Wrestling is a comprehensive martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment focused on grappling an opponent to achieve a position of advantage through various throws and techniques. With origins dating back an astonishing 15,000 to 17,000 years as evidenced by cave drawings, it stands as one of humanity's oldest combat forms. The sport made its official debut in the ancient Olympic Games during the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC, showcasing a wide array of styles from legitimate competitive forms like Greco-Roman and judo to the athletic theatre of professional wrestling.

Ancient civilizations, particularly the Greeks and Romans, highly valued wrestling, with influential figures like philosopher Plato known to have participated and referenced it extensively. Maintaining its popularity through the Middle Ages and across different cultures, wrestling became a fixture of the modern Olympic Games from 1896 (excluding 1900), and is today globally governed by United World Wrestling (UWW).