze medal in 1999.

People

Pantheon has 26 people classified as French wrestlers born between 1874 and 1999. Of these 26, 23 (88.46%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French wrestlers include David Douillet, Marc Alexandre, and Cécile Nowak. The most famous deceased French wrestlers include André the Giant, Joseph Olivier, and Daniel Robin. As of April 2024, 6 new French wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Christophe Guénot, Walide Khyar, and Shirine Boukli.