Catch-As-Catch-Can (1903)

[hsriner1984]

catch as catch dogkrap

[OrlyDudeGuy]

I wish professional wrestling these days were still real and the WWE stuff should be called "Show Wrestling". Real wrestling just needs to get promoted the way boxing and MMA are.

[blusuck]

@OrlyDudeGuy they call it ''sports entertainment'' now

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@blusuck

"Sports Entertainment" is just a PR term.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

It became fake due to them wanting to make money and not risk getting hurt and therefore not being able to support their families.

Many real wrestlers went into pro wrestling to make money. There was no money in legit freestyle or grecro-roman.

It would be great if you actually learned about how it became "fake". Pro wrestling is still greatly respected in places like Japan and Mexico.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@AmericanNohbuddy every story has a different side

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

But not a drastic difference.

Go look up the gold dust trio.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@AmericanNohbuddy Ok way back in the days of Pro Wrestling, the one style that was practiced was Catch wrestling. It was real, the way to win was by a pin, submission, or knockout (slamming a person unconscious) in the 1910s-1920s. They could have paid those athletes back in the days doing real wrestling rather than go into business of making fake pro wrestling. That's why I said it should be promoted like boxing and mma, they're real and they get paid. And I know about Japanese and Mexican pro.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@OrlyDudeGuy Japanese pro wrestling is based on catch and Japanese shoot wrestling. Mexican pro wrestling is Lucha Libre (free wrestling) influenced from freestyle wrestling. Since entertainment business has changed pro wrestling to be predetermined match ups in the 50s-60s, those two countries made their shows similar to US pro wrestling shows where the matches predetermined.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

Rikidozan (who made it popular in Japan) wrestled FAKE/Predetermined matches. Same for in the US in the 30s and 40s with Lou Thesz. But back then there would be idiots trying to shoot, and guys like Thesz would put them in their place.

And yes, El Santo and Blue Demon wrestled fake matches too down in Mexico.

I guess being "fake" is somehow bad?

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy Yeah no shit. But if you got injured, you couldn't wrestle and therefore be paid. They also realized you could make more money being fake, especially back then. Go look up how it became fake for yourself and learn about Toots Mondt.

How would they promote it back in those days like today? That's just dumb, no real radio, no TV, no internet.

You know about Japanese and Mexican pro wrestling? Then you'd know that is fake too.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@AmericanNohbuddy I'm not saying to promote it like that back in those days, I'm saying if they would do it today. Plus, they even had one going on around 2004-2007 called "Real Pro Wrestling" and that show got cancelled, come on man. Boxers get injured, mma fighters get injured, football players get injured, why can't they do it for people who want to wrestle for real and get paid for it? Did I even say those two countries' pro wrestling is real?

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@OrlyDudeGuy Bro, I never said to cancel fake pro wrestling if that's what you want, I just said I wish they had real pro wrestling. Read the words man.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

Yeah I remember "real pro wrestling" it barley had anyone in the stands and was on at like 1 am.

Guys wouldn't get paid like now 90 years ago. You should LOOK UP why it became "fake".

Since "real pro wrestling" failed, that just tells you people like to be entertained more than watch a real contest.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@AmericanNohbuddy Well in another way, it doesn't have to be shown on TV, it can just be wrestlers who want to wrestle for money you might say someone with wrestling experience want to transfer into mma but not everyone would. Take a look at professional kickboxing, it's promoted but it's not something you would see on tv that often, it's just for people who want to compete and get some money off of it.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

TV is where the money is. If you want to wrestle you can do it in high school and college, and then transfer to MMA if you so choose.

And professional kick boxers don't make much.

If "real pro wrestling" didn't work, then I doubt it will ever work for a for profit system.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@AmericanNohbuddy Well then real wrestling has no place in the entertainment business which sucks. I wrestled in high school all four years man, if they had real pro wrestling promotions, I would've competed in it.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

Oh well.

[OrlyDudeGuy]

@OrlyDudeGuy Plus, after years of seeing fake pro wrestling, ppl are used to seeing it and that's what they want to see on tv. For the last couple of years, it's what people have been accustomed to seeing on tv. Imagine if they never changed it, ppl today would be accustomed to watching real wrestling but business is business.

[AmericanNohbuddy]

@OrlyDudeGuy

Oh well, I don't care.

[gaBehcuoDsuoitneterP]

You work for HBO?

[WillieG1990]

Ah the good old days. Back when wrestling wasn't fake as hell and the matches were legit. What I wouldn't give to see REAL WRESTLING!!!

