Black and white 1949 photograph of Gorgeous George grappling during a wrestling match
Pro wrestling history, today's stars and facts

The Stories Behind the Ring

From 4,000-year-old tomb paintings to the Monday Night Wars, the Bloodline and Raw on Netflix, step through the ropes and meet the people and traditions that shaped professional wrestling, then and now.

Photo: Gorgeous George during a match, photographed by Stanley Kubrick, 1949: Stanley Kubrick, Public domain
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22 deep dives

Entertainment Wrestling World is an independent hub about professional wrestling, past and present: its ancient roots, its legends, its styles around the globe, the language of the business and the stars and stories shaping it today. We follow the thread from carnival tents to sold-out stadiums and streaming deals and tell the stories fans still argue about. It is a Fire Empire LLC project and is not affiliated with any wrestling promotion. All text is original and written for curious fans.

Rows of painted wrestling pairs on the east wall of tomb 15 at Beni Hasan, Egypt
Origins

The Beni Hasan Wrestlers

Egypt's 4,000-year-old wrestling manual

Two wrestlers grapple in an outdoor ring in Sikeston, Missouri, in 1938 while a referee watches
Origins

Catch Wrestling and the Athletic Shows

Where pro wrestling learned its tricks

Vintage glass negative portrait of strongman wrestler George Hackenschmidt
Origins

Frank Gotch vs. George Hackenschmidt

The rivalry that made wrestling front-page news

Wrestler Lou Thesz in a suit serving as master of ceremonies at a 1955 town celebration
Origins

The Territory Era

When wrestling was divided into regions

Black and white 1949 photo of Gorgeous George kneeling during a wrestling match
Legends

Gorgeous George

The showman who taught Ali to talk

Bruno Sammartino raising his arm in victory in 1973
Legends

Bruno Sammartino

The champion who reigned nearly eight years

Mexico City celebration marking 100 years since the birth of El Santo, with silver mask imagery
Legends

El Santo

The silver-masked saint of Mexico

Andre the Giant posing in 1973 with his curly hair and enormous frame
Legends

Andre the Giant

The Eighth Wonder of the World

Autographed publicity portrait of women's champion Mildred Burke
Legends

Women's Wrestling Pioneers

Mildred Burke, The Fabulous Moolah and more

Rows of colorful Mexican lucha libre wrestling masks hanging for sale
Styles Around the World

Lucha Libre and the Mask

Mexico's high-flying, masked tradition

Rikidozan photographed in 1955 at the height of his fame
Styles Around the World

Rikidozan and Japanese Puroresu

The sumo wrestler who built a nation's style

Wrestler Sandor Szabo walking shirtless through a packed crowd toward the ring in the 1930s
Inside the Business

Kayfabe

Wrestling's oldest secret code word

Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino facing off in the ring in 1979
Inside the Business

Heels, Faces and the Turn

The heroes, villains and betrayals of wrestling

Ox Baker and Jose Gonzalez fighting inside a steel cage around 1983
Inside the Business

The Steel Cage Match

No way out and no help coming

Kevin Nash and Sting in the ring during a 1998 taping of WCW Monday Nitro in Minneapolis
The Modern Era

The Monday Night Wars

Raw vs. Nitro, the ratings battle of 1995 to 2001

Stone Cold Steve Austin in his vest holding the WWF Championship belt
The Modern Era

Stone Cold Steve Austin

The rebel who defined the Attitude Era

Dwayne Johnson smiling at a film premiere in Sydney in 2014
The Modern Era

The Rock

From Rocky Maivia to the most famous wrestler on the planet

John Cena holding up the WWE Championship belt at a live event in Adelaide, Australia
The Modern Era

John Cena

The record 17-time world champion who said goodbye in 2025

Becky Lynch in her ring gear in April 2019
Wrestling Today

The Women's Evolution

How women's wrestling moved to the main event

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman embracing at WrestleMania XL
Wrestling Today

Roman Reigns and the Bloodline

The Tribal Chief and his 1,316-day reign

The entrance stage and video screens of the AEW Dynamite set in October 2019
Wrestling Today

All Elite Wrestling

The 2019 upstart that gave WWE real competition

The bowl of seats around center court inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California
Wrestling Today

WWE, TKO and Raw on Netflix

How wrestling became a streaming-era sports business

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One wrestler held a world title for almost 8 yearsPhotos: Bruno Sammartino (2) 1979.jpg - Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Bruno Sammartino arm raised 1973.jpg - Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Madison Square Garden 1941 Postcard.jpg - Frank E. Cooper (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Madison Square Garden (c.1879).jpg - Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain) via Wikimed
This luchador was buried wearing his silver maskPhotos: 100 años del natalicio del Santo -i---i- (36184746106) (cropped).jpg - Gobierno CDMX (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons | 100 años del natalicio del Santo -i---i- (36092271881) (cropped).jpg - Gobierno CDMX (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons | Lucha libre en AGS (5).jpg - LFGallegos (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Lucha libre en AGS (13).jpg - LFGallegos (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Lucha libre
This wrestler taught Muhammad Ali how to talk trashPhotos: Gorgeous George robe.jpg - Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Gorgeous George headshot circa 1950s.jpg - Library of Congress (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Muhammad Ali NYWTS.jpg - Ira Rosenberg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Zbigniew Pietrzykowski and Muhammad Ali 1960.jpg - Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Mu
Wrestlers had a secret code word for keeping it realPhotos: Honre's Pleasure Fair funfair in Inverness.jpg - Glen Wallace (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Honre's Pleasure Fair funfair in Inverness from above.jpg - Glen Wallace (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Carnival Midway at Circus Circus Reno.jpg - Jim G (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Carnival Midway at Circus Circus Reno 2.jpg - Jim G (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Wrestling - S
Wrestling moves were painted on tomb walls 4,000 years agoPhotos: Egypt, Group of wrestlers from tomb 15 at Beni Hasan. Wellcome M0006217.jpg - see file page (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Heptanomide. Beny Hasan (Beni Hasan). Bas-relief et peintures de divers hypogées (NYPL b14212718-1268161).jpg - Impr. impériale (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons | Beni hasan tomb of khety.jpg - Udimu (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons | Egypt east wall of tomb 2 at
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