Pro-wrestling
| Professional wrestling | |
|---|---|
A professional wrestling match in 1938: two wrestlers grapple in a wrestling ring while a referee (in white on the right) looks on
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| Ancestor arts | |
| Descendant arts |
Roller derby Shoot wrestling Sports entertainment |
| Originating culture |
 United States Canada Mexico United Kingdom France Japan Puerto Rico Germany Russia
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| Originating era | 19th Century |
Professional wrestling (often shortened to pro wrestling or simply wrestling) is a form of performance art which combines athletics with theatrical performance. It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport. The unique form of sport portrayed is fundamentally based on classical and "catch" wrestling, with modern additions of striking attacks, strength-based holds and throws and acrobatic maneuvers, much of these derive from the influence of various international martial arts. An additional aspect of combat with improvised weaponry is sometimes included to varying degrees.
The matches have predetermined outcomes to heighten entertainment value and all combative maneuvers are executed with the full cooperation of those involved and carefully performed in specific manners intended to lessen the chance of actual injury. These facts were once kept highly secretive, but are now a widely accepted open secret. By and large, the true nature of the performance is not discussed by the performing company in official media to sustain and promote the willing suspension of disbelief for the audience by maintaining an aura of verisimilitude. Fan communications by individual wrestlers and promotions through outside media (i.e. interviews) will often directly acknowledge the dramatic and "fixed" nature of the spectacle.
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Wikipedia