DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling: A long-form history of pro wrestling pt. 1

Karl Stern begins an open-ended series about the history of professional wrestling, starting with the time before the pioneers of wrestling era even began.

What exactly is pro wrestling and how did it come to be? Karl will be taking a deep look at this question and looking at President Abraham Lincoln’s time spent as a wrestler, as well as laying the groundwork for upcoming shows.

• Karl begins the show by answering a few listener emails and cleaning up a few tidbits left over from the July Classic Wrestling Marathon, including a correction on the Steve Williams biography.
• Karl begins a detailed look at the start of pro wrestling.
• When and where were the first big spectator crowds?
• When were the first rules and rule books written?
• What were catch-as-catch-can, collar-and-elbow, and Greco-Roman matches and what were the differences?
• What did Abraham Lincoln really have to do with wrestling and when was his involvement? What was the state of wrestling at the time?

All this and more are discussed in today’s episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling show.

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