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Wrestling Facts

Wrestling Facts
One of the oldest forms of combat is wrestling, dating back 15,000 years as shown on cave drawings found in France. Egyptian and Babylonian images depict wrestlers using the holds common today in wrestling matches. Wrestling was a prominent sport in ancient Greece, and was the main sport of the ancient Olympic Games. When the ancient Romans wrestled they eliminated a lot of the brutality present in the ancient Greek wrestling. In the Middle Ages wrestling was popular among the Royal Families of England, Japan and France. English settlers in America brought the sport with them, and since then it has evolved to become both a popular serious sport and a form of staged entertainment.
Interesting Wrestling Facts:
Wrestling is popular in ancient mythology. Zeus became ruler of the earth following a wrestling match when he defeated Cronus, his father.
Wrestling was referenced in the oldest book in the world = The Bible.
In 1896 the founder of the modern Olympic Games Baron Pierre de Coubertin named wrestling as one of the 'Foundational Sports' of the Olympic Games.
Different countries have different wrestling styles built upon disciplines related to their culture.
WrestleMania is a form of entertainment wrestling with larger-than-life characters staging battles in the ring. Some of the characters include Jimmy Hart, The Undertaker, The Deadman, and Hulk Hogan.
Chris Jericho has won the WWE Title, the World Heavyweight Title, the European Title, the Intercontinental Title, the Hardcore Title, the WWE Tag Team Title and the World Tag Team Title.
Wrestling is believed to build perseverance, diligence and determination.
At the high school level wrestling ranks 6th in participation for all boys' sports.
The number of female high school wrestlers has been growing since 1994.
The largest wrestling tournament in the world is the Cadet/Junior National Championships. It has over 3,600 entries each year.
Intercollegiate wrestling has existed for more than 100 years.
Of all NCAA Championships collegiate wrestling ranks in the top five for revenue.
Wrestling is a sport that does not require much money to begin.
Wrestlers traditionally perform well in the classroom.
Shuai jiao is a wresting style over 4000 years old originating in China.
It was Greco-Roman wrestling that was an event in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens, Greece.
In 1904 freestyle wrestling became an Olympic event.
In 2004 women's freestyle wrestling became an Olympic event.
Beach wrestling is a form of wrestling that is done by male or female wrestlers while standing. The competitors stand inside a 6 meter diameter sand-filled circle. The goal is to push the opponent out of bounds or to pin their shoulders to the ground.
Oil wrestling is the Turkish national sport, and wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil. This wrestling match could go on for many days originally, but in 1975 the time was limited to 40 minutes.
Russia has a form of wrestling called sambo that means 'self-defense without a weapon'.
The Japanese style of wrestling is known as puroresu and is more sports-oriented than the wrestling found in North America today made popular by theatrics and characters.


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