The history of professional wrestling is a history of sport as entertainment. Matches are preplanned with an agreed upon outcome. It combines theater and athletic skills including striking attacks, strength based holds and throws, acrobatic maneuvers, and improvised weaponry. A masculine soap opera, it's often a battle between good and evil. Like in the real world, evil sometimes win, but good returns for another battle. Add hot chicks and you have blockbuster entertainment.
Those who hate professional wrestling abhor the violence, the phony scripts, the use of cheating to win. Fans know it's phony. They love the soap opera stories. They love cheering and jeering at their heroes and anti-heroes. It's all good sport with no after event fights between fans of warring wrestlers.
Throughout history, fighting has been a popular form of entertainment. Traveling brawlers were especially popular in Europe in the 19th century. In North America carnival fighters challenged local brawlers to prove themselves in the ring. The carnival strongman was trained in holds and throws, and was not above a little cheating. Betting was fast and furious with townspeople usually betting on their homegrown hero who almost always lost the match.
As popularity grew, events were held in arenas mimicking boxing matches. In the late 19th century, local and regional promoters established their own championship stories and belts. The NWA, a loose association of regional promoters, was formed in 1901.
In the 1920's we first see catch matches, time limits, signature moves, and tag team events. Distracting the referee to win a fight by cheating was popularized around this time. Promoters began signing wrestlers to contracts. With exciting well-known characters, promoters could spin a story line that kept fans waiting for the return engagement.
The 1930's saw cutthroat competition as regional organizations competed for territory and talent. After World War II, the NWA grew in stature. Promoters agreed to regional territories with defined boundaries. There was an informal agreement to not lure talent away from competitors.
In the 40's and 50's the rise of TV precipitated a return to cutthroat competition. The 1960's saw the rise of the WWF, later renamed WWE. In the early 1960's Vince McMahon Jr took control of the company. An aggressive businessman he competed successfully for the best talent and scored lucrative cable TV contracts. Over the next couple decades, WWF bought out its primary regional and national competitors to become the largest promoter in the U. S.
Wrestlers as stuntmen were the creation of ECW. Wrestlers leaping from the top rope would crash into tables. They attacked their opponent with chairs. ECW staged the first ladder match. They were bought out by the WWF who saw the entertainment value in extreme stunts.
The U. S. A still has several promoters on the national scene including Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, TNA. Promoters in Mexico include Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and the Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion. Promoters in Japan are Pro Wrestling Noah, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
The history of professional wrestling is the story of a rags to riches business. This billion dollar industry profits from ticket sales, televised matches, internet shows, video sales, and branded merchandise. Popular wrestlers are celebrities, especially popular in North and Central America, Japan, and Brazil. The WWE has 13 million fans in 150 countries.
Those who hate professional wrestling abhor the violence, the phony scripts, the use of cheating to win. Fans know it's phony. They love the soap opera stories. They love cheering and jeering at their heroes and anti-heroes. It's all good sport with no after event fights between fans of warring wrestlers.
Throughout history, fighting has been a popular form of entertainment. Traveling brawlers were especially popular in Europe in the 19th century. In North America carnival fighters challenged local brawlers to prove themselves in the ring. The carnival strongman was trained in holds and throws, and was not above a little cheating. Betting was fast and furious with townspeople usually betting on their homegrown hero who almost always lost the match.
As popularity grew, events were held in arenas mimicking boxing matches. In the late 19th century, local and regional promoters established their own championship stories and belts. The NWA, a loose association of regional promoters, was formed in 1901.
In the 1920's we first see catch matches, time limits, signature moves, and tag team events. Distracting the referee to win a fight by cheating was popularized around this time. Promoters began signing wrestlers to contracts. With exciting well-known characters, promoters could spin a story line that kept fans waiting for the return engagement.
The 1930's saw cutthroat competition as regional organizations competed for territory and talent. After World War II, the NWA grew in stature. Promoters agreed to regional territories with defined boundaries. There was an informal agreement to not lure talent away from competitors.
In the 40's and 50's the rise of TV precipitated a return to cutthroat competition. The 1960's saw the rise of the WWF, later renamed WWE. In the early 1960's Vince McMahon Jr took control of the company. An aggressive businessman he competed successfully for the best talent and scored lucrative cable TV contracts. Over the next couple decades, WWF bought out its primary regional and national competitors to become the largest promoter in the U. S.
Wrestlers as stuntmen were the creation of ECW. Wrestlers leaping from the top rope would crash into tables. They attacked their opponent with chairs. ECW staged the first ladder match. They were bought out by the WWF who saw the entertainment value in extreme stunts.
The U. S. A still has several promoters on the national scene including Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, TNA. Promoters in Mexico include Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and the Asistencia Asesoria y Administracion. Promoters in Japan are Pro Wrestling Noah, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
The history of professional wrestling is the story of a rags to riches business. This billion dollar industry profits from ticket sales, televised matches, internet shows, video sales, and branded merchandise. Popular wrestlers are celebrities, especially popular in North and Central America, Japan, and Brazil. The WWE has 13 million fans in 150 countries.
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