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Professional wrestling became popular in North America in the early 20th century. Since then, its popularity has increased and decreased at different times, usually reflecting whether the sport receives wide coverage on television.

In the early days of professional wrestling, wrestlers toured the country and took on opponents from the audience. Many of the audience participants were approached beforehand and knew that they were supposed to lose to the star. Tom Jenkins and Frank Gotch were well-known performers of this early era, which ended about World War I (1914-1918).

In the 1930s carnivals began to include wrestling matches. Future wrestling promoters saw the sport’s popularity and began to book matches in arenas. Early in the sport’s history wrestlers would hold a move such as a headlock for up to five minutes, but in the 1930s promoters began presenting matches in which the holds were abbreviated, allowing for more action. For example, instead of holding a headlock for five minutes, a wrestler might hold it for one minute and then release the opponent in order to execute another move.

Until the late 1940s the wrestling business had dozens of groups that all claimed a world champion and toured the country putting on shows. But in 1948 promoter Sam Muchnick gathered many of his colleagues together and formed the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA gave promoters specific geographic areas in which they could work without interference from other promoters. This framework went well for a few decades. Various world champions still reigned, but they were under the jurisdiction of the NWA.

In the early 1950s television emerged as a major form of entertainment, and television executives adopted wrestling as a main source of programming. Many wrestlers became household names. The wrestler who did the most to portray a colorful image was Gorgeous George, whose antics included performing in outrageous outfits and having his personal valet spray the ring with insecticide to rid it of germs. Other important wrestlers of the 1950s and 1960s included Bobo Brazil, Verne Gagne, Killer Kowalski, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, and Lou Thesz.

By the 1970s the major television networks had expanded their programming to include mainstream sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. They were no longer interested in professional wrestling, and most wrestling was shown on local channels. Few wrestlers gained widespread fame during this time, but one exception was Andre the Giant, a Frenchman who stood 7 ft 4 in (220 cm) and weighed more than 500 lb (200 kg).

During the 1980s Vince McMahon, Jr., owner of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), began buying up smaller independent organizations. In many cases he did not purchase a group outright but instead signed the group’s wrestlers, causing many organizations to fold. By the late 1980s the WWF had become the dominant organization in professional wrestling, and the NWA was no longer a major player.

Also during the 1980s cable television began to expand, leading to increased exposure for professional wrestling. In its early years, cable executives faced the same challenge that network executives had in the early 1950s—finding programming. So professional wrestling once again emerged as a major programming option. Over the years, as more and more people gained access to cable television, professional wrestling’s audience skyrocketed.

With the formation of the WWF and increased visibility on cable television, several new faces appeared in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of these wrestlers gained national stature. The most prominent stars included Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Jesse Ventura. The WWF also started promoting female wrestlers such as Chyna and Sable.

In the 1990s a new competitor challenged the WWF’s position as the main professional wrestling organization. Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), run by American television executive Ted Turner, formed a rival organization to the WWF. Under the name of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the new organization soon became popular. The WCW produced such stars as Ric Flair, Lex Luger, and Diamond Dallas Page.

The WWF and WCW are now considered the major leagues of professional wrestling, although many smaller organizations continue to present shows all over the country. Most of the thousands of professional wrestlers who toil in these independent organizations aspire one day to be part of the WWF or WCW.

Contributed By:
Jeff Archer