The Carny Era (Carnival Era) was a unique time in the history of professional wrestling. Beginning in the late 1800's, carnival workers would work as bookers and promoters who would go out and find big, brutish men to come and join their travelling shows from town to town, holding impromptu matches against one another. There have been instances where the wrestlers would compete against a live bear, just to spark interest and sell tickets to the shows, which would also result in more patrons at their carnivals.
Along with these traveling carnivals, there would also be large, traveling circuses who would also book these wrestlers from time to time as well. During this time, a lot of the over-the-top characters and gimmicks would come to life. The Carnival Era was very influential to the overall evolution of the business as we now know it.
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About the author
J. Carpenter
Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.
Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.
Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.
When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.
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