Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 500 BC (approximate)
By: Karl Stern (karl@whenitwascool.com)
Much of the text of this entry comes from issue 82 of the DragonKing Press Newsletter available as a downloadable .pdf in the digital downloads section.
500 BC (approximate)
The origins of wrestling through 1832 are discussed on the Long Form History of Wrestling Podcast 01 - Click Here
A Japanese book of legends called the "Kojiki" which was written in the year 712 AD places a wrestling match between Japanese warriors Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata at this date.
A page from the Kojiki or Records of Ancient Matters
According to the legend, Takemikazuchi defeated Takeminakata on the shores of the Shimane Prefecture, Japan for control of the territory. Takemikazuchi, the Japanese leader, is said to have established the Imperial family from which the Emperor traces his ancestry.
Also in this year, Milo of Crotona, who reputedly killed many men and often showed off by carrying his own statue around town, fought in many Pankration contests. Another legendary Pankrationist was the Afghanian Rustum Zoal, who allegedly stood nine feet tall and weighed over six hundred pounds. Zoal allegedly killed his own son in a wrestling match.
Artwork depicting Milo of Crotona.
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DragonKingKarl (Karl Stern) is a long time pro wrestling historian who has been published in books, newsletters, and podcasts since the mid-1990s.
The Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling Zone is Karl Stern's attempt to chronicle the entire history of pro wrestling and is a work in progress with hundreds of pages of text added each month.
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