George Hackenschmidt UFC Champion, World’s Strongest Man, Mr. Olympia

“If I wasn’t president of the United States, I would like to be George Hackenschmidt.” — U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt

Today, George Hackenschmidt would have been
UFC Champion, Worlds Strongest Man, and Mr Olympia
all at the same time.

George Hackenschmidt was the first
recognized World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion (catch-as-catch-can)

George Hackenschmidt may have been the most perfectly developed physical specimen the world had
ever seen at that point.

George Hackenschmidt was the world’s strongest man and the holder of many world strength records.

Imagine if you could be UFC Heavyweight Champion, World’s Strongest Man winner, and Mr. Olympia all at the same time!

You would be George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt.

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Georges Karl Julius Hackenschmidt
August 2, 1878 -February 19, 1968
5’9″, 208 lbs

We won’t see it ever again!

Even in the history of mankind, NOBODY has never been considered the Trifecta of the Strength Fighter. Which mean the Best Fighter in the World. the strongest
man in the world and the best-developed man in the world of his era.

That’s the reason why George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt RULES this website.

That’s the reason why George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt is everywhere in the background of this blog.

Because George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt is the epitome of the Strength Fighter.

Georg Hackenschmidt is the Trifecta:
+ He was probably the greatest professional wrestler of all time.
+ He was considered both the strongest
and the best-developed man in the world of his era.

Even the United States President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to be Georg “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt!

Who else can claim to be as George Hackenschmidt?

In the history of mankind, in the entire universe, in the damn galaxy, nobody could, can, or ever will equal George Hackenschmidt.

Was George Hackenschmidt muscles were real?

You bet they were real. No bullshit, no photoshop, no drugs, no steroids, no HGH, no synthol existed at his era. Not even weightlifting gear and support devices were used.
110% natural and drug-free like it should be but it never ever will be!

Who in the history of humanity can compete with Georg Hackenschmidt by being a success in Fighting, Weightlifting, and Bodybuilding?

Forget about the mythological 9-foot tall emperor, gladiator, wrestler, shit eater, exotic dancer Maximinus Thrax who could lift 300-pound overhead with one hand and kill a bull with one-punch… Bullshit! Forget about Milo of Croton, the guy who get rimjob by wolves. Nobody was there to see his fighting exploits. Pure mythology as always!

Now in all seriousness, let’s see who make the list as double duty Strength Fighter.

First names coming to mind, Donald Dinnie and John Grimek.

In the 1800’s and 1900’s, wrestlers were also strongmen and vice-versa. Wrestlers challenged everybody in fairgrounds AND did strength exhibitions in circus. It was a great era! Donald Dinnie was no exception. He was a wrestler and a strongman BUT he was known as the best of both world. Dinnie was the first globetrotting
professional athlete to make real money out of sport.” Indeed, Donald
Dinnie satisfied all the conditions of a twentieth century superstar:
widespread fame, success, and riches. Dinnie was a 21-time Scottish
Highland Games Champion (1856-1876), held the title “World Champion
Wrestler“, and obtained the unofficial titles of “Greatest Athlete in
the World“, and “Strongest Man in the World“.

While another historian stated: “Athough Dinnie was a fine wrestler and a wonderfully strong man, he was never at the very top of these fields.
He never reached his potential in either wrestling or lifting because of
his preference for the profits to be had as a great all-rounder.”

Anyway, Dinnie was great! Maybe not the greatest of all time but nonetheless he was great! One thing for sure, Donald Dinnie was “The First Sporting Superstar“. He was the Tiger Woods of the 19th century.

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In the 20th century till the 70s, all bodybuilders were strongmen who used the Olympic lifts (Clean-and-Jerk, Snatch, and Overhead Press) into their training. All the bodybuilders of the early 1900s til the 50s were the strongest men in the world. At the time, you needed athletic points to be able to compete in bodybuilding. So the choice was easy. All the musclemen of the era were Olympic weightlifters. John Grimek was the most notable of them all.

Unlike today lame ideal mans physiq ue, John Grimek was the World’s best-built and most muscular man of his time, and the physical ideal of many people. John Grimek was a bodybuilder, an
Olympic-style weightlifter, an all-around strongman, a gymnast, and a
complete strength athlete.
John Grimek is the only man in history to ever win the Mr. America contest and represent the USA in weightlifting in the Olympic Games and at the World Championships. Even if he is most remembered as a champion bodybuilder, Grimek entered more weightlifting contests than bodybuilding contests and was a touring exhibition strongman.

In resume, John Grimek was the total package of muscle and athletism of his era. Grimek was kind of a strongman version of the world class CrossFit athletes of today.

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Other suspects…

Eugen Sandow? He was certainly the Father and inventor of Bodybuilding and the bogus world’s strongest man.

Primo Carnera? Started as a circus strongman and fighter. Became Boxing World Heavyweight Champion then a successful pro wrestler. Fine but pro wrestling was already scripted in the 40s.

Who else in the Modern era?

What about Marius Pudzianowski? Marius Pudzianowski is a 5 times World’s Strongest Man winner, sports a fantastic lean and strong bodybuilder physique, dabbling in Mixed Martial Arts but without any noticeable success against c-level opposition. So unlike George Hackenschmidt who was a Triple Threat. Mariusz “only” dominated the strength world, never competed in bodybuilding, and fought in MMA as a freakshow.

Brock Lesnar? He was the UFC Heavyweight Champion, WWE World Champion, played NFL pro football, a successful amateur wrestler, and a monster of a man. BUT he never competed in any strength sports and bodybuilding competition.

Ronnie Coleman? 8 times IFBB Mr. Olympia and a world-class strongman during his prime. 800-pound squat and 800-pound deadlift for reps. But can he fight? Nope!

Alastair Overeem? He is the only fighter to hold world titles in both MMA and K-1 kickboxing at the
same time. Destroyed Brock Lesnar in 2:26. A lean and mean bodybuilder physique. But lack strength compares to elite strength athletes.

Mark “White Rhino” Robinson? Sumo, sambo, judo, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman competitions, MMA… He competed in several strength and combat sports during his entire life. Nonetheless, he failed to make an impact in the UFC and MMA. Nonetheless, he is certainly the most well-rounded of the bunch.

Jon Andersen? Pro strongman, pro wrestler, pro bodybuilder! Only one problem… Wrestling is fake!

Verdict?

The best there is
the best there was
the best there ever will be.
Sorry Bret Hart!

You can’t fuck with Hack! Nobody can!

In case I wasn’t clear enough! George Hackenschmidt was the best fighter in the world, the world’s strongest man and the best-developed man in the world of his era, all at the same time.

We won’t see it ever again, since we are in the era of specialization. Gone are the days of the world class fighters AND world class strength athletes. And gone are the days of the world class bodybuilders who were also world class strongmen.

And you can forget about being the Trifecta (legit fighting, strength sports, competitive bodybuilding) in the modern-day. No way, even in the past, Hackenschmidt was one of a kind!

Nobody will ever come close to George Hackenschmidt.

Awesome even by today standards. In his prime in 1908, George Hackenschmidt had the same neck (20-inch), chest (52-inch) and waist (36-inch) measurements as Brock Lesnar (though Lesnar was nearly a half-foot taller and sixty pounds heftier).