LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Wrestling: Greco-Roman Wrestling
built 139 days ago
Wrestling has gained respect among martial arts practitioners, especially with the advent of mixed martial arts competition.[23] Early competitions (e.g. UFC 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, considering only the first twelve UFC) saw wrestlers defeat stylists from more traditional, striking (and grappling)- oriented styles such as karate, bjj and kickboxing. Randy Couture (UFC heavyweight champion) and Dan Henderson (current PRIDE champion in the 183 division and formerly 205 pound division champion) both competed extensively in collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling before beginning their careers in mixed martial arts. Other fighters coming from amateur wrestling include: Matt Lindland, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, Urijah Faber, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Kevin Randleman, Mark Kerr, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Tito Ortiz, Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Jeff Monson, Matt Horwich, Carmelo Marrero, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Brock Lesnar, Gray Maynard, Matt Hamill, Benji Radach, Gerald Harris, Antonio McKee, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Schultz, Aaron Stark, Devin Cole, Antoine Jaoude, Roy Nelson, Shad Lierley, Mark Schultz, Brandon Vera, Melvin Guillard, Josh Koscheck, Renato Sobral, Ricco Rodriguez.
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Wrestling events such as those to WWE shows give you the complete entertainment experience, while lovers of the strategy and sport of Greco-Roman and Olympic-style wrestling will enjoy the NCAA wrestling experience. No matter your reason for loving wrestling, seeing it live is much better than watching it on TV, or worse yet, than hearing about the match from somebody who actually did see it first-hand.
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Because of that and the rise of gymnasiums and athletic clubs, Greco-Roman wrestling and modern freestyle wrestling were soon regulated in formal competitions. On continental Europe, prize money was offered in large sums to the winners of Greco-Roman tournaments, and freestyle wrestling spread rapidly in the British Isles and in the United States after the American Civil War. Professional wrestling soon increased the popularity of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling around the world with such competitors as Georg Hackenschmidt, Kara Ahmed, Paul Pons, Stanislaus Zbyszko, William Muldoon, and Frank Gotch.[10][12] When the Olympic games resurfaced at Athens in 1896, Greco-Roman wrestling was introduced for the first time. After not being featured in the 1900 Olympics, sport wrestling was seen again in 1904 in St. Louis; this time in freestyle competition. Since then, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling have both been featured, with women's freestyle added in the Summer Olympics of 2004. Since 1921, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has regulated amateur wrestling as an athletic discipline, while professional wrestling has largely become infused with theatrics.[10]
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Legitimate or genuine professional wrestling was extremely popular in the United States from 1880 to 1920. The first professional wrestlers were featured in carnivals, where they attracted large crowds by offering cash prizes to any local champion who could throw them. Victory went to the wrestler scoring two falls out of three. Bouts often were contested in a mixed style-that is, one fall was wrestled in the catch-as-catch-can style (which evolved into collegiate-style), another in Greco-Roman. The style used for the third fall, if any, was decided by the toss of a coin. No time limit was imposed on matches.
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The United States claimed seven medals and earned its first ever team World Championship this past week at the Senior World Championships of Freestyle and Greco-Roman Wrestling in Baku, Azerbaijan. The USA Greco-Roman wrestlers capped a dramatic team performance by defeating the Russians 31 to 30 for the title. Overall, the U.S. teams finished among the top five in each style, claiming seven medals (five bronze and two silvers) out of the 21 entries in Greco-Roman, and Men’s and Women’s Freestyle competition. >>>more
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Greco-Roman wrestling is especially popular in Europe, but it is practiced throughout the world. The distinctive feature of Greco-Roman wrestling is that contestants must apply all holds above the waist, and the use of the legs in scoring or defending is prohibited. Tripping, tackling, and using the legs to secure a hold are not permitted. Greco-Roman wrestlers begin their bout in a standing position, and attempt to either throw their opponent to the mat or to use holds to drop them to the mat.
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