During the early 20th century wresting was looked at as a serious sport with classical connections to Olympic competitions. This all changed, though, with the rise of World Wrestling Entertainment during the 80s. Rising to prominence under the guidance of CEO Vince McMahon, WWE presented wrestling as less of a sport and more of a staged entertainment event with colorful characters and elaborately planned title matches. Battles between WWE wrestlers are typically held in stadiums, packed with fervent fans, and are televised to audiences around the country. Theatrics and even pyrotechnics are employed to an ostentatious degree but all the lively visuals combine to make for some extremely engaging, exaggerated wrestling performances that fans continue to thrive on.
