Catch wrestling

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Catch wrestling ( English catch = grab and wrestling = wrestling ), also known as catch-as-catch-can , is a classic martial art from the grappling area. It is considered the historical forerunner of popular wrestling , as it is organized today, for example by the WWE . With the emergence of mixed martial arts and submission wrestling , however, the "archetype" of catch wrestling again attracted increased attention.

history

The roots of catch wrestling are in Lancashire , England , where a particularly aggressive wrestling style with an emphasis on ground fighting and submission grips developed by the middle of the 19th century . British immigrants brought “Lancashire wrestling” and other local wrestling traditions to the USA , where catch wrestlers competed primarily as fairground attractions at the beginning of the 20th century . However, the fights were authentic and their course and outcome were not discussed. Catch Wrestling gained immense popularity in the United States thanks to stars like Frank Gotch , but over time it moved further and further from its athletic roots. The focus on the show character of the fights resulted in modern wrestling with predefined fight processes and outcomes. In German , is still partially spoken of the "wrestling" because of this historical relationship when actually the show wrestling is meant.

Todays situation

With the spread of mixed martial arts competitions and the associated surge in popularity for grappling disciplines since the end of the 20th century, traditional catch wrestling is also experiencing a certain renaissance. Well-known MMA fighters like Josh Barnett and Randy Couture and especially Kazushi Sakuraba successfully used techniques from the arsenal of catch wrestling.

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