Portal:Professional wrestling
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Wikipedia portals: Culture · Geography · Health · History · Mathematics · Natural sciences · Philosophy · Religion · Society · Technology  Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff, and is also considered an athletic performing art, containing strong elements of catch wrestling, mock combat and theatre. It has origins in carnival sideshows in the late 19th century as part of displays of athletics and strength. Modern professional wrestling usually features striking and grappling techniques, which are modeled after diverse sets of wrestling and pugilistic styles from around the world. Professional wrestling has become a pervasive form of entertainment especially in Japan and North American countries. High-profile figures in the sport often become cultural icons in their native or adopted home countries, such as Ric Flair, André the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock in the United States; Rikidozan, Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba and The Crush Girls (Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka) in Japan; El Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras in Mexico; and Bret Hart in Canada. Leading universities have developed courses of study on the cultural significance of professional wrestling. Professional wrestling is a billion-dollar industry, drawing revenue from ticket sales, television broadcasts, branded merchandise and home video. It was instrumental in making pay-per-view a viable method of content delivery. Annual shows such as WrestleMania are among the highest-selling pay-per-view programming. Currently, the dominant professional wrestling company worldwide is the United States-based World Wrestling Entertainment, which absorbed many smaller regional companies in the late twentieth century, as well as its primary competitor, World Championship Wrestling. In Mexico, the top promotion is Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre; in Japan, it is New Japan Pro Wrestling; and in South Africa, it is World Wrestling Professionals. (more...)
The Montreal Screwjob was the real-life double-crossing of Bret Hart, the defending WWF Champion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) by WWF owner Vince McMahon during the professional wrestling pay-per-view event Survivor Series held on November 9, 1997. A secretive change of the match's pre-determined finish (known as a "screwjob" in professional wrestling parlance) was devised by McMahon and discussed with Hart's match opponent, Shawn Michaels. The match referee, Earl Hebner, under orders from McMahon, ended the match as Michaels held Hart in the sharpshooter submission hold (Hart's signature finishing move), even though Hart had not submitted, and declared Michaels the new WWF Champion as Hart and the audience were outraged. The screwjob was rooted in Hart's decision to leave the company for its chief competitor, World Championship Wrestling. The event led to the adoption in future matches and storylines of the WWF's Attitude Era and the creation of the widely popular character of the evil boss, "Mr. McMahon". Hart remained ostracized from WWF, while McMahon and Michaels continued to receive angry responses from audiences for many years. The relationship between Hart and McMahon healed to a great degree in recent years, however, and culminated with Hart's induction in 2006 into the company's Hall of Fame. (more...)
 Triple H at No Mercy 2007 after winning the WWE Championship for the sixth time on October 7, 2007.
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