Shota Chochishvili

Georgian judoka and professional wrestler (1950 – 2009)

Shota Chochishvili

Personal information

Full name

Shota Samsonovich Chochishvili

Born

(1950-07-10)10 July 1950
Ghvlevi, Kareli, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union

Died

27 August 2009(2009-08-27) (aged 59)
Gori, Georgia

Occupation

Judoka

Height

190 cm (6 ft 3 in)

Weight

110 kg (243 lb)

Professional wrestling career

Ring name(s)

Shota Chochishvili

Billed from

Ghvlevi, Georgia

Debut

24 April 1989

Retired

31 December 1989

Sport

Country

Soviet Union

Sport

Judo

Weight class

‍–‍93 kg, Open

Club

Burevestnik Gori

Achievements and titles

Olympic Games

(1972)

World Champ.

(1975)

European Champ.

(1973, 1974, 1975)

Medal record

Men's judo

Representing Soviet Union
Olympic Games
	1972 Munich	‍–‍93 kg
	1976 Montreal	Open
World Championships
	1975 Vienna	Open
European Championships
	1973 Madrid	Open
	1974 London	Open
	1975 Lyon	Open
	1976 Kiev	Men's team
	1977 Ludwigshafen	Open

Profile at external databases

IJF

54445

JudoInside.com

5775

Updated on 21 June 2023

Shota Samsonovich Chochishvili (Georgian: შოთა ჩოჩიშვილი, Russian: Шота Самсонович Чочишвили; 10 July 1950 – 27 August 2009) was a Georgian professional wrestler and judoka.

Judo career

Between 1972 and 1977, Chochishvili won one gold, four silver and three bronze medals at the Olympics and world and European championships, including an Olympic gold medal in 1972.^[1]^[2]

Professional wrestling career

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1989)

In 1989, Chochishvili briefly competed in the Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. On 24 April at NJPW's inaugural Tokyo Dome event called Battle Satellite in Tokyo Dome, Chochishvili competed in a match against NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, defeating him by knockout to win the WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship.^[1] On 25 May, Chochishvili defended the title against Inoki, but was unsuccessful with Inoki winning the match and championship by submission. On New Year's Eve 1989, he was involved in the first wrestling event held in the USSR hosted by NJPW in Moscow. In the tag team match main event, Chochishvili teamed with Inoki to defeat former Olympic wrestlers Masa Saito and Brad Rheingans.

Personal life

In retirement Chochishvili worked as a judo coach; he also served as vice-president of the Georgian Olympic Committee and of the Georgian Judo Federation. His son Ramaz became an international judoka and competed for Ukraine.^[1] In 2003, Chochishvili had a heart surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. From 2004–2008, he underwent chemotherapy, but died from leukemia in 2009, aged 59.^[2]