Wrestling is a widely popular sport, with amateur and professional variations captivating fans worldwide. Although wrestling has a significant modern appeal, its origins span centuries, bearing roots in Ancient Greece. This article will discuss  the origins of wrestling: when it was invented, who the first wrestler was, and just what wrestling is and has become today.

What is Wrestling?

Wrestling, as specified by the Olympics, is a combat sport that involves individuals grappling to land their opponent’s shoulders on the ground. This is not the same as “professional wrestling” or “pro wrestling”, as popularized by entertainment organizations such as the WWE.

Pro wrestling is essentially live athletic theater that involves choreographed movements and scripted drama. In this article, we will be focusing on the martial art  of wrestling (and its variations) as defined by the Olympics.

The sport can be divided into three types: freestyle, Greco-Roman, beach, and folkstyle.

Wrestling Styles: Explained

Freestyle

Freestyle Wrestling is a variation that allows fighters to use any form of trip, hold, or throw on the mat as long as it is legal and not life-threatening. Punches, strangleholds, and other “threatening” moves are not allowed in freestyle wrestling due to the harm these maneuvers can cause to competitors.

As with other types of wrestling, freestyle wrestlers aim to hold their opponent’s shoulders on the mat for victory, otherwise known as a fall.

To learn more about freestyle wrestling, explore our wrestling video courses on the ISNation app, by hall-of-fame wrestling coach, Ryan Blackwell.

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Greco-Roman

Greco-Roman wrestling is central to the development of the modern Olympics, with the sport being one of the first to feature in the modern 1896 Olympics in Athens. Similar to  freestyle wrestling, competitors aim to pin their opponent’s shoulders to the mat. However unlike freestyle wrestling, competitors must refrain from inducing holds below the waist nor use their legs in offensive attacks such as leg locks.

As such, athletes rely primarily on upper body strength to defeat challengers, utilizing a range of throws and suplexes in competition. At the Olympics, Greco-Roman and freestyle matches are fought in three 2-minute rounds,  with 30-second breaks between each round.

Beach

Beach wrestling, introduced as a form of wrestling in 2004, involves athletes competing in a sand-filled circle, with the objective being to either land an opponent out of the ring, on their back, or to the ground.

In Beach Wrestling, athletes must score three points to defeat their opponents across a 3-minute match time scale, with wrestlers gaining points upon successfully conducting the aforementioned objectives. While not an Olympic sport, Beach Wrestling has various global titles, such as the World Beach Wrestling Championships.

Folkstyle

Otherwise known as collegiate wrestling, Folkstyle wrestling is a form that dates back to the early 19th century. While similar in a few ways to other disciplines, such as Freestyle, Folkstyle differs greatly in its ruleset, specifically focusing on a wrestler’s ability to scramble for a takedown and maneuver out of tricky positions when on the mat.

Likewise, athletes are rewarded for how long they restrain an opponent, with control and riding time playing a large role in this style of wrestling.

When was Wrestling Invented?

Research suggests that wrestling originated in Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago. This incredibly vast history is revealed through depictions of modern wrestling moves inscribed on the walls of ancient Sumarian tombs and artifacts.

Wrestling began gaining popularity in Ancient Greece around 700 BCE. It wasn’t long before it became a central sport, earning its place in the first ever Olympics in 776 BCE. Across the ages, wrestling has been observed in numerous ancient civilizations, from ancient Chinese interpretations to wrestling in India.

In Ancient Greece, wrestling became an important part of sporting culture, with two events in the first Olympics:the Pankration, which consisted of a boxing and wrestling hybrid and a toppling competition that pitted the mightiest of Greek athletes against one another (according to Britannica). Fast forward to today, wrestling has remained a mainstay at the Olympics and in sporting culture, with tens of thousands of avid fans at competitions to  watch their favorite athletes wrestle.

 

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Who was the First Wrestler?

Ancient Greek wrestling champion and military leader Milo of Croton is considered one of the first-ever wrestlers. He won numerous Olympic and Pythian Games titles. According to folklore, Milo of Croton was said to have found a stray calf away from its herd while out on a morning walk. Milo carried it as a young boy back to its pack, returning every day for four years to carry the calf, as a feat of strength, until it became an ox.

It was also said that Milo would carry an Ox on his shoulders during the opening ceremony of the Olympic games,exhibiting his great power and living up to his namesake. Unfortunately, Milo’s greatest strength was eventually his Achilles heel. Milo of Croton met his demise after attempting to test his strength by breaking open a tree trunk while walking around the edge of a dark wood. After getting his hand stuck in the tree, he became prey for the wolves who were known to hunt in the woods, which led to him being eaten alive.

Modern-Day Champions

Numerous wrestlers have been champions throughout wrestling’s long history. Dan Gable is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, winning multiple NCAA titles, All-American championships, and an Olympic gold. Gable started his career as an undefeated high school wrestling champion for Iowa State University, winning 100 college victories by 1969 with no defeats. He went on to win the 1971 Pan American championships, winning a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics, without losing a single point to a competitor. He later coached the University of Iowa and the US Olympic team successfully across numerous championships.

There is also John Smith, a legend of freestyle wrestling that is second to none in this domain, winning a total of eight medals across world championships, Olympics and Pan American games. John Smith is considered the best American freestyle wrestler.

Cael Sanderson is one of the more recent champions who has cemented his name as one of the greatest, with a 159-0 record and winning Olympic gold for the USA in 2004.

Wrestling and Its Evolution

From the ancient Sumerians to present-day champions, wrestling has matured thanks to its integral part in the development of the Olympics. Over time, the sport has become increasingly sophisticated across freestyle and Greco-Roman categories, comprising a large followership.

If you’re interested in learning more about wrestling, we have a wealth of wrestling video courses on the ISNation App.

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