[EMT22637]

Great video! Thanks for posting.. these kids would absolutely devastate the tapout-wearing UFC heads and it would be oh so beautiful...

[SlappyHuck]

A lot of people refer to this as early professional wrestling...it's actually very similar to today's legitimate folkstyle wrestling that is practiced by thousands of youth, jr high, high school and college athletes across the country. Cool to see half nelsons, sit outs and front headlocks in a 100 year old film. This is the same stuff my 10 year old uses today.

[seanwilson556]

A classic. And it was only 2 minutes! I could watch a 30 minute catch wrestling bout and never get bored. Wrestling is the greatest sport in the world. It's a shame that as soon as most people mention 'wrestling' they instantly think of the sports entertainment wrestling (WWE) you see on TV. This, however, is a classic bout.

[jzungre]

this kinda looks like a work... the creativity and outlandishness of the moves makes me suspicious.

maybe not a "work" but a demonstration?

[mmns1979ns]

great technical match

[gawagney]

Great stuff. Thanks a bundle, buddy. Really interesting to watch. A gem.

[rlmotorcycles]

or are those even real people in the back?

[Charkoly2]

OMG that's creepy

[rlmotorcycles]

good thing they didn't fall off the stage

[gawagney]

@rlmotorcycles Yes, I thought my eyes were telling lies. No ropes......Although nowadays the wrestlers spend more time outta the ring than they do inside anyway, huh?

[djminion]

@gawagney Eh..... Actual Wrestling, and "Professional" Wrestling are not one in the same.

[SoSayGoodbye1]

you cant see me!

[MustardCuttah]

Is there any information on who these two are?

[catalinaguerrero]

catch predates bjj

[mazdaplz]

in some places in south america we still call wrestling "catchascan"

btw, this marked a whole new era for fighting in silly outfits, what was that they were wearing, a thong? make it g string next time

[Davebjj]

talk about a scramble...wow

[BirdPlucker007]

This can not be! Everybody knows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the first grappling system with submissions. This is quite clearly a fake. Nice try, but I watch the Ultimate Fighter.

lmao.

[TitWarlord]

@BirdPlucker007 lol

[Snoochy2006]

@BirdPlucker007 If that was a joke, then lol. If not...

[greebuh]

@BirdPlucker007 Its funny too that people don't seem to understand that jiu-jitsu is a Japanese word.

[BirdPlucker007]

@greebuh Uh, hello....BRAZILIAN Jiu-Jitsu!

lol

[greebuh]

@BirdPlucker007 So what are you telling me? That you are a moron and don't know where jiu-jitsu started. Hello it started in Japan. Take off the Brazilian part and you have the original art that started in Japan. The Brazilian part is to show a differance between the original and the modified version from Brazil.

[BirdPlucker007]

@greebuh Another one whose sarcasm detector is broken.

Your mom must be proud lol.

[berner]

@BirdPlucker007 Judo and Jiu Jitsu are grappling styles that are older than Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and they use throws and submissions.

[BirdPlucker007]

@berner Thanks berner, lol.

Your sarcasm detector may be broken my friend :)

[berner]

@BirdPlucker007 What?! *shakes fist* D'OOOH! I'll get you for this!

[annetraam]

wrestling is of all times. its just filming that's younger.

[Pectoris4]

These two guys have good amateur wrestling skills and we are fortunate to have this historical film. Hard to imagine that this was over one hundred years ago!

[judopathoftruth]

old school grapplers.

[TitWarlord]

they move so dam fast

and what was up with all the handstands?

[sevengone]

to prevent the pin

[MrJalostotitlan]

thats true wrestling.

[DW01]

Great video and some excellent moves. I laughed at 1:11, what was going on there? Ha

[shkotay]

@DW01 He was trying to push the guy on the bottom down for a pin.

The transitions into bridges and such is simply astounding. These kids are amazing.

[DW01]

They certainly are, their agility and strength is excellent.

[regettingloose]

wow an eye opener thanks

[carnivalwrestler]

This is cool stuff, but I'm surprised not to see any submission holds or attempts. Is this really catch, or just wrestling as we see in our high schools and colleges now? Catch nowadays is all about pain from submission holds.

[simplynotfact]

@carnivalwrestler

there was no submission in CACC at that time.it was just feestyle wrestling.

later they added submission from Jiusitsu.

[carnivalwrestler]

@simplynotfact Thanks for clearing that up. I've taken CSW (Erik Paulson's Combat Submission Wrestling) and I was told (not by my instructor) that it was based on Catch Wrestling. I've read different items on the internet that imply that Farmer Burns, et. al., were submitting opponents at carnivals in "take on all comers" matches. This because they had to be able to beat much larger, stronger opponents, and the only way to do that was with submissions.

