Mud wrestling#Variations
{{Short description|Sport involving wrestling in mud}}
{{refimprove|date=December 2010}}
{{Original research|date=September 2007}}
Image:Mud wrestling couple.jpg
Mud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation (fighting, wrestling, etc.) that occurs in mud (or mud-like substances) or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, with the usual emphasis on presenting an entertaining spectacle as opposed to physically injuring or debilitating the opponent to the point where they are unable to continue the match.{{fact|date=March 2023}}
History
The primal activity itself dates back to time immemorial, with a sport similar to mud wrestling called pale recorded in Ancient Greece at least {{c.}} 4th century BC.{{cite news | url = https://weirdestsports.com/mud-wrestling | title = Mud Wrestling | website = Weirdest Sports | access-date = July 12, 2024 }}
The first professional mud wrestling organization was formed in Akron, Ohio in the 1930s by Michael Wittrock and Tyler Carroll. The first women's match occurred there on 7 January 1938.{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yEoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=life%20magazine%20jan%2024%201938&pg=PA23 | title=First Women's Mud Wrestling Match Draws 2,500 Customers | magazine=Life | date=1938-01-24 | accessdate=November 24, 2011 | page=23}}