The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from Hungary

This page contains a list of the greatest Hungarian Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 19 of which were born in Hungary. This makes Hungary the birth place of the 8th most number of Wrestlers behind Sweden, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Hungarian Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Hungarian 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 Hungarian Wrestlers.

1. Ferenc Seres (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 53.17, Ferenc Seres is the most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.

Ferenc Seres (born 3 November 1945) is a Hungarian wrestler. He was born in Tiszakécske. He won an Olympic bronze medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1980. He won a bronze medal at the 1973 World Wrestling Championships.

2. István Kozma (1939 - 1970)

With an HPI of 49.14, István Kozma is the 2nd most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

István Kozma (27 November 1939 – 9 April 1970) was a Hungarian Greco-Roman wrestler. He won Olympic gold medals in 1964 and in 1968, and the World Championship in 1962, 1966, and 1967. In 1967 he was selected as the Hungarian Sportsman of the Year. Kozma died in a car accident, aged 30.

3. József Csatári (1943 - 2021)

With an HPI of 48.11, József Csatári is the 3rd most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

József Csatári (17 December 1943 – 30 January 2021) was a Hungarian wrestler. He was born in Budapest. He was Olympic bronze medalist in Freestyle wrestling in 1968 and in 1972. He won a silver medal at the 1970 World Wrestling Championships. He died on 30 January 2021.

4. Richárd Weisz (1879 - 1945)

With an HPI of 47.35, Richárd Weisz is the 4th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Richárd Weisz (also known as Richárd Vértesi; 30 April 1879 – 4 December 1945) was a Hungarian heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games and at the 1908 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in 1908. Weisz was born in Budapest, Hungary, and was Jewish. He trained in athletics and rowing before changing to wrestling. He won an unofficial national wrestling title in 1899 and seven consecutive official titles in 1903–1909. He also competed in weightlifting and won the national heavyweight championships in 1905–1908. He was banned by the Hungarian amateur wrestling federation for participating in a professional wrestling bout against Stanislaus Zbyszko and then performed in a circus. His amateur status was restored before the 1912 Olympics, but he declined to compete due to waning motivation.

5. Ödön Zombori (1906 - 1989)

With an HPI of 46.95, Ödön Zombori is the 5th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ödön Zombori, originally Ödön Janicsek (22 September 1906 – 29 November 1989) was a Hungarian wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling.

6. Ferenc Kiss (1942 - 2015)

With an HPI of 46.90, Ferenc Kiss is the 6th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ferenc Kiss (5 January 1942 – 8 September 2015) was a Hungarian wrestler who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics, in the 1968 Summer Olympics, and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born in Nick, Hungary.

7. László Papp (1905 - 1989)

With an HPI of 46.31, László Papp is the 7th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

László Papp (4 January 1905 – 28 January 1989) was a Hungarian wrestler who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.

8. Imre Hódos (1928 - 1989)

With an HPI of 43.04, Imre Hódos is the 8th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Imre Hódos (January 10, 1928 – April 23, 1989) was a Hungarian wrestler who was born in Hajdúnánás and died in Debrecen. He was an Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.

9. Norbert Növényi (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 40.58, Norbert Növényi is the 9th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Norbert Nottny Növényi (born 15 May 1957) is a Hungarian light heavyweight wrestling Olympic champion of the 1980 Summer Olympics, two times kickboxing world champion and currently an actor in Hungary. In January 2009, he became the oldest WFCA mixed martial arts world champion.

10. Ferenc Kocsis (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 40.47, Ferenc Kocsis is the 10th most famous Hungarian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ferenc Kocsis (born 8 July 1953) is a retired welterweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Hungary. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1980, a world title in 1979, and European titles in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983.

People

Pantheon has 29 people classified as Hungarian wrestlers born between 1879 and 2002. Of these 29, 22 (75.86%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Hungarian wrestlers include Ferenc Seres, Norbert Növényi, and Ferenc Kocsis. The most famous deceased Hungarian wrestlers include István Kozma, József Csatári, and Richárd Weisz. As of April 2024, 10 new Hungarian wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Ferenc Seres, Imre Hódos, and Csaba Hegedűs.