The History Of Professional Wrestling

The History Of Professional Wrestling

by Leslie Mitchell

In the history of professional wrestling, there have emerged two major groupings in the sport. One is pure sport, requiring nothing but technique and athleticism. The other combines sport with entertainment and spectacle.

The branching that is pure sport has two main styles. The first is the Greco-Roman style, which was practiced by the ancient Greeks. One characteristic of this style is that wrestlers are only allowed to grip each other above the waist and not below. The second style is freestyle, also called catch-as-catch-can. It developed in the late nineteenth century in America and Britain and it allows grips below the waist.

Along with the catch-as-catch-can style, wrestlers started adding all kinds of shenanigans to their matches. The crowds, who not only came to see the sport but also the spectacle, were entertained. This was the birth of pro-wrestling.

In the United States these early matches were often part of the shows presented by traveling carnivals. Carnies would book and promote wrestlers and were therefore the forerunners of today's big-name promoters. The American Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship was created in 1887, becoming the sport's first professional title. One of the first stars of the sport was Frank Gotch, who retired in 1913.

The sport also caught on in Great Britain, with people like Jack Karkeek and then Georg Hackenschmidt attracting the masses to the ring. Hackenschmidt was a former European champion in the Greco-Roman style. Because he was so much more skilled than his opponents, it was easy to predict who would win the match. Naturally this became boring and fans started to lose interest. It prompted his promoter to help him become a showy entertainer and not just to focus on technique.

In the years surrounding the First World War, there was not much interest in the sport. However, things picked up again in the 1920s when wrestlers added ever more tricks and showing off to entertain their fans. By the next decade Australians also became fans. In Mexico, lucha libre came into being in 1933 with the formation of the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, known as the Mexican Wrestling Enterprise in English.

While the onset of the Second World War caused another decline in crowd support almost everywhere else, the opposite happened in Mexico. In 1942 the public became fascinated by a new wrestler. His name was El Santo and he wore a silver mask in the ring. Soon El Santo was not only one of the biggest stars in lucha libre, but also became one of its legends.

In the 1950s pro-wrestling had a golden era when most homes got television. Wrestlers became well-known personalities and toured the world for matches. Television also prompted wrestlers to show off even more for entertainment purposes. After a decline during the 1960s, the sport saw renewed interest during the 1970s and the 1980s. In these decades, the biggest names in the sport were Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan. Hogan is still regarded as one of the greatest legends in <A href="http://www.squaredcircleofwrestling.com">the history of professional wrestling</A>. Today the Americans dominate the sport with World Wrestling Entertainment and creating new superstars.



You can visit the website <a href="http://www.squaredcircleofwrestling.com">www.squaredcircleofwrestling.com</a> for more helpful information about The History Of Professional Wrestling

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