Hookers to Bookers: The History of Pro Wrestling

[Guest DynamiteKid2K2]

Part I: The Civil-Carnaval Revolution

By DynamiteKid2K2

The NCWA Homepage

 

    Millions of homes all over North America will instinctively switch from ESPN,

CBS, ABC, or FOX to TNN on Monday Nights to catch the latest saga unfolding in the

realm of the World Wrestling Federation.  In Japan, tens of thousands of rabid fans will

flock to admire the grace and elegance of Puroresu.  And for one night, in the farthest

corner of this earth, there will stand one man.  That one man will surround himself with

the stillness of an empty arena and a worn strap of leather, weighted down with ten

pounds of gold...and a lifetime of dreams.

    All over the world, people are well versed on the existance of the Sport of Kings.  The

oldest sport in existance, this violent yet melodramatic spectacle has shaped the Ancient

Civilizations of Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and even the mightiest civilization of the all,

the Roman Empire.  Throughout the Dark Ages, the Vikings wrestled regularly, often to

the death.  The Renaissance brought wrestling forward as an honorable competition, often

in the presence of royalty.  Soldiers competed to train, the Commoners did it to worship,

and the Peasants did it to live.  It has come down through the ages to us today.  But what

has landed at our feet today bares little, if any resemblance to what the Romans built the

Colosseum for.  Today's version of wrestling is a hoax on reality, yet also a play on drama

and our inner emotions on the same token.  Wrestling is all but dead, bar the Olympic

brand that is barely still clinging to life.  Instead, wrestling has evolved into Sports

Entertainment, hence "Pro Wrestling".  Gone are the ancient gladiators and warriors that

were willing to forsake their lives in the name of honor.  In their place are Americans,

Canadians, Japanese, Chinese, English, French, Germans, Russians, and thousands of

people from all reaches of the earth that live & breath for one purpose: to carry on the

tradition of competition...to carry on the legacy of those that came before them.  Even you

an I, as fans of the sport, carry on the tradition of names that hardly register to most fans.  

    This, then, is the story of how we got here...of how we got to where we are today.

This is a story of mighty individuals, creative artists, and enthusiastic visionaries.  From

the carnivals and county fairs to the Tokyo Dome & Madison Square Garden, the sport

has come very far and seen many faces.  Therefore, in the following installments of the

series, it’ll by my honor to guide you from the grass roots of Pro Wrestling all the way to

the mongul empire of today.  Through Hackenschmidt, Lewis, Thesz, Sammartino,

Graham, Backlund, Hogan, Andre, Hart, and Austin we’ll travel, covering everything from

that end of the century to this one and beyond.  We’ll see everything...from Hookers to

Bookers.

 

    As with anything in reality, Pro Wrestling had a beginning.  But it wasn’t always the

glitz and glamour that today’s predacessors bask in.  Pro Wrestling got its roots, strangely

enough, from the American Civil War.  While there were no huge PPVs between the

North & South, Rebel & Yankee troops did wrestle in their camps for a variety of reasons,

namely to keep in shape and pass the time.  Even before the Civil War, farmers and

soldiers would wrestle around, namely in the sake of arguments and disputes.  Even

American Icons from the past were wrestlers.  George Washington and Abraham Lincoln,

two of our most honored presidents, were both wrestlers, as were atleast a dozen other

United States Presidents.  

    Pro Wrestling really took off, though, in the years following the civil war.  Soldiers

coming home to destroyed homesteads sought for ways to earn a decent living in the

post-war recession.  One of these ways was to become a wrestler.  Local carnival

promoters would often hire men to wrestle in athletic exhibitions to entertain crowds.

These carnival promoters, affectionately known as “carnies” in today’s smark lingo, were

the forerunners of today’s promoters.  They would promote these wrestling matches as

special attractions in their carnivals and local fairs.  And they were successful at that, for

by the time the 19th Century came to a close, wrestling had become a big business in

America, as the entire world.

    In the last decades of the 19th Century, these carnival promoters began to organize

their wrestlers and began to cleave out territories in which to run their shows.  They’d stay

on the road constantly, running shows in all the big cities within their territories.  And each

carnie would promote their top grappler, often known as “Hookers” as their own World

Champion.  The Hookers would wrestle other veteran wrestlers who were perhaps a level

lower than they were.  These competitors, often known as Shooters, are the equivelant of

today’s midcarders.  Together, with rookies just breaking in or even audience members on

occasion, these men helped launch the legend of Pro Wrestling.

    In the early days, the press would report on the results, helping spread the popularity of

the sport to locals who couldn’t make it out to see the events.  Through the newspapers,

people learned of the top stars in the day, both in and out of the country.  And at the turn

of the century, the two wrestlers that were most recognized were Frank Gotch & George

Hackenschmidt.

    Gotch, the recognized World’s Champion (if you classify the early titles as such)

among the promoters in America was quickly pitted against the Buzz of Europe, their

World Champion George Hackenschmidt.  The inevitable match between the two occured

in 1904, where Gotch won the match after an insane five hours of torturous battle.  While

other challengers stepped up and won the title occasionally, the people were content to

recognize Hackenschmidt and Gotch as the two top stars.  But by this time, the public had

become bored with the insane length of matches.  Coupled with the fact that a newspaper

journalist discovered the true nature of wrestling’s matches (ie: they’re scripted),

newspapers stopped covering events.  In all, the first wrestling boom rode to a close just

as the first World War got underway in Europe.  But it wouldn’t be the last...not by a long

shot.

 

PART II- Lewis, Thesz, and the Golden Age of Wrestling

PART III- The Cold War Fallout and the Rise to Prominence in Japan

PART IV- The McMahon Empire

PART V-  The Monday Night Wars

 

* Any mistaken information presented in this series is in no way intended to mislead or overshadow the actual events.  The author in no way intends to damage the integrity of the Sport of Kings *