The History Of Professional Wrestling

By Shanna McNeil


During the ancient times, people did not have any firearms or guns so they had to rely on their bare hands for self defense. Different martial arts were invented during the ancient periods to hold of their enemies and invaders. One of the most popular combat arts even up to today is none other than wrestling. The history of professional wrestling is a very interesting one because it is actually the oldest form of martial arts in the entire world and has fascinated so many people until today.

Probably the first reference to this art that was discovered was inside the ancient Greek texts called the Iliad. During the 12th century, ancient Greek wrestlers were born and had already mastered a number of techniques. It became such a hit over the people that it was a main event in the Olympic Games.

Even other civilizations like China, Egypt, and France as well. The Chinese version of it is called Shuai Jiao which emphasizes a lot on take downs and is the ancestor of the modern Chinese art San Shou. Egyptians also had their own version that can be seen in the drawings of the ancient pyramids. Ancient French civilization also had wall drawings of their combat art style.

The art became so popular that in 1912, International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles was formed. The goal of this organization was to regulated the different forms of the art and categorize them. Currently, their categories are Greco Roman, freestyle, grappling, beach wrestling, and mixed martial arts. The reason for this move was to make this martial art an official sport.

Another style that became famous among the Latino countries and eventually other countries was Lucha Libre. Lucha Libre is literally defined as free fighting and had its origins in Mexico. During its creation, only Latino countries were allowed to participate as it was seen as a way of promoting patriotism. All wrestlers in this style must wear masks and learn a lot of high flying moves.

During the sixties, Vince McMahon formed the World Wrestling Federation or WWF. It was around this time that fans from all over the world took an interest to the sport and started to support their favorite stars. In the nineties, the WWF bought over its rivals ECW and WCW and changed the name to WWE because of a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund.

Nowadays, one may even see this combat art being used in mixed martial arts tournaments like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the like. The Japanese grappling art Jiu Jitsu is another style that has become extremely popular in mixed martial arts. Today, fighters choose to combine take downs, grapples, and holds along with their striking techniques.

Basically, one will be able to observe how this combat art has changed over the centuries. The history of professional wrestling would show people that it was not always a sport used to entertain the crowd. In fact, it was a deadly art that was altered through the years so that it will not be so brutal.




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