It is safe to say that being a wrestling promoter wasnt always as easy, or as lucrative as it is today. Back when the wrestlers and promoters had to protect kayfabe (make professional wrestling matches/angles seem real), the promoters had to go through great trouble to promote the fights. The fact that they had to stick to their territories made it all the more difficult for most of the promoters to draw big numbers for the wrestling shows. In todays scenario, professional wrestling has become an alternative form of entertainment. Gone are the days when the promoters could draw numbers just because of the interest a fight generated. Today, professional wrestling has become an extension of a soap opera combined with showmanship. Having a good wrestling match on the show isnt seen as a necessity, but as an added bonus. Professional wrestling has transcended the sports genre, and it has opened a lot of doors for the talents and the promoters alike to venture into different sectors. All of this wouldnt have been possible without the vision and ambition of a few promoters, who were instrumental in revolutionizing the professional wrestling business. In this article, I take a look at 7 such promoters, whose contributions helped the wrestling business immensely and made the business what it is today.
Sports journalist, writer, poet, quiz master and an engineer. I have been writing about contact sports for years, and have interviewed UFC fighters such as Miesha Tate, Cung Le and John Hathaway. I had also covered TUF - China finale and UFC Fight Night - Macau.
