Useful Information About The History Of Professional Wrestling

By Maryanne Goff


Professional wrestling is a sport where competitors fight for a price. The history of professional wrestling can be dated back to the 1800s. During this time, there was no organization in arrangement of events and small groups of people would plan and fight amongst themselves. However, with time, the sport started to gain popularity and soon wrestlers and supporters increased. This led to rising of the rewards to make the game more competitive.

In the beginning of 1900 up to 1940s, this sport was a source of entertainment. Most people would watch it during carnivals and traveling acts. After a performance, the wrestlers would be then paid some little money as a reward and most of them saw this as a quick way of making money. But with time, this social event became popular and started being rated with other major sports like baseball at the time.

With increased popularity, promoters also increased. Such people put their wealth at stake to support the game. The rewards started doubling up as competition had increased between rival competitors. Also during the 1900s an organization to manage the welfare of the sport and the fighters was established.

This sport soon made it possible for participants to achieve financial success. Winners of the matches would really gain good financial rewards and also their promoters would gain too. Financial gain was deemed possible only when people changed their mindset and transformed this sport from being just an entertainment activity to a profession that wrestlers would gain something in the end.

The invention of television during the 1950s gave this game the much needed attention. This led to an increase in fan base. But there was a concern by critics and even parental associations if this sport was fit to be shown on the television. Many argued that the stunts performed by the fighters were far too dangerous. Parents argued that if the kids emulated what they saw on the television, this would increase the rate of violence.

With this concern, the promoters sought to change the content of matches. There were also other challenges with invention of cable such as a drop in viewership brought about by lack of sportsmanship by some players and even reduced content. As a result, many producers started to reduce the amount of time that the game aired on televisions.

These challenges were however overcome when a group of young talented wrestlers emerged in the 1980s. Such players were able to combine sportsmanship and entertainment by making the event so colorful. Some would portray some child heroes while fighting while others brought about some drama. The viewership for this sport started to rise again with a new crop of supporters.

From the above information on the history of professional wrestling, it is right to say that this sporting activity has evolved greatly; from being a pass time activity to a well paying profession. As it is characteristic of any activity, there cannot be success without challenges. But in the end, the sport has stood out as well known and established career and the wrestlers have become national and international celebrities in their own right.




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