The popularity of wrestling has blossomed in recent years. Drawn by the backstories and drama of the fights, fans numbering millions from across the globe tune in religiously. This has brought with it an increased interest in placing bets.

So, in this guide, we’ll take a look at wrestling in a little more detail. We’ll explore some of the most popular competitions before taking a look at how to bet on wrestling.

The best wrestling competitions to follow

A few years ago, there wasn’t too much choice in the types of wrestling you could follow. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), were the dominant forces.

WWE continues to reign supreme in the wrestling world. Created by Vince McMahon, the franchise has on its books some of the leading names in wrestling, such as The Undertaker, The Rock and Kane.

However, WWE’s ratings have been on the slide, and that has allowed other organizations to rise up. One of these is All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The company recently secured a deal to be aired weekly on US network TNT, which has only added to its popularity.

In addition to the more commercial competitions, there are lots of amateur wrestling matches that you can bet on. However, not all betting companies may offer odds.

Let’s take a look at how to bet on wrestling.

How to bet on wrestling

Betting on wrestling is much the same as any other sport. And it doesn’t matter if you want to place a bet using online sports betting in Tennessee or in Alabama, since all leading sportsbooks offer you the ability to place these bets.

Straight wagers

One of the simplest bets that you can make is to simply back one wrestler to win. With this type of bet, there are no gimmicks attached. You’re simply backing one person to defeat the other by tap out.

With this particular bet, you may not get the best odds, especially if you’re looking to back the favorite.

What you could do instead is look to make an accumulator bet. This involves backing the winner in several fights. The more selections you make, the greater the odds. And the more unlikely the bet, the bigger the potential payout.

Some betting sites may also offer a cash out option, allowing you to bow out of the bet before all fights have taken place, usually with some profit in your pocket.

The downside to accumulators is that they can be tough to call and surprises have a habit of cropping up in sport. However, if you research your bets thoroughly, you stand a better chance of calling it right.

Events

One of the best times to place a bet on wrestling is around the time of or during popular events. Most of these major events are hosted by the WWE. They have five standout bouts throughout the year, which are:

• WrestleMania
• Survivor Series
• Royal Rumble
• SummerSlam
• Money in the Bank

These pay-per-view events often draw viewers numbering in their millions. WrestleMania, for example, is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history.

In the run-up to these events, online betting companies and sportsbooks offer many different deals to try and attract new players.

One popular welcome bonus is the matched first bet or deposit. In other words, the betting site will match the first bet you make. For example, if you back Edge to win a fight and place a bet of $100, the betting site will match it, so you stand to get double the payout if you win.

Some betting sites offer matched bets of up to $2,000, so if you’re sure about the outcome of a particular fight, you could win a little extra money.

Some betting sites also offer other deals and bonuses like free spins on slot machine games. You could get as many as 50 spins to use on a range of different games. Any money you win is yours to keep.

In summary

Wrestling continues to draw in bigger and bigger crowds, and in doing so, the popularity of betting on the sport has increased. As we’ve seen above, there are a number of ways in which you can place a bet, and in combination with generous welcome bonuses, payouts could be significant.

So keep an eye out for any major wrestling events and check if any betting sites are offering deals that could help you win.