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Copyright 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion
of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Millbrook Press
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jones, Patrick.
The main event : the moves and muscle of pro wrestling / by Patrick Jones.
p. cm. (Spectacular sports)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780761386353 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4677-5944-1 (Audisee ISBN)
ISBN 978-1-4677-0131-0 (PDF ISBN)
1. WrestlingHistory. I. Title.
GV1195.J67 2013
796.812dc23
2011046180
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 DP 7/15/12
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CONTENTS
The History of Wrestling:
From Ancient Greece to Pay-per-View
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WWE superstar Shawn Michaels battles
the Undertaker (standin g) during the
2010 WrestleMania event. In this move,
the wrestler lifts his opponent on his
shoulders and drops him face-first onto
the turnbuckle.
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INTRODUCTION:
ITS TIME FOR THE MAIN EVENT
I n 1911 more than 30,000 fans jammed Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, towatch a wrestling card. The nights main event featured Frank Gotch and GeorgeHackenschmidt. The audience cheered wildly as Gotch and Hackenschmidt walkedto the ring. There was no music or fireworks. They wore no elaborate costumes. Eachman dressed simply in black wrestling trunks and black wrestling shoes.
Almost one hundred years later, 72,000 fans filled the University of Phoenix Stadiumin Arizona for WWEs (formerly World Wrestling Entertainment) annual WrestleManiaevent. After 10 matches, it was time for the main event. Shawn Michaels entered to histheme music while a video played on the big screen called the TitanTron. He posedin the ring as fireworks exploded. A loud chime rang to announce his opponent, theUndertaker. Inside the ring, the Undertaker stared at the camera that broadcast thematch to millions of fans across the globe. It was the match fans had been waiting for. The Undertaker had never lost at WrestleMania, but Michaels vowed to end the streak. Michaels was so confident that he put his career on the line, promising to leave WWE ifhe lost the match. The hard-hitting action lasted for 20 minutes before the Undertakerfinished off Michaels to win the biggest match of 2010.
For more than 100 years, pro wrestling has entertained countless millions of fans. They are drawn to wrestlings characters, action, and dramatic stories. Many peopleargue that wrestling is staged, and not a real sport. But to true wrestling fans, thatdoesnt matter. Even the WWE admits itthe company refers to its product as sportsentertainment, not as a sport. Fans understand. They know what wrestling is all about:Two men, one ring. The main event.
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Wrestling has existed for centuries. This
British watercolor sketch from the early
1800s shows two men at a wrestling match.
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THE
HISTORY OF
WRESTLING:
FROM ANCIENT GREECE TO PAY-PER-VIEW
M any believe that wrestling is the worlds oldest sport. It is simple. It takes onlytwo people and requires no equipment. Early wrestling didnt even have anyrules! Almost every ancient culture created artwork showing wrestlers. Wrestlingwas especially popular in ancient Greece and Rome. Greek mythology is filled withwrestling stories. It was said that Theseus, the king of Athens, Greece, first introducedrules in wrestling.
The first professional wrestlers performed at carnivals in Europe. They used astyle called catch wrestling. The name is believed to have come from the phrase,catch as catch can, which was a way of saying that a wrestler was allowed to holdany part of his opponents body. Europeans brought the sport to the United States,where it quickly caught on. Abraham Lincoln was a catch wrestler before he waspresident of the United States! The popular style in the United States soon changedto collar-and-elbow wrestling. Matches began with wrestlers holding each otherscollars and elbows.
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