The Origin of Professional Rasslin

[Stickman]

I don't recal ever reading anybody asking this question or answering it. Back in the day many moons ago wrestling was real. It wasn't staged and guys would go out there to beat their opponent. When did that all change and who turned wrestling into "sport entertainment"? When did the matches get fixed and when did wrestling turn "Fake". I'm not talking about Vince Macmahon and his "We're sports entertainment" I'm talking about before that.

[Xero]

I would imagine in the 20's or 30's...

[BigChris]

IT'S STILL REAL TO ME DAMN IT!

[Y3J]

You really should put a "spoiler" in the title.

[BobBitchen]

get the DVD quite good,:wave:

http://www.newvideo.com/productdetail.html?productid=NV-AAE-17128-AAE-70067


or

http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s225/st52609.htm



pop some popcorn and enjoy.

[Xero]

Unreal Story isn't that great. It's not BAD, but it mainly focuses on WCW and WWE from about the Hogan era to 98-99.

[FourFifty]

Unreal Story isn't that great. It's not BAD, but it mainly focuses on WCW and WWE from about the Hogan era to 98-99.

All due respect Xero, but did we watch the same DVD?

It goes WAY back to the "sport of Gotch". Now I know Hogan is old, but THAT old? It spend a lot of time before Hulkamania. The only thing is you can't talk about how Wrestling became what it is today without talking about Hulk Hogan.

[Xero]

All due respect Xero, but did we watch the same DVD?

It goes WAY back to the "sport of Gotch". Now I know Hogan is old, but THAT old? It spend a lot of time before Hulkamania. The only thing is you can't talk about how Wrestling became what it is today without talking about Hulk Hogan.
I saw it on A&E a few times and from what I remember the bulk of it was the Attitude Era. I could be wrong though, it's been a while since I watched the whole thing.

[hb2k]

It's thought that wrestling matches started being worked with the turn of the century, with the original National Wrestling Association (not a typo) Championship and the focus on drawing and business. That's why a lot of promoters wanted their champions to be legit shooters - so that in a worst case scenario, they really could beat most people.

Things changed...And it became a full work.

Terry Funk, in his book, has a very interesting theory about the real wrestling cycle of shoot and work - in that it's real, but slowly becomes worked to focus on business, but it becomes so much of a work that people want reality - so wrestling will go back to reality, likely with shootfighting, and eventually, business and drawing money and creating stars will take precedent, and they start to work it again, and so on.

Not sure if I agree whole heartedly, but an interesting theory.

[FourFifty]

Rasslin- Teh Orgins

The word "Rasslin" started off as a slang term the news papers and sports writers started to use to describe what became of pro-wrestling. I want to say it started up in the 50's or 60's.

Credit- A&E's "The Unreal Story of Pro Wrestling"

[Destor]

Wrestling became worked (as hb2k said) at the turn of the 20th century.