Pro Wrestling History Timeline
People have wrestled for thousands of years, but professional wrestling as a staged show for paying crowds took shape in the late 1800s. This timeline walks from the earliest images of grapplers to the streaming era, with a source for every stop.
Entertainment Wrestling World is an independent fan site. We are not affiliated with any promotion, and company names appear here only to tell the history accurately.
George Hackenschmidt, Bain News Service photo: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain
- About 2000 BC
Wrestlers on the walls at Beni Hasan
Tombs of regional governors in Middle Kingdom Egypt are painted with long rows of grappling pairs, 122 pairs in the tomb of Khety and about 220 in the tomb of Baqet III. More at /beni-hasan-wrestlers/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - Late 1860s to 1870s
Wrestling becomes a paid show
After the US Civil War, traveling performers began staging matches for paying crowds, the start of professional wrestling as mass entertainment. Read about the carnival circuit at /catch-wrestling-and-athletic-shows/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - 1905
Hackenschmidt claims the world title
George Hackenschmidt beat Tom Jenkins in New York City to win the first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - April 3, 1908
Gotch beats Hackenschmidt in Chicago
Frank Gotch outlasted Hackenschmidt for close to two hours at Dexter Park Pavilion. Their 1911 rematch at Comiskey Park drew about 30,000 fans. Full story at /gotch-vs-hackenschmidt/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - About 1920 to 1925
The Gold Dust Trio era
A three-man partnership ran one of the most popular promotions in the country and helped turn wrestling into a planned, touring show.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - September 21, 1933
Lucha libre gets a home
Salvador Lutteroth's Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre held its first show. Now known as CMLL, it is the oldest wrestling promotion still running. See /lucha-libre-and-the-mask/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - January 9, 1936
The first cage matches
A card in Caruthersville, Missouri featured two matches inside a ring fenced with chicken wire, the earliest known ancestors of the cage match. More at /steel-cage-match/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - November 11, 1947
Gorgeous George hits television
His first TV appearance helped make him one of the first national stars of the new medium. See /gorgeous-george/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - July 14, 1948
The NWA is founded
Promoters met in Waterloo, Iowa to form the National Wrestling Alliance, aiming to unite regional titles under one recognized world champion. This is the backbone of the /territory-era/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - 1950s
The first TV golden age
Matches began airing nationally in the United States, and wrestling became one of early television's most reliable draws.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - 1953
Rikidozan builds Japanese pro wrestling
Rikidozan founded the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance, the country's first promotion. His 1954 tag matches against the Sharpe Brothers rode a wave of new TV viewers. See /rikidozan-and-puroresu/.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - September 1972
The first ladder match
Stampede Wrestling in Canada staged a match between Dan Kroffat and Tor Kamata where the prize hanging above the ring was a bundle of money.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - March 31, 1985
The first WrestleMania
Madison Square Garden hosted the first WrestleMania, headlined by a tag match with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, and reached more than a million viewers on closed-circuit TV.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - January 24, 1988
The first televised Royal Rumble
A 20-man timed-entry match in Hamilton, Ontario was won by Jim Duggan.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - January 11, 1993
Monday Night Raw debuts
The weekly Monday show that would anchor the business for decades aired for the first time.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - September 4, 1995
The Monday Night Wars begin
WCW launched Monday Nitro head to head with Raw. The ratings fight is widely credited with fueling the late 1990s wrestling boom.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - March 2001
The war ends
WWF bought WCW, and the final Nitro aired on March 26, 2001.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - 2002
WWF becomes WWE
After a trademark dispute with the World Wildlife Fund, the company changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - January 1, 2019
AEW is founded
Tony Khan launched All Elite Wrestling with Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks. Its weekly show Dynamite debuted on TNT on October 2, 2019.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - September 12, 2023
WWE and UFC merge into TKO
The merger closed and TKO Group Holdings began trading, ending more than 70 years of McMahon family control of WWE.
Source: en.wikipedia.org - January 6, 2025
Raw moves to Netflix
Raw began streaming on Netflix under a deal reported to run 10 years at about $500 million per year.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Entertainment Wrestling World is an independent fan site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by WWE, AEW, TKO, CMLL, the NWA or any other promotion.
- Wikipedia: Beni Hasan
- Wikipedia: History of professional wrestling
- Wikipedia: Frank Gotch
- Wikipedia: Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
- Wikipedia: Professional wrestling match types
- Wikipedia: Gorgeous George
- Wikipedia: National Wrestling Alliance
- Wikipedia: Rikidozan
- Wikipedia: Ladder match
- Wikipedia: WrestleMania I
- Wikipedia: Royal Rumble match
- Wikipedia: WWE Raw
- Wikipedia: Monday Night Wars
- Wikipedia: WWE
- Wikipedia: All Elite Wrestling
- Wikipedia: TKO Group Holdings
Facts on this page were checked against these sources (updated Oct 1, 2026). Spot an error? Email hello@fireempireshop.com.
