A Look Into The History Of Professional Wrestling

By Vicki Diaz


Many historians trace wrestling to the early 3000 BC. The popularity of this game is said to have started with the Babylonians down to the Romans, though the Greeks promoted it the most. The history of professional wrestling, on the other hand dates back to the early 1900s.

The main categories of the sport are the Greco-Roman (named so because of its origin and popularity) and the catch method which allowed wrestlers to grapple. You should know that the Greco-Roman style did prohibit grappling below the waist. However, whichever the style one chose, it was a real fight without simulations or staging.

It was until the early 1920s that the game had a major change. The word professional wrestling was coined during this period. This was also when promoters of the sport employed scripting and predetermining matches so as to interest the audience more. Though it borrowed much from the catch style, these were never to be legitimate fights but rather stage-managed competitions whose winners, the performers, and the organizers already knew. Tag teams and use of unfair means to win matches were introduced too.

It is therefore right to define the game as a stage-managed fight between well-coached performers who also know how to react to the match outcomes. The performers are to follow a given storyline and develop feuds for the excitement of the audience. It is true that these feuds and well-written storyline played a major role on the continuity and popularity of the game across the country.

The advent of Cable and television are seen as another turning point in the history of the sport. It was obvious in the 1950s and 1980s when the televisions and cable were introduced that there was a great boost in its popularity and acceptance. It is therefore referred to as the golden age of the game. Main promoters like the National Wrestling Alliance ((NWA) also got popular during this time.

Even though the NWA was popular and controlled the sport, there were groups that started their splinter organizations. Among such splinter groups were the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the American Wrestling Association. These were based in New York and Minnesota in that order. However, their popularity was not to go far as they did not excel in building storyline and staging performances. They also lacked a popular national star one like Lou Thesz.

Since the sport was being introduced to the national audience, the promoters needed better scripting and storyline to survive. Both the AWA and the WWF also went down due to investigation into some of their performers who were thought to abuse steroids. All these matters contributed to the failure of the opposing promoters. Eventually, the NWA remained as the lead promoter of the sport on TV.

Whereas there is more to the history of professional wrestling, it must be understood that the game is among the most watched in the world. It is also a top revenue earner for both the promoters and the performers. In addition, its acceptance is international as seen in countries like Australia, United Kingdom among others which have also embraced the game. It is watched by many and there are also a good number of upcoming wrestlers for the sport.




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