The Travesty of American-Style Wrestling, Opposed to Established Rules

Wrestling governed by rules:  Professionally, wrestling is an honorable sport in which one person tries to throw another to the ground or on the floor of the ring.  It began with the Greek wrestlers, the basic rudiments of which is the execution of three throws before a decision of victory by the referee.  Wrestlers used to rub their bodies with oil in order to facilitate the required pliancy of limbs, as well as prevent excessive perspiration.  They were also required to roll in the dust of the stadium, or sprinkled with fine sand to make it easier to grasp each other firmly, something that they cannot, otherwise, be able to do because of the coating of oil.

Later, the Romans followed in the footsteps of the Greeks, initiating the beginning of a widespread following throughout the Continent of Europe.

Today,  Greco-Roman wrestling is a departure from its original style, when it used to be immensely popular in France, about the middle of the 19th century and later introduced into England in 1869 and 1870.

American free-style wrestling:  This kind of wrestling is divided into two categories, professional and amateur.  It is designed to punish and weaken the opponent. The most important holds are: the arm and neck drag; crotch hold; scissors; head lock; front and back drops; flying mare.  Many other punishing holds have subsequently been added to the list, such as the double-nelson hammerlock, Japanese arm lock, leg split, face lock, as well as a variety of other holds.

With the advent of television, American free-style wrestling has become enormously popular, even though the most essential aspects of its universality have been excluded to make way for exhibitions and not genuine contests, in the true sense of the word.  The main purpose of the bouts is sheer entertainment through the application of unconventional antics, rather than pure skill.  In other words, American free-style wrestling has become a mock-contest between a hero and a villain.  Before the bout begins, participants are required to establish their identities, punctuating their roles with boasting and self-adulation, in preparation for a staged entertainment that caters to the taste and appetite of the audience.

Generally, credulous members of the audience cheer the wrestler whom they regard as the hero.  Sometimes, the villain seems to gain control initially until the hero finally rallies from what appears to be a certain defeat.  When the villain gains the upper hand,  the audience boos; when the hero prevails, the audience cheers.  Such a routine serves to whip up an atmosphere of public interest, as part of the entertainment process.

Occasionally, a wrestler might be seen shoving and hitting the referee who becomes a party to the staged affair, prearranged by promoters.

Be it as it it may, American free-style wrestling is a sport that generates a great deal of money for its organizers and promoters, regardless of the unconventional nature of the performance.