History
Catch wrestling — "catch as catch can" — grew in 19th-century Lancashire, England, and spread through fairs, carnivals and music halls in Britain and the United States. Unlike Greco-Roman, any hold was allowed, and many bouts were won by submission.
In the 20th century the Snake Pit gym of Billy Riley in Wigan kept the style alive. Karl Gotch took it to Japan, where it shaped shoot wrestling and early MMA, and amateur freestyle wrestling also descends from it.