The concept of wrestling

Shuai Jiao or Chinese wrestling is one of the oldest forms of martial arts, with a history of over 4,000 years. The early style of combat was referred to as butting with horns, but arms and legs later replaced these horns. The first written evidence that wrestling existed was found in Egypt, around 2300 BCE, on the tomb of a philosopher. The first recorded Olympic wrestling match occurred in the Olympics in 708 BC. This form of battle was very appreciated because it thought soldiers to fight without their weapons.

The Olympic Games survived through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. The Romans were not interested in the violence involved in those game; they burrowed much from these form of fight but eliminated its brutality. The Games didn't manage to keep people interested after they invited many more countries in the Olympics.  Later on, under the patronage of royal families from France, Japan, and England, wrestling didn't loose its popularity in the Middle Ages.

Early Americans brought to London a strong wrestling tradition. Amateur wrestling became more and more known throughout the country, being practiced in many daily activities such as fairs, military exercises or different kinds of celebrations. 1888 was the year when the first national wrestling tournament was organized in New York. In 1908 Greco-roman wrestling was reinstated as an Olympic sport, while the first Olympic Games that included wrestling were the ones held in 1904 in Saint Louis, Missouri.