Wrestling goes back to BC times. From Cain and Able, Greek times, Olympic, Scholastic, Collegiate, and professional wrestling bringing quite a bit of history.

In the orient, several forms of wrestling originated including sumo and numerous variants of the martial arts as well. Sumo is an ancient art within Japan. Royal families would regular these events for centuries. Its roots are actually religious and somewhat applied to this day. Wrestlers seeking strength from God and sprinkling salt around the arena for purification are still practiced today.

In biblical times, was found one of the first matches of wrestling within. This fight between Cain and Able wound up in the death of one of the brothers.

In junior and amateur wrestling there are quite a few organized efforts going. This is the sport found more in high school level and college level, with good well defined rules. The objective in this wrestling is clearly just overcoming the opponent. It’s also made to be fairly safe and hopes to have less injury. This is important in all school sports. The rules do vary from one level to another. At these school level wrestling matches they wrestle for three periods of 1½ to two minutes long. Sometimes this form of wrestling is called folk style.

Another form of wrestling is the Greco Roman style. They still have three periods of two minutes each, though the holds differ a little from the folk style often used in school wrestling. A wrestler is only allowed to hold or attack their opponent above the waist.

Freestyle wrestling is what is found in amateur wrestling which you find along with the usual sports on TV. Many of these wrestlers are simply those that enjoy the sport, and not the showboating that comes with “professional wrestling”.

Olympic wrestling includes both Greco Roman style and Freestyle wrestling with quite an established set of rules for the wrestlers, referees, and all others involved. Winning the gold medal in Olympic wrestling may very well be the highest title for a wrestler globally.

And then there is professional wrestling that is more of an entertainment extravaganza with many staged acts both in and out of the ring that has brought a bad name to wrestling among many with family values. Between the violence in ways that would assure someone a cell in prison, bar-room style antics, flashing of big money, many spotlights and more, this is definitely much more act than sport, and countless outbursts of vulgarity.

Overall, there have been many forms of wrestling throughout the centuries. With it, comes a lot of history, and many different types of wrestlers and spectators. The sport of wrestling is one that will last for many years.