1870s-1890s

This is just what Wikipedia says. I wasn’t there but I’m here now so I’ll comment through out.

In 1887, the first professional wrestling championship was created when Evan "Strangler" Lewis defeated Joe Acton in Chicago to win the American Catch-as-Catch Can Championship.

Keep in mind that back then, two chubby guys pawing at each other for an hour after a meal of hot dogs, pork rinds and beer could be considered “epic” just because no one died after 12 minutes.

1900s-1910s

A Californian innovation was an 18-foot padded mat laid atop risers, which is still being used today in North American professional wrestling, but didn't become popular until the 1930s.

This implies that the earlier wrestlers were kinds just pounding on each other on the floor of a barn…not that there was anything wrong with that I suppose…

On May 5, 1905, European Greco-Roman champion, Georg Hackenschmidt, defeated American Heavyweight Champion, Tom Jenkins, in two straight falls, in Madison Square Garden in New York in a match to crown the "World Catch-as-Catch Can Heavyweight Champion." This match saw the origin of the first "World Heavyweight Championship" in the United States.

1930s-1940s

1935 became one of the more significant years in American professional wrestling history. Not only did Jim Crockett, Sr. form Jim Crockett Promotions but Vince McMahon, Sr. promoted his first wrestling card.

Don Owens began promoting wrestling cards that aired on television in Portland, the first televised professional wrestling in history.

The National Wrestling Alliance was first formed in Waterloo, Iowa. The first NWA President was P.L. "Pinkie" George. Orville Brown was recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion in 1948 (of the NWA).

The NWA worked under a revolutionary "territory" system, similar to a franchise of a business. The promotion owned a large sum of promotions in different areas of the world, with the World Championship recognized as the highest championship in the promotion. The champion was permitted to go on tours of member's promotions.

A quick note about the territory system.

Basically if you wanted to run a wrestling business you needed places to promote and host events. It was important to establish a base of operations like Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, and Minneapolis and then put on shows in towns that were easy to get to from there. You’d be responsible for hiring your own wrestlers and training them and often times clothing and feeding them too.

Once your territory was established, other promoters would stay out of your area but under this system established by the NWA, the Worlds Heavyweight Champion of the NWA WOULD come around and visit the territories in order to give the fans in the area a chance to watch the over all champion.