French pro wrestling legend Popoff wins in return to ring at close to 80 years old
Theo Popoff made his debut all the way back in 1956 on the way to a career that saw him become one of the legends of the Golden Age of French Pro Wrestling. His career would span to 2009 when Popoff first retired, before coming back for a two match return in 2019. Now three years later, Popoff returned to the ring at the ripe old age of 79 for a singles match with French promotion Rixe Catch. Popoff took to the ring on November 5th at Episode X for the French promotion, taking on Tom La Ruffa in a grudge match that had been building up for months.
At nearly 80 years old, French pro wrestling legend Popoff defeated @TomLaRuffa in @rixecatch action at Episode X in Rennes, France on Nov. 5. The match was the 79 year old’s first since making a comeback in 2019 after having originally retired in 2009. He made his debut in 1956 https://t.co/jsDWFRttWF
— WrestleMap (@WrestleMap) November 15, 2022
Popoff would go on to defeat La Ruffa in the match following some assistance from Skaar. In stepping back into the ring at the age of 79, Popoff firmly inserts himself into the list of the oldest pro wrestlers to ever compete…possibly even in the top ten!
Rixe Catch recently uploaded full video of the Episode X event to their YouTube page. Along with the Popoff/Tom La Ruffa match, six other matches were featured on the card. In singles action, Thiago Montero defeated Jacob Vadocq. In a tag team battle, Les Enfants Terribles (Georges Balzac and Gustave Le Brun) defeated BASF 2909 (Lucas Di Leo and Peter Fischer). In women’s action, “The French Hope” Amalé defeated Kira Chimera. Cyrano defeated Jack Sans-Nom in a one on one bout. In a tag team match, the team of Rivality (MBM and Ultima Sombra) scored the victory over Charles Crowley and Maggot. In the main event, Antoine Bernard successfully defended the Rixe Championship against Cara Noir.
You can check all of those matches, including the historic Popoff vs. Tom La Ruffa match, below!
