[1901-British Pathe] "Fat And Lean Wrestling Match"

[Loss]

British Pathe
"Fat And Lean Wrestling Match"
1901
FILM ID 1694.1

More work of art than pro wrestling match, 1901's "Fat and Lean Wrestling Match" newsreel shows just that there was probably never a time when professional wrestling was truly Serious Business, no matter what our rose-colored nostalgia might sometimes tell us. This glorious two-minute video is a strong argument that it's best that way, packing multiple unexpected twists and turns into a laugh-out-loud performance that's far better sports entertainment than anything WWE has ever produced. It's not often wrestling ventures into avant-garde, but the enduring entertainment value of this clip over a century later shows it to be a viable path for the medium.