Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling, often called pro wrestling or simply wrestling, is a form of athletic theater built around mock combat, in which the performers present themselves as competitive wrestlers while matches follow choreographed and scripted outcomes. It grew out of late 19th century wrestling, when performers quietly fixed matches so they could show more spectacular action than real wrestling allowed, and promoters scripted victories for their more charismatic wrestlers. Wrestlers adopted personae and gimmicks and, as promotions matured, were written into dramatic stories that pitted heroic faces against villainous heels. Performers once kept up the secrecy known as kayfabe in public, a requirement relaxed in the 1990s. Wrestling is staged by promotions, which resemble production companies or leagues, with the largest in the United States, Mexico, Japan and Europe, each with its own styles and traditions.