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 styles that are still practiced as Olympic sports are Greco-Roman and freestyle. The Greco-Roman style is the style that the ancient Greeks practiced. In this style, athletes may not grip each other below the waist. In the late nineteenth century, a new style emerged in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Opponents now began to grip each other below the waist too. This style is known as freestyle or catch-as-catch-can.
At around the same time as the catch-as-catch-can style emerged, it became popular for wrestlers to have matches where they not only showed off their skills in the ring, but also focused on entertaining the crowds. So, they would add different antics to create extravaganza and excitement. The crowds loved this and pro-wrestling was born.
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.
The sport's popularity showed a decline in the years around the First World War. In the 1920s, however, it gained popularity again in America and Britain, when wrestlers showed off even more for the amusement factor. By the next decade it had also spread to Australia and Mexico, where lucha libre began with the formation of the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre in 1933.
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.
Pro-wrestling saw a boom in popularity in the 1950s, with the advent of television. Wrestlers now became household names and toured internationally. The sport also became showier than ever before in order to appeal to television audiences. However, in the 1960s its popularity declined. In the 1970s and 1980s the sport became popular again, especially in the United States with superstars like Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan become some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling. Since then, the American federations, especially World Wrestling Entertainment, have been dominating the sport.
The styles that are still practiced as Olympic sports are Greco-Roman and freestyle. The Greco-Roman style is the style that the ancient Greeks practiced. In this style, athletes may not grip each other below the waist. In the late nineteenth century, a new style emerged in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Opponents now began to grip each other below the waist too. This style is known as freestyle or catch-as-catch-can.
At around the same time as the catch-as-catch-can style emerged, it became popular for wrestlers to have matches where they not only showed off their skills in the ring, but also focused on entertaining the crowds. So, they would add different antics to create extravaganza and excitement. The crowds loved this and pro-wrestling was born.
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.
The sport's popularity showed a decline in the years around the First World War. In the 1920s, however, it gained popularity again in America and Britain, when wrestlers showed off even more for the amusement factor. By the next decade it had also spread to Australia and Mexico, where lucha libre began with the formation of the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre in 1933.
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.
Pro-wrestling saw a boom in popularity in the 1950s, with the advent of television. Wrestlers now became household names and toured internationally. The sport also became showier than ever before in order to appeal to television audiences. However, in the 1960s its popularity declined. In the 1970s and 1980s the sport became popular again, especially in the United States with superstars like Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan become some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling. Since then, the American federations, especially World Wrestling Entertainment, have been dominating the sport.
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