When sporting wrestling and acting combine, unique wrestling shows are created whose stars bring huge arenas to a boil. The stunts made famous by Hulk Hogan in the 1980s continue to fascinate a wide audience. Even though today's shows organised by WWE follow a script and the winner is already determined before the fight: Impressive moves like chokeslams and flips off the ring boundary cannot be faked and are what make every wrestling show!
The beginning of WWE and commercial wrestling
Wrestling can be just about anything - exciting, flashy, brutal and emotional. It is precisely this diversity that has made wrestling shows a crowd puller for decades. In 1963, the World Wide Wrestling Federation was founded, the predecessor of the federation that since 2002 has operated under the name World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE).
At the very beginning, one of the greats enters the ring: Bruno Sammartino holds the champion's title for 2,803 days, almost eight years. When the "Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff wins the title on 18 January 1971 and dethrones Sammartino, tears flow in the audience.
Sportsmen who write wrestling history
Wrestling lives above all from its stars, of which the WWE has the greatest to offer. Hulk Hogan makes the sport of wrestling internationally known in the 1980s.
With Bret Hart, who has a lot to offer technically due to his early years as a wrestler, the federation finds a new crowd favourite in the 1990s. Hart wins the championship against Ric Flair in 1992 with the Sharpshooter, a particularly clever finishing move.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is also known outside the WWE world through his acting career. His fights against Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan are legendary. He also knows how to get the audience really fired up with his provocative sayings.
Jacqueline Moore also goes down in WWE history. She becomes the first African American to win the Woman's Title in 1998 and the first woman to compete against men.
The WWE from the turn of the millennium to today
John Cena, the 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, begins his wrestling career at the start of the 21st century. There is tension in the air in more ways than one during his WWE appearances, as audiences both adore and dislike him at the same time. At the same time, Cena takes the side of good like no other wrestler - also due to his social commitment. In the ring, he always refrains from the infamous heelturn, the sudden turn from fair to unfair.
At the WWE show SummerSlam 2007, a now sadly deceased legend of women's wrestling ended her career: Lillian Ellison, also known as The Fabulous Moolah, who had been in the ring since 1955 and was still fighting at the age of over 80. Among the big stars of women's wrestling today are Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, who will be in the ring in 2019 along with Ronda Rousey, the multiple MMA world champion, in the first main event of Wrestlemania.
Wrestling moves that thrill
Whoever buys WWE tickets looks forward to, among other things, the spectacular throws and other moves for which strength, skill and athletic ability are essential. Most of them are borrowed from other martial arts and sometimes have very significant names in wrestling.
For example, the Fireman's Carry, in which the attacker heaves his opponent onto his shoulder and then hurls him to the ground. Once a fighter is on the ground, the attacker can often end the WWE fight with a quick arm or ankle lock - a hold that twists the respective joint.
One of the throws that particularly gets the crowd going is the bodyslam. In this, the attacker lifts the opponent with his right arm between his legs, turns his head downwards while lifting and then drops his opponent to the mat. In any case, the performance of the fighters is sensational in wrestling and absolutely worth watching.
The stars of WWE live on tour
Although shows like WWE NXT, Raw and Smackdown are broadcast weekly on pay-TV, nothing beats the live event. WWE's tours don't just take in the US - its stars are all over the world. The thrilling fights in the ring also regularly bring the audience to its feet.
