Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an Estonian strongman, professional wrestler, writer, and sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first world heavyweight champion.
Cornish wrestling is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’" in the Cornish dialect of English; historically, this usage is attested by Chaucer, Shakespeare and Drayton.
Lancashire wrestling, commonly called Lancashire catch-as-catch-can or Lancashire style, is a folk wrestling style that originated in the historic county of Lancashire in North West England. It became notable as the most aggressive and least restrictive style in England. It was popular across Britain and abroad, becoming the primary influence on catch wrestling, through which it is an ancestor of freestyle wrestling, American folkstyle wrestling, professional wrestling, luta livre, and associated styles like mixed martial arts.
Matsuda Sorakichi was a Japanese professional wrestler of the 19th century. He became a feature attraction in America, competing in a distinctly western sport, long before it was adopted in Japan.
Carl Johann Theodor Abs, generally referred to as Carl Abs, also known as "The German Oak", was a German professional wrestler who is considered the founder of modern professional wrestling in Germany. His life and work both inside and outside the ring attracted great public interest in the late 19th century. In 1891 a book about the life of Carl Abs as a championship wrestler and a champion for the poor was published called Carl Abs, der Meisterschafts-Ringer der Welt: Sein Leben u. Wirken.
Evan Lewis was an American professional wrestler who was the first recognized American Heavyweight Champion and is credited with perfecting the "stranglehold" or "neck yoke" more commonly known today as the sleeperhold. He is sometimes confused with Ed "Strangler" Lewis, a later six-time World Heavyweight Champion also credited with first using the hold, whose moniker is attributed to Lewis's after a reporter noted a resemblance between the two.
William Muldoon was an American Greco-Roman Wrestling champion, a physical culturist, and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours.
Martin Burns, nicknamed Farmer Burns, was an American catch wrestler, wrestling coach, and teacher. Born in Cedar County, Iowa, he started wrestling as a teenager and made money traveling around the Midwest wrestling in carnivals and fairs. As a professional wrestler, he claimed the American Heavyweight Championship by defeating Evan "Strangler" Lewis in 1895 and held the title for two years, during the time when contests were legitimate. At this time, Martin Burns himself claimed to have wrestled in more than 6,000 matches and is said to have lost only seven. After the end of his active wrestling career he started a successful wrestling school in Omaha and later coached Cedar Rapids' Washington high school to the first Iowa high school state wrestling tournament title. He died in Council Bluffs in 1937. In 2001 Martin "Farmer" Burns was inducted into the International Wrestling Institute and Museum Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2002. The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted Martin Burns in 2003 and Burns was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2017. In 2024 he was inducted into the Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Karel Istaz, best known by his ring name Karl Gotch, was a Belgian-American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, catch wrestler, and trainer.
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other sports. There are several companies in the business of constructing championship belts.
Ernest Roeber was a German-American professional wrestler who held the European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship from 1894 to 1900 and from 1900 to 1901. Roeber also held the American Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship and the German World Heavyweight Championship.
Cole Konrad is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships. He won the NCAA wrestling championships in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds and finished third at the 2006 World University Championships at 120 kilograms. He was the first Bellator Heavyweight World Champion.
Siamak "Matt" Ghaffari is an Iranian-born American Greco-Roman wrestler, MMA Fighter and professional wrestler. Ghaffari was a two-time USA Olympic team member, obtaining a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Ghaffari finished his career with the most Greco-Roman World and Olympic medals by a United States wrestler. Also, Ghaffari holds 3 American Records the Most World and Olympic total medals, plus he was 4-time World Cup Champion, also 9-time Pan-American Champion. Ghaffari is the 2-time US Olympian and 2-time US Olympic team alternate. 1996 - Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation Inspiration Award Winner, with Muhammad Ali 1996 – Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s Amateur Athlete of the Year 2003 - Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame 2006 - Cleveland State Athletics Hall of Fame 2013 - National Wrestling Hall of Fame 2014 - Eastern Wrestling League Hall of Fame
The history of professional wrestling, as a performing art, started in the early 20th century, with predecessors in funfair and variety strongman and wrestling performances in 1830s.
Jack Carkeek, was an American Cornish champion wrestler, from Rockland, Michigan. He died March 12, 1924, in Havana, Cuba.
Henri Deglane was a French wrestler. He was an Olympic Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and AWA World Champion.
Clarence Whistler was a professional athlete and champion Greco-Roman wrestler of the 1880s. As the main rival to William Muldoon in wrestling of the early 1880s, he was best remembered for his unusual strength, indifference to pain and early death. He wrestled three famous bouts with Muldoon, totaling over 14 hours.
Duncan C. Ross was a wrestler in the 1880s. He lost to Catch as Can Style Wrestling Champion Edwin Bibby in 1881 for the American Heavyweight Championship.
Charles Cutler, sometimes spelled Charles Cuttler, was a professional wrestler and three time American Heavyweight Champion and one time World Heavyweight Champion.
Early wrestling championships started in Ancient Greece, before spreading out to the Celtic culture, North America, and Europe.