[pentfixion]

This is a demonstration match. Why are you arguing about it being fake?

[HomedudePedroski]

that move :38, cool

[jagharvf]

THIS IS GOLD! FOR THE WRESTLING HISTORY

I! Thank you!

[shkotay]

You arent kidding. Who do we see today move with such sustained vigor and move with such skills? College competitions and Olympic wrestlers dont put on this kind of display (mind you it was a display show but these guys were going full tilt). I am amazed at their ability to hold full bridges in the blink of an eye even under fairly extreme pressures.

[barkydawg]

i'm pretty those "fans" are a painted backdrop

[nick11085]

i can see where you'd think that, but a lot of old film looks that way because of the very few frames per second and the way the images were burned onto film....you might be right but i don't think so.

[jd4awhile419]

could be fake cuz the fans in the backround are fake or they they just dont move at all or cheer

[hylo1111]

your right, the heads are larger than normal in comparison to the reff and wrestlers and there apears to be a shadow on the wall

[actionsub]

@jd4awhile419 You see this from Japanese fans even today. A Japanese pro wrestling audience behaves like they're at the opera.

[eslubin]

@actionsub they fall asleep?

[actionsub]

@eslubin Not so much, but they don't cheer and boo loudly like American audiences do. A particularly impressive move will be given a quiet round of applause and that's about it.

[Pectoris4]

It was a pleasure to watch these energetic amateur wrestlers from over one hundred years ago.

[hohktkd]

Wow, that really was over a hundred years ago, that is really weird to think of it like that.

[mrxskull]

I really hope you are joking.

[SakoYo]

I've notice that The BJJ top game is pretty much a watered down version of catch wrestling. They took out all the painful pins and left just a "surfing" control where you're just maintaining your base over your opponent, you're not doing anything that makes it hard for him to move or breath.

[cwpolo17]

Not true.

[irishclubswinger]

kinda true....

[xorn96]

They wrestling on this is real. They did not have "works" until the late 20's. In 1903, the wrestling was as real as it gets.

[Kimurra22]

This was supposed to be a real MATCH not a demo, you see the Referee? and as anyone can see, it is a WORK with the wrestlers cooperating with each other.

[Eldenaims]

Actually most pro wrestling was shoot until maybe the 1910's or 1920's.

Although this looks like it may have been an exhibition, not sure.

[Kimurra22]

Fake!

[Kimurra22]

Lokoed more real than PRO wrestling these days, but alot of it still fake, a good Judo or BJJ man beats those clowns easy.

[Bigmac79]

What you seeing here is real Wrestling, not PRO Wrestling like WWE Stuff.

Do you think all Olympic Wrestling for example is fake?

[vuxfeon]

its a real style but the guys here have been told to ham it up a little for the crowd, not to stay in dominant position too long.Which is why there are a so many easy switches.

[Kimurra22]

News flash, that means its fake.

[vuxfeon]

News flash so are all demonstrations.

If Randy Couture or a BJJ champ puts on a demo for the crowd does not mean he is suddenly a 'clown'.

Real catch as catch can matches were real wrestling matches.This is just a demo.

[vuxfeon]

The demonstration was fake, or rather they had been told to keep swapping positions to keep it exciting for the audience.

Does not mean the guys doing it were not real wrestlers.I put BJJ head of catch wrestling, but judo behind both these days.

[HybridCrossTraining]

Thats a bit disrespectful...

Judo is awesome,so is BJJ, but Catch Wrestling is by far and away the best Submission Grappling Art.

[FireProMMA]

@Kimurra22 Lol, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu hadn't even been invented you ignorant little prick.

[greeco08]

it was nice when pro wrestling was real wrestling and not this fake entertainment bull shit put on by wwe and shit like them.

[wrestler50000]

Certainly makes me appreciate Wrestling at its fullest!

Fantastic energy here and unbelievable reflexes. It is hard for me to sink in how Professional Wrestling has change in the last 100 years. Anyone who wishes to become a Pro Wrestler MUST study its roots and get a good background in wrestling and grappling!

Catch Wrestling has played a vital role in my overal development as a submission wrestler and as a Pro Wrestler. Still have more to learn, but I put credit where it's due -- Catch!

[Nertrender]

@wrestler50000 I think that that "fantastic energy" is just a low frame rate

[mmmikeyxx]

I think I saw a hurricarana , lol

[Quarter32]

wow, those boys have so much energy, thats amazing