Wrestle

From Plastic Tub

Wrestling almost certainly developed out of the physical struggles over food, territory and chicks which must of formed the warp and woof of our early hominid ancestors. Of course, primitive man would in this case be no different from any number of animals, whose rough tumbles and clawings, flips and eye-gouges must have inspired them. Even now, in other martial arts such as Karate, we see an infinite variety of animal forms which have given rise to intricate katas and moves. As Guileless Maccabee once remarked, "Animal behavior is where it's at."

To wrestle also gives rise to another sphere of human activity: that which Mazzistow Carrington called the "metaphysical tussle." When men and woman are engaged in dilemmas practical, moral, spiritual or logistical, they are said to wrestle with a problem. Perhaps the most famous exmaple of this metaphor is to found in the Biblical story of Jacob wrestling the angel; after this struggle, represented as a literal event in the Book of Genesis, Yahweh renamed Jacob (עֲקֹב) Israel ()יִשְׂרָאֵל ) and destined him to become father of the Israelites.¹ 

Other notable wrestlers include Hercules, writer John Irving, Andy Kaufman, Hulk Hogan and William Flintrock, a high school Tri-State Champion.

See Also

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• Arm Wrestling
• Fisticuffs