The history of professional wrestling has seen the emergence of two major branches of the sport. The one branch is a pure sport that simply requires athleticism and good technique. The other, however, not only requires wrestlers to be great sportsmen, but also to be entertainers.
The branch that focuses purely on the sport has two major styles, both of which are Olympic sports. One is called Greco-Roman and the other is called freestyle. In the Greco-Roman style, opponents are only allowed to use grips above the waist. This is the style that was practiced in ancient Greece. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, however, American and British wrestlers started freestyle, also known as catch-as-catch-can. They added a new rule where they could add grips below the waist too.
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.
The first promoters of wrestlers in America were carnies. This was because the matches that focused on entertainment too were usually one of the attractions at traveling carnivals. The first professional title in this sport was the American Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship, founded in 1887, while a wrestler named Frank Gotch was one of its first stars.
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.
After a period during and after the First World War when interest in the sport waned, it started becoming popular again during the 1920s in the United States and the United Kingdom. What drew the crowds back were the flashier moves and gimmicks that were there purely for entertainment. By the 1930s the sport had spread to countries like Australia. In 1933 the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre or Mexican Wrestling Enterprise was founded and lucha libre was born.
Through the 1940s the sport suffered everywhere because of the Second World War. The exception was Mexico, where in 1942 a wrestler called El Santo stepped into the ring wearing a silver mask. He captured the public's imagination and became one of lucha libre's biggest stars.
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 the history of professional wrestling. Today the Americans dominate the sport with World Wrestling Entertainment and creating new superstars.
The branch that focuses purely on the sport has two major styles, both of which are Olympic sports. One is called Greco-Roman and the other is called freestyle. In the Greco-Roman style, opponents are only allowed to use grips above the waist. This is the style that was practiced in ancient Greece. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, however, American and British wrestlers started freestyle, also known as catch-as-catch-can. They added a new rule where they could add grips below the waist too.
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.
The first promoters of wrestlers in America were carnies. This was because the matches that focused on entertainment too were usually one of the attractions at traveling carnivals. The first professional title in this sport was the American Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship, founded in 1887, while a wrestler named Frank Gotch was one of its first stars.
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.
After a period during and after the First World War when interest in the sport waned, it started becoming popular again during the 1920s in the United States and the United Kingdom. What drew the crowds back were the flashier moves and gimmicks that were there purely for entertainment. By the 1930s the sport had spread to countries like Australia. In 1933 the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre or Mexican Wrestling Enterprise was founded and lucha libre was born.
Through the 1940s the sport suffered everywhere because of the Second World War. The exception was Mexico, where in 1942 a wrestler called El Santo stepped into the ring wearing a silver mask. He captured the public's imagination and became one of lucha libre's biggest stars.
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 the history of professional wrestling. Today the Americans dominate the sport with World Wrestling Entertainment and creating new superstars.
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