Wrestling

Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two (occasionally more) competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into other martial arts as well as military hand-to-hand combat systems.

The term wrestling is attested in late Old English, as wræstlunge (glossing palestram).

History

Wrestling represents one of the oldest forms of combat. Literary references to it occur as early as in the Iliad, in which Homer recounts the Trojan War of the 13th or 12th century BC. The origins of wrestling go back 15,000 years through cave drawings in France. Babylonian and Egyptian reliefs show wrestlers using most of the holds known in the present-day sport.

Mark Henry

Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman and professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE. He was a two-time Olympian in 1992 and 1996 and a Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist at the Pan American Games in 1995. As a powerlifter, he was WDFPF World Champion (1995) and a two-time U.S. National Champion (1995 and 1997) as well as an all-time raw world record holder in the squat and deadlift. Currently, he still holds the WDFPF world records in the squat, deadlift and total and the USAPL American record in the deadlift since 1995. He is credited for the biggest raw squat and raw powerlifting total ever performed by a drug tested athlete, regardless of weight class, as well as the greatest raw deadlift by an American citizen.

In weightlifting, Henry was a three-time U.S. National Weightlifting Champion (1993, 1994, 1996), an American Open winner (1992), a two-time U.S. Olympic Festival Champion (1993 and 1994) and a NACAC champion (1996). He holds all three Senior US American weightlifting records of 1993–1997. In 2002 he won the first annual Arnold Strongman Classic.

Rey Mysterio

Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by the ring name Rey Mysterio, is a Mexican-American professional wrestler who currently works for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and Lucha Underground. He is perhaps best known for his time in WWE from July 2002 until February 2015. He is also known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Gutierrez was trained by his uncle Rey Misterio, Sr., learning the Lucha Libre high flying style that has been his trademark.

Gutierrez originally worked for AAA in Mexico, from 1992 to 1995. He wrestled in ECW from 1995 to 1996 and WCW from 1996 to 2001 as Rey Misterio Jr. or Rey Mysterio Jr. "Rey Misterio" is Spanish for "King Mystery", but subsequently dropped the "Junior" from his name when he began working for WWE in July 2002 until February 2015.

Mysterio is known for having a high flying style, which helped kick-start the cruiserweight wrestling revolution in the United States in the late 1990s during his time in WCW, and is often regarded as one of the greatest high-flyers in wrestling history. In WCW he won the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times, and the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship once with Billy Kidman as part of The Filthy Animals. In WWE, Mysterio is a three-time world champion, having held the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWE Championship once. He has also held the WWE Tag Team Championship a record-tying four times, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice. He also held the WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Championship a record eight times (five times in WCW, three times in WWE). All totaled, he has won 21 titles between WWE and WCW. Mysterio was the 21st person to win the WWE Triple Crown Championship, and was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble.

John Cena

John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, rapper and an actor signed to WWE, but is on hiatus due to injury as of February 2016. Cena is credited by WWE as the public face of that organization, and has served as its franchise player since 2005.

Cena started his pro wrestling career in 1999 with Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), and won its heavyweight title the following year. Cena signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later renamed to WWE) in 2001, debuting on the main roster in 2002. As of February 2016, Cena has won 24 championships, with 15 reigns as a world champion; he has won the WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship a record of 12 times and the World Heavyweight Championship three times (WWE.com has repeatedly described him as a 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion), Cena also had five reigns as United States Champion, and four reigns as world tag team champion (two World Tag Team and two WWE Tag Team). Furthermore, he is a 2012 Money in the Bank ladder match winner, a two-time Royal Rumble winner (2008, 2013), and a three-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner (2009, 2010, 2012).

Hulk Hogan

Terry Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, entrepreneur and rock bassist.

Bollea enjoyed mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 1990s as the all-American character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), and as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, the villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). A regular pay-per-view headliner in both organizations, Hogan closed the respective premier annual events of the WWF and WCW, WrestleMania and Starrcade, on multiple occasions. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2009 until 2013, where he was the on-screen General Manager and occasional wrestler.IGN described Hogan as "the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the '80s".

Hogan is a 12-time world champion; a six-time WWF/E (World Heavyweight) Champion and six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He was the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumbles, in 1990 and 1991.