The history of professional wrestling is a story of thrilling fictional characters and twisted plots. Wrestlers are stuntmen with impressive skills including holds and throws, and acrobatic maneuvers. Winners are planned in advance but the story line promotes the illusion of reality. It's a male soap opera pitting good guys against bad guys. The battle rages on with no clear winner. In recent years female wrestlers have added to the excitement.
Detractors denounce the violence, the pretend fights, the glorification of cheating as a means of winning. Fans say it's a story. It's exciting. Fans are encouraged to participate with cheers and jeers. And unlike most "real" sports, there's no audience violence between supporters of opposing wrestlers.
Fights as entertainment were popular in 19th century Europe, and as sideshow exhibitions in North American carnivals and vaudeville halls. A traveling carnival strongman would encourage locals to fight him in the ring. Challengers rarely won against experienced fighters with a knowledge of hook holds. It didn't take long to realize that betting on the outcome was where the real money was.
In the late 1800's events were moved to arenas similar to boxing matches. There were many individual promoters and championship belts. The first association was the NWA, a loose organization of regional promoters, formed in 1901.
Matches became increasingly sophisticated in the 1920's This was the beginning of time limit matches, catch matches, tag teams, and signature moves. Tag teams developed the ruse of distracting the referee so they could cheat. Wrestlers signed long term contracts. Promoters developed more soap opera-like story lines.
During the 1930's there was lots of competition and stealing of talent. In 1948 the NWA established regional leagues and established a unified and agreed upon heavyweight championship. There was a gentlemen's agreement not to steal talent.
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.
Detractors denounce the violence, the pretend fights, the glorification of cheating as a means of winning. Fans say it's a story. It's exciting. Fans are encouraged to participate with cheers and jeers. And unlike most "real" sports, there's no audience violence between supporters of opposing wrestlers.
Fights as entertainment were popular in 19th century Europe, and as sideshow exhibitions in North American carnivals and vaudeville halls. A traveling carnival strongman would encourage locals to fight him in the ring. Challengers rarely won against experienced fighters with a knowledge of hook holds. It didn't take long to realize that betting on the outcome was where the real money was.
In the late 1800's events were moved to arenas similar to boxing matches. There were many individual promoters and championship belts. The first association was the NWA, a loose organization of regional promoters, formed in 1901.
Matches became increasingly sophisticated in the 1920's This was the beginning of time limit matches, catch matches, tag teams, and signature moves. Tag teams developed the ruse of distracting the referee so they could cheat. Wrestlers signed long term contracts. Promoters developed more soap opera-like story lines.
During the 1930's there was lots of competition and stealing of talent. In 1948 the NWA established regional leagues and established a unified and agreed upon heavyweight championship. There was a gentlemen's agreement not to steal talent.
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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The history of professional wrestling is explained in detail right here at www.squaredcircleofwrestling.com. Read the full story on http://www.squaredcircleofwrestling.com.
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