Here in Kentucky, we are known for many things: horses, bourbon, corvettes, and pro wrestling. Wait. Pro wrestling? Yes. Pro wrestling. That competition amongst men and women to be the best in the squared circle, where the grapplers punch, kick, jump and anything else possible to win, has a rich and distinct connection to the Bluegrass.

No, pro wrestling didn’t originate here. It’s a sport, or as it’s referred to now as “sports entertainment” that has been around for generations and has been a staple in the unique world of carnivals. There are wrestling promotions throughout the world, most notably in Canada, Japan and Mexico. Here in the states, professional wrestling (which has elements of traditional freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, brawling, soap opera-like storytelling, in-person theater and gymnastics) has largely been connected to Tennessee because of promotions like Smoky Mountain Wrestling and Memphis Championship Wrestling. Other states like Florida, Georgia, Ohio and more have decades-long success with independent wrestling promotions.

Kentucky, however, has birthed many legendary wrestlers on top of being a hub for talent development of some of the biggest stars pro wrestling has ever seen. Playing off his country boy roots, Bowling Green native Jim Morris became Hillbilly Jim and became a major part of the then World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s. Hillbilly Jim and his “family” became highly successful as he worked with top stars Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper. His career came full circle as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and gave a shout-out to his “old Kentucky home.”

If you’ve ever “snapped into a Slim Jim”, then you know the unique vocal stylings of WWE Hall of Famer Randy “Macho Man” Savage. The legendary multi-time wrestling champion began his wrestling career in Lexington and lived there many years after he became a star. He also married a Kentucky girl, both on and off-screen as he wed Frankfort’s own Elizabeth Hullette. She was better known as Miss Elizabeth to wrestling fans and their on-camera love story and television wedding became one of the biggest moments in pro wrestling history. They were wrestling’s version of ABC soap opera General Hospital’s supercouple, Luke and Laura.

Notorious wrestling manager, Jim Cornette is also a product of Louisville and has worked for multiple promotions including the WWE as a booker, on-air talent, trainer announcer and just about any other job in wrestling you can think of. Cornette is best known as one of the most famous heel managers of all time from his work with the Midnight Express tag team while carrying around a tennis racket and wearing an ugly white suit. Now retired from the business, he hosts not one but two very popular podcasts, “The Jim Cornette Experience” and “Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru,” with longtime wrestling fan and contributor “The Great” Brian Last from his home in Louisville.

More recently, WWE wrestler Ricochet has been making his mark in pro wrestling. Although born in Illinois, he was raised in Paducah before setting out to achieve his wrestling dream. The high-flying star most recently held WWE’s newest belt for the Speed Championship.

In 1993, Ohio Valley Wrestling was born under the direction of “Nightmare” Danny Davis as a part of the National Wrestling Alliance. OVW held live events in the Jefferson County Armory, also known as the Louisville Gardens and was featured on its own weekly television program seen throughout Kentucky and Indiana.

Once OVW broke away from NWA, they began a partnership with the WWE (World Wrestling Federation). OVW was considered WWE’s training grounds for their up-and-coming talents. Some of the most notable WWE stars to emerge from OVW are Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista and Brock Lesnar. OVW briefly acted as a training ground for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , or TNA, after WWE moved its training facility down to Florida. Now fully independent, the promotion has garnered renewed national attention thanks to a recently released Netflix docu-series called “Wrestlers”, that chronicles the company’s struggles to stay financially solvent and relevant in the world of sports entertainment.

Want to see wrestling here in the Commonwealth? All Elite Wrestling, TNA and WWE have all made stops throughout the state in places like Corbin, Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green, Murray, Paducah and more. WWE hosted its Backlash pay-per-view event at Rupp Arena in 2006 where there was a triple main event. Louisville has also hosted pay-per-views for WWE Judgment Day and In Your House. In addition, there are plenty of independent companies spread across the state performing regularly for those who want to get that live feel and support independent wrestling.

Would you believe that wrestling has even touched the hallowed halls of academia here in Kentucky? Western Kentucky University was one of the first, if not the first college to have a History of United States Professional Wrestling course, taught by department head Dr. Pam Johnson (who was the first African American woman to publish a major U.S. newspaper) and then-undergraduate student and current chair of the board for Kentucky to the World Sam Ford. From there, Sam went on to teach a semester-long course on the history of U.S. Pro Wrestling at MIT, in partnership with WWE, and again has taught that course for the WKU Honors College since returning to Kentucky.

The world of professional wrestling goes through waves of mainstream popularity. We have seen huge spikes during the Hulk Hogan era of the 80s, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock era of the 90s and now wrestling is arguably as hot as it’s ever been. From mega movie stars like The Rock and John Cena returning to the wrestling ring periodically, to popular television and streaming shows like Young Rock, GLOW, Total Divas, movies such as The Iron Claw and Oscar-nominated, The Wrestler, tons of podcasts and websites which are dedicated to every move and storyline, there is no shortage of content to keep wrestling fans happy. Pro wrestling has influenced our culture in ways too numerous to mention. If you have ever used the word “smackdown”, then you have been influenced by the wrestling culture. Next time you are scrolling through YouTube, type in “wrestling-themed wedding entrances”. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

So, the next time you think about what is synonymous with our great state, don’t forget to throw professional wrestling in the mix. We are woven into the fabric of this great and entertaining brand of sports entertainment.

Ryan Dearbone is currently an Assistant Professor of Broadcasting at Western Kentucky University, as well as freelance journalist and podcaster. He’s a former award-winning television news/sports reporter. For nearly a decade, he co-hosted a pro wrestling-focused radio show called “The Beatdown”, where he’s gotten to interview wrestling legends such as Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Chyna. He has also written several wrestling articles for the Bleacher Report. A huge fan of pro wrestling, Ryan has spent time around independent wrestling promotions in South Central Kentucky and regularly attends pro WWE, TNA and AEW wrestling shows.

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