The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from France

This page contains a list of the greatest French Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 28 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 8th most number of Wrestlers behind United Kingdom, and Hungary.

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 71.98, André the Giant is the most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 47 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 Heavyweight 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. Daniel Robin (1943 - 2018)

With an HPI of 55.58, Daniel Robin is the 2nd 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.

3. Joseph Olivier (1874 - 1901)

With an HPI of 55.22, Joseph Olivier is the 3rd 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.

4. Marc Alexandre (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 51.86, Marc Alexandre is the 4th most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 19 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.

5. David Douillet (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 49.69, David Douillet is the 5th most famous French Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 26 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.

6. Catherine Fleury-Vachon (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 48.19, Catherine Fleury-Vachon is the 6th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 19 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.

7. Christine Cicot (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 47.88, Christine Cicot is the 7th most famous French Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 16 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. Cécile Nowak (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 47.05, Cécile Nowak is the 8th 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.

9. Marie-Claire Restoux (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 43.16, Marie-Claire Restoux is the 9th 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.

10. Djamel Bouras (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 42.98, Djamel Bouras is the 10th 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.

People

Pantheon has 29 people classified as French wrestlers born between 1874 and 2001. Of these 29, 26 (89.66%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French wrestlers include Marc Alexandre, David Douillet, and Catherine Fleury-Vachon. The most famous deceased French wrestlers include André the Giant, Daniel Robin, and Joseph Olivier. As of April 2024, 3 new French wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Joan-Benjamin Gaba, Loïc Pietri, and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou.