The History of Wrestling

Interested in the history of wrestling? It is a long and storied one, dating back to prehistoric times. That said, let's not waste any space and get right to it.

Shuai Jiao
Ancient works of art seem to indicate that wrestling was popular in Egypt, Babylonia and Mesopotamia long before formal records were kept. However, a Chinese wrestling style known as Shuai Jiao is thought to be the most ancient of all martial arts, dating back as far as 4,000 years. During these matches, the combatants reportedly would even wear horned helmets to gore their opponents.

The History of Wrestling in Egypt and Greece
Wrestling can be traced back as far as 2300 B.C. in Egypt, but is most famously recognized as a sport for the first time in Ancient Greece-where it was part of the eighteenth Olympiad in 704 B.C. Combatants would generally compete against each other in the nude, inside the Coliseum, attempting to pin or evoke a submission from one another. The sport became a staple of Greek athletics and remains a popular Olympic event to this day.

Europe and North America
After centuries of popularity in the Olympics, wrestling gradually caught on in the U.S. and Europe, with the major difference being that attacks below and above the waist were permitted. In fact, President Lincoln himself got in on the act, and was the champion of his county at the age of 21. By the end of the nineteenth century, circuses and sideshows routinely featured wrestlers, often challenging men in the audience to matches (a tactic mimicked by Andy Kaufman a century later-albeit with women).

Mexico
Mexican wrestling beginning of the 1900s, with lucha libre-a style of professional wrestling that involved aerial, acrobatic maneuvers. The format exploded in the 1930s, when promoter Salvador Lutteroth founded the country's first national promotion. A wrestler known as El Santo-or, The Saint-would soon take the nation by storm, his trademark mask and mystery generating profits for Lutteroth.

Kayfabe
Although its origin is uncertain, the word "kayfabe" refers to the suspense of disbelief we've all come to rely upon when watching professional wrestling. In the 1920s, promoters in the U.S. began to capitalize on the early origins of pop culture by creating characters that could be marketed to the masses. Good guys-or, "faces," would fight bad guys-"heels." And-the winner would be picked in advance. By the 1940s, stars such as Gorgeous George and Killer Kowalski used the early advent of television to spread wrestling to the masses. While amateur wrestling and Olympic competition continued to thrive on its own, professional wrestling took on an identity as physical theater. But it was not until the advent of television that our idea of wrestling changed forever.

Sports Entertainment
Near the end of his life, northeast territory promoter Vincent J. McMahon sold his company to son Vincent K. McMahon-who immediately set out to make the Worldwide Wrestling Federation a global sensation. McMahon slowly but surely found ways to lure talent away from smaller, territorial promotions, and eventually began working with television networks such as MTV to promote stars such as Hulk Hogan and The Rock, and even Kurt Angle-who has the distinction of winning both Olympic gold and the WWE title, bringing the sport full circle.