Origins of Nostalgia

I don’t follow professional wrestling now.  I don’t really care for it and about it now, and I certainly don’t have time to spare to watch all the various incarnations of wrestling out there.  I don’t even own a working TV.  But there was a time in my life when watching wrestling was a weekly ritual, almost on par with watching the new Star Trek: The Next Generation episode.  Every Saturday afternoon, after watching our cartoons, my brother and I would tune in to catch the latest plot twists and feuds happening in the world of the WWF.  (I still call it the WWF and not the WWE because that’s what it was when I watched.)  Occasionally they’d show some matches too.   For me it was, and still is, all about the spectacle that is wrestling.  The matches are fun to watch but become predictable.  The characters and personas that the wrestlers create, that’s where it’s gold. 

I grew up watching wrestling at a pretty early age.  I believe it was the old AWA circuit that I watched first and it used to be on later at night.  It was one of the only things I remember being able to stay up late to watch.  This was back in the early 1980’s.  My favorite early wrestler was Baron Von Raschke.  He’d been a heel (bad guy) most of his wrestling career, but when I watched him he’d gotten older and had turned face (good guy).  He still had elements of his heel days though, still being vaguely an evil WWI style German.  All this I didn’t understand then of course.  What I loved about him was his finishing move, the claw or brainclaw.  For some reason as a 5-year-old kid I loved this.  

As I grew up in the 80’s wrestling hit it’s peak in popularity.  Though still inappropriate in certain ways, mainly blatant uses and promotions of stereotypes, wrestling was a little more kid friendly in those days.  There certainly wasn’t as much sexual content as there is today.  It was a very mainstream type of entertainment, with wrestling entering back into prime time television.  The WWF and its top entertainers began to reach global icon status. Though I was never on the Hulkamania bandwagon (thank god), and I never was a huge fan of the Ultimate Warrior, there was no denying that they were some of the most liked and most popular celebrities in my elementary school, and I’m sure most elementary schools across the country. 

I eventually grew out of following wrestling in the 1990’s.  Getting older and having other interests won out.  The product had also started to change too.  Things didn’t seem quite as fun.  The characters were quite as interesting, with the brief exception of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the late 90’s.  And so now I look back on the time with heavy nostalgia.  I am just as entertained now though watching the old wrestling clips and interviews, maybe even more so.  But now I’m much more entertained by the heels, the bad guys.  They seem much more interesting, and much funnier.  Watching Rowdy Roddy Piper [1], Macho Man Randy Savage [2], Jesse The Body Ventura [3], and The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase [4] is high entertainment and high comedy to me.  These guys were expert actors and so skilled at making the audience hate and love them at the same time.  That is something that I am still very impressed with.

Works Cited:

[1] "Roddy Piper promo before Iron Shiek Match" YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99fitG5XM4o&feature=related> (accessed May 31, 2011)
[2] ""Macho Man" Randy Savage" YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E7Ch4Gw-Kk&feature=related> (accessed May 31, 2011)
[3] "Jesse Ventura commercial" YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OILrhjni-8> (accessed May 31, 2011)
[4] "Ted Dibiase Promo" YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td9i6-oa4Kw> (accessed May 31, 2011)

Origins and History of Professional Wrestling

This blog has been created to share my thoughts on professional wrestling.  I am interested in pro-wrestling’s standing in the world at large, and specifically its affect on pop-culture (art, television, film, etc.) in the United States and in Mexico [1].  This first post will be a brief introduction on its origins and history, and also its evolution to the current form we see today.

Early Origins of Wrestling as Sport

Professional wrestling has its origins in the sport of wrestling.  Wrestling, in its earliest form as a sport and athletic competition, can be traced back 5000 years to ancient Sumeria [2], and to ancient Egypt [3].   Cave paintings in France [4] push its archaeological dates even further back, to 15,000 years ago, and surely humans have been involved in some form of wrestling combat since our existence.  Since 708 B.C.E it was part of the ancient Olympic Games of Greece, and the sport was continued during the Roman era, and through the Middle Ages and Renaissance [5]. 

Origins of Professional Wrestling

In the early to mid 1800’s in France [6] and other parts of Europe, troupes of wrestlers started to form.  These wrestlers would travel the country, usually with circuses or carnivals, putting on shows for the people.  They would also challenge their audience to best them in the ring.  This tradition continued throughout Europe during the 19^th century.  It was also established in the United States post Civil War, where wrestlers were also associated with traveling carnivals and vaudeville halls [7]. 

While professional wrestling was still extremely popular in Europe and in the United States at the end of the 19^th century, its legitimacy was starting to be questioned [8].  Many matches were being “worked”, with the moves and outcomes of matches being prearranged.  A split between the Olympic amateurism and professional wrestling occurred.  This did not hurt professional wrestling’s popularity however as that continued to grow during the early 1900’s. 

Golden Age

New styles of wrestling began developing and cross-pollinating in different countries of the world.  Lucha Libre began in Mexico [9], Puroresu in Japan [10].  With the creation and alliances of many major wrestling promotion companies, including the Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre in Mexico, All Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan, and the National Wrestling Alliance in the United States, professional wrestling surged in popularity during the 1940’s and 1950’s.  With the advent of television during this time we see the emergence of the first wrestling global icons and national heroes; El Santo in Mexico, Rikidōzan in Japan, and Gorgeous George Wagner in the U.S. [11].   These wrestling stars, along with others, began crossing over into the mainstream, becoming pop culture celebrities in their respective countries, and beginning a trend that continued through the 20^th century until today.   

1960’s & 70’s

In the United States during the 1960’s and 70’s, wrestling remained popular, but the promotional companies were still very regional.  There were many independent circuits allied together under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) [12].  A few larger companies, including the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF- later WWF), broke away from the NWA during this time and began having their own success.

1980’s onward

The 1980’s saw professional wrestling in the U.S. hit its all time peak.  With some of the most famous wrestlers of all time, including Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and Macho Man Randy Savage, the WWF under the direction of Vince K. McMahon emerged on top as the most successful promotional company, and led wrestling back into the national and international spotlight [13].  With the success of their weekly primetime wrestling shows, and the pay per view Wrestlemania shows, the WWF began absorbing other promotional companies and their wrestlers.  With the exception of Ted Turner’s eventual failed last stand with his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1994 and 2001 [14], the WWF, renamed WWE in 2002, has seen mostly unchallenged success, though perhaps not at the peak levels they were in the 1980’s.

 

Work Cited:

[1] "Los Campeones Justicieros to AVI clip0" YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBcfbykCipY> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[2] "Roots and History of Olympic Wrestling" International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles <http://www.fila-wrestling.com/> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[3] Runyon, Jane "Wrestling Takes A Hold" <http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_42_294.html> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[4] "Wrestling" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling>  (accessed May 24, 2011)

[5] "Roots and History of Olympic Wrestling" International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles <http://www.fila-wrestling.com/> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[6] "Roots and History of Olympic Wrestling" International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles <http://www.fila-wrestling.com/> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[7] "Professional Wrestling" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[8]  "Roots and History of Olympic Wrestling" International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles <http://www.fila-wrestling.com/> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[9] Bondurant, Mark "Lucha Libre The History of Mexican Professional Wrestling" <http://www.bongo.net/papers/lucha.htm> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[10] "History of Puroresu" <http://www.puroresu.com/history/> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[11] "History of Professional Wrestling" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_professional_wrestling> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[12] "History of Professional Wrestling" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_professional_wrestling> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[13] "History of Professional Wrestling" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_professional_wrestling> (accessed May 24, 2011)

[14] "WWE" Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment>  (accessed May 24, 2011